Behavior Need tips on how to groom and gain trust with Peruvian guinea pigs

[Coconut22]

#1 I have just recently gotten two Peruvian guinea pigs one is 3 months, and one is 8 months. I’ve had guinea pigs before and I know it’s important to not pick up/ pet your pigs at first in order to let them adjust and trust you. The thing is they need brushed to prevent mattes, and to brush them I have to pick them up. I don’t know what to do! The 8 month old seems to be fine with being picked up she’s really chill and will come to me when I call her. But the 3 month is terrified, which is expected she is so young and a prey animal. She runs around the cage and squeaks terrified, I feel so horrible scaring her it break my heart and makes me almost want to cry! What should I do I don’t want her to get mattes but I also don’t want to stress her out and lose all her trust. She is such a sweet baby and I hate scaring the poor girl . If you have any suggestions please help!

 

[petluv]

#1 I have just recently gotten two Peruvian guinea pigs one is 3 months, and one is 8 months. I’ve had guinea pigs before and I know it’s important to not pick up/ pet your pigs at first in order to let them adjust and trust you. The thing is they need brushed to prevent mattes, and to brush them I have to pick them up. I don’t know what to do! The 8 month old seems to be fine with being picked up she’s really chill and will come to me when I call her. But the 3 month is terrified, which is expected she is so young and a prey animal. She runs around the cage and squeaks terrified, I feel so horrible scaring her it break my heart and makes me almost want to cry! What should I do I don’t want her to get mattes but I also don’t want to stress her out and lose all her trust. She is such a sweet baby and I hate scaring the poor girl . If you have any suggestions please help!

I’ve never had a long haired piggy, but my MIL has had multiple long haired small dogs. The only suggestion I have is to keep her fur short as possible, until she is comfortable with you grooming her daily. For sanitary reasons alone if nothing else. That’s what my MIL does with her long haired Maltese puppy. I know it may not be as pretty, but it’s in her best interest. I have come to discover with my new piggy, that if they are super shy there is no rushing them to trust you. Like your 8mo old my previous piggy was not shy at all, but my current piggy is scared to death of people. She does talk to us now after 3 weeks, but we definitely can’t touch her yet. So progress will be made just very slowly. Hope that helps.

 

[spy9doc]

I'm one who doesn't believe in not picking up frightened cavies. I pick them up right away.........and often. I start with holding them close on my chest and making them feel secure. That seems to soothe them and becomes their place of safety.

I generally have Abyssinians, but fairly recently acquired a Texel who had the most beautiful long curly hair I had ever seen or touched. I soon discovered that I simply couldn't keep her clean. I began by just cutting the hair around her bum and genitals which helped in one regard, but still didn't solve the problem of the hair matting. I hated to cut all that beautiful hair, but what purpose did it serve? I wasn't showing her nor did many others see her. So I began the process of trimming her hair.

Some folks use scissors and others use clippers. Oddly enough I found that she was terrified of scissors, but soon came to tolerate the clippers quite well. I honestly thing that it was the buzz against her skin that felt o.k. Just be aware that you need to transition the process a little bit at a time. If the hair is quite long, the clippers will pull it at first and cause discomfort. I gradually took Maya's hair shorter in stages. She looked different, but was still adorable with short hair.

There are lots of cavy people on Facebook with whom you can connect. Also look up breeders as they show their animals and have all sorts of tips for caring for long-haired beauties.

 

[rosspiggys]

I agree with spy9doc. Don't let the piggy make the rules, otherwise nothing will change. Pick her up, play with her give her a treat while playing and when you put her back. She'll get the idea. They learn quick when food is involved.

 

[petluv]

It must not be forgotten that piggies have feelings and emotions of their own. We need to respect them as individual creatures with widely varying personalities. I’m not saying give up, but if you have a shy piggy take it slow. Though, of course, everyone has their own method. You’ll have to find which works best for you and your piggies.