Timid Guinea Pigs - advice please!

[Minimonkeysmum]

We've just adopted 2 female 18m old piggies from a rescue (I've had all sorts of animals before - cats, dogs, sheep, rats, hamsters and chickens, but not Guinea pigs). They're very sweet, but completely impossible to stroke, handle or get near to. They will take food from our hands, but it took 40mins to get one back into a box to put back in their cage when we cleaned them out.

We were led to believe they were a bit shy, but happy to be stroked and held. I'm now a bit worried that we're not the right home if we can't get anywhere near them.

It's really early days (we've only had them a week), but as we can't get anywhere close to stroking or picking them up, I'm a bit worried that they're too nervous and too old to ever be tamed.

Can anyone offer any advice or reassurance?

Piggies are very food-orientated, so you have started well. If you continue to offer treats, give them a safe, quiet place to live and spend time every day getting them used to human contact, they should relax and become friendly.
When you are a small meat potato and bottom of the food chain with no defences…it’s understandable that they are wary at the change in situation.

I’ve had Guinea pigs all my life, currently have 5. They don’t like being picked up. Ever. They’re prey animals so their natural instinct is to hide. You can however get them to be very sweet and friendly and enjoy a stroke - every time you go near the cage bring veggies, red pepper and strawberries are popular. (Obviously they need greens every day etc too). Small bits but enough to get them interested. Get them to take them from your hand. For a while just do that and talk to them. When they start wheeking when you approach the cage (excitement) then you can try and slowly stroke them. Some are just tamer than others though- we’ve had a few really friendly, soppy ones and some psychopaths and most in the middle.

Thank you! These two are completely terrified of us getting anywhere close to them though - how are we meant to scoop them up?

We've tried boxes and snuggle sacks - but one of them starts shrieking when we get too close, and I don't want to chase them around the cage, and properly traumatising them!

And do you have any sense of how long it could take for them to get a bit more chilled?

If you need to pick them up for cleaning out etc you should either just pick them up decisively under their bum and round their middle quickly and calmly or get a clear plastic tub, tip on its side with a treat to tempt them in their and then get them cornered in it to pick up. One of ours got so used to doing that he’d make a bee line for the recycling box 😳🤣

A week is nothing, honestly. We used to sit with them, together as a pair for security, on our lap completely covered with a tea towel at first just for like 30 seconds and building it up, 90 seconds then 3 or 5 minutes. By about 2 months in they were playful and calm around us. Food is a good start to get them to like and trust you so keep going with that.

We have had many Guinea pigs in the last thirty years, some from young and many have been rescued and all were happy to sit in laps, be held and stroked and very sweet natured and affectionate creatures. The last three we had have gone to live with my daughter when she moved out and she has added another two and they are very easy to pick up and be groomed and held.

Rescue ones were timid at first but soon came out of their shell when hand fed.

Thank you - this is really reassuring! We'll persevere with feeding them tiny bits of fruit and peppers and build up to trying to touch them. They're very cute and entertaining, but don't want to be the source of trauma for them!

Mine hates being picked up. His brother froze with fear so was easier to handle. We still enjoy the squeaking and demanding food. He knows how to beg

Herbs especially coriander! Attention and lots of patience.

Agree with others, patience, calmness and hand feeding is key. It will take time. I have had guineas all my life and in my experience they will never actively 'enjoy' being picked up - it cuts very close to their prey instinct - but they can get used to being handled and stroked if it is done gently and regularly.

If they are already taking food from your hands then that is a big step forward because it shows they are starting to trust you.

Give them time, let them get used to your voices (always talk to them as you approach their cage - predators will approach prey in silence, but if you chat away as you walk towards them then that automatically reduces the fear factor). Keep hand feeding and work towards picking them up by encouraging them to go into a hide or area of the cage that makes picking up easier. My three will now run up into their loft area and will let me pick them up from there - they are little creatures of habit, they are not the brightest little beings but they will learn certain routines over time.

Some good tips here (and on this website generally- it's my go-to for advice on all things piggy).

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/

Thank you all so much - we'll persist with some coriander, patience and a more confident approach to scooping them up. Photo of the worst offender - hopefully we can move beyond total fear of being moved!

I know it’s a different animal, but to get my pet rats to become comfortable around me I’d sit on the sofa with them inside my dressing gown with treats so they got used to being close and feeling safe. Please wear old clothes because you may get the odd nibble. Do it every evening and let them adjust.

I'd love to do this - but I can't get them out of the cage! I'm chatting to them constantly when working from home, and they do seem to relaxing - they're now lying down properly in their hides, and snuffling fingers, but think I need to be more assertive in picking them up