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Buttercup bonds with her human
I have had my first guinea pig for about 4 months now. I thought that by now she would have been comfortable with her surroundings, but it’s been the complete opposite. She never leaves her little guinea pig house and when I try to pick her up she runs away.
By the way, I adopted her from a family that could not afford her anymore, and I think she was abused and neglected.
– Kuuipo from Hawai’i
Hi, Kuuipo!
You are a darling Human for adopting your guinea pig. Thank you 🙂
Many guinea pigs can take months or even years to get comfortable with the scents and sounds of their human counterparts. This just depends on each guinea pig’s individual personality; it’s especially true of guinea pigs that may have been abused and/or neglected. Not all guinea pigs are created equal, and some may be more shy or more friendly than others.
Why Guinea Pigs are Naturally Skittish
It’s completely normal for a guinea pig to want to scurry away and hide, and even the most well-adjusted guinea pig startles very easily.
With their relative lack of strength and portly physique, each guinea pig possess a built-in instinct that tells them they are the perfect portion size for predators, and they need to remain vigilant when this instinct kicks in. Armed with this knowledge, guinea pigs will either freeze or run and hide when frightened or even just slightly uncomfortable.
Dot: Lessons Learned
When Dot first arrived on the scene at HappyCavy, things did not go exactly as planned. Fortunately, The Humans learned a lot from this experience and they are now better cavy keepers for it!
After a few stressful rounds of introductions, Dot had to be permanently separated from the rest of the HappyCavy herd. So The Humans had to work over-time to help Dot get acclimated to her new surroundings. This posed quite the challenge because not only does Dot have to live separately, but she is one of the most skittish guinea pigs to have ever lived in the HappyCavy Forever Home.
But fortunately, with time and patience, The Humans have been able to get Dot more comfortable at HappyCavy, and she has settled into her routine nicely. While she still isn’t a cuddler, The Humans respect that and leave her to her business. One day she may get more used to being handled, but only time will tell.
While winning over Dot’s trust, The Humans learned a few tips that have helped along the way. Some of the following advice has been gleaned from past experiences, others have been learned from fellow cavy keepers.
We hope you find some of points below useful! If you’d like to make any additions to the list below, please share your ideas in the comment section at the end of this article.
Tips for Building a Stronger Bond with Your Guinea Pig
Give Your Guinea Pig Time to Adjust. An important tip for new guinea pig owners: After quarantine is over, and the newest members of your family are safe and sound in their Forever Home, give them time to get used to their surroundings. Avoid the urge to pick up and hold your new guinea pigs immediately. Be present, speak softly, and give your cavies a week or two to acclimate to their new environment.
Get A Friend. Guinea pigs are social animals, and, as such, most cavies enjoy the companionship of other guinea pig friends. While you can add a second guinea pig at little to no additional expense in care and housing, there are a few important details to consider. But if you’re already thinking about getting a fuzzy friend for your solo pig, then it’s time to familiarize yourself with how to go about adding a second guinea pig to your herd of one.
Buttercup and Hammy enjoy fresh dark green lettuce
The Fastest Way to a Pig’s Heart Is… Through its belly! Guinea pigs carry in their little mouths about 17,000 taste buds — the most in nearly any domestic or wild animal. A diet that consists of always-available, high-quality hay and pellets (if they need them) is a must.
Caution: Don’t Over-Feed!
While it may be tempting to use treats as bribes, please DO NOT over-feed your guinea pig! Over-feeding can lead to a myriad of health issues. For instance, feeding your cavy too much fruit can lead to guinea pig diabetes.
Thanks to HappyCavy friend Candice for the tip!
Schedule Floor Time. Floor time is a vital part of your daily guinea pig care schedule. Pick a set time each day, set up a guinea pig safe floor area with food and hideys, and give your cavy the exercise it needs. Besides being an excellent way to keep your guinea pig engaged in its environment, floor time is a great time for you to bond with your pet. Sit next to your cavy as he or she runs and explores new areas; observe and get to know your little friend’s personality.
Use floor time to help your guinea pig adjust. Sing or speak softly to your pig, feed it a few pieces of its favorite vegetable, or set up mazes and obstacles with boxes and fabrics as you talk your guinea pig through a new encounter. It may sound silly, but The Humans have found that the more they engage with the HappyCavy during floor time, the quicker each pig becomes comfortable with being handled. A little attention can go a long way!
Guinea pigs at floor time
Keep a Consistent Schedule. Guinea pigs are creatures of habit. A pig is happiest when treats, floor-time, weight-checks and other daily and weekly tasks follow a precise and committed schedule. Say, what time is it where you are? Do you know where your guinea pig is?
Keep Your Voice Low & Temperatures Consistent. Ensure that the noise level around your guinea pig remains low, similar in volume to a conversational noise level. Guinea pigs have a great sense of hearing, and, being the anxious pets they are, loud and/or sudden noises can startle them and leave them a bit upset for hours. Cut the noise and keep the unruly guests or housemates out of the guinea pigs’ area. And keep a consistent temperature! Between 65 and 75 degrees F (18 to 24 degrees C), please. 🙂
Hands Out of the Cage! Avoid grabbing, chasing, cornering, and other characteristically “come here, come now” behavior. Unless your guinea pig is in serious trouble or its life is in jeopardy, you should never have to take your piggy away from hiding. Try coercing them out of hiding with a piece or two of parsley, make them climb on the cage for it, then shortly after munching it down they may let you pick them up. A gentle towel toss over the head can work wonders, as well.
Cute Story Time!
Hammy has become quiet adept at anticipating floor time.
She climbs in her tube at 3pm daily and waits for the Humans to carry her off to the floor area. This way she doesn’t get touched, The Humans don’t have to chase, and the rest of the herd doesn’t have to witness a scary and unnerving struggle of Human vs. Hammy.
Keep Your Friends Close. “Cuddle time” is anytime! Just remember, keep a consistent schedule. Every day, The Humans hold each pig for about 30 minutes as they relax before getting ready for bed. Each pig is wrapped in a towel and allowed to climb on and explore their Humans as they please. Usually, this means they curl under their towel and take a nap somewhere on Human #1 or #2. Much petting and cooing ensues.
A Human makes its presence known to Dot the guinea pig
State Your Purpose. Don’t just enter the room and jam your hand in the cage. Sacré Bleu! State your purpose, Human!
For as well-developed as their sense of hearing and smell is, guinea pigs don’t have the best sight. This means that if your guinea pig is used to your scent and sounds, he or she may still be a bit nervous if they can’t visually identify you.
The next time you enter your cavy’s room, speak gently to your guinea pig. Then place your hand about a foot away from the side of its face and leave your hand there for a second or two as you continue to speak softly. And you’re done! Check-in complete.
This small step helps your guinea pig to see your hand, recognize it, and verify its scent as “safe”. If all works well, your guinea pig should be back to sleeping and snacking without having to figure out who just walked into its room.
Conclusion
Expect your guinea pig to be skittish and wary of your intentions; they’re just born that way! So it’s up to you to win over your guinea pig’s trust and acceptance as a cohabitant of its environment.
Patience, time, cuddles, and common sense will do the job. The gentler you are, the slower you walk into a guinea pig’s room or space, and the less you bother your cavy, the faster they may become more accustomed to you.
Now It’s Your Turn!
What advice would you have given Kuuipo? Take off where HappyCavy left off. Share your advice in the comments section below!
Maybe ur feeding her too much
I’m not. Her food has probiotics in it and that means that she will poop more. So it makes sense.
OK so does tht settle everything or r there any other questions?
I don’t have anymore wuestions
Hi happy cavy team I have two new female guinea pigs ( Thelma and Louise) they came from the same place one is 9 weeks and the other 12 now they allow me to sit near the cage and hand feed them and the older one (Thelma) allows a little tiny stroke to her nose or side of face when munching but hardly anything , I can not hold or pick them up and run frantically if I try so I don’t , floor time they are not a big fan the just stay in their hidies, I just want to know weather hand feeding them , sitting next to the cage and allowing them to sniff me is where they should be at in taming or if they are slow and may never be used to it ? Thanks Jess , Thelma and Louise x
Hi, Jess, Thelma, and Louise!
While you don’t say how long you’ve had them (which would make it easier to figure out if they are acclimating), guinea pigs can take several weeks to even a year to fully get comfortable with their new home. Also, young guinea pigs can be very skittish/shy, and they generally mellow out once they get past 3 to 4 years old. If you ever do need to pick them up, you can throw a towel (gently!) over them in case of an emergency.
Also, for floor time, are you giving them water and food (especially hay) and boxes and things to hide in? The HappyCavies hide a lot, too, but occasionally they run around and play with each other.
You could try feeding them from the top of the cage, just be sure not to try to sneak in a pet. It’s all about trust. Once they figure out you can feed them and won’t touch, they may begin to warm up.
I sure hope that helps. Pigs are feisty/complicated creatures. Thanks for taking such good care of Thelma and Louise 😀
I have only had them just over a week so not long at all , they don’t desperately need picking up just to clean out really! I always put hay and water and hidies down on floor time. I love them to bits but don’t want them to be afraid all the time I was just curious 🙂 thanks
Hello Hammy! I have two 4 month old Guinea Pigs, Brownie (Left in attached) and Cloudie (Right in attached). We have had them for 2 months now. They are both pretty skittish, however I understand that they are like that by nature and such. My problem is that when I handle Brownie, nearly every time he attempts to throw himself from my hands to the ground, my desk or anything else he is nearby. There is no logical reason, I ensure I support all four of his little feet and his bum. However, this jumping that he does freaks him out massively as well as me – On one occasion, the first time he did this he dived towards my worktop counter in my kitchen, his jump fell short and he was headed for the ground. Fortunately I managed to catch him mid-fall before any harm came to him (Thank the Cavy god for my quick reflexes).
Anyway after all that I would expect you would say I’m holding him incorrectly or moving too quickly, however I try to be as slow and gentle as possible with them and Cloudie will normally climb straight onto my hands from the cage so I really don’t think that I am doing anything particularly wrong. He is just so scared now when I sit down with him he quivers a lot and when I stroke him lightly with one finger he rumbles as if agitated.
Can you give me any form of advice on this? What I should do from here on, he won’t even eat from my hand any more not in the cage or on my lap. I think it may be worth mentioning that we got both the Guineas together from a store, they are continually fighting for dominance surely this should have stopped by now? Cloudie normally is the one asserting the dominance via mounting, Brownie squeaks as if he is being submissive but Cloudie feels the need to repeat this over and over. Then every once in a while Brownie will attempt to mount Cloudie which does not at all end well as Cloudie is a little bigger he just bucks and kicks Brownie off of him.
We give them floor time nearly every day of the week (With hides, tunnels and food/drink). They have 2 houses, a tunnel two sources of hay, dry food and water in the cage. I see no real need for any disagreements after this long especially ones that occasionally end with teeth chattering (only 2-3 times has this happened) and I step in by simply opening the cage, they then calm down a little.
They have a two tier cage with a ramp leading two the top, the dimensions are 102L x 58W for the bottom the top is about 90L x 58W as their is a ramp taking up some of that space. I love them two bits as does my fiancé despite her allergies and we clean them every 2-4 days depending on the state of the bedding (Finacard). I spend a lot of time sitting with them and watching them eat and popcorn (Mostly Cloudie but occasionally Brownie) which they do fairly regularly. I’m not really sure what I/we are doing wrong my fiancé doesn’t hold them much due to her allergies she normally just strokes them while I hold them so I’m sure it’s something I am doing to upset Brownie specifically. What that is I’m not sure. Any help is greatly appreciated!
We have six piggies – and one of our two newest, Popcorn, does the same thing. She just FLINGS herself out of our arms, and thanking the same Cavy God for quick reflexes, no harm has come to her. The result is the kids cannot pick her up, only an adult can and Popcorn will sit in blankets on their laps. The other five stand to be picked up and have never jumped. Might be that we just have piggies that are part flying monkey?
It may well be the case, thanks for the info! 🙂
hey there! i am a first time piggy owner. i had hamsters who were evil lil things so i decided to try out owing a guinea pig. i brought her, annabelle, home two days ago and i’m alrdy kinda cuddling on her and had a bit of floor time. i know it’s a bit soon but i just couldn’t resist. i don’t have time for two piggies but i def have time for at least a couple hours a day for her. what are some things i can do to encourage her to try bonding with me? i would like her to be socialized with me bc i don’t have the time for a second piggy right now.. advice???
I think most of the ideas in this article are great for encouraging a closer bond. Just spend lots of time with her, keep noise levels down to help with the new pig jitters, and be sure to keep her cage clean and her water, pellets, and hay fresh. Over time, she will bond with you as you spend time with her. Best of luck 🙂 xx
I got my piggy about a week ago. Yes I did get her from a pet store. She is so cute but when I hold her, she shakes… What does that mean? And she will sit still for the longest. She doesn’t run when I pick her up, its like she freezes instead.. What should I do?
I bought my piggy Luanne a week ago, she isn’t warming up to me at all, she stands still and wont move when I go to pick her up. I just need some advice
I just got my first lil piggie her names lacey. I already unconditionally love her but shes still skittish its only been 3 days. I left her alone basiclly until last night I sat with my hand in her cage talking to her and gave her a treat or 2. I now have her in her pen and im sitting in with her, doing some research and talking so she gets comfortable with me. I can tell the lil piggie is already getting conditionend by the sound of the treat bag she starts popcorning. To make her more comfy when I’m gone i put classical music along with cavy noises on low nxt to her cage… But im probably being impulsive and impatient but I want to hold her again… I did once, when I first brought her home nd she was givin me love nibbles as it seemed and she seemed to enjoy me petting her….am I doing stuff right or should i back off some for like another week and just keep easing her in without tryin to hold her… I read about the towel trick but when I tried it seemed traumatizing….HELP please
Hi, Amber! You obviously care a lot, and you’re doing a lot of good stuff!
But Lacey is only 3 days in. It literally can take months, or even years. Guinea pigs are born to be skittish out of survival.
We’ve found that once a pig reaches 2-3 years of age, they start to calm down. Some are born wanting friendship (Buttercup), Feebee was not. She’s easier to pick up, but she just doesn’t care for other pigs and Humans.
I think you’re doing a great job so far – you’re spending time with Lacey.
You may want to stop the classical music/guinea pig sounds thing. I’ve never heard of playing back the sound of other cavies. Our pigs would probably find that unsettling.
Basically, just be patient. If Lacey’s young, just spend time with her and use towels for when they are needed (nail trims, ear cleaning, etc.). As Lacey and you learn to bond, she may love to cuddle with one day 🙂
Hey Cavy team!
So I got my first guinea pig, Chewy, when she was about 6 weeks old and that was 3 or 4 months ago and she still doesn’t seem to be completely settled in. She doesn’t let me take her out of her cage at first but after a while, she’ll give in and when I take her out, she’s calm and just lays on my stomach or my lap and I’m not sure if its because she’s afraid or not because if I put her on the bed and let her walk around, she’ll try to get away and I would have no problem with that because I think she should be able to get out of her cage and explore but I don’t want her to crawl under my air vents and get stuck. But, we will be moving in about 2 weeks and it won’t be a problem to let her roam free but I’m not sure if she should still have boundaries once she’s out. Another thing is, at high she’ll rattle her cage and I’m not sure what that’s all about. If she’s scared or wants out I definitely don’t want her to feel that she’s not safe or that she can’t leave but I don’t know what she wants. I can’t let her out at night when I’m asleep can I? Won’t she get lost or something? After a while she’ll stop and I assume she has fallen asleep but then I’ll hear her moving and eating from her food dish and drinking water. I try to be as nice and quiet as possible and so I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. When I move and let her out to play, do you think her behavior will change?
I wouldn’t advise that anyone let their guinea pig roam free, especially since I don’t know their ability to “guinea pig proof” a home.
As for the rattling of the cage, the most likely reason is that her cage is too small. You can find out what the PREFERRED cage size for guinea pigs is at http://www.guineapigcages.com
Check out the next two posts, they may help!
– https://www.happycavy.com/how-to-host-floor-time-guinea-pig-guide
– https://www.happycavy.com/guinea-pig-care-schedule
Hello Cavy Team and Hammy,
Yesterday my family and I bought 2 new guinea pigs. As soon as we put them in the cage one went into the house and they other did not move at all. Now they are both in the house but they are not leaving. The house is opaque so I cannot see the guinea pigs inside. I have covered the cage with a sheet so they can have some privacy and I have been leaving hay and carrots by the entrance to the house. When I get back the food is gone. I want to be able to pet them and see them roaming about. I do not want to corner them in the house and force them to come out but I do want to give them some exercise time. Please HELP!!!!!
Thanks Sarah
Guinea pigs live having them patted their chin. Give them a good pat and scratch. I’ve done these with all my guinea pigs as well given them treats that they like. Also let them listen to some nice music that’s not too loud. They like that sometime too. I’ve done all these to my guinea pigs and they love me. Sometimes I rev them up lol but they like me though and they bite me softly. They don’t like bit hard they just lick me and put their teeth on me and hold it. That’s their way of playing around I guess. I know they don’t hate me because they always let me pick them up
Sometimes a guinea pig who feels comfortable with you will give you a soft “nip”. This may indicate they want to be put down, because they have to go wee. This is a fun experiment we did when we first adopted guinea pigs:
If she does this again, put her back in her cage. Does she poo or wee after 10 minutes? If not, she’s like Buttercup: She loves to play with the soft nipping and she’ll even lick!
my guinea pig sven has only been with us 4 months and is 11 month old he was really skiddish and wasn’t bonding well he always seemed scared, we now have him a cage buddy cosmo who is only 2-3 month old and although sven had made it clear hes boss piggy they bond well and is not less skiddish and bonding with humans but the the way he has bonded with cosmo isn’t described as any normal piggy behavour or any bad behavour, sven is over protective, slightly chatters or grinds teeth if you have hold of cosmo to long, he (sven) rushes over to cosmo to be by his side when opening the cage door and he (sven) rumbles round the cage often and sometimes whilst stood still but if he does it stood still and cosmo goes over to sven and goes too close sven lifts his paw and hits cosmo even though it seems sven is rumbling to get cosmos attention,
has anyone else seen a piggy act like this? we hoping its not a bullying or controlling thing
Heya! I’ve just adopted Ellie my female guinea pig at PetSmart exactly a week ago. I’ve gotten her a cage, but apparently it’s too small. I also have school, but it’s only for the rest of this coming week. I keep enough food for her when I leave and when I come back I take her out f her cage for about 30 minutes to an hour or more and feed her grass from my yard. I’ve tried feeding her different types of food- watermelon, cilantro, a single piece of orange- not all in one week though. She only likes watermelon out of all of them. The other two she just won’t eat. I didn’t force any food into her mouth or held her into a position to where she couldn’t move, because that would be cruel. When I bought her, she was alone in a glass box but I had never asked why. She is very energetic and when I grab her from the cage she does go into her hidey house, but she doesn’t keep running away from my hand. The thing is, when I put her on my bed to clean her cage, she would always run away from me. She likes to go out her hidey house when no one is in the room and do her business of eating, but when she notices us come by, she goes back into her hidey house. Do you have any suggestions I could use to get her closer to me? Or do I wait for her to get used to the scent and the environment? I also need to know that if I would have to be concerned about her being lonely, she seems fine to me eating her food and drinking water too.
Okay so I have had my guinea pig since August but she is still shy I am trying to train her what do I do
Hi there! It sounds like you are doing a great job so far of helping her acclimate to her new environment. Keep doing that, spending time with her. If you are able, it may help if you give her 2 floor-times after you get home. Also, you’ll want to get her a bigger cage and a friend in the future (if you are able), but for now, just give her time to adjust. The more you spend time with her, pet her, and interact with her, the sooner she’ll warm up. 🙂
Hi HappyCavy team.
I’ve just bought 2 cavies (male and female) from a local pet store. The cavies were located in a wired cage with about 10 friends. When the pet store owner take them out of the cage, they seems to be so calm, thus I thought they are familiar with human. The pet store owner said that they can eat everything human eat, just don’t let them get wet. I was not fully believe this, as I already read some article in the internet. The pet store owner give the cavies corn’s peel, and they seem to enjoy it.
I bought them to my flat and named them Brown and Cony. I give them rabbit pellet, corn’s peel and vegies (carrot and cauliflower’s leaf), also little piece of orange without seed for their vitamin C need.
I put them in the wire cage. I also provide newspapers for their platform, I really think that wire cage will hurt their leg, so I prefer to change the newspaper daily. But probably I don’t give them appropriate floor time. I was afraid that they will go somewhere unsafe without my supervision. I also place a hiding place in their cage as I know this will make them feel more secure.
I clean the cage twice a day (6 am and 8 or 9 pm). Before clean the cage, I take the cavies out. I put my fingers at the bottom of their chest, lift them slowly, put my other hands to support their rear legs. and slowly move them to temporary place.
Sometime I try to put them on my lap, but it seems doesn’t work well (I have a rabbit a while ago, and he seems to like when I do that, but cavies probably just different).
The cavies seems to be always scared of everything (including me). Most of time when I’m there, they always hide in their hiding place (sometime the male purr).
Also, they seems to be more passive when together. Brown usually laid on top of Cony. First I think it is some kind of domination or bully, until yesterday I see Cony voluntary hide under Brown. I understand that cavies are not as active as rabbits, and probably need more time to adapt. But I worried that there might be something goes wrong. I usually heard them purring but when I get closer to them (I also call their name as I know that their sight is not as good as their hearing), they suddenly hide and become quiet.
My flat is very quiet, and I have to work from 8 am to 5 pm, thus it is possible that they are not quiet familiar with human.
I really concern about them, and want to make them happy and safe. Is there anything I do wrongly? or is there anything I can do better for them?
Also, just want to make sure. Are they really guinea pigs? Here in Indonesia, people use the term guinea pig and marmot interchangeably.
Thank you very much.
Hi, there! Will you please send us an email to happycavy@gmail.com? We can answer you there 🙂
Hello my guinea pig named little Johnny was nibbling me and squeaking loudly when I was holding him and petting him in a nice way. He was happy at first until all of a sudden he was doing all kinds of stuff. I got him 4 or 5 days ago. What should I do to make him like me and my parents? I’m already losing hope. What should I do?
Hi, Stephen,
A guinea pig who is new to your home for 4 to 5 days need lots more time to acclimate and get used to the natural rhythm of your household. Some guinea pig can take months, or even a year, to get fully comfortable with you.
Just follow the steps to this guide, be sure to give him plenty of attention and floor time, ensure that his cage is large enough (http://gpi.gs/1Guemua) and that he is given a proper diet (http://gpi.gs/1K5A1hO), and keep the noise levels down in the house.
If you follow these steps, and have plenty of patience, little Johnny should come around. BUT—be aware that guinea pigs are naturally skittish. Even the most comfortable will run and hide every now and then. But with patience, lots of love and care, you, your parents, and Johnny should get along just fine 🙂
Hi hammy,
I bought two male Guinea pigs, Fidget and snickers, in November of 2014. Unfortunately, snickers died a week after we bought him from unknown causes. We bought a new Guinea pig, Toffee, who was only a month and a half old when we got him. Toffee is very sweet and loving. He talks a lot and is very interactive. They get along quite well. Fidget is not quite the same. He is still very timid even after a year and a half. He does interact if you give him a while to warm up everyday. But he does not like being held. Him and snickers were very close, could his death have something to do with him being so timid? I feed them not just regular pellets but it also has other stuff in it too… They love it. I also give them treats but only on Wednesday and Saturday… I don’t want to over feed them. I recently figured out toffee is blind in his right eye. Do you have any suggestions that I can do to help fidget warm up to me?
Hi, Abbie,
It’s possible that Fidget mourned the passing of his friend, but at this point, grief behavior is typically done with. Some guinea pigs are just naturally shyer than others, which could be his case. But, this may have worked well for you, since more out-going guinea pigs (like Toffee) can get along better with shyer guinea pigs (like Fidget).
It sounds like you are doing all you can to make Fidget comfortable — feeling a good diet, spending time with him, and floor time to exercise.
I would keep doing what you’re doing, and have a lot of patience. He may take longer to warm up, or he may just be a shy pig. Fortunately, as guinea pigs mellow, they can get more comfortable around Humans. But it all takes time.
Just keep giving him love and attention. I’m sure he knows he is loved 🙂
Thanks!!! Now he really likes us even though he still runs away when we need to take him! Thanks!
Hello Cavy team! I saved a little piggy named Toby, toblerone, from petco no one wanted him I couldn’t let the snake have him! I got him around thanksgiving of last year and I was worried about him being lonely when I’m not there because since school is starting soon I was wondering is there anyway to make him less lonely? We can’t afford another piggy and he has a little cat buddy that treats him like a kitten odd as it is i give him some thick paper hey and i cuddle him all day and we play but i’m worried about him i don’t him to lonely when im at school he’s a sweet little boy what can i do? When I’m at home i play, talk, and sing with him but when I’m gone i don’t think my mom does anything with him is there anything i can do?
There isn’t much you can do, but remember to keep a consistent schedule when you are home, plenty of floor time and cuddle times, and (most important) ensure that his cage is large enough to keep him active (check for proper dimensions at http://www.guineapigcages.com). Also, you may want to buy a chew toy, which can help with boredom, like these here: http://amzn.to/O1u6Lg
Hello!
I’ve always loved guinea pigs ever since my first hammy furbaby from my childhood, Piggly Wiggly.
On my birthday this year, July 7th, my husband bought me a sweet baby guinea pig who was about three months old. We named him Percival Ignacio Grimm, or P.I.G. He was a skittish little guy, of course, but with lots of floor time and love, he started to get excited whenever I’d walk into the kitchen (Where we keep the piggyhouse so they don’t deal with much noise), and wheek at me happily, asking for spinach. After he got comfortable, my husband fell absolutely in love and wanted to get a brother for Percy. Thus, Benicio Iraneaus Grimm (B.I.G) entered the family. He was five months old when we got him, and when we did our piggy introductions, I fully expected for Benny to become the head honcho hammy of the pair. Although, Percy seems to be somewhat of a bully to poor Benny, and we nearly ended up getting a second cage for him because he would constantly nip his ears and repeat the dominance ritual. He doesn’t bite him anymore, but he still tells Benny he’s boss- though, my husband and I are no longer concerned about keeping them together. Their rituals never turned into fighting.
They seem to be getting along alright now and both have been with us for almost a month, but Benny seems to be much less cheerful than Percy. Percy popcorns around and chatters on and on, especially during floor time, but Benny simply freezes and stays low to the ground, pressing his belly to the floor while he walks if he’s ever outside of the igloo. I did the same human to hammy introductions with Benny as with Percy, but the only variable factors I can think of are his personality or past. I don’t think he came from a bad place as we got both of the babies from petsmart. Do you have any advice to make him feel more comfortable and happy? It makes me sad to see the poor baby so nervous in his own home. In the picture, Benny is on the left. He’s a big hefty boy compared to Percy, but such a timid little honey.
Any advice would be super appreciated!
Hi Happy Cavy,
I really want to have a nice bond with my two female Guinea Pigs Zoey, and Echo. They are both about a year old now and about a month ago everything seemed to be going great I had a routine set up, and every day at 3 I would give them some grass and dandelion leaves and they would come to the door where I fed them, I would pet them, talk to them, they would purr, and they seemed like they were bonding with me. Now I was told that I should not handle my babies until they trusted me so the only time I would handle them was to get them out to clean their cage. Then I got a new job and that changed my routine with them and now its like I’m back to square one with them only it seems like its a lot harder its taking them much longer than the first time I started my first routine with them. I just don’t know what to do. When should I start doing floor time with them? What should I do about having them come to me?
Something that I like to do with my piggies during every weekly weight check, brush down, bath (if needed) I will lay an egg carton down, put in 5 treats, -Apple slice, carrot, leaf of lettuce, leaf of spinach, and a slice of cucumber, Hufflepuff likes his greens, and his cucumbers, Gryff, likes spinach and carrot, they both neglected apple although Puff did take a few test-tastes. -Soon after, neglected- although I give them daily amounts of spinach or lettuce, sometimes I’ll throw in a carrot shaving for Gryffindor, who likes to nibble, I’ve seen that he likes to bite, and I’m wondering if it’s something that has to do that he’s a baby piggie and his teeth are starting to rapidly grow, like adult’s teeth do.
That could be, Donovan! But some guinea pigs just like to nibble more than others; especially babies, since they are such curious little fuzzies 🙂
Hi! I just got my American Guinea pig, Margo, a day ago and she’s only 4 months. She’s a shy little girl and I love her so much already but she’s always hiding in her hut and is scared. I got her from petco and she seemed a little shy there also. What I’m asking is if you have any helpful tips on how she can trust me or come out of the hut a little more? Thanks!
I need some advice, I recently adopted a male guinea pig about two and a half weeks ago, he is almost a year old and I am pretty positive he hates me. My first guinea pig Jeggs was skiddish towards my husband and I but warmed up fast and loves to cuddle on the couch and gets super excited to see us. But our new boy Keifer is a different story, he chatters his teeth at me constantly, hates to be held, hates to be touched, and bites hard! Jeggs and Keifer have to be seperated at all times due to them not getting along what so ever. I originally got Keifer so that Jeggs wouldnt be lonely, but instead Jeggs is terrified and whines whenever my husband and I try to introduce them. We have tried hand feeding Keifer, we have tried enclosed floor time with just him and I, holding him close with him in a towel but none of it seems to work. I do not plan on giving up on our new boy Keifer what so ever, Im just in desperate need of some tips to get him to warm up to us.
My first Guinea pig was a single one, before I knew that I needed two. I would sit on the floor in his playpen and hold a favorite veggie just above my lap. He would climb up on my lap to get the food and became calm and friendly pretty fast.
I just bought a guinea pig its a girl her name is oreo and she is so adorable. Ive only had her for 1 night and im just a bit worried that she wont adjust well. she is extremely skiddish and while i was holding her i pet her head and she like quickly ran closer to my face and latched on it obviously bothered her. If i try to hand feed her will she even come to me and i don’t know how im supposed to have floor time and cuddle time with her if im not supposed to grab her out of hiding she is constantly hiding and wont come to me voluntarily i don’t know what to do please help
Hi there! I got two baby pigs about two weeks ago, the store said their were about 8 weeks old when we bought them, one is extremely social and let’s me pet him and play with him but the other seems to not like humans at all, they get the same floor time and time with me, I’ve tried taking them out at the same times I they are more comfortable but the one seems to be getting less and less comfortable with me. I was hoping he would learn from the other one but it doesn’t look like it, it’s making it hard for him to get the exercise he needs. But he loves playing tag with the other one as long as they’re in the cage, I feel bad because he just wants to be in the cage all day while the other wants to roam around and tries to escape all the time. But they get very stressed out without each other. Help!
Hi, Alicia! Two weeks isn’t very long to get a good idea of a guinea pig’s personality. It can take many weeks or even months for a new cavy to acclimate to his or her new environment. Floor time and exercise is essential, so my advice is to continue placing each of them in floor time(since they are so closely bonded), and — while it may take a while — if you keep a routine of floor-time and other daily activities, I bet the shy one will end up warming up to you and his or her new home. Also, some guinea pigs are just more naturally shy than other. The shy pig may never fully warm up, but the fact that there’s a companion pig to keep him/her company is a very good thing 🙂
Hey there! I have two about 10 week old baby piggies and one has taken to biting his companions ears as well as people, he comes up and pretends to sniff and then bites. Is there any suggestions to get out of this behavior? He’s very shy but has never bitten anyone before and seemed to be getting more comfortable with me, but today when I took them out to play he came up to me to smell my hands as usual and decided to bite me and run away as if I had just brought him home. I’m worried about him biting his companion and hurting him.
Hye ^^ so here’s the thing, I got two piggies a couple of weeks ago and now they have fleas. My vet gave me this lotion like thingy for me to put on them. The problem is that theyre not used to me and get freaked out everytime i try to hold them and my vet said that theyre stressed out. Plus, I need to separate them for an hour or two after putting that stuff on them. Please give me some advice I dont know what’s best for them right now!
Hi there,
I have just got a 13 week old lady guinea pig called Agnes (Aggie) and she is very skittish. This is only her second day with us and if I sit completely still and offer her food she will come out of her wee house but the slightest movement from me or my boyfriend sends her running back into her house. She doesnt seem bothered by noises, I talk to her when i’m sat by her cage, just movements. Should I try and hold her to pet her? I’m worried it will scare the hell out of her, or do I be patient and wait for her to adjust more?
Thankyouuuuu Guinepig peeps
x
Hi, Jess! It can take months to even a year or longer for a guinea pig to get comfortable with you. When we first adopt a guinea pig, we prefer not to hold it until a week or two after it home with us. They can be quite skittish for first week, two or even three. After a week or two, you can start holding her. But give her a bit more time now 🙂
Brilliant! Thanks for the advice 🙂
Hey here.. am here to ask why my guinea pig hates me(I think)… Maybe not but it is just running away from me every time I tried to carrying him out of his cage. I tried patting him to but it always run away from my hand..
Really need someone’s help
Thank you every much
Appreciate it