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General Cleaning scared new pigs cage?

katie95

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Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 11, 2017
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Joined
Nov 11, 2017
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Hey guys!

So on Saturday (today is now the next Friday) I got two new piggies and have begun the process of trying to get them comfortable in their new home. My guinea pigs, while they?ve become more comfortable with my voice (I have yet to pick them up or pet them since they?ve been too scared), still are pretty terrified whenever there?s a noise or when I have to spot clean their cage. They run like crazy into their tunnels and houses and just all around freak out. This has me worried since coming up I will of course need to clean the whole cage (I?ve opted for fleece bedding because I liked the ease of being able to spot clean daily) and I?m wondering if anyone has any advice on how to do this in the most stress free way? I really want to bond and get them comfortable with me the proper way, so any advice is appreciated!

Thank you!
 

spy9doc

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Oct 9, 2011
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Joined
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My first thought is that you absolutely MUST pick them up and cuddle/pet them or they will never become accustomed to you! Start with short periods of cuddle/lap time and gradually extend it. Keep in mind that young cavies need to urinate frequently and will often give you a signal when they need to go back to the cage for toilet needs. If you do get a signal, immediately take them home and deposit them in the litter box and in that way you may actually promote litter box training. Everyone says that you can't litter train cavies, but there is a lot you can do to encourage their behavior. I have had cavies who were almost totally litter trained......and others who never seemed to get the hang of it.

Insofar as cage cleaning, the easiest thing is to take them out of the cage and put them in a laundry basket on a towel. My cage is in my small home office and I just put a thick towel in the office chair and they will happily lounge there with no effort to go anywhere. But I don't recommend that for everyone......especially until your piggies are tame.

Most cavies will always run from you.....they are hard-wired to avoid predators. My Chip still runs when I approach the cage.....he is just a high-strung little soul and I don't expect him to ever change. He has become a bit more calm with age and trust, but I'm not expecting anything major.

When you are ready to do your cage cleaning, shoo them into a cozy or something like that and pick them up that way to put them into the laundry basket. My boys are so accustomed to the sound of the vacuum cleaner that I don't bother removing them for the cage for routine tidying.....just when I'm doing a weekly major cage clean.
 

katie95

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Nov 11, 2017
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Joined
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Thank you so much for all your advice! Like I said being a new owner I just want to make sure I?m doing things the right way- thank you again!
 
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