Frustrated Thinking about giving them up

[bbxylee.m]

I've had my two boys for a little over a year now, and with school and sports, they've become too much. Not only does it stress me out like crazy, but i don't spend nearly enough time with them. They're spoiled with a 4x4 cage, tons of fleece, etc etc. But I'm just not sure I can keep up with them/spend more time. I love them to death, they've already been to 3 homes, and i just feel awful. Im not even sure what I'm asking, it's just a general 'help.' I feel like the work I put in doesn't pay off. They aren't snuggly, aren't cuddly, and don't like being pet unless you catch them... help?

 

[bpatters]

Guinea pigs, in general, aren't snuggly, cuddly pets. A few turn into couch potatoes, but most don't. And many are very happy interacting with their humans just for food.

They do need to be caught for health checks, weighings, etc., but you don't have to spend a lot of time with them for them to be happy. If you've got the time to feed them, keep their cage cleaned, and make sure they're healthy, you might get a lot of pleasure from just observing them.

 

[bbxylee.m]

I think I'm missing the connection with them that I get with other pets. Do you have any suggestions on how i could spend more time with them? They don't really mind being picked up or loved on, you just have to catch them first lol

 

[bpatters]

That's what guinea pigs do. I think you probably didn't realize, when you got them, that if you wanted a snuggly, cuddly pet, you should have chosen something else.

With quite a lot of time and effort, you can train them to climb up on your flattened palm so you can lift them, but we're talking many months of work on your part. It might be easier to just catch them.

 

[Soecara]

It is also possible to train them to go into a snuggle sack or a box for you to pick them up. Just remember they are prey animals so it is their instinct to run when something comes at them, particularly if it is from above, as they don't have the best eye sight.

I don't have any guinea pigs who will let me pick them up, sure some put up more of a fight about it than others but even my most tame who have been with me for years will still run when I go to pick them up. One thing I have found that has helped some of my guinea pigs with letting me pat them in the cage, to take food from my hands while they are in the cage, and greet me at the side of the cage is having their cages raised up off the floor to about waist height.

 

[RufussMom]

If you keep your pigs and take good care of them, since they only have you to rely on, then you know they will be safe, healthy, happy, etc. If you try to give them away, again as you said they've been moved a lot, then you contribute to their homeless cycle, never knowing if they will end up in worse hands which depends on your decision.

I'm not sure why they are so stressful for you? I would make it easier on yourself by turning their 4x4 into a 3x3 or 2x4. Use disposable bedding instead of fleece or use some of both (that would save a lot of time!) It doesn't seem fair to expect some kind of attention from guinea pigs, they have never been known to be "cuddly." And it sounds like you may be disappointed that they don't obvious like being picked up, but I never picked up a guinea pig and thought that s/he liked what I was doing, haha. For me the fun part is making the cage, decorating it, seeing how they love to be fed, scratching their little heads while their eyes close, etc!

 

[SSLee]

I was in a similar situation of feeling stressed out, as it was my niece who begged to get the pigs and then on the first day of school said she has so much homework she has no time to take care of them. I ended up taking care of the two piggies while helping out my father in the evenings. Then several months later, my father collapsed and I took on even more caregiving duties. Between caring for the piggies at my place after work and then going to stay overnight at my father's place afterwards, I was wiped out and thought of rehoming the pigs. However, I had taken them in through Craig's List and their previous owner told me they had been through at least 2 homes by the time they were 11 months old. I just didn't feel right about passing them on to someone else and the possibility of them ending up as snake food. I've since moved permanently into my father's place and brought the two piggies with me, and set them up on a 2x4 cage on a table. I use fleece and the 2x4 is pretty easy to take care of with a weekly laundry. As @RufussMom suggested, perhaps you might want to try disposable bedding to further reduce the amount of work.

I have hand problems and often involuntarily drop things. To avoid dropping the piggies, I lure them into a long fleece tunnel with food and then pick up the tunnel using a death grip. I have done the same with a fleece strawberry. There hasn't been much chasing them around the cage. Perhaps that might work for you. I get my enjoyment out of seeing how much they they relish the daily veggies and seeing them popcorn; I'm much more of an observer. When I first got them, the girls did not popcorn and now they do it daily.

 

[Tharamon]

Did you ask your friends? Maybe someone would take them... I had the same problem and a friend of mine took them home

 

[ItsaZoo]

I understand what you mean. Sometimes we have so much to do it feels like we spend all our time cleaning and feeding, and not so much just enjoying time with our pets.

Mine doesn’t care for lap time after maybe 10 minutes and I have to catch her first. However, she likes pets in her cage. And I love watching her move her hideys, run figure eights, find hidden veggies, and wheeking when I come home from work. I also taught her to circle for favorite veggies which is hilarious when she gets excited. So there are still lots of ways to interact without taking time to sit and snuggle.