New young Abyssinian for new owners

Question
We are new Aby Guinea Pig owners, with 3 kids 7, 7, and 9 years old. The pig is a male, 9 weeks old, and kept alone in a decent size commercial cage. We've only had him 5 days (bought from Pet store), and he's alone alot, as kids are in school, etc. Although he is in our dining room, so he hears and sees alot going on and get talked to frequently. Only have had him out about 1 hour a night. Once he becomes to know us and not so scared, we will take him out more.
He is so scared of us, no matter how gentle or treats we give him when he's out (which he does eat from us). He seems to squeal alot when we let him roam in a little playpen with us, is impossible to catch or pet him (unless we're holding him and on lap, which doesn't last long) and seems truly scared, even if we give him a place to hide. We don't have him out too long since he seems frightened to death and cries. My question is how long do you think it will take until he isn't scared of us and looks forward to his time with us? Is this indicative of his personality or is it too soon to tell? Thanks for any help!

Answer
Hello Karen,

Congratulations on your new piggy. He is still quite young and this is most likely his first time away from other piggies. Piggies are social animals (and I do advise getting a friend for him once you have gotten adjusted to being piggy owners and feel you can handle another new piggy) so their first time away from their family and friends can be very scarey. I had a piggy about the same age who was the exact same way. He cried all the time, was always scared and unhappy and loud. Nothing I did worked, even when he was out, he cried, until he got a cagemate. He's been a happy little piggy ever since then. Your piggy has only been with you for 5 days though, so he's still adjusting and may be ok soon. If this continues for a few months (as it did with my piggy) a friend may be the only thing that works especially since he is alone so much. It can take any where from a few days to a few weeks for a piggy to adjust to his new home. There are some things you can try to get him more relaxed about human interaction. Spend time just sitting by his cage, not really paying attention to him, just being there. When he seems comfortable with you sitting there, you can start speaking to him in a soft voice. The next step is bringing treats. When you come into the room have a small bit of veggies with you to offer to him. Have him take the veggies from your hand. Always call his name when you approach the cage to offer the treat. Eventually he should come out to see what you have when you call his name. When you reach this stage, he should be much more comfortable coming out for playtime. Also, a small pet safe stuffed animal in his cage may comfort him a bit. This works with MOST piggies, but if he is as terribly traumatized being away from other piggies as it sounds like he is, he may not come around until he does have a friend. If that's the case, as soon as he has a friend the change will be dramatic. I suspect what causes piggies to be this way is lack of human contact during the bonding stage when they are young babies. I don't know this to be certain, but this has never been an issue with piggies who I know had contact with humans at a young age. Bastian, my scared piggy, is alot more calm now that he has his friend, but he's never been as outgoing or friendly as my others. He is still very sweet and affectionate but he's never been the "can't wait to see you" pig like the rest of my herd is. He does however love his roommate with a passion and if they are seperated for any real length of time he is no longer a happy pig. There is hope for your piggy with a bit of time, patience, and possibly a friend, to become the wonderful pet he was meant to be. Good luck!

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs