I have had this pig for about a year now, and she is showing no affection towards me at all, and she never has. She bites occasionally(she's better about that now), and hates being taken out of her cage. She hasn't been altered, because i heard that it's hard on them. Sadly, she has no other piggy friends, and her cage is in my room because my family is disgusted by her.
I'm getting pretty frustrated, and I want to get her a companion, but there are a few problems. 1, I don't think she'd be very happy; she gets mad when i just put my hand in her cage, 2, I'm not sure whether I would want another one.I feel terrible, but I'm not really enjoying owning a piggy. To be honest, I wish I could get a pet rat, but don't want to abandon my pig. What should I do?
Answers:
Getting another (same sex) guinea pig could definitely help. Also, a larger cage would for sure make an improvement. http://www.cavycages.com/ has great examples of guinea pig cages you can make yourself (no talent necessary.. if I can do it, anyone can.. lol).
Bring treats with you whenever to come to the cage. Don't try to pet her until she gets used to you putting your hand in the cage and giving her treats. You can try to see if she'll eat it out of your hand, but if not, just put the treats in the cage, and just sit nearby and speak softly to her. When she's used to you, you can hand-feed her treats. If she's comfortable, try scratching the top of her head gently. Most guinea pigs like that. If she tries biting you, just keep going as before with the treats. She'll see that you don't mean any harm.
Also, make sure that there aren't any loud and/or sudden sounds or movements around your guinea pig; Don't ever grab her suddenly; guinea pigs are prey animals by nature and are skittish my instinct. Always be quiet and use slow movements around the piggie.
Good luck!
Your not enjoying owning a piggy becuase she isn't being affectionate towards you. Another pig may fix your problem though. Are you gone for most of everyday? She's porbably jsu t doesn't get enough attention, or play time. Try getting another pig, and introduce them on nuetral grounds.
What a tricky situation. I think it's admirable that you don't want to abandon her. There are pigs out there who prefer to be lone pigs rather than herd pigs. But maybe the aggression she is showing you is stemming from being lonely? She's kept in your room, so I imagine that she's not quite at the center of attention (as opposed to, say, in the family room)...I'd hate to say "add a pig!" and then have it not work out.
Here's what I might do - go to Petfinder and see if there are any local guinea pigs around you that need homes. Email them and tell them what's going on - that you have an antisocial pig and you think maybe she needs a buddy, but you're not sure. See if you can arrange to have your pig "introduced" to the other pig - go to the shelter and take her with you. See what happens. I imagine they'll go through the whole "mounting, butt sniffing, teeth chattering" thing, which is normal...but see if anything progresses.
Worst case (and I can't believe I'm about to say this), maybe she'd be happier somewhere else. Maybe it would be in both your best interests to look into having someone else foster her while they look for another home for her.
Hang in there! Good luck!
Acanoffleas has some good advice under the circumstances. However, I want to throw this possibility into the equation too.
Some piggies can be really cranky because they have mites. The pain of mites keeps them from wanting to be touched or petted. Does she have any areas of hair loss? Have you checked her over thoroughly for any sores or red patches? Does she scratch a lot? If you're not sure whether or not your piggie might have mites (they can't be seen with the naked eye), you can take her to the vet %26 request treatment. You can do this yourself by purchasing Ivermectin, but unless you are SURE of what you're doing %26 how much to give her, I'd see a vet. See this link for info about mites: http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html... Warning: The photos are *really* bad cases of mites %26 not all piggies look THAT bad.
Bless you for not just taking her to the pound.
She's a petstore pig? Then mites are part of the problem. You can't see mites, you may not see shedding or scratching. Pet store pigs are infested 99.99% of the time.
Her cages souds like it is too small, that might ne why she is cranky too. I would be if I lived in a glorified litter box. Build her a new, big cage.
I would wait on getting another pig. You need to see to the one you have first and make sure everytihg is happy in your home first.
Read guinealynx.info for more great info that will help you take great care of your pig. Good luck!
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