Guinea pig taming

[nappyzone]

I have had them a whole 8 days now and whenever i go to get them they squeek and scurry off, one actually nipped me the other day, anywya the other i have offerd food and it has come and eaten whilst i was holding the food but the other - the nipper/ biter just scurries of and squeeks and genreally makes me a bit nervois especially as thisone (lola) my dd wants to hold the most. Dont want to scare them to much but i thought the more you handeld them the better they get or should i leave them be for a bit. There so cute - can someoen give me some good tips. I know its early days.

Am pretty sure that you must cuddle them as long as possible, as often as possible. And while they're still quite young, too.

I will be watching this thread, we bought 2 a few weeks ago and at the moment they are very wild and hard to catch.

I do talk to them alot and they have started to talk to me when i feed them

you can buy igloo type things in pets at home etc....the have a lid and bottom,
let them run into there and then lift it out the hutch and put on your lap then take the lid off but leave them sat in the bottom bit and just stroke them so they get used to you... then maybe you can move onto easing them out onto your lap....

if you are near milton keynes you can have my old igloo?

pick them some juicy dandelion leaves, but only offer them when they're sitting on your knee, they'll eventually overcome their fear and eat them,. Also, handle them seperatly, ideally, bring one in at at time, cause they'll wind each other up squeaking.
also, i don't quite know how to describe this, but if you make a sort of humming noise with your lips, they calm down.

im thinking about getting one or two so am interested in thread.is it better to have more than one?are they similar to keep as rabbits?

shoot the fuckers

They live communally and are not that happy if kept alone; a good pet shop can advise. They live up to 7 yrs and many are abandoned when owners get bored of them, worth searching for a shelter in your area that may have some GPs that need rehoused.

thanks i am in stockton so it will be cheaper for me to nip to pets at home and buy one - thanks though - today Charlie who i got to eat some carrot (someoen will now tell me that will kill them)out of my hand was a bit skitty so i tutted like a loon for about 4 mins (probs much to my neighbours amusement) and then he had a nibble. Lola is the nipper - they have a run and a ladder slope ting - lola will run in and out at leisure but charlie hangs out under it and hasnt got the get it on how to gt up and down so hence when its rainign i have to go chase her about the run cornering her with a plank of wood (god no wonder there scared - mad woman with wood!). A tip on this little learning curve would be good.....

momma that not nice is it? if they grow into giant mutant guinea pigs and learn to use weapons of mass destruction i will bare your advise in mind....

they will prob definately like the igloo type things get the ones with a base on if you want it for catching, mine used to love sitting in theres and hiding away in theres,

you can get ones without the bottom on as well,

could you use a fishing net to catch them might be less stress full for all to chase them around

you could just try hand feeding them treats for a while, mine used to love broccoli, so they get used to you, or catch them in igloo and feed on your lap with lid off...

hope i am making sense???

yes you are - spot on - its just patience which i often lack - will get an igloo and feed by hand so they learn to looooove me back! thanks

good luck,,

i used to cut the end off shoe box aswell and put that into there hutch, they love things to hide in,

mostly when i went out to them they were normally in the igloo so i would just lift it out...

Oh yes, ours love broccoli too. Just stick with it, they do get very tame with handling.

you could put some lightweight gardening gloves on if you are scared they will nip you whilst you pick them up

Another thing to woo them is when you go near the hutch or run to call 'piggy piggy piggy' in a high pitched voice (or similar mantra.) They don't have very good vision so once they get used to your little call announcing your presence and intentions, they will come over to investigate. Even my free-range old tramp of a guinea pig (Dave) couldn't resist pottering over for a sniff.
I've just made 2 'piddle pads' for the GPs I'm getting next week, out of old towels, between waterproof fabric and a bit of fleece, for cuddling purposes - they stop scratchy claws on your thighs too.

We have two dear little female guineas. What you say about them running about crazily rings very true. We have one of those triangular shaped run around things (big like a mini chicken run iyswim) and we put them in that if the weather is fine. We have had them from 4 weeks old, a few months now, and they still, if they see us come anywhere near, go dashing madly into either the little shelter bit at one end, or the furthest corner so we can't reach them (who says they aren't bright?) If they are in their hutch, they run from one end to the other to avoid. We always laugh - it's like meerkats spotting predators and they seem to be saying to each other, 'Quick, run, it's the humans!' This despite the fact that when we get hold of them, they are now very happy to have a cuddle. I would persist - we have 4 dcs who have cuddled them constantly from the word go (very gently, I might add - youngest dd is 9) Use lettuce or coriander as a bribe! They make lovely little singing noises when cuddled.

One of them is getting a lot better and is less skittish than the other. We have a little tube shaped thing made out of sisal from pet shop, and they often run into that if they see us (often together! Cue much squeaking and wriggling.) We then can pick that up with the 'girls' tucked neatly inside, and either transport them between hutch and run around, or put it on someone's lap. Dd2 can get them to run into it to cue! I really think if you persist, it will pay off, but they do have a tendency to reject advances at first.

my "indoor" g pigs were alot more tamer than my "outdoor" g pigs...as the "indoor" ones i used to live in a flat and had no garden so they were in my flat so they were used to loud otr bang noises, but the "outdoor" ones i had a big garden (moved back home for a bit) and they were nervous

Also just spend some time sitting or lying next to their run (when it's dry) so they don't automatically associate the human proximity with chasing and grabbing.

ermm i thought lettuce gave them the shits so kept away from that! anyway got the igloo and worked a treat - wouldnt eat treats on my lap so still a bit nervouse but happy enough - they go in the igloo when peeing down (charlie isnt bright enough to go inside like lola) , anyway its working and when i go out they do hide in the igloo which means bet time is easier as i just lift it up and pop in the hutch - thanks for your advise - i have ordered a book now so i can become a complete guinea pig bore! lol!

spring greens i used to buy for mine...

also they used to go berserk over pepppers and grapes

Carrots won't kill them!! Ours have loads of fresh veg (much more than the kids do . They were so very nervous when we first got them that I thought they would die of fright, or at least make lousy pets. But they were very tame within a few weeks.
Just steadily accustom them to handling. Greed is the greatest weapon. One of our two GPs is the greediest monster ever and will rush to the front of the cage when anyone enters the room. It's so sweet to see him.

We must have been very lucky with our 2, we have had them for 3 weeks and have been very tame from day one.
They will sit on dc's laps for hours making their lovely little noises. I thought they were being loved to death, but they seem quite happy.

Ours have a soft spot for cucumber, carrot tops, parsley and lots of grass.