How do i pick up and make sure my guinea pig eats his veggies.?

Question

In the morning when I go to get my guinea pig out of his cage he lets me right away. A little later a put him back in his cage and when I go back to get him everytime my hand goes near him he runs away. I have to grab him and I'm afraid I'll hurt him. And how do I make sure he eats the veggies I put in his cage? He won't eat them when I feed them to him.

Answer 1

my guinnea pig does that sometimes its weird and then if i give up and walk away he would start meeping for me soo yer i think he is like playing a game or something .. lol and your guinea pig will eat his veg when he wants them my guinea pig loves carrots ... hope i have helped :)

Answer 2

I know exactly what you mean. I like to think that first thing in the morning, guineas let you pick them up easily because they miss you - and they're hoping that by letting you cuddle them, you'll feed them soon ;) Guinea pigs are timid creatures and easily frightened. Even mine, Peanut and Buttercup, run away if I'm not careful. When wanting to pick your pig up, talk to them while approaching the cage so they are aware of you. No sudden movements or noises. Then, once you're at the cage and ready to reach in, place your hand slowly in front of their nose first so they can sniff and recognise you. I then give them a little scratch on the head (which relaxes them), followed by a few strokes and scratches on their sides. I then slowly reach my hand under their belly and lift them up. This way, they aren't frightened and won't run away from you.

Please don't grab your guinea pig. I know it's hard to resist cuddling them sometimes, but you must respect their own space. If they keep tring to run away from you, you need to understand they're not ready and leave them be. Try again later. Sometimes, my pigs will really freak out if I'm trying to pick them up and they need to pee. Usually when they run away desperately, I wait a minute or two and see them pee. I then pick them up and they're fine.

How much are you feeding him? What are you feeding him? How many times a day? When you say you feed the veggies to him, do you mean just putting it in a bowl in his cage, or actually hand feeding him? If you answer all these questions, I'll keep an eye on this question and help you out more.

EDIT: GP's don't like their veggies to be handfed. Treats like parsley and lettuce, sure, but when it comes to food time, guineas prefer to pick out what they want from the bowl and eat it themselves. Leave his assortment of veggies in a bowl in his cage and let him be.