Behavior I feel like my piggies hate me?

[SqueakiePiggies]

(I have two boys, I've had them for about two years.)

When I give them some floor time they just freeze and if the less dominant one (Fudge.) tries to go anywhere, the 'leader,' (Caramel.) tries to mount him, and if I try to get near them they start squeaking really louding like I'm stabbing them with a knife!

In their cage, they don't mind coming up to me behind the wire for food but they just run when I try to pick them up. Caramel used to not be too bad, at least not as bad as Fudge but he had a very large abscess about a month ago which had to be drained and he got more timid.

They're not agressive just really scared and they run off when I try to give them some lap time.

I do laugh at Fudge though because his eyes look like they're going to pop out!

Any way, how can I help them trust me?

If only they knew I was actually saving up for a bigger, better, bugless, hutch for them. xD

 

[HannibalLecter]

First of all you must understand the nature of the species. Cavies are prey animals, bottom of the food chain & their only protection against predators is to run for it. Most pigs will run when you try & pick them up, their most basic part of their brain basically sees you as a big hawk trying to scoop them up. Few pigs overcome this, while many never do.

Second, if you are keeping them outside - You need to bring them in now. Especially if there is a bug infestation which can cost their life, painfully. Guinea pigs are NOT outside pets, they are not able to cope with weather changes, draft, heat, cold. All of these can cost their lives, and they cannot tell you when the weather is to harsh for them. Keeping guinea pigs outside is like keeping a small child in PJs outside. They are domesticated & so far from their ancestors, and cavies in a hutch is sitting prey for insects, animals & human idiots, all whom can easily break into most hutches. You will also not be able to spot sublte changes indication an illness, meaning they can deteriorate beyond help.

If you are keeping them outside, this would be the main reason you've not bonded with them due to less daily contact.

 

[SqueakiePiggies]

We can't bring them inside, because there is no where to put them. There is no bug infestation just a few spiders and wood lice and any way, I am getting some spray (Johnson's cage and hutch spray.) so I can get rid of them, they won't be in that hutch much longer any way since I only need to earn 50 more pounds. Being outside has no connection with the bonding issue, because I bring them inside at least once a day, or I sit in their run when they're out.

I know you are only trying to help but I can't do any thing about that, any way the cage I am getting has quite a large gap because of the legs, so non-flying bugs will not be able to get in. Flying bugs won't want to go in it anyway because of the spray.

We have had a rabbit and guinea pig before who both lived outside and lived for a long time, above the average life span. If it is perticulary cold I make sure that they are warm enough, if it is very hot (though that is unlikely, the uk doesn't see many sunny days.) I make sure they are cool enough. Our garden is completely closed up, no foxes can get it and no people can get in. (Barbed wire. And gate.)

Thanks for your concern and taking the time to reply but there is nothing I can do about their location at the moment. (And believe me, I have tried to convince my mum to move them into the garage.)

 

[HannibalLecter]

The weather in the UK is way too harsh for them, it's not safe in any way.
If you cannot guarantee them a safe environment, you need to consider rehoming them where they can be kept safe in a suitable environment. It's harsh & not what you want to hear as I'm sure you love your pets, but the animals safety & health needs to be the priority. They are at serious risk being kept outside, especially in the UK climate.

The spray is also not safe, especially not as it can be inhaled or ingested.
Guinea pigs are much more fragile than a rabbit, with a much more sensitive immune system.
And as they are prey animals, they hide an illness until they are too sick to do so anymore. Meaning a URI caused by the weather will go unnoticed until it's too late.

 

[HannibalLecter]

You need to sit your mother down & calmly explain every single reason why it's not safe for them to be kept outside, and that they need to be kept in a temperature controlled environment.

-Every year there are many outside pigs that are killed by predators breaking into the hutches, even though the owners think they've secured it. There was a wave of ~40 rabbits stolen & probably killed where I live, simply because they were kept outside.

-And the risk of flystrike - a painful leathal condition where flies lay eggs in the animal. The toxins released by the painful maggots can lead to toxic shock within hours, leading to an unnecessary death.

- Guinea pigs are extremely fragile, and do not handle temperature fluctuations well at all. They cannot handle cold, draft, or heat. Nor can they tell you when they are suffering due to these weather changes. Many pigs die every year due to a URI (Upper respiratory infection) caused by the draft/cold, or heat stroke due to the warmth.

-Because you cannot guarantee a temperature controlled environment outside, nor would you want to take their place outside all year round, why force them to suffer the same way you would?

- They hide their illnesses extremely well. Unless you are by their cage for hours daily, they will hide their illnesses for the short time you bring them inside. My girl has a heart condition indicated by a hooting noise. If I wasn't close to her cage, and crawled on the floor so she wouldn't notice me, I wouldn't have spotted it at all. She doesn't make the noise when she sees me.

- As their estimated lifespan is drastically shortened, the vet costs due to keeping them in an unsafe environment are much higher if you do manage to catch their illnesses before it's too late.

- You don't experience the pure joy if guinea pig ownership in the right environment. You don't get to watch their antics in a properly sized cage indoors, their joy running laps in it, the health benefits, or just petting them walking by. How much more bonded they can get with you with these simple daily interactions.

They rely on us for all their needs, they didn't choose us, we chose them.
Just like with children, we are completely responsible for seeing to their every need. There is no reason to not give them the proper sized cage indoors and give them good lives. As highly feeling, social animals they deserve it.

 

[mufasa]

Putting aside the major dangers of keeping guinea pigs outside, I think you need to be realistic in your expectations.

Guinea pigs are not like cats and dogs. They don't bond with humans in the same way. A dog may run to greet you for the sheer joy of it, but piggies will wheek to greet you because they want food. They're skittish prey animals that learn to tolerate human companionship, but even though they can learn to enjoy being held and petted, it's never at the same level as cats and dogs. It's unfair to expect that from them, and it's silly to feel that they hate you because they run when you try to pick them up.

My girls are used to me and often stand for petting in the cage, yet they usually run like I'm evil incarnate when I try to get them out of their floortime pen. Amy has bitten both my husband and myself when we were trying to get her out of her cage and she was in one of her moods. I don't take it personally. They're guinea pigs, and as such, they're always going to be skittish little creatures. I just enjoy every small pleasure, like when Amy curls up and falls asleep on my lap or when she and Quinn run to the cage bars because they know it's "midnight snack" time. I don't expect them to be like my cats, and I love them for what they are.

 

[NarwhalsRock]

If they're kept outside, only because that's what your mother said, you need to have a talk about the welfare of those poor piggies. It's selfish to keep those pigs outside in a potentially dangerous situation so they can amuse you twice a day.

I still don't have a large amount of control over my life, but the pigs are the 1 thing that's MINE. It's my mission to make sure that my pigs are safe. It should be your mission too. So what if you need to confront your mom about the pigs welfare? It might strain your relationship a bit temporarily, but you need to sacrifice for your animals. You are their god. Their provider, caretaker, protector. It would be like that all powerful force that everybody is obsessed over leaving you out in the cold with some food, and saying "have fun! You can come in twice a day to warm up a bit! But only if I feel like it..." Then it took away your ability to talk.

A garage is almost worse in some ways. Better only in that there are fewer ways for things to get at them, and it is sheltered. But there are fumes, and loud noises, and the temperatures still fluctuate. If you can't bring them inside for good, well you should to the best thing and give them up. @fresian.m gave up her piggies because she faced the fact that she couldn't care for her pigs properly anymore. That's the most mature thing you can do.