Won't eat or come out of hiding...

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kimmidyann

kimmidyann

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Hey, I'm a new guinea pig owner and I just got them today. I was expecting them to be very shy and to my surprise they both started exploring almost instantly! Except now it's been a few hours and both are huddled in the corner under the second shelf of the cage. xP I thought this might be normal and it's probably fine but they won't eat a thing! They drank some water earlier and nibbled on some hay but they won't touch the pellets or chew sticks and now won't go anywhere near the hay. They aren't making any noise and they aren't eating or drinking. I even tried coaxing them out with a carrot but they didn't budge. I'm kind of worried. D: Are they just scared of their new home or tired or something? Or is something wrong?
 
Hello to you and your piggies!
I am sure you will get some good advice on here but I would say that they are just adjusting to their new home. It sounds as though you are giving them access to hay, food and water so just let them come around in their own time. It might take a while as they will have been through a big change - just with any house move! Check on them from time to time but they bascially it sounds like they need some quiet time to get used to you and their new home. Goodluck!:)
 
Hi! Give them time to settle into their new surroundings. Place food and hay right next to their hidey, so they can poke their head out when nobody is around.

Please be aware that the vast majority of shop piggies has not had much human contact and that their lives have been upturned a lot in a short space of time. They won't have had any veg, either, so go careful when introducing it.

Try to talk to them gently as much as possible, don't hover over them like a predator and esptablish a firm routine with the same words/sounds in the same cadence spoken every time, so your piggies can learn what is coming next. Give them lots of praise.

Here are more tips on settling shy guinea pigs: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239

PS: We have more information for new owners in our reference section; you might find a visit there interesting!
 
kimmidyann said:
Hey, I'm a new guinea pig owner and I just got them today. I was expecting them to be very shy and to my surprise they both started exploring almost instantly! Except now it's been a few hours and both are huddled in the corner under the second shelf of the cage. xP I thought this might be normal and it's probably fine but they won't eat a thing! They drank some water earlier and nibbled on some hay but they won't touch the pellets or chew sticks and now won't go anywhere near the hay. They aren't making any noise and they aren't eating or drinking. I even tried coaxing them out with a carrot but they didn't budge. I'm kind of worried. D: Are they just scared of their new home or tired or something? Or is something wrong?
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Guinea-pigs are prey animals, they'll hide if you offer them a house and likely won't eat until you've gone because they'll feel more comfortable to. It's a vulnerable thing for them to eat anyway, because they could be attacked, but they don't know the difference between you as their owner who won't harm them, and a bird of prey swooping down to grab them. You have to appreciate that you have to be patient with them.

Let them get on with it for a few days but you could drop a few small chunks of veg around their hutch/cage to tempt them out if you're really worried about it, and watch them from a distance, quietly. You'll need to handle them a couple of times a day though, for about 5-10 minutes doing a health check on them by checking paws and claws, bottoms and whatever genitals they have, their skin, ears, eyes and teeth, as it'll help them feel more comfortable being held. They won't enjoy it, but they'll learn to tolerate it after a few weeks so it'll become easier for you to check them and cuddle them.

Hope I've helped a bit.
 
I've tried to hold them but they just run away from me. Should I grab them anyways? I feel like I'm scaring them. And one of them is making this weird purring noise and I don't know what that means. D:
 
Give them atleast 24 hours to settle in before trying to "grab" them for a cuddle.
 
Thank you very much! [: I haven't tried to pick them up yet. Especially because they're both currently irritated. I don't think they like each other too much...
 
It can take them awhile to get used to new surroundings, noises and humans showing them lots of interest.

How are they both today?

Just make sure that they have hideys they can get to easily if they are scared and some hay in each one so they can nibble on that.

When I visit new pigs here I bring a few herbs, a wee bit of grass or favourite veg each time. I put my hand gently in the cage and leave the veg near the hidey and take my hand out again. This way they learn to associate your hands with good things, not just something that comes into the cage to grab them.

Minimal handling the first few days. Each time you do handle them, again some tasty grass or veg on offer. They may not eat it to begin with, but in time they may decide that lap time is actually quite good.

You'll enjoy watching them grow in confidence each day and it won't be too long till they are greeting you with a chorus of wheeks demanding attention and grub!
 
Unfortunately one of them was hissing and biting the other one. CharChar was getting extremely aggressive with Shae and the only advice I could get from vets and specialists were to separate them. I can't afford separate cages or anything like that so I had to return CharChar. :( Shae, however, is settling in nicely. She loves being able to run around now without being attacked by Char and she squeaks happily every time she sees the bucket (that I put her treats in) come out. She's very happy and I hope Charlotte finds a home soon that she enjoys and can get comfortable in.
 
Oh no! They could have been tried to bond after a bath. It was very hasty of the vets to tell you to separate. You know your little piggy is going to be very lonely on her own now. Would you consider finding her a friend from a rescue? She could chose her own friend. Where did you get her from anyway?
 
I got her from Petsmart. I've tried to look at the rescue guinea pigs but the local rescue center here will only let me adopt two at a time and I definitely can't have three! A bath was definitely not recommended because of the way the hissing and teeth chattering was going on. Shae seems to love being on her own for now. If it gets to be a huge issue and she's really lonely I'll look into trying to find her another but for now I'm going to just have one. I have several friends who have only had one guinea pig and everything turned out just fine for them.
 
My Sophie was the same when I got her. She hissed and even attacked all the time. The bath changed everything and helped them to bond. Yes people do keep guinea pigs alone but it is not nice as the guinea pig has no friend to communicate and socialise with.
 
It is so sad you could not adopt. Since you're in California, guinea overpopulation is a very big issue. There were 150 piggies dumped at a high kill shelter in Southern California. They are now all saved by a rescue and are still in need of homes.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-guinea-pigs-rescue,0,3687557.story

I'm sure if you tell the rescue you already have 1 pig. They will allow you to adopt one. Some rescues will also allow you to bring your pig there to choose her own friend.
 
Sorry to hear that it didn't work out between your girls and you were unable to get info of an experianced GP person to advise on how to handle things. Vets, whilst good at what they do, know next to nothing of the behaviour of the many species they treat medically. ;)

Guinea pigs are naturally herd animals and thrive when they have a friend. Your piggy could def benifit from a friend to share it's life with. Yes there are lone pigs out there who lead reasonable lives, but to deprive a herd animal of the company of it's own kind is unfair, unless it's strongly advised for medical or extreme behavioural issues.

Contact some of your local rescues and see if they will let your girl "date" some piggies so she can choose a friend she will get on with please. It will enrich her life as well as offering another piggy a loving home that it desperately needs.
 
you must get your piggy a friend, it's not right not to. it will get depressed. you must think how you would feel if you were adducted by aliens and the only contact you had with any living thing was a giant alien for a hour a day, or however long it could be bothered with it for. Please do your piggy a favour and find it a friend. if you rescue one you will be helping them find a lifetime of happy companionship, what a gift to be able to give them both, and they will love you for it and you will get a lot more out of your two happy pets.
 
I got her from a pet store. Everybody I talked to recommended having her on her own as she is probably slightly traumatized from the damage. I had to get the smell of Char out of the cage before Shae even felt comfortable coming out of her hiding place. I've had her for almost a week and this is the first time she's gone certain places in the cage because of where Char attacked her. She's now comfortable and loving her cage. I have two friends who have owned guinea pigs and they have been just fine on their own. Hopefully Shae works out that way too. She seems quite happy!
 
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