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Female Himalayan Guinea pig showing dominance or becoming attatched..?

Mello_Mike

New Member
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Dec 13, 2018
Posts
2
Joined
Dec 13, 2018
Messages
2
Hey my names Michael, me and my girlfriend recently purchased a female Guinea pig from a petsmart. We have named her Shadow and she has a gorgeous black and white fur coat. Recently I have been giving alot of love and out of cage time and have became very attached to her. I noticed she has been acting bit stubborn when I would try to pick her up out of her cage as well as taking her out of my jacket pouch or hoodie but she would just be completly stiff. When I try to pick her up out of my jacket pocket/hoodie she would begin to whine and I'll will then hold on my chest talking her softly to attempt in calming her down. Can someone help me out ;_;
 

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LittleSqueakers

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Posts
422
Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Messages
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Welcome Michael, and congrats on your new piggie! She's precious!

Resistance to being picked up and/or held -- including running away, going stiff or limp, or crying out -- is all normal behavior for a guinea pig. Unlike dogs which are predators like us and see us as being members of their pack, guinea pigs are prey animals and only ever see us as predators. They don't really become "dominant" with humans. They're just scared until they've become used to humans enough that they know we're not going to eat them and in fact, we are more likely to feed them.

It takes a lot of time and patience to earn a guinea pig's trust and a lot of hands-on positive interaction. A good place to start is by feeding your pig veggies or treats from your hands; this helps them associate your hands with good things. Catching them can be difficult, especially in a large cage, but once you've caught them, try sitting down with the pig on your lap and feeding them some veggies. Some pigs will never really learn to like being held, but with a lot of gentle handling, patience, and positive reinforcement, most of them can at least be caught and picked up without excessive stress.

Here's a link that has a ton of useful information for new pig owners:
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

Everyone on this forum is very nice, and there are a lot of experienced pig owners here who are happy to help answer questions. We're glad to have you here!
 
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