Joy First Day Home Going Really Well!

If he's friendly, I'd pet him. Sounds like he wants the interaction so there's no reason not to handle him. Hold him on your lap and feed him veggies so he knows you're okay.

Sweet baby! And I agree with pinky, there's no reason not to pet him if he's comfortable with it. My Bitters was fine with being pet and held right off the bat, probably because she also came from a good shelter at a young age, so she was well-socialized and used to people being around her.

You guys think I should...? It's just that it goes against everything I read about new guinea pigs and I'm very "by-the-books" when it comes to pets, y'know, especially if it's a pet I've never had before. It just feels weird... But it makes sense why he's so sweet: he came from the same shelter as my two rats and they were extremely well-socialized to the point that they wanted to play with me the very same evening as their adoption! It shouldn't be a surprise that Graham would be the same!

Alright, I'mma try petting him when I give him his evening cilantro treat and spot-clean (he's sleeping like a baby right now, so I better not disturb the little guy!). Just a little, to see how it goes! Hehe, you can see how anxious I am deviating from what I've learned! XD

Okay, so I got some of his cilantro and he hurried to the cage door when I called him. I didn't offer it immediately (I've read to let them smell your hand without food every now and then) and attempted to pet him while he was at the cage door. But he didn't allow it yet (he nibbled my finger a bit; it didn't hurt at all and I appreciate how gentle he is about setting his boundaries) before heading to the kitchen part of the cage. He ate the cilantro I offered, chowed down some hay, drank some water, then laid down next to his food bowl in the kitchen for a while. I believe he was waiting me out and was about to fall asleep, so I closed the door and he hurried into his hidey and is now sleeping again (I believe I caught him in a short session of activity between naps). I don't think he's ready for the pets yet.

Though I am wondering: his foster mom wanted me to begin handling early for him, but I don't wanna push luck by trying to actually pick him up (plus, the thought of picking up a piggy makes me nervous as a newbie, something I'm sure I'll get better at with time), since he doesn't even want to be petted by me just yet. So tomorrow, before his morning veggies, should I coax him into the fleece pouch-thing I have for him and take him out to give him some lap time alongside his veggies (if he'll eat it, which I doubt), and get him used to me that way (such a method works wonders on rats, but I'm not sure if it'll work with piggies)? Or is that not recommended at this current point in time and I should wait a day or two longer whilst keeping to the hand-feedings? I want to do as the foster says since she knows what's best for him, but I don't want to unravel everything by proceeding too early.

Oh, and sorry for all the questions; I like having very particular instructions to follow as I have no faith in my own self.

From what your saying in his actions with cilantro, the fact that he just laid down instead of run from cover from you shows he's been used to handling & humans. Like the others said above and his foster mom, have said it's ok to be outgoing with him. The pouch trick will work. His foster mom and others at the shelter have handled him, so he's probably used to being handled by more people at a given time. So she most likely insisted that you handle him so that he doesn't loose that habit of being handled. Him acting like a bothered teenager lol shows that he's very much used to humans, and sensed you out. You should be very happy, as this is a great situation to have and it seems like a great shelter.

Thank you, Capricex. Yeah, I agree, I should be very happy that Graham is so brave for a new piggy in a strange place! I guess it's my anxiousness of rushing things too quickly and ruining everything gets the better of me, especially since I'm so inexperienced with piggies (heh, you wouldn't even see this nervousness from me had he been a pet I'm used to, like a rat). And yes, the shelter is a wonderful place. It's called Wee Companions and they take magnificent care of their animals! Seeing your post this morning boosted my confidence a bit and I went through with it. I'mma tell you guys how it went!

So, closing off his kitchen area and flipping his hidey over to limit his retreats, I placed the pouch inside. He's suspicious and nervous, as I expected and it took a few minutes to effectively herd him into a corner where he had no choice but to go into the pouch! I then took him to the bathroom with his plate of veggies, locking my kitty out so he doesn't ruin anything (he of course was crying the entire time, silly boy).

I held Graham in the pouch on my lap for a bit, trying to coax him to eat. He wouldn't eat the lettuce, as I expected he wouldn't, so I kept petting him and trying now and then to feed him. He spent most of his time pointing his butt at me. XD Well, he eventually took the baby carrot and started chowing down! I offered green pepper and he starting eating it straight from my hand, even allowing me to pick his head as he did so! He also took some nibbles of the lettuce (I was told he wasn't as fond of lettuce as the other veggies; he'll still eat it, but is there another leafy green I can use to replace it that he might like better?). Eventually, he didn't want to eat anymore and became more fidgety (and my kitty growing increasing anxious without me), and I remembered his foster mom saying that he does that when he needs to pee.

So I ended the short session (I wanted to keep it short so as not to overwhelm him... or myself... or my kitty)! Well, putting him inside, he crawled out the pouch, hurried not to his hidey as I expected after this experience, but instead looked for the kitchen ramp (his favorite place to pee is by the end of the ramp of the kitchen area). Before I can put the ramp back down, I think he decided to pee on the fleece, but that's okay. When I reopened the ramp, he went into the kitchen area and just chilled there (and possibly emptied the rest of his bladder). I took the opportunity to spot clean his play area where the fleece resides (noticing that there's not many poops on the play side; I think he prefers to keep most of it in the kitchen).

Afterwards I met him at the kitchen door (he didn't hurry to me this time, but that's okay, given what happened prior) and gave him the plate of the leftover veggies. I then offered another piece of cilantro (his favorite) to show him that there's no hard feelings between us. He agreed and ate it out of my hand. I hand-fed him the other veggies (except the lettuce of course, and the cucumber; I'm not sure if he likes it or not as he ate it eagerly yesterday but not today) and left him to finish the less desirable veggies on his own time.

He's currently sleeping in his hidey again!

I'mma see if I can post a short video showing some of the highlights of the laptime. How do I post video's on this forum? :3 Also, should I do this again for his evening veggies, or leave him in peace and keep laptime to once a day, steadily increasing the time spent?

Anyway, thanks guys! I wouldn't have taken this step without you!!

EDIT: Oh! And should I leave the pouch in his cage full-time? I personally think it's still too warm to make it a regular part of the cage (although I suppose Graham would avoid it if he felt too hot), but is it best that he doesn't associate the pouch making an appearance with being captured for laptime?

He's sleeping in the kitchen, out in the OPEN!! On his second day home!! I think that's an amazing sign, right?

Next day, and things are still going pretty well! I gave him laptime both before and after work. This evening, it wasn't as much of a struggle to get him out of the cage as he went into the pouch with little encouragement! He's also shown an interest of the world beyond my lap, or maybe he's looking to run away! XD I'm not sure if I should allow him floortime yet, as he still doesn't like me and only tolerates some petting on my lap and no touches at all in the cage. So far, we've had 12 minutes per session together, hopefully it'll increase! I'm gonna keep this up everyday, and hopefully, he'll warm up to me eventually and allow me to pet him both in and out the cage! Hopefully...

Also, there's something stuck on his chin. I tried to take it off, disguised as a chin rub, but Graham won't let me. I think it might be a piece of cucumber or something, cuz I dunno what else it could be. Here's some pictures:





Will the cucumber (or whatever it is) come off eventually, like will he groom it off himself?

Ooooh, that's weird! XD I'mma see if I can try to take it off via a trim with my kitty's nail trimmers (that always works in getting stuck poops off my kitty's butt, so maybe it'll work to get this glue off too!), if Graham will let me of course. I doubt it, but if it'll fall out on its own, I won't push too much if he objects to my attempts to "groom" him! I'm still trying to get on his good side after all lol!

The glue came off!!

Anyway, Graham didn't want Laptime this evening (that's okay, he had some laptime this morning) and he even chattered his teeth at me. So I spared him the pouch today and just spent time in the cage with him instead. He settled back down quickly when he realized I wasn't going to force Laptime on him and he groomed and laid down. Then, there was progress made and it showed me that this lack of Laptime wasn't too much of a setback!! He allowed me to pet him in his cage! WITHOUT BEING DISTRACTED BY A VEGGIE!! He even made that soft pigeon sound that he did back when I held and petted him in the shelter! This is the first time I've heard it since then. I'm still not sure what that sound means (google's giving very mixed translations, from contentment to annoyance), but either way, he was just laying there, chillin' and letting me pet him without running away or bouncing like he usually does, so it must be a good thing, right? If he didn't want it, he would've walked away, right?

Afterwards, I wanted to thank him for his time and for allowing me to pet him under HIS free will for the first time since getting here and I hand fed him his veggies. So, overall, I think today is a pretty good day too. Sure, I didn't get to have the evening laptime with him, but it's made up for by our first short petting session (where I'm not holding him hostage).

Awww, just a moment ago, when I was listening to guinea pig sounds on youtube, it got to the wheeking noise of piggies wanting food, and Graham started wheeking for the very first time! I rewarded him with cilantro! :3

TeamNinjaBug said:

He even made that soft pigeon sound that he did back when I held and petted him in the shelter! This is the first time I've heard it since then. I'm still not sure what that sound means (google's giving very mixed translations, from contentment to annoyance)

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Was it high pitched or low pitched? High usually means content or happy and low (almost like a rumbling) means that they are annoyed, angry, or trying to show dominance.

Can't really remember. Next time he makes that sound, I'mma take note of the pitch! Thank you for giving me a clear definition of the pigeon sound!

So tonight's progress report:
Graham wished to negotiate skipping Laptime once more, but to his dismay, I was not receptive to the idea of skipping Laptime two evenings in a row. He thus accepted my challenge, preparing himself to put his skills of evading capture to the test once more! He was wise to my Pouch of Doom and had outsmarted me several times! He has been planning well, I see! A worthy adversary indeed! So I, not to be so easily defeated, quickly plotted a counter-strike! I picked him up, by HAND for the very first time! Took me a few tries, but I got him! He struggled at first, but soon calmed down enough to eat his veggies when I got onto the bed. He even groomed himself on me! I petted him and spoke of my interest of forming a future Alliance with him, and played calm meditation music which may or may not have helped.

Finally, after about 15 minutes, Graham showed interest once more in escaping my lap to brave the world unknown like an adventurous piggy! But I'm still not comfortable with letting my hostage go free outside the cage just yet, knowing he has yet to develop Stockholm Syndrome towards me, so I instead replaced him in his cage. We then had our peace-offering of cilantro and now, the world is harmonious once more! My day is won, until next time! Sleep well, Graham, for tomorrow shall bring another battle of wits over Laptime!

Okay, so it's been a bit since my last update, but here it is:

I think we're gonna be the best of friends for a long time, as we finally found a way to make things work between us with no stress and all the fun!! How? I no longer have to pick him up or shoo him into the Pouch of Doom to get him out of the cage. What I do is put an open kitty carrier up to the cage door and he eagerly walks right in all by himself with no prompting from me whatsoever! I take him to where laptime is to be held and he willingly crawls onto my lap where he gets his veggies! I then allow him to free roam and explore the area, and he's been giving his exploratory squeaks (he has such a soft voice, even when wheeking for food; it's sweet) the whole time. Sometimes he pays visits to my lap and he lays down beside me and lets me pet him. When he's tuckered out and wants to go back home, he goes back into the kitty carrier and I take him back to his cage. I spot clean and give him his leftover veggies! Rinse and repeat!

I just discovered this method a few days ago and I believe he's growing to like me even faster since then! With the addition of the kitty carrier, I think he'll no longer associate me with any stress whatsoever.... and it has the added bonus of getting him used to the carrier and make his vet trips easier! Which will be useful as the shelter and I have plans to make an appointment to the vet this Wednesday. He'll finally get neutered and he'll be getting a new friend soon, which is great as it's getting kinda sad how excited and happy he is whenever he hears a sound even vague resembling another guinea pig...

That's great that you have figured out how to work together! I also love how you described progress report. It made it exciting. I wish you continued luck with your guinea.