How can I pick up my guinea pig?

Question

I just got her about 2 weeks ago and she's about 10 weeks old now. She absolutely hates being picked up and will keep squeeking until you put her back in her cage. I hate to have her stay in her cage all day and I wish i could hold and cuddle her but she won't let me. I feel bad when she starts squeeking so I put her back in her cage. Can anyone please help???

Answer 1

make sure you dont hold her with her belly up, guinea pigs hate that.

try laying down and put her on ur chest and pet her, or in ur lap.

hold her with both hands and suport all 4 of her feet.

Answer 2

First, congrats on your new piggie! Once you get the basics of cavy care down, you'll have many fun years with her. Guinea pigs are sweet, low key pets.

Guinea pigs are prey animals. What does that mean to you? It means that you must know a little about their natural instincts to understand why they act they way they do. A prey animal is pretty much defenseless and is on the bottom of the food chain---they are ALWAYS the one that gets eaten. It is a guinea pigs' instinct to be somewhat shy or skittish until they understand that you don't want to eat them for a snack! The squealing when you pick her up is just from fright because she doesn't know you well enough to understand that you mean her no harm. Once she is used to you, she may still run away when you try to get her out of the cage (this is an INSTINCT to run from anything they perceive might want to "catch" them), but the squealing will go away.

Also understand that she's just a baby! She has been taken out of the only environment she's ever known & is now somewhere unfamiliar! To make matters worse, she has a big scary hand trying to grab her all the time! Try to look at it from HER perspective and change your behaviour to make things less scary for her.

The following link gives some advice on how to properly hold a piggie. This may help decrease some of the squealing:

http://www.guinealynx.info/handling.html

Here are some tips:

***Whenever you enter the room she's in, talk softly as you enter so you alert her to your presence. That way she *knows* you're there & it doesn't frighten her so much.

***When reaching into her cage S-L-O-W-L-Y extend your hand towards her, palm up, & see if after a while she won't let you pet her. This may take more than a few tries, but eventually she will allow you to pet her.

***Sometimes when you walk by her cage, try petting her WITHOUT taking her out of the cage. This way she will understand that just because you come near, it doesn't mean she's going to be grabbed up.

***Never make quick, jerky movements around her. Fast movement scares the daylights out of them.

***Always have a little treat in your hand when you come to see her. A sprig of parsley, a baby carrot, a piece of Romaine lettuce, etc. will cause her to look forward to seeing you! She will begin to associate seeing you with something good---food! Before long, she'll be running to the side of the cage when she hears you coming.

Lastly, I'd like to point out, just in case you didn't know, that guinea pigs should always be housed in PAIRS. Please consider adopting your piggie a same-s*x buddy from a local shelter or rescue.

http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm

Good luck!

Answer 3

First of all you have to sort of introduce yourself to the Guinea Pig. Probably start from sitting outside the cage so it can get to know how you look and the smell of you. After doing this for a couple of days put your hand in gently and just stroke her for a little while. Don't pick her up yet, she might still be scared. After doing this process for a few days put your hand in her cage and stroke her and after a few minutes pick her up. Cup your hand around her stomach and pick her up. When you do this, bring her close to your chest [so she feels safe] and support her back end with your other hand. When you have done this sit down with her and continue to stroke her until she feels safe and settles down. She might be squeeling because your are holding her wrong or it just could be getting to know her new owner.

Good Luck x