Bonding How do I make cuddle time easier for me and the piggies?

[PrimeDelta]

Hello, I have a few questions for you all.

I adopted 2 little adorable piggies (Cinnamon and Cocoa) over a week ago. They seem to have been settling nicely into their cage, we have a 2x4 cage with 3 tunnels, a big hay feeder with 2 water bottles, a cushion, hammock, cuddlesack and log tunnel. I sit in the same room as them most of the day, and after a day, they got used to hearing my voice and seeing me move. In their cage, they are starting to popcorn and zoomies more and more, meaning they have to be happy in their environment, but when it comes to cuddle time and hand feeding things are a bit different.

I've been able to handfeed Cinnamon a few times, and Cocoa once or twice, but most of the time they are too nervous to accept it still.
When it comes to cuddle time, I don't know how to pick them up without making them super nervous and skittish. I've tried putting food in the cuddlesack and waiting for them to go in, but they seem to avoid it. When they do go in and I pick them up using the cuddlesack, they constantly are trying to jump out, which I know is normal because they are Prey animals, but no matter what I do, give them soft pets, talk to them softly, they won't accept food from me and they just seem to dislike it more and more.

Does anyone have advice on what the best thing to do is to make it easier to pick them up, and why does it seem like they dislike the cuddle time more and more.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

First of all, welcome to the forum. I'm sorry it took a little while to get a reply.

There is literally only one thing that is a solid answer for your dilemma. Time.

The fact that your pigs are zooming around in their environment tells me that they're absolutely happy with it. But in order to earn their trust, you need time and patience. And I mean LOTS of both.

As you've already stated, pigs are prey animals. That means that their hard wired to fear everything, including the nice person trying to feed them. It may take months in order for them to trust you enough, and sometimes the most skittish of pigs never come around.

Keep doing what you're doing. Sit with them, talk with them. Get them used to your voice and your scent. Try to hand feed them, especially yummy treats (taking care NOT to overdo those).

In time hopefully you will be rewarded for your patience.