Well My Piggies Get Tame? :(

[Fusion200]

Well, I've had my piggies for around 3 weeks now, and I can pick them up, altough one will ALWAYS try to escape when you pick her up, the other one sometimes squeaks scared when bewing picked up but sit still, they will close their eyes if you pet them on their ears, and they are sitting on my chest right now, "complaining" with small but constant speaking, one of them will lay her head down and "rest" on me sometimes, but they are scared, like, REALLY scared (they run away) when I aproach them while they have floor time, sometimes when they are in the cage, too, but not as much, sometims they wheek at me, mostly when there is a bag, but not everytime. I'm just afraid that they will end up never getting tame? Cause I wanted cuddly pigs

 

[Julesie]

In three weeks they are still new to you. It will take longer until they feel braver with you. It can also depends on the piggie's personality. My guinea pig who is almost three years old took over half a year until he was brave enough for me to pick him up and now hes the easiest pig out of all of mine to pick up.

I'd recommend giving them a month or two and see how they are doing, by this point a lot of piggies will be comfy in taking food from you and greeting you at the bars and even sleeping more out in the open.

As long as you keep at it and talk to them they will learn not to be as scared of you. Picking up can take time... my baby piggie who I got in the beginning of July still utterly HATES being picked up and makes the most violent clacking teeth sound whenever he knows I am taking them out to be cleaned. He runs like a loony but once I have him he's fine and then runs around popcorning, he just doesn't like being picked up. They are prey animals so being picked up to them relates a predator.

 

[Fusion200]

In three weeks they are still new to you. It will take longer until they feel braver with you. It can also depends on the piggie's personality. My guinea pig who is almost three years old took over half a year until he was brave enough for me to pick him up and now hes the easiest pig out of all of mine to pick up.

I'd recommend giving them a month or two and see how they are doing, by this point a lot of piggies will be comfy in taking food from you and greeting you at the bars and even sleeping more out in the open.

As long as you keep at it and talk to them they will learn not to be as scared of you. Picking up can take time... my baby piggie who I got in the beginning of July still utterly HATES being picked up and makes the most violent clacking teeth sound whenever he knows I am taking them out to be cleaned. He runs like a loony but once I have him he's fine and then runs around popcorning, he just doesn't like being picked up. They are prey animals so being picked up to them relates a predator.

Well, they do eat out of my hand, one of them even more than the other, and they wont try to escape when they are on my chest/belly, but what does the tiny noises they make when I pet them mean? It's just like a teeny tiny little talking noise, kind of sounds like when someone rubs water against a window or something, or when a baloon is rubbed, it sounds like that. I often see one of them eat when I hold her, but she has nothing in her mourh? Ocassionaly it's cecotrophes, tough, but sometimes it's nothing but it sounds like hay/something hard?

 

[piggyfan]

Guinea pigs always have bits of food in their mouth so they are probably chewing on it. They do chew all the time as their teeth are always growing. The sounds you describe are positive and just them chatting to you.

Three weeks is so early for guinea pigs to be used to you. I have had one of mine for five years and she will still run when I want to hold her.

 

[Fusion200]

Guinea pigs always have bits of food in their mouth so they are probably chewing on it. They do chew all the time as their teeth are always growing. The sounds you describe are positive and just them chatting to you.

Three weeks is so early for guinea pigs to be used to you. I have had one of mine for five years and she will still run when I want to hold her.

Once you pick her up, does she calm down? That's the way one of mine are, she doesn't run once she is close to me/on me.

 

[Wiebke]

Try to train your guinea pigs to come into a cosy, tunnel or cardboard box for pick up (with the help of little veg treats and lots of praise); it will take some time and effort, but it is worth it.

Create little rituals for various actions throughout the day, always with the same words and the same melody. Praise and encourage lavishly. Please remember that guinea pigs are prey animals, they are not born as pets. Most shop piggies have virtually not had any friendly contact with humans before.

Here are more tips: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/

 

[piggyfan]

Once you pick her up, does she calm down? That's the way one of mine are, she doesn't run once she is close to me/on me.

She fidgets and tries to nip me unless I have food!

 

[Evan Mac]

It is very rare for a guinea pig to tame in less than a month and a half I was extremely lucky with my first one she tamed in about 3 or 4 weeks but my new one has been around for almost a month and i can
pick her up but she still wont eat out of my hand very often and i feel like it is going to take a long time for her to greet me at the bars

 

[Bubbly Piggies]

I have only had Pippin since 12/22/13, she will eat from my hand while sitting on my lap but quite often, she will stop eating and bit down HARD on my fingers or hand without any verbal warning or provocation, is this behavior normal? What am I doing wrong? Also, when she is no longer interested in the veggies she will start chewing on the towel (lap pad), what does this mean? Lastly about 50% of the time she jerks away from my hand when I pet her (like she's been shocked by electricity).

Our other pig Lovey-bug (bought together) just sits and eats, no nipping or twitching loves to be petted and crawls up and lays across the back of my neck. Any advice is welcome, thank you in advance!

 

[klee]

I have only had Pippin since 12/22/13, she will eat from my hand while sitting on my lap but quite often, she will stop eating and bit down HARD on my fingers or hand without any verbal warning or provocation, is this behavior normal? What am I doing wrong? Also, when she is no longer interested in the veggies she will start chewing on the towel (lap pad), what does this mean? Lastly about 50% of the time she jerks away from my hand when I pet her (like she's been shocked by electricity).

Our other pig Lovey-bug (bought together) just sits and eats, no nipping or twitching loves to be petted and crawls up and lays across the back of my neck. Any advice is welcome, thank you in advance!

The biting may be her telling you she wants to go back, or could potentially be becaise your hands smell of food so she might be trying them out. As for the petting, it may br because she is very scared although it could also
suggest some kind of skin irritation e.g. mites which can cause very sensitive and sore skin. Does she have any hairloss around the area where she is sensitive? I

 

[Bubbly Piggies]

The biting may be her telling you she wants to go back, or could potentially be becaise your hands smell of food so she might be trying them out. As for the petting, it may br because she is very scared although it could also
suggest some kind of skin irritation e.g. mites which can cause very sensitive and sore skin. Does she have any hairloss around the area where she is sensitive? I

She is a long hair with huge swirly cowlicks on her hips(?), no hair loss that I can see. Petting her head (between her ears) one time and then next time it's her side. Like the act of her being touched is over stimulating to her or something? She jumps like, "whoa! Hey! What are you doing!?"

 

[klee]

@Bubbly Piggies Quite a lot of piggies don't like their heads being stroked and will throw their heads back to get you off them.

It can be difficult to see initial hair loss in longer haired pigs as their hair is so long and thick .If you gently part her hair round her sides(sensitive areas) have a look to see if her skin looks dry and flaky or red and sore, which may indicate some sort of irritation which would require vet advice. It may however be something as simple as a tickle spot, some pigs seem to be more sensitive than others. Either way just keep an eye on it to check nothing develops.