Taming of the Pig

[PigPal123]

Hi folks. I seek your expert opinions since I am a new guinea pig owner and want to do the best thing for the Fizbey. He has a great cage (2x4 C&C), a pigloo, toys - the whole works, BUT I just brought him home yesterday and he his totally freaked out. I realize this is NORMAL, but what is the best way to show him that I'm not a predator and gain his trust? This will be a slow process, I know, but I want to make the adjustment away from Mom and his siblings as painless as possible. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[Lourdes]

I started hand feeding my piggers at the start of the meal and they would then get excited everytime they see me coming for their favorite food, tomato! I took the pigloos out because they were hiding too much and gave them towel tents for the time being and it's made the one more curious and feel safe enough to popcorn with the cat on the cage. Floor time is a 3 x 4 with a 2x 3 and loft attached and i just in there with them, pick them up every now and then to say hi and they get used to you. My other pig is still quite shy but does fine when close to you. Bribes always work, too.

[babyboo]

hold veggies out in front of you. I also read that everytime you come into the room that they are in give them part of their daily veggies, because you don't have to give them all of their veggies at one time. I did it and it worked fantastic. Now when I come into the room they come up to me and are so happy to see me. I can pick them up without haveing a struggle you should try it.

[Haley0489]

I also took the pigloo away from mine during the day. On some sites I read this is a DO and some I've read it's a DON'T, but it seems to be working for my pigs. This way they can get used to seeing me come in the door, instead of running and hiding. I think they're also starting to connect Pigloo with Bedtime, or so it seems, they've been much quieter during the night.

[sorry to hijack your thread]
But I was just wondering to myself, should I be handling my untamed pigs daily? Or give them a day off in between or every few days? I'm worried I may be over-handling, and I don't want to stress them out.

[fourboys4now]

If you have the time and are able to I would hold the untame pigs daily, but I'm not an expert, there may be better opinions on that question.

Another thing that helped all my boys get used to me, was during floor time I would feed them their cilantro or parsley. I would put it in the middle of the kitchen floor and I would lay or sit in there while they eat and they eventually got curious enough to come and either nibble my toes or walk over my laptop or come nibble the paper I was reading. I wouldn't even try to pet them, just let them see me and realize I'm not going to lunge for them or be aggressive. Good luck.

[relay]

I just got my new piggies today and they are also super freaked out. They have a little nest thing but they hide in it all the time. Should I take those out when I'm home? The piggies are really hard to get out of them. One pigger is also a lot calmer than the other. Should I try to handle the spastic one more?

P.S. Not trying to steal the thread Thought since there was a recent one on the one I wanted to start I would just add on

[aaronmeister]

Hand feeding has helped me bond with my two guys. Within the past two weeks I've been able to finally start petting my two six-months old males in their cage. They run away as I approach the cage, but they usually show themselves once seem to recognize that it's me.

Time and patience is key.

[PigPal123]

Thanks for all the great observations and experiences. The guinea pig I had before was a little more out going, but also older and seemed more gregarious. This little guy is not quite 5 weeks old. What about getting him a friend? I know that for a lot of pigs this is helpful - would it make him more shy or help him get through this tough time?

[Haley0489]

Pigs always do better with a friend! They're a social animal and may be lonely/lethargic by themselves.

[paula.m.moore]

Ooh, do get that piggie a friend, he'll thank you for it! As for gaining trust, food is the best bet. I've learned that the surest way to a guinea's heart is through his tummy! Patiently hold out a favorite veggie and even if he won't take it from you right away, put it down for him if he gets close to see what it is. He'll learn.

[PigPal123]

Last night was a break through. He cuddled and ate oranges out of my hand and motorboated around a little area. He's like a little squeaky pig - it's so funny. I'm headed to the west side of the state to look at a shelter for a piggy friend. He's been chewing the ears of the stuffed animal we have in there.

[Wheek Weak]

We tame our rescues down very quickly by constantly keeping our hands in the cage.

We start from day one (with the quarantine period) doing things like straightening the fleece blankets/tents (we don't use pigloos), adding a little hay, picking up poos, giving little hand treats, or even just pretending to do something as we talk to them in a quiet/soothing/calming voice. The idea is to get them used to our hands and voices so they know we're safe and they don't have to be afraid of us.

As prey animals, guinea pigs will still automatically run on instinct. That's actually a good thing. You want to make sure cavys do what cavys are supposed to do...it's just part of keeping an eye on their overall health. A guinea pig that sits in a corner, doesn't react instinctively, is lethargic, etc., needs a vet ASAP.

Our piggys will still start to run from us if startled, but won't hide. They will also automatically start to run (slowly...not panicked) sometimes just because that's what piggys do, but then stop and come right back to us. As long as you keep in mind that it's a healthy instinct for them to do that, you'll get used to it and not even really notice it anymore.