dose my guniea pig hate me

Stanley Ly · Aug 20, 2011

hi all im a newbie in pet owner really 4 days ago i got a guinea pig yay y ay i thought it was gunna be like the youtube videos

him leting my pick him up eat out of my hand but it was all but that on the first day my guinea pig ran whenever he saw me and hid for hours and didnt eat on the second day he ate but still ran from me when he saw me on the third day he started to come out of his cage a little it 2 storys but wouldnet go up i tried feeding him he smelt my hand then ran today i gave him some timothy hay he ate it but when i try to get him to eat carrots choped up cucambers out of of my hand he wont he just stand there in his hiding spot and looks at me :weepy: he eat timorthy hay from my hand but it only cause the hay is long and he not atchully eatting from my hand everytime i put my hand in the cage he runs when i try to give him food he runs i bought some treats for him today and i put them in his bowle he ate some of thing but i tried to get him to eat from my hand he still wont i can pet him on the outside of the cage he seems to be relaxed when i do but as soon as my hand goes inside of the cage he runs away i tried petting him from the inside but he runs as fast as he can and he still runs when he coming up and he sees me but i have to get really close wh
at can i do to make him like me and eat out of my hand and let me pick him up and pet him and let mu pet him in the cage i really love guinea pigs but im starting to regret it cause he seems to just hate me im trying to be the best owner ever but i dont know y he hates me can you guys give me some tips for him to start liking me dont say towel trick i dont beiliveing it it about to be 5 days -_- almost 1 week i cant really play with him tho i really want too plzzzzz some tips would be appreciated :weepy:

Aertyn · Aug 20, 2011

Hi, welcome to the forum!

Guinea Pigs are a prey animal, they run from anything that can be viewed as a threat to them. (That's basically everything). It will take time and a lot of patience, sitting by the cage hand-feeding treats is a good start. Don't try to be too grabby, if you need to pick him up gently herd/coax/bribe him into a box or cuddle cup and then pick him up and cradle him against your chest. I've had my current two girls for most of this year (Emma was adopted in late Jan, Fizzy in late April) and they are only just beginning to trust me but will still hide at any sudden noise or movement. Not all pigs enjoy being held either, I've had pigs that loved cuddle time, others that would pee on me after 5 minutes.

Stanley Ly · Aug 20, 2011

i already know there prey animals but how ocme they still dislike and not trust u after u treat them so well

Aertyn · Aug 20, 2011

They are a prey animal. It's bred into them to run, it's all part of there Genetics and it takes time (a lot more time than a week) to gain there trust, and like I said, some pigs never adjust well to being handled.

Delphron · Aug 20, 2011

Hi and welcome to the forum. Please listen to the comments above.

Guinea Pigs are prey animals, they are in a new surrounding that they don't trust and know yet. Give them space and time to adjust. A tip I used to help adjust my guinea pig was to sit near the cage and do something else but keep talking to the guinea pig. They learn eventually that your not a threat and soon they will love you for you feed them and give them floor time.

Once they are adjusted, they still might run away. Some guinea pigs never like being picked up or handled, just petted. So having an easy and stress free way of getting them out of the cage is a good thing to have when they are ready. It may take awhile but please be patient.

pinky · Aug 20, 2011

Trust has to be earned so, with time, they will learn to understand that you're okay. You can offer them veggies while you hold them in your lap. Be careful not to scare them or do anything that will make them afraid of you. Once they realize that you mean them no harm, they'll start to come around. It just takes time.

RDININDY · Aug 20, 2011

I am also a new owner of cavies and thought that same thing:They don't like me!Myself,my husband and our daughters talk to all of them constantly!I too have used the box,a make shift cuddle cup,we also pet them,say their name and make sure that they see us as to not give them a fright before we even attempt to pick them up.One of our girls (Beauty) now has no issue being picked up as long as she has her favorite towel and the other three girls (Winnie,Lovely and Polly) are not running to hide as much!Also while we hold them for lap time we talk to them and say their names to help them know that our voices are related to all the good things! Like I said I am new too and all of the ideas that I have just mentioned should all be credited to this site and its members!Good luck with your new friend!Go slow(I know I still am)and Read Read Read!!!This site has answered every question that I have needed answered!I haven't read or learned so much in years!!

KiwiCavyAdorer · Aug 20, 2011

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Perhaps if you could look at your guinea pig from another perspective you might feel a bit better about his normal and natural reactions to a new owner and a completely new environment.

Guinea pigs are not far up on the food chain. Pretty much anything that eats meat eats them as far as their instincts are programmed. That is why everything can be a threat to them.

Just because you now own him? (what is his name?) doesn't mean that he understands you must now be loved by him. First your guinea pig needs time to learn you can be trusted with his life. Then on that trust affection can be built.

Right now he knows that hands are safe outside the cage. So let him get accustomed to you outside the cage with touch. If you rush, he will fear.

I am new to guinea pig care. I foster a friends guinea pig. To help mine adjust I work next to him, speak to him, and do not try to touch him. I let him come to me, at his pace. I also read next to him and nap curled up next to his space. These are ways I have let my boy grow accustomed to me. When I have to lift him to check him over I gently herd him then breathe nice and slow while he relaxes and then let my hands very gently come around him. (he is not one to go in a box or snuggle cup). Now 4 weeks on, I just lay my two hands flat in the area near him and he hops on over and steps up into my hands... But all guinea pigs are very different.

So don't worry about love before you have earned the right for your piggie to Trust you. Build a good foundation. There is a lot of information on this site, you will soon see that many piggies are just as timid, it's normal and you are working on different time frames.

ptimist: Keep loving your piggie and relax into it.

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dose my guniea pig hate me

Stanley Ly

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Aertyn

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Stanley Ly

Member

Aertyn

Moderator

Delphron

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pinky

Well-known Member

RDININDY

Active Member

KiwiCavyAdorer

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