Just got two baby guinea pigs! Taming tips pls

[threecurrantbuns]

This is new on me read lots but first hand experience needed.

When I attempt to pick one up they skit all over the place which makes me jump. Doesn't help I'm sure!

Any advice, would like them to calm a bit before the children hold them

[silver73]

Welcome to the wonderful world of GPs. They are beautiful little creatures. Ours were like that for a few weeks but soon calmed down into the most cuddly little creatures. I would be wary about children holding them at the moment as they can suddenly jump and cause themselves a serious injury.

What my children did in the beginning was have them on the floor in the lounge in a play area which made the pigs less nervous as time went on.

[threecurrantbuns]

Thank you I had suddenly started to panic thinking it could be a potential nightmare as they are text jumpy, but breeder said they should calm down I'm A bit worried about losing one myself!

Hoping they will get to where they just sit on your knee to be stroked?

[silver73]

Sorry another few suggestions. If you can become a member of Cambridge Cavy Trust - you can take your pigs up to see Vedra for a check over twice a year and if they are ill or you have any questions you can text her. If they are ill she has a GP hospital and her rates are very low. It costs £30 per year which covers all your GPs.

This is a brilliant website www.guinealynx.info/emergency.html

Remember that GPs can become very unwell very quickly and going to a GP savy vet quickly is very important. For example one of my pigs stopped eating and after two hours took her to the vet - not expensive - she just needed a course of antibiotics. Another pig has asthma and her medication costs £10 for 7 weeks.

Whereabouts are you? Always good to know of a good GP vet in advance. If you have a GP rescue near you the people that run it are usually very knowledgeable and should be able to recommend a vet they use.

Sorry if this post is negative it is just information that I wish I had known when I first had GPs. My girls are 5 years old now and have never regretted having them as they are such beautiful sweet natured little animals.

[silver73]

Mine were exactly the same but now they cuddle up by my neck and give kisses and chat to me. It will take a while but my pigs adore cuddles and wait for them.

[YouveCatToBeKittenMe]

Our haven't been over cuddled so they do still run away when we approach. Unless I'm holding apple or broccoli

However for the first time we had them indoors in a run all winter and they have become much more vocal, squeaking loudly and they are much less skittish now. If I call them from the house, when they are out in their run they squeak back.

If we get guinea pigs again I will definitely keep them indoors for more interaction in the winter months. They are such little characters.
They are back outside for the summer now.

One of ours escaped the other night. When DS went down to check on them the hutch was open, sawdust everywhere and there was only one pig inside. The remaining pig was very agitated. DS and DH went looking all along the hedges with torches. Piggy was found happily munching grass in the dark next to his daytime run, abut 10 metres from the hutch and made no attempt to run off when spotted!

[BonkeyMollocks]

When you pick them up, pop them straight into a towel or a blanket. This will help make them feel more secure and should in theory the wriggling.

They should settle on your lap quicker. Once they are happy with that then pop them on the childrens lap, again in their blanket and they should be fine.

I would not let your dc's pick them up themselves unless they are older. If they wriggle and they manage to jump they can cause themselves alot of damage.

You will love it once they are tamer. My Big pig luffs his evening cuddles watching Emerdale . He squeaks until he climbs to his fave spot, under my chin, then he plonks himself down and purrs away, one chooken leg out

On the subject of losing one....my Little devil pig escaped from his playpen in the living room the other day. Cue panic, frantic searching, chasing, bribing, one very pissed of pig once he was caught and one very pissed off piggy owner (me) because of the amount of poo on my floor!!!


I do love him

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Baby guineas are so cute and weigh nothing but can jump like fleas and have claws like needles.

We had baby guineas when I was a child ( 2 accidental litters then a pregnant-when-we-bought-her-sow) .We handled the babies from day one, the sows were 'interested' in what we were doing with the piglets but they trusted us enough -and they don't do that horrible eat their babies stuff-ugh.

You have to scoop them up with determination, one hand under the belly, then the other under their bum. Handle them often, they'll get more used to it. They do slow down as adults

We got our adult boars last October. My DD was very nervous to handle her pig,especially as GP1 runs up to everyones neck with a determined look on his little rattie face . We always towel wrapped them.They feel more secure, it absorbs any inevitable pee.

Our GP2 runs round like Benny Hill in the 'chase scene', refusing to be caught. But that's just him he's happy to be cuddled.

Parsley (in small amounts) is the way to a guinea-pig's heart.

[threecurrantbuns]

Thank you all. The children held them on a towel earlier and the improvement was big they are still babies so think if.handled enough they will get tame one is much calmer than the other atm

Talking of poo, those of you with indoor runs, doesn't poo get everywhere. Also if your holding them for a while do they poo on you? I ask as their hutch is full of poo one day in x

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Ooooh yes- they Pooh for Britain.

We have ours in on winter nights, in their pighouse during the day.Since Easter out day and night.

Ours will let us know when they want a pee (they get agitated and stamp about) so we put them in a plastic washing basket with a towel. But they pooh with abandon, we end up with 9 or 10 in the crook of our arms.

And cage cleaning is a daily duty (newspaper on cardboard with a load of hay.Just roll up and replace).

Though I do wonder if they would learn not to be so manky if I didn't clean them daily. Judgey pants would be a-hoisted.

[threecurrantbuns]

Blimey, everyday. I can kind of see why with the poo in the hutch already, but doesn't it cost a small fortune in bedding and hutch supplies?

[BonkeyMollocks]

Yes they poo alot!!!

I clean their night cage out once a day and their day pen out once a day. This at least two lots of poo picking. I may do the odd bit if I'm bored, theres always some

My Big pig does not poo or wee on me during cuddle time. He is a angel. :)

Little pig will always poo on me so he is always on a blanket or towel...however the little sod weed on me twice tonight....he has never done it before. I'm thinking he is still pissed off with me
I am considering a puppy pad + towel if the bugger does it again!

What bedding do you use?


I have fleece on the floor and newspaper and hay in their cage for night time.
Fleece gets changed once a week (newspaper underneath) . Cage cleaned out daily.
I get through a big bag of hay a week, which costs £4. they eat and sleep in this, plus they both have a hay tent on the floor which gets changed every three days.
They also get posh hay in a hayrack, which is a extra few pound a week.

[threecurrantbuns]

Wow your pigs sound well looked after. As I say this is new for us so a learning curve. We made hutch up for first time Monday. Layer of newspaper thin layer of shavings and they hay dotted about plus lots of hay in.sleeping area.

Hay was from farmer in the village who gave us a big bag and the we can help ourselves to more :) didn't know about fleeces etc. Read a book before.getting them and followed that which must be out dated as said clean out once a week!

[BonkeyMollocks]

I only got mine at the end of April.
You learn fast, and then fall in love with the little blighters so you end up treating them as well as your kids .

There is lots of info here . If you register you can see all the stickys in different sections. Lots of info and reviews on bedding types/cages. There is a good food list too. Very friendly! :)

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Bonkey I started the bedding hay in the bed, naice hay in the rack but mine CBA walking to the rack. It just sat there .

I give mine nice hay if they've had a long grazing day and I don't give them supper veg, but they still want something to see them through the night. (GP2 tends to get a bit soft (pooh) after too much grass. )
They have that nice Marigold and Dandelion Excell hay for nice hay.

[BonkeyMollocks]

70 Their hay rack is right next to their sleeping spot. They don't have to move. I suspect this is why they eat it

I buy posh oxbow timothy and dandelion/camomile hay for them. Spoiled buggers !!

[threecurrantbuns]

Help I'm in guinea pig hell, one Is ok as in easier to grab and will not constant wriggle, the other is so quick does not want to be held and launched itself out of the hutch yesterday and legged it straight under the garden fence didn't think we would c him again my dh amazing managed to get him back!

This little guinea freaks me out its grey and white with red eyes and I no I'm being dramatic and they only arrived Monday but I can't see the time when it will be tame and where I'm not in a panic when dds are holding them.

Had visions of two little guineas sat calmly being stroked :(

I dodged dwarf rabbits after reading some not so good things, and have since seen some amazing tame ones

[BonkeyMollocks]

Oh dear. :(
Just give them time. They are a
still babies. My little pig used to wriggle like a snake, now 6 wks on he will sprawl out for a while.

Its the same as looking a toddler in a new exciting place and asking them to stay still.

Are they indoor or outdoor?

How old are your dcs?

Time, patience, and consistantancy and you will get there.

[BonkeyMollocks]

Oh and rabbits are evil....if you look you will see more tame quiet giggles thand you will bunnys .
You are just seeing tame bunnys because you have two scatty pigs

[BonkeyMollocks]

*piggies than!!

[threecurrantbuns]

Thank you. They are out door and have been in a run on the grass for a bit each day and have been wondering around nibbling the grass quite happily.

The girls are 6 and 4 both sensible and have been singing too them, but the guineas are hard for me to keep hold of let alone the children. Going to get a bigger run today that the girls can sit in then if they do a summer the won't get out anywhere. On the school run yesterday one of the mums bought baby dwarf rabbits up so calm all the children holding and stroking no problem, war tempted to do a swop

[BonkeyMollocks]

Honestly they will be fine.
They are still settling in. Just make sure that you spend lots of time with them.
Good idea to get your dds to sit with them somewhere enclosed.
Try bribing them with parsley never fails .

[threecurrantbuns]

Put some apple in run yesterday they loved it, just been and opened hutch one is actually quite sweet end doesn't run will be stroked the other is crazy think the red eyes don't help lol.
If they were both like the other I would be fine, that will teach me to reserve over the phone based on colour! Were a surprise for dds and dd1 saw a picture of a white and grew one and loved it so when the lady said the four she had I automaticly went with that but looks bit rat like not like the cute tri colour one.

Just put some potato peeling in watching from the window they are having a field day lol

[threecurrantbuns]

Put some apple in run yesterday they loved it, just been and opened hutch one is actually quite sweet end doesn't run will be stroked the other is crazy think the red eyes don't help lol.
If they were both like the other I would be fine, that will teach me to reserve over the phone based on colour! Were a surprise for dds and dd1 saw a picture of a white and grew one and loved it so when the lady said the four she had I automaticly went with that but looks bit rat like not like the cute tri colour one.

Just put some potato peeling in watching from the window they are having a field day lol

[dietcokeandwine]

Hi threecurrantbuns

It will get better and they will calm down as they get to know you...although you may find that the harder to catch/hold one remains the more skittish of the two. This is the case with our two boars - one is a lot calmer than the other, I think it is simply a difference in nature. But we have reached a point where both are happy to sit and snuggle on a lap for a while - in the early days we nearly lost our skittish one several times as he kept making leaps for freedom!

Try offering nice titbits of food when they are being cuddled (I second the suggestions about parsley - or a few dandelion leaves are usually a winner!) so that they associate cuddles with nice food. Keep cuddles short in the early days and build up gradually. When ours were tiny I used to bring them indoors in a pet carrier (less chance of leaping from my arms!) and get my two DC to sit on the floor before letting them cuddle a pig - at least that way I knew the guineas didn't have far to fall if they did wriggle free.

For young children (my DC are 7 and 2) I can highly recommend these if you don't mind spending a few pounds - this website has some fabulous stuff but the 'snuggle and snooze beds' are particularly good to plonk the guineas in whilst being cuddled. And they minimise the chances of sharp little claws scratching the children. Ours definitely seemed to feel a lot more secure when put into one of these (and they come in fab colours and patterns too )

//www.cosycavies.co.uk/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=94_93

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Ah,dietcoke I saw those Snugglesacs a few weeks back, they look really good for little guinea-pigs. My mum was co-erced into offered to sew me some fleece and absorbant bags for hotwater bottles for my hogs. (I'm going to buy some of the microwaveable ones). This has reminded me to send the fabric to her

My DD wears an old fleece jacket of mine that she can tuck GP1 inside and he feels safe (he really doesn't like being on skin).

threecurrantbuns pink eye/ red eyed GPs have poor eyesight, that might go someway to explaining his skittiness. But they make up for it with bat-like hearing especially if there's a food bag being rustled.
Keep catching them, they'll get used to it, and they need to get used to being handled for when you do teeth checks, body checks and claw cutting. Wrapping them up makes it easier to comfort them for this.
at him escaping - little ratbag!