[Gpdd] [CARE] <Shy>

[Angela Allen]

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Domino, no worries!  It took my Isis a few weeks to get entirely used to her 
cage and me and my husband's comings and goings.  She used to run into her 
house every time we walked into the room...now she runs to the door of her 
cage and sticks her nose way out, hoping for a treat!!

I recommend purchasing a good guinea pig book (one of those "how to" care 
books) and reading some of the articles on websites like CavyMadness.com to 
learn about their instincts and natural tendencies.  In a nutshell, cavies 
are prey animals and will run like mad from anything they see as a potential 
predator -- including you and any other pets you have (especially dogs, 
cats, and birds).

With guinea pigs, bribery is the way to go, LOL.  Every time you're near his 
cage, give him a little treat.  If he won't come out of his house, let him 
see you put it in his food bowl.  He'll catch on sooner or later, and he'll 
start looking forward to you walking up to his cage.

Treats helped Isis immensely...besides her daily veggie smorgasboard (baby 
carrots, romaine, spinach, and escarole are her all-time favorites; she 
tosses everything else out of her food dish and ignores it completely, LOL), 
I have dried apple bits, which she LOVES; "Crossys," which are little 
alfalfa "pillows" with fruity filling inside; crunchy alfalfa cereal rings; 
and every once in a while a nibble of some fresh fruit, usually apple, which 
she always enjoys.

Another no-no is grabbing from above.  It seems easiest to grab them that 
way when they're small, but they hate being chased as much as we hate 
chasing them!  It invokes that prey response in them, which is why the more 
you try to grab them, the less they want to be grabbed.  (Isis taught ME 
that I didn't have to pick her up that way anymore...I was playing with her 
in her cage, and I laid my hand down flat (palm-side up) on the floor of her 
cage.  She sniffed my fingertips for a second, then jumped right onto my 
hand, and sat there -- which is something I wasn't expecting her to do at 
all.  I lifted her up, and she didn't budge...she was actually -wanting- me 
to hold her.  Now, if I put my hand in her cage like that, she'll hop up if 
she wants some "Mama cuddles," but if not, she just goes on about her 
business.  It's so much easier now to interact with her on HER terms!)

It takes time and patience, but eventually you'll be rewarded with a funny, 
trusting pet that's full of personality!  Good luck!  :)


~ Angela
(and Isis, who takes "putting away the groceries" to a whole new level)