need some trust issues advice please

[Jlieberman]

I have only had the girls roughly a week now and they seem settled in fine .. they are eating , drinking , going potty everything looks normal .. they get out every night for about an hour give or take

Juliet is a sweetheart I have no problem reaching in and petting her or picking her up she is not the type to let you hold her for long periods of time normally she will hang out with me for about 5 mins before she wants down to tear up the room lol

Channel is a bit harder for me .. she came into our rescue as a biter and even though she has not bitten anyone at the rescue and she did let my boss pick her up and put her in the carrier for the trip home I am extremely nervous about picking her up I had to take them to the vet the other day and I just set the carrier in the cage and kinda took my hand and scooted her in .. the vet of course had no issue holding her even though I thought for sure Channel was going to tear his arm off and beat him with it lol when I give them floor time I just open the door and they come out when they want and they normally go back in on their own after about the hour or so of playing

I want to be able to pick them both up in case Channel needs to go to vet again or I need to check her over for anything etc ...

how do I build up the trust ? I have worked with many guinea pigs that were biters but for some reason I just can't bring myself to pick her up she will pin her ears back stand up on her hind feet and look like she is going to bite I do pull my hand away so I know this is not helping I am afraid the longer it takes I will not be able to pick her up ever


anyone live close to me that wants to come over and help LOL

 

[AZChins]

It's really too soon to be letting them out of the cage to play. She's not ready for it. It's best to leave new chins in the cage until they are ready to come out and play without being scared. Build up their trust before you start taking them out or handling them too much.

What I like to do is keep the chins in the cage for a week or two after they come here....for the first week I don't try to touch them much unless they want to be touched. After that I put my hands in their cage and let them come to me and get used to being touched and being around me. Never chase or grab the chins, that will make them lose all trust in you right away. They normally come around very quickly, but sometimes there are some chins that never trust people.

I know it sounds strange, but letting the chins out to play too soon just sort of sets everything back. It's almost like you have to reset them so that you can earn their trust and get them to feel safe and comfortable with everything.

 

[Jlieberman]

I am so used to dealing with the guinea pigs having chins is all totally new to me I volunteered to bring them home to foster them while we waited out the pregnancy watch on them because of all the board members I am the only one that really has the space for the cage and since I work from home I have the extra time to spend with them but I never imagined there was going to be so much difference between them and any other animal I have ever had ... don't get me wrong I am loving these girls already but they are unlike anything I have ever had lol

I have no problem going slow with them and doing whatever works best .. these girls are not going anywhere I am going to fill out my adoption papers on them next time I am at the shelter

thanks for the advice .. I am sure me and Channel can work this out sooner or later

 

[AZChins]

You'll work it out. Don't worry. A lot of chins are like that in the beginning, it can just take some time.

I'm glad to hear that you are keeping them.

 

[Jlieberman]

I have a house full of critters and never thought about adding to the family until these little furballs came along they just seem to fit into the family and its like they were meant to be here. All my kids get along they are all easy for me to take care of ( cleaning , feeding , play time ) is done mostly by myself since my husband works outside the home and I am home 90% of the time

I am looking forward to watching the girls personalities come out more the longer they are here and if they have babies I am kinda looking forward to that also .. I will not be keeping any of the babies though I think my plate is full enough right now LOL

 

[nick and emily]

They will come around. What I recommend doing is letting them get used to being next to you. Try to keep them in room that you are near by, occasionally walk over and talk to them let them smell you. Eventually put your hands inside of the cage palms up and let them use you sort of like a tree. The will enjoy jumping on your hands and arms. Eventually they will come to you. This is a good way to get aquainted. Soon they may just climb up your arms and out of the cage and on to your shoulder! Have some rosehips on hand. They will come right to you! lol