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Bonding Taming Adopted Piggies?

simplyypiggies

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Hello everyone I am going to adopt a bonded pair of guinea pig girls tomorrow and I am SO excited!
The old owner was a great owner and I met her here on this forum so I know the girls had a wonderful life with her! They will have a c&c cage which I am buying from the old owner along with toys, fleece, cozies, ext, as well :)

Now most of their things wont change, but obviously the environment and voices will be completely new to them so I am planning on giving them 2-3 days to just settle in without any handling. Now my question is after this settling in period what would you advise me to do from there?
Which steps should I take to make them comfortable with me? I just want them to be happy piggies and of course I know it will take time for them to adjust to the new environment and me. I just want to be sure I take the appropriate steps and make our interactions as comfy and stress free as possible!
Any advice, personal experiences, opinions are gladly accepted!

Thank ahead of time! :)
 

mufasa

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Take steps to make them associate you with good things (and for piggies, that usually means delicious treats). Liberal hanging out of favorite veggies and a limited amount of fruit bits should get them on the road to bonding with you.
 

simplyypiggies

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@mufasa so I should definitely give them that settle in time and then do some hand feeding with them?
 

pinky

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Feed them their snacks while you hold them on your lap.
 

AmberCalzone

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I handled my girls from day 1, and don't think it did them any harm. I figure the quicker they get to you know the better, and if they're already used to handling (which it sounds like they are), it might be more of a shock to just be left alone. I'd try to keep their routine as much the same as possible. So if they're used to ample floor and handling time, I'd say give it to them!
 

mufasa

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@mufasa so I should definitely give them that settle in time and then do some hand feeding with them?
Yes, as [MENTION=15081]pinky[/MENTION] said, laptime is a great time for hand feeding. Then they associate you very closely with good things.
 

Rywen

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Try lap time with a cuddle sack and veggies at first, that way they feel safe in the cuddle sack but get used to your hand and associating it with yummy veggies.
 

ClicknCavy

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Giving them a few days to adjust is a good idea if they seem stressed. If not, since they are used to handling, I would right away start giving them treats and playing with them.
 

simplyypiggies

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Thank you everyone! They seem ok with getting petted although they arent too sure about being carried yet so I'm just gonna give them a few days to settle in :)
 
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