3 replies to this topic

[Poptart~]

My guinea pig ,Lulu, is extremely scared of people and every time I come in the room she runs to the back of the cage and hides. I’ve been sitting next to her cage for at least an hour a day for about a month and I feel like I’ve made no progress. My mom finally got mad and told me to just go pick her up. I tried to explain that she was still really scared and it would just stress her out. She gave me an exception that time but told me that in one week she wants me to be able to pick her up and pet her. Will she always be this scared? Any tips of how to get her used to me faster?

 

 

(She does live alone right now but no other guinea pigs have been up for adoption yet so when one does I will get her a partner.)

[Sparrow]

Taming guinea pigs is one of the easiest things to do since they are so good oriented.

What you do is chop up your guinea pigs favorite vegetables into tiny pieces.

Put them in a bowl.

Sit with that bowl inside your guinea pigs cage (I'm assuming you have a C&C?)

From inside your cage, hand feed your piggie.

If you do this at every meal time (3 times a day), your piggie will start climbing into your lap by herself.

Don't pick her up.

Lap time is also important for bonding.

What you do is having the cavie walk into a hut or carrier and from there transfer her onto your lap. Cover your lap with a towel and place a fleece blanket over your piggie and just let her sit there, while giving her some lettuce. You can start to gently stroke her back and head, or try scratching her chin.

Another thing to consider is that a lot of cavies gain confidence by having a friend - they need a second piggie for company and that will help her be more outgoing and less shy.

Edited by Sparrow, 09 June 2021 - 08:04 PM.

[TurboHamster]

My piggies are like this as well, or at least they were when we got them almost half a year ago. 

 

Patience is key. 

 

This video really helped me: 

 

 

Watch the entire thing and she will show you how to tame shyer piggies as well. 

 

Also, it really helps to have your piggies used to you making a familiar sound everytime you walk in the room. For me, its "guinea piggin can you dig it!" but really it can be anything.

 

Hope this helps!

[ChinchillaDude]

Very good video and advice in this thread. To add to that one treat has worked wonders for me in building a bond/trust with my sows is pea flakes. I got pea flakes from Amazon now they run up to me and shout looking for flakes in my finger tips