Hiding Day 1 1/2 And I Am Sure My Pig Hates Me And Will Never Change

[Kings]

So I just bought a male Guinea pig and if I am not mistaken it is fairly young judging by its size. I feed and all that but it just stays in its hide spot for ever until it feels it is alone or unnoticed by me (its in my room). I get impatient and sometimes a little angry/frustrated so I force it out of his cage and to be with me but it just freezes up. When I pet its mid and rear section it makes a low squeak kinda sound, to me sounds like it is content but it stops as soon as i stop, also if I make no moves for a while it starts to make a low noise like the latter and it kinda moves around a little and chomps its teeth. I really want my pig to get used to me but its getting frustrating that it will not do anything. PS I bought it from a petsmart (only one in the cage).

 

[jaycriae]

The teeth-chomping noise you describe is an annoyed/angry sound, it's possible so is the low squeak but it's hard to tell for sure without hearing it. I recommend leaving him alone and letting him get used to you being near the cage before you try handling him much more, guinea pigs are naturally skittish animals and it takes awhile for them to warm up to people. Also be sure you're picking him up right, you need to support both their front and back legs, and kind of scoop them. I usually hold mine like babies.

Eventually it would benefit your pig to get him a friend, they're very social and if you adopt a guinea pig who's already used to people it will likely help your current pig to adjust to you and learn to trust you. That's not something you'll get from a Petsmart, I'd try looking in a shelter (if there are none near you, on Craigslist or a similar site). Make sure your cage is big enough to house them, though, and double-check that they're both boys first- petsmart sometimes doesn't get it right.

For now, you should mostly leave him alone, but you can try letting him see/smell you putting hay and veggies into the cage so he learns to associate you with good things. Good luck!

 

[DroidGuineaPig]

From now on dont buy pigs from pet stores. No wonder its not tame at it got shipped in from a animal mill. Also dont force it out of its cage you have to introduce yourself to it slowly. You can learn how to do that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRrEPZR5iVc
Ditto to what jaycriae said about getting it a freind.

 

[Kings]

thats what I was thinking of doing, just leaving him be, but I wanted to check to see if I needed to do something special. as far as adopting goes, I wouldst have enough cage space unfortunately. Thanks for the quick response tho.

 

[Kings]

I'd leave my hand near its hideout hole for a while and I would even do it with greens, but like I said I start to grow impatient and antsy so I reach for him.

 

[bpatters]

You need to do some research on guinea pigs. They're skittish animals, and it takes a long time for them to warm up to you. You'll have to be calm, and patient, and give him a lot of time to adjust.

Here's some reading material for new guinea pig owners:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!

 

[Kings]

I did lots of research, thats the sad part, I knew all about their skittishness, but the fuzzy little critters are so adorable and hard to resist

 

[lissie]

Some pigs take months to start to trust you, so you'll have to be very patient.

 

[DroidGuineaPig]

Dont do impulse buying when it comes to guinea pigs.

 

[mdodge]

2 of my piggies I've had from birth there just recently letting me pet them with out running away.when I give them good and treats there standing there waiting n for me.some piggies are like that.it takes time.

 

[nikdarg]

I know they are hard to resist but if you don't want him to form a negative association to you, you have to control your impulses and take it much slower, at the pig's pace.

If you absolutely have to scoop him, something that makes them feel less scared about being picked up is security. When my pigs were young and restless, I would gently herd them into a plastic hidey I had put upside down. Then I picked up the hidey with them in it. They didn't learn to be scared of the hidey because I only did this when I turned it over. Its a little less scary then hands grabbing them from above since you can pick the hidey up from the bottom.

Piggies are naturally prey animals so anything chasing them or coming at them quickly, especially from above, is going to scare them. Move slowly, talk softly, and hang out with him to let him know you are there. If possible, get him a friend from a rescue. This tends to calm them down too since they are herd animals and should be kept with their own kind.

 

[amp2375]

You need to be really patient! I have two girls. & my older one took about a month or so to warm up,& now she's VERY sociable, I've had her almost 2 years now. & my younger one I've had for about 8 months & she's still pretty shy at times & is definitely less social. Each pig is different.

Talk to him
Hand feed him
Get him a friend
Properly introduce them
Let him smell you


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