General New owner of Teddy Guinea Pig

[Guerda Merilien]

Hello everyone. I got my guinea pig yesterday. When i met her she was fine and the breeder/previous owner handled her to me in a box then she realize who am i. I drove her home, it took abut 35 minutes to get back and I left her in the box because she was so scared and was peeing in the corner too. I put hay and pellets and a water bowl in which also scared her. she didn't eat at all after about 1 hour and 45 mintues then finally realizing i'm scaring her by standing up to grab her from behind she eventually ran in a small tunnel box I put in the box , which made it easier to transport into her cage. its 8 sq. ft. i put her in the section of her bed room. and she remain in the box . so i put hay on her fleece bed and it had on a wooden hideout for her . i cover her room section with a pillow cage and went to sleep. i wake up and she eat the hay. it seem she didn't drink the water or touch the pellets. i cropped up some romaine lettuce and one small tomato ball a with some pellets and hay on a plate. she ate it most of it. she is pooing and its normal looking not watery . i'm just slight worried . she is not exploring her cage. the room as been pretty quiet beside me saying her name. she won't eat from my hand because she runs away and i also don't do it longer than 3 minutes. she is not walking around. i don't want her to die because she remains in her hiding spot. should i pick her up in a week? should i remove the hide spot- i don't want do that- ? i'm just worried i can't see her - she's black- and if a potential problem were to come up i can't see. also she made this weird flapping noise what does not mean? should i play some classical music to make her feel better. Any advise .

I can't get an another one for about 3-4 months. she is also 3-4 months as well.

 

[claudinehere]

When I got my girls I had the same problem. They were very nervous and they wouldn't even touch anything, they won't even come out of the hidey. But it's fine if they're scared because it's in their nature; they had just come into a new home, new environment, and they don't know if they could trust you. Just let her get used to everything first and what I did with my piggies is that I let them sniff my hand and if they're brave enough to do so, I consider it an achievement and move on to hand feeding veggies, etc. I never really tried to pick them up until the fifth day, but they were already comfortable with me being around them (although they still hate being picked up and would run around the cage) and like being on my lap and playing on the floor. It all depends on the guinea pig's personality. Good luck

 

[Shelbz]

Welcome to the forum!

I think you're expecting a lot from your guinea pig very quickly, if you think that she will become tame when you've only had her a day! It took at least a month before my guinea pigs would show themselves around me properly, and two months on and they can still be very skittish. A lot of advice on welcoming a new piggy suggests to leave it alone for the first few days to a week or so- replace her water, feed her, and aside from that leave her to get used to her surroundings. The humane society gives a little information on welcoming a new piggy here: (broken link removed).

If she's eating and drinking, she's fine; she won't die from hiding in her hut, but keep an eye on her and make sure that there aren't any signs of illness. Here's a list of what's "normal" in piggies and what to look out for: https://www.guinealynx.info/normal.html. Chances are, however, that she's just frightened- she's in a new environment, with new noises, smells, and sights, and to her you're just a giant predator at the moment. You can add a few slices of cucumber to her dish if she's not drinking water (my piggies didn't drink much water on the first few days; I think they didn't trust their environment enough to go out to it).

Also I notice that you brought her hay on a plate, so just to be clear, guinea pigs should have unlimited access to hay at all times- not just at feeding times.

Do not remove the hiding house, it's all that little piggy has at the moment to feel safe. I'd advise you to leave her be for the first few days- keep an eye on her, of course, but don't be attempting to hand-feed her / handle her / play music just yet. In about a week or so I would begin talking to her more regularly so she gets used to your voice, and then gradually you can begin to handle her.

What do you mean by a flapping noise? If there is a crackling noise to her breathing, that could be a URI; if she's actually making a sound, it may just be a vocalisation. Here's information on URI's: https://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html. I don't want to scare you, however- chances are she's just frightened, like many new guinea pigs are when they enter a new home.

 

[kayelljay]

I agree, I think you just need to let her settle into her new home first. In my experience, guinea pigs are usually very nervous when you first get them and will hide away until they are familiar with the surroundings and with you. After a couple of days in her cage, try holding her and always remember to talk to her as well so that she can recognise the sound of your voice. She will probably begin to explore the cage when your not there and when its quiet, then once shes used to your voice and any noises in your house she will become more outgoing. She will become calmer as time goes on, its just a slow process of building trust between the 2 of you. Hope this helps