How cuddly are guinea pigs?

[Curlybrunette]

Hiya,

We're getting a couple of piggies soon and I'm gathering info before we do. Just wondered how cuddly they are. Are they likely to want to be held and cuddled, i.e. come up to me to be cuddled, or tolerate being held, or does it purely depend on that particular piggie?

Also, I'm going to build a c&c upstairs (panels arrived today, woop!) and had planned to buy a run to go inside or outside depending on the weather. When I'm out they will stay up in the c&c but when in they'll come downstairs into the run. I thought about one of the metal ones with the mesh cover. Obviously outside they would be supervised all the time, but did wonder if any of you let your piggies run free inside? If I kept the living room door shut then I think they'd be ok, they'd probably be too big to get under the sofa and there isn't any other place they could go in the living, perhaps keep and eye on them if they were trying to get behind the TV.

Are your piggies chewers? I used to have chinchillas and they chewed bloody everything so couldn't have let them run in the living room, again does it depend on the animal as to how much it will chew?

Thanks a lot,
x

[Muddlingthroughtoo]

Our Piggie will be 8 this year, she's getting more sociable with age.

[priscillapaulino23]

I have had a total of 3 guinea pigs, but currently have 2 at the moment. It really honestly does depend on their personality. For example:

Marisol (the older one; about a year old): I've had her for almost a year now. She loves to cuddle but doesn't like to be handled much and is very territorial and dominant. I've seen that more now that I got a newer guinea pig. Overall she's definitely a cuddler, but does bite! If she is displeased with something she will take those teeth out and bite lol

Lily (the baby; about 3-4 month old). I've only had her for about a month, but she's already warming up to me and loves to cuddle. She's curious and active, and doesn't bite. (Thank god lol)

So basically, all in all depends on what their personality or moods are. Most guinea pigs however I would say like to cuddle even just for a few minutes !

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Just checked this thread......... I've now got GP6/GP7/GP8

All of them now about 4yo (had GP6 three years and GP7/GP8 for two years)

They're still cuddly

[DoinItForTheKids]

We've got a pair of ladies (sows) as rescues, and think they're about a year and a half old or something like that. At about a year old they were given to RSPCA and six months or so later, came to us so not the best start in life and therefore we can't know how much handling they had and they often don't get a lot in foster care.

They were petrified when they first arrived with us. One went into stasis whenever she was caught in the open of the cage and literally didn't move hoping we 'couldn't see her'. We thought she'd be really timid - she's mostly white. The other one - mostly black - would come up for food whilst the white one wouldn't come out. Over time the white one started moving around regardless of whether we were in the room or not and they both eat happily out in the open. White one will eat from our hand and black one always does.

Black one squeals blue murder any and every time we pick her up and is incredibly touch sensitive - if you have her on your lap (and bear in mind we've had them a good 6 months so they are used to us) and touch her fur, she tosses her head and squeaks - she doesn't like it at all. The white one will sit quietly on your lap and tolerate stroking.

Recently we've had a complication to the relationship which is the white (quiet) one bullying the black one. She's just had a pop at her and there was much squealing from upstairs in DDs bedroom - this was the white one pulling hair out of black one's head (and then eating it!). DD took the black one out the cage for a bit. I'm not sure if her increased dislike of touch (as it has deteriorated for sure) is due to the other one dominating her.

We're keeping our eye on it and have no idea what we can do if we have to separate them - there's not room for two separate cages in the room they're in so I don't know what we'd have to do.

On the other hand, I had a GP as a child and she loved sitting on my lap and would fall asleep legs stretched out.

You certainly can't assume they'll be really cuddly I'm afraid, especially if they're already old enough and gone through enough home changes to be more timid. Within that though, they are happy and enjoy their food and their home, and if we can get a bit of a cuddle now and again then we do, but I have to respect that they don't really like it but still do enough that if they need a bath or nails clipping, we still have to do that with them (whether they like it or not, along with hair trimming as they are Peruvians and pee all over themselves all the time!).

Wish you all the best with yours and hope they are super cuddly! I know how exciting it is!