Hey everyone.
So aylas special buy from our tax return was a pet guinea pig. She wanted a kitten but we can't have pets except caged animals, and I didn't want a bunny so she picked a guinea pig.

We got him on Friday, he is healthy and clean.

But he is still simply hiding under his climber, not coming out, not eating that I can see or drinking. We pick him up and hold him every day for a little bit, we stay quiet so we don't scare him. He is still scared when being held, but he will look around.

What can we do to help him aclimate better?

Guinea pigs are very skittish little animals. It can take a long time to for them to adjust to their human family.

When did you get him Jennie? Did you start handling him right away? Where is his cage? Is it in a quiet area where he can have some peace in order to feel safe and be able to eat, or is it in a high traffic area where there's lots of commotion?

At this time I would put him in a warm quiet area of the house, and I would give him some time to adjust.

Don't handle him right now, let him get accustomed to his new surroundings. Once he starts exploring his cage, then you can start trying to get him used to you and Ayla. When you do this you're going to start slow and work your way up. Start by giving him treats. At first just put the through the bars of the cage, wait until he comes and explores. Once he's accepting treats through the bars, open the cage door with treat in hand and wait for him to come to you to get it.

Baby steps. Once he's comfortable approaching you then you can try holding him. Let him come to you, then gently lift him out of the cage. Remember that guinea pigs don't like being held, they merely tolerate it. So only hold him for short periods, then let him down so he can explore.

This can take anywhere from weeks to months. Some guinea pigs never trust their humans, they're always skittish and untrusting, but with patience you should be able to at least get him to accept some contact.

What type of food are you feeding him? Are you sure he's not eating?

Thanks hon, all my answers are above in red :)

The bedroom is great for during the day, but guinea pigs will be a bit more active at night, and since it is a bedroom it would be better to move him to a place that isn't used at all. It doesn't have to be a separate room, but a quiet area where he can feel relaxed, and not surprised by people coming into the room. Remember, guinea pigs are prey animals. As such, any commotion, just you coming into the room, will make him hide because he thinks you're a predator.

Once he's more comfortable with his new family then you can try moving him to a place that's more occupied, but for now he needs solitude.

I don't know much about the food you're feeding. I give my rabbits the better food too, not just pellets. In fact, they refuse to eat just pellets, picky little buggers. ;)

I use pine for my rabbits. Many pros say it's not recommended, but I've had rabbits all my life and have never had any issues using pine. Rabbits and guinea pigs are very similar. As long as you get pine that's been treated especially for use with small animals, it should be okay. Hay is the best option, but it's not easy to find in large quantities in a pet store. If you're okay with the bedding you have, stick with it. :)

I've had guinea pigs since I was born. I haven't had one in many years, but I grew up with them. I prefer rabbits because they're less skittish, and more willing to allow human contact, but I have had guinea pigs in the past that were very tame, and very comfortable being held and loved by their human family.

Whenever I get a new rabbit (remember rabbits and guinea pigs are very similar) I will give him/her a few days to get accustomed to his/her new home, and then I start with the treats and the handling.

When the bunny has settled down I'll take him out of his cage, bring him into one of our bedrooms, and the whole family will sit around, forming a circle with our legs (blocking off an exit) and put the bunny in the middle. We each have a treat in our hand, and then we just wait. It can take a while, but usually within a few days the bunny will come up for a treat, accept a pat on the head or a pet, and before you know it he's hopping onto our laps for a snuggle.

You have to allow piggy to understand that you and Ayla aren't going to hurt him. Let him come to you, not the other way around.

It can take a lot of time, and patience, but the result will be a pet you can both enjoy, and a pet that's happy being with his human family.

What did you name him?

thank you hon! I will see about the price of hay, I did read that they like to eat hay too so that would be a double treat. We went to place called pratts pets, it's a privately owned place, that does EVERYTHING, except dogs and cats lol. From mice and hampsters, to reptiles, to birds, to farm pets like chickens and ducks, and livestock. Ayla wanted a goat. I told her the apartment wouldn't let us have a goat :P


ayla named him mike. Just randomly said in a flat little voice 'his name is mike' lol it was so cute I just couldn't argue. I was going to name him cocoa, or mocha. Here is a pic of him :P

Mike The Guinea Pig - Jennie and Ayla

He's so cute. He reminds me of a piggy I had when I was around 3. His name was Fritzy. The neighbors cat killed him. :(
My parents actually recorded (on tape) little 3 year old me telling the story of how Fritzy got eaten by the neighbors cat. Of course it's in German. :)

Give Mike some time. If he's still skittish after a few days, let me know and I'll talk to a friend of mine that's a vet and a piggy expert. She makes me look like I know nothing about piggy's and bunnies.

Aww I bet you were a cute little german booger :P

Thank you hon. Ill let you know how he does over the next few days :)

So I keep seeing him walking around, and drinking his water and eating and hanging out. But he is still dashing and hiding when he sees someone or hears something. So I'm going to keep leaving him alone. :) thanks hon

Ive had many guinea pigs, and most of them took a couple months to finally warm up, but when they did it was nuts, I'd walk by the cage and they'd squeek, id come home from school/work they'd squeek, I'd feed them they'd squeek, anything and they squeeked!

Just keep talking to him, every time you walk by the cage say a happy hello, he'll get used to your voice, and then start picking him up so he can get used to your scent, and eventually... you'll be asking him to just shhh... they can get loud haha.

So last night at bed time, he was running around sqeaking up a storm! He sounded like he was having so much fun, running up and down his ramp, digging, etc. and he has such a cute squeak :P not loud or annoying at all like my friends guinea pig when I was little. She had a long hair one, and he was LOUD. He also bit. I don't know if that was conditioned or if it was simply his breed. But I didn't want a long haired piggy lol. Prejudice I suppose :P

But its good news, he is loving his new home! Eating a full bowl every day, loving his treats (yogurt drops) drinking his water.
He is still running to hide when he sees or hears one of us. And he was TOTATLY MAD when I took him out to clean his bedding.

OH and more good news, he doesn't stink!! I was worried about that, I had mice at one point and they smelled HORRIBLE. But I'm getting no odor from him or the cage other than when I changed the bedding yesterday and I got a nice thick aroma of the aspen bedding. :)