Try petting him and feeding him veggie treats in the cage, rather than ALWAYS picking him up. Not that you shouldn´t pick him up, but it can help them to know that the Big Hand isn´t always going to send them flying through the air, which I´m sure is what even being gently picked up feels like to a little guy like that.
You might also try cutting his hidey house so that it´s more like a cardboard table than a house -- in other words, cut the sides so that you have four "legs" left in the corners, but no walls. That way he´s still got a roof over his head, which will make him feel safe, but he can´t completely block out the world. This may help him to understand that there´s nothing to be afraid of outside the house.
Talk to him lots, offer him a veggie every time you walk by (our pigs live outside our kitchen door, so they´re strategically placed for things like this), get down on the floor with him and let him come up to you and explore you. Our pigs have always liked using our bent-up knees as tunnels, if we´re sitting very quietly on the floor while they play.
Finally, as everyone else has said, just be patient. Yes, another pig is a great idea down the road, but sounds as though you need a bigger cage and some more time to adjust to the pig you already have. A new pig may make Chuffey more confident, but introducing two new pigs to each other takes some effort and patience, and not all pairings work out, so . . . I think if I were you I´d concentrate on practicing your slave-skills on Chuffey for a while before deciding to add another.
Buy another one?
Chuffey: Although guinea pigs are naturally social animals, quite a few will live quite happily by themselves. With a lone guinea pig, however, it´s extra important to spend time with him or her, as you´re their only friend.
My first guinea pig, Cadbury always lived alone, and quite preferred it that way. Sometimes he seemed far more human than guinea pig. My other two, however, live together and complain if seperated for more than ten minutes.
Whatever decision you make, it shouldn´t be taken lightly. Another guinea pig won´t be much more work for you, providing you house them together, but if you spend enough time with Chuffey, he´ll be quite happy by himself. If you do get another guinea pig, it would be wise to think about adopting one from a shelter, there´s far too many guinea pigs in need of a good home!
My first guinea pig, Cadbury always lived alone, and quite preferred it that way. Sometimes he seemed far more human than guinea pig. My other two, however, live together and complain if seperated for more than ten minutes.
Whatever decision you make, it shouldn´t be taken lightly. Another guinea pig won´t be much more work for you, providing you house them together, but if you spend enough time with Chuffey, he´ll be quite happy by himself. If you do get another guinea pig, it would be wise to think about adopting one from a shelter, there´s far too many guinea pigs in need of a good home!
Kelvin, do YOU feed Chuffy most of the time? Or does your mother and sister? If they feed him everyday, that might be why he chirps when they are near. Usually a guinea pig will love whoever feeds it most of the time. Please be patient with Chuffy, after a few months he might be a lot more tame. My first pig was a little wild man, but after a few years he got tamer. It took that long though. He used to bite a lot even. I had to completely stop picking him up for a while, and tempt him with green pepper pieces (his favorite) and after a few months I could pick him up and usually not get bit. It can take time, just like training a puppy. Good Luck.
yea, I sneak some apple pieces from now and then, but mom and sis feeds him too, all 3 of us shares the feeding. (personally, I tried to convince my sister to let me feed him)
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