[Gpdd] [CARE] Advice on settling three young girls

[rj1571]

Hi
 
Wanted to update you on my three new girls and also ask for some advice.
 
The girls have been here for a week and a half now. I have finally settled on names: Melody Muppet - ginger and white texel; Mocha - chocolate rex; Lara "croft" - white himi. When I first picked them up I was worried that Lara would get picked on as she is smaller and younger than the other two but needn't have worried as she seems to be coming out as top pig! She is the one who goes first, always first to explore, hence the choice of Lara.
 
Anyway, the girls have settled into their two storey hutch with ease, they run up and down the stairs like mad.
 
The new lilac vetbed looked lovely, until two hours after they got on it! I put them in the hutch and left them to settle for two hours. when I went back in there was poop everywhere. I have never seen it produced so fast! Its been an upward battle since to keep it looking even slightly clean. It is good at keeping them dry though so will peservere:-)
 
Took them to the vets last Wednesday to get them registered and for my vet to give them a checkup. Clean bill of health I am pleased to say and Melody got her hair cut at the same time. She can now run up and down the stairs with the best of them.
 
Now for the request for advice please. I have let the girls settle in, got them used to the hutch and the different fresh veddgies. The problem now is that every time I go into their room, they just diver for cover and won't come out till i've gone. I want to start bonding with them so they are comfortable with me around. I want to make sure I do this right and wondered if any of you had any advice.
 
My first girls (Daphne and Gemma) came to me as adults and had already been socialised so it was easy to settle them in and soon they were calling for food and happy to be handled. My next girls (Faith, Hope and Chairty) were babies and were shown the ropes by Daphne. I did not handle them regularly as they seemed to hate it and I hated upsetting them. This was fine until Hope and then Faith got sick and I needed to hand feed them. They were then overly stressed being handled as they weren't used to it. I want to get it right this time. My cousin says I should handle them twice a day to get them used to it but it takes me most of the day to catch one of them to pick them up! They are then freaked out for the rest of the day and I am left feeling guilty for upsetting them.
 
Unfortuantely they cannot live in the living room so are in the front room which means they hear me coming and hide before I get in there.
 
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can gain their trust and get them used to being handled without causing them and me lots of stress?
 
 
 
Beki
Slave to Lara, Melody Muppet and Mocha