Guinea Pig Care

The more attention you give your Guinea Pig, the better.

In most cases, Guinea Pigs will love to be handled and will thrive on your attention. But there are a few responsibilities that should not be ignored, after all, if you love your Pet and want to handle them, the Pet should want to be handled too, that way everythings fair.

It is normal for a Guinea Pig to be a bit shy, and it may try to hide when you try to pick it up. This is natural behaviour, with the right handling your Guinea Pig will soon grow out of this.

Before You Handle Your Guinea Pig:

If your Guinea Pig is new to your Home, then its best not to pick the Guinea Pig up for a few Days, just let it settle in to its new home. Then, before you pick the Guinea Pig up, talk to it in a gentle voice for a while. Maybe even offer it some food. The key thing is to site at the side of the cage/hutch for a while, so the Guinea Pig gets use to you.

Handling Your Guinea Pig Safely:

When you feel that the time is right, slowely approach the Guinea Pig from the front with your hand. Slip one of your hands under the Guinea Pigs Body while with your other hand you support its hind feet and rump. Cradle you Guinea Pig so that it feels comfortable, or rest it in your lap.

Be Aware:

Don't hold your Guinea Pig too far away from you, or it wont feel comfortable or confident. Hold your Guinea Pig close to you and always make sure that you don't move too quickly. Any sudden noises could make your Guinea Pig jump out of your hands, which could be a long fall to the ground, and in worst cases- could result in death! So, when ever possible, try to sit down with your Guinea Pig. This is especially important with children, who may need to sit on the floor with a Guinea Pig, an adult should be present at this time.

If you Guinea Pig was to ever fall and survive, it could be in pain, as, it could have broken a leg or tooth, so it will need to see a Vet streight the way.

The odd Guinea Pig can be a bit stubborn and so, may need special treatment to make it more comfortable and confident. If you are doing all of the above correctly, and your Guinea Pig still will refuse to be picked up, and not just the odd nudge which is normal, then you may have a shy Guinea Pig.

Sometimes though, the Guinea Pig could be injured in someway and may not wat to be picked up because of that, so a Vet check up may need to be done.

If you have a Guinea Pig that is Stubborn for no real reason, then it will struggle alot when being handled. There are a few things that you can do to help make your Guinea Pig a more confident one.

What To Do:

Hold the Guinea Pig firmly a few inches off the cage floor, but do not put it down. When the Guinea Pig stops struggling then put it down on the cage floor, again don't let go until it stops struggling. When it does you can let it go. This method works, as they eventually learn not to struggle and try to run away as soon as they touch the cage floor.