very nervous skinny

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EL60

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Hello all
I got my baby skinny pig about two weeks ago. She is now roughly 8 weeks old.

I didnt push her to tame and would just leave her in her cage and put my hand in now and then till she started to let me pet her. Thing is now that I can pick her up now and hold her on my lap in a blanket but she is always giving little tiny squeaks one after the other. She will eat food from my lap but when she doesnt want more she is extremely nervous and squeaky and seems like she is trying to escape and always looking all around and seems scared. Just wondering why she is so very nervous and what should I do to help her.
Thanks
EL
 
Has she got a friend or is she an only piggy? Guinea pigs live in groups and are not really wired to be on their own. Especially youngsters depend on company and protection from other piggies.
 
She is on her own right now. I paid 200 dollars for her and cant afford another right now. Thought I could tame her first to be people friendly .
 
You could rescue a second one from a rescue. Usually they don't charge but a donation can be nice.

I would highly reccomend you getting her a friend.
 
EL60 said:
She is on her own right now. I paid 200 dollars for her and cant afford another right now. Thought I could tame her first to be people friendly .
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You could just get a normal guinea pig?

Skinnies need a LOT of extra care as I am sure you know, so getting another breed would make things a lot easier for you. Plus you don't have to spend a stupid amount of money!
 
Some pigs are more skittish than anothers (I had one who was very tightly wound- that was just her nature.) And the squeaky noise isn't necessarily a sign that she is scared- some pigs really like to 'talk' to their owners. I've had two 'talkers' over the years and it's not a matter of being afraid, they are just loud piggies!
 
My piggie has always been noisey while I'm holding him at first I thought he was just nervous everytime I had him out of the cage but I've had him for 6 months now and I hold him everyday and he's still that way. He does lay down on my lap but is always making noise.
 
I would suggest using a cuddle pocket - a little hide away that is soft and warm. Getting a hairy companion will also make her happier - as long as it is one of the same sex.

As you bought her from a breeder who should be knowledgeable about their own breed I think you may be best placed asking them your questions.
 
Thanks for the advice. I did get her a cuddle pocket and pick her up in that and seems to be an improvement . As for another pig well one with hair is out of the question because of my allergies . Anything with fur or hair I cant have. . I have enough issues just with the hay she eats but have switched to meadow hay so that helps somewhat. She gets a lot of attention. We are retired and so here most of the time. Lots of time and attention to her.

When I didnt have allergy problems years ago I had a guinea pig with hair on her own. I found her a "friend" and she hated her.chased and attacked her . Guess she liked being on her own after a while.
 
Skinny piggy

Some guinea pigs CAN be fine on there own, as long as they are given plenty of attention, guineapigs are alot like people in the sense that they need to choose their own friends, your previous guineapig may just not have liked that particular cage mate. Its very sad that you are allergic to fur! I couldnt imagine life without my little fur balls, but I'm sure your skinny piggy will be spoilt rotten. :) Goodluck!
I find dusty hay sets off my allergies more you just need to find a good supplier (i often sieve mine if its particularly dusty)
Good luck, people on here are very friendly and helpfull and there is even one member with lots of skinny piggy experience. :)
 
Thankyou Connie for your kind reply.

I have been getting the feeling on here that anything I might ask will end up with being told to get another pig which is not an option. I dont want another one and will not be getting one. I would just like to be respected for my choice's and seems you do and thankyou for the idea of putting the hay in a sieve
 
EL60 said:
Thankyou Connie for your kind reply.

I have been getting the feeling on here that anything I might ask will end up with being told to get another pig which is not an option. I dont want another one and will not be getting one. I would just like to be respected for my choice's and seems you do and thankyou for the idea of putting the hay in a sieve
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People may find it hard to respect what you admit is YOUR choice and not that of your guinea pig.

You have obviously made the choice to keep your herd animal on her own, so now you must make the choice to devote pretty much 22 hours a day to be with her in my opinion. At her young age she is probably incredibly confused and wondering where her family and friends have gone, so you need to take that place, and maybe consider getting her a toy guinea pig as some members on here have done to act as a bit of a subsitute - just make sure it is baby friendly, no removable eyes etc that could hurt her.

At 8 weeks you can only have had her for 2 weeks which isn't really that long, my Lola is still coming round and she has 6 other pigs she lives with to teach her I'm a nice person, so it's a matter of a lot of patience. Cherry, who came from lauraLucy on here, has lived with me for over a year and still isn't a cuddly pig, I can catch her and give her a quick brush and she is well behaved at the vets (a must for all my pigs) but she's just not into cuddles, so I have never pushed her to like them. She gets all her cuddles from her boyfriend and they seem happier with this arrangement.

As Suzy says, maybe try asking the breeder for advice, any decent breeder will have only had one or two litters at a time and will have spent a lot of time handling their pigs and getting to know them before they let them go, so should be able to tell you more about her personality.

Just worked out what $200 is in sterling...it equates to what I 'paid' for 6 of mine! (I say paid as most were rescue donations)
 
:)

Doelylicious, I'm sorry i feel you are being a little blunt with this owner. I agree in with the fact that i would never choose to keep a piggy alone. On the other hand nor could i afford to pay $400 to get a pair. EL60 has stated that because she is retired her guinea pig WILL be getting alot of one to one attention, she also cannot just get "any piggy" because of allergies. Here in the UK we are very lucky that there are so many rescues for us to look at. I have family in the US that drove for 3 HOURS to get to their nearest piggy rescue, that was for normal piggies, and they lived in a densly populated area. I do however hope that EL60 will consider saving up so that in the furture she will get her piggy a friend, simply because its in the animals best interests. 2 piggies cost very little less than 1 to keep. :) they dont need THAT much more space.
If you choose not to ever get your skinny a friend, please be aware that it may take a LONG time for your piggy to be tame (ive had my PAIR for 5 months and am still working on it) Some piggies (as mentioned above) may never get tame. Are you prepared for this outcome?
 
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