I'm new!

Hey @Peony! Welcome to the forum! I'm LoveMyHerd. I'm sure you'll find everyone very helpful!

Thanks @LoveMyHerd!

Welcome Can't wait to see the pigtures!

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Here are the girls! My older daughter named them Nibbles and Oreo

A question about getting them comfortable in their new home - we have had them since Christmas Day (Thursday) so it's been three full days. Is it normal that they still would be hiding in their cavy hut and only coming out when we're not in the room? (We have their cage on a table in our downstairs den area - which is used sometimes during the day, but usually we are upstairs... I thought this would be best so they could have quiet time but from time to time would hear us and some activity for an hour or two here and there.) It's been such a long time since I had guinea pigs so I don't remember... and the litter we had was used to being handled early, so I don't remember this stage of having them.

We have taken them out daily for either lap time (the first day) or floor time (the last 2 days). They don't want to be picked up, but seem to get a little bit more comfortable once we've been holding them for a few minutes. During floor time they've eaten treats we've offered (vegetables). They are eating and drinking fine, although not eating as much hay as I thought (probably because of the fresh veggies we've been giving them daily). I've seen Oreo drink water, but not Nibbles yet. Plenty of poops in the cage

Any tips or suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Yes, it's normal for them to still be hiding. I'd skip floor time for several more days, but do continue to catch them and give them treats while they're on your lap.

And they're better off in the area of the house where there's the most activity. They're prey animals and hide illnesses very well, sometimes to the point of it being too late to treat them. The more often you see them, and the more familiar you are with their behavior and activity levels, the more likely you are to catch a problem early on. Besides, they're as cute as all get out -- why consign them to the basement where they're not often seen? Mine are in my living room, which gets the most use of any room in the house. And as far as quiet goes, we've got five people (two of them children), two dogs and a cat going through making noise, and all that does is prompt the pigs to stand up at the side of the cage and wheek for treats. The two snakes don't count, because they're upstairs and silent.

Thanks @bpatters! I appreciate the feedback! We'll see about relocating them maybe. And we'll just do lap time for the next week or so.