Very Shy Guinea Pig

[Raefire]

I've had my 2 Guinea Pigs, Mocha and Coco for a while now and Mocha is just fine with me being around. She lets me pick her up and pet her and things like that. However, Coco is still extremely shy. I do understand that when you first get your Guinea Pigs, they'll be shy and it may take some time for them to warm up to you. I'm just worried because in the pictures given to us when we were adopting both Mocha and Coco, Coco was in a corner and looked frightened. In the other picture, Coco was hiding in her hut. I do feed them hay, Oxbow guinea pig food, and vegetables but whenever I come down from my loft bed, come in the room, or give them food, hay, or water she always hides in the corner, or in her hut. What can I do to help her? I have never tried to pick her up or hold her since she has always been so scared. I never chase her around her cage either. Please comment tips I can do to help her.

 

[Swissgreys]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

There is a good thread here on helping shy new guinea pigs to settle in.

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

How long have you had your piggies?
It can take some guinea pigs months to settle in, and some will never be fans of being picked up and handled.
One of ours still only 'tolerates' being handled and we have had her for over a year, whilst one will rush to the front of the cage and wait to be picked up!
Every piggy is different and some just take a little longer than others.

 

[MoorePiggies]

I agree with @Swissgreys every piggy is different. If you can try to sit beside her cage talking to her or even reading out loud. As you are doing this put down some healthy treats for her so she associates your voice with good things.

 

[Wiebke]

I've had my 2 Guinea Pigs, Mocha and Coco for a while now and Mocha is just fine with me being around. She lets me pick her up and pet her and things like that. However, Coco is still extremely shy. I do understand that when you first get your Guinea Pigs, they'll be shy and it may take some time for them to warm up to you. I'm just worried because in the pictures given to us when we were adopting both Mocha and Coco, Coco was in a corner and looked frightened. In the other picture, Coco was hiding in her hut. I do feed them hay, Oxbow guinea pig food, and vegetables but whenever I come down from my loft bed, come in the room, or give them food, hay, or water she always hides in the corner, or in her hut. What can I do to help her? I have never tried to pick her up or hold her since she has always been so scared. I never chase her around her cage either. Please comment tips I can do to help her.

Hi!
Guinea pigs are prey animals. Some are more skittish than others, and some can internalise it if their mothers were very stressed and frightened when they had their babies. That can take a long time to work past, but it can be done and is a very satisfactory thing to do. There is nothing like the moment when you realise that a skittish piggy has given you its implicit trust.

You may find these guides here helpful in learning how to avoid behaving like hunting predator as much as you can and use guinea pig body language to make friends and reassure your piggy. Start with getting it to take food from your hands.
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

More information for new owners via this link here. You may find it interesting and helpful: New Owners' " How To" Starter Kit

 

[sport_billy]

Hello, welcome to the forum

Sounds like she is a little scared at the moment but not to worry she will soon calm down and settle.

It may be worth offering food to your piggy while she is in her cage and hopefully after time they will take it off you - Food is the best way to bribe, use food when you get round to lap times also. Start lap time for a short amount of time at first and build up. We started off we laptimes for 1 minute with new piggies then pop them back, slowly increasing the time. They will soon associate you with food and good things but at first it takes a while to gain their trust.


Have a look at this video here for when it come to picking them up

 

[snuffsandpumps]

Welcome to the forum!
My pigs are still a little shy, and I have had them since November. All I can suggest is don't make any sudden movements around coco, as this can scare guineas easily. Also let coco sniff your hand, and come up close to her each time you walk past- guinea pigs like to know who you are. Also when you pick her up, give her a treat, as this can encourage pigs to like being picked up. I hope this helps.