Why is my Guinea Pig scared? :(

Question

My sister's co-worker is moving so she gave me her guinea pig today. However, when I try petting it it goes crazy and runs away to the other side of the cage. My sister said that her co-worker never actually picked up the guinea pig, so would that maybe the the reason to why its so scared of being petted? and what can I do to help him not be so scared and so I will be able to pick him up and pet him?

Answer 1

stop showing it your face and put a paper bag over your head with holes for eyes so that YOU can see it but IT cant see you... this will solve everything

Answer 2

well hez scared cause hez not used 2 human hands and being touched..treat it very well..give it some good hamster treatz..if u treat it real well maybe he will like u more nd get used 2 u..just give it some time.

good luck!

Answer 3

kill it

Answer 4

It needs to get used to you first it's normal for them to be scared at first but overtime it won't be so scared

Answer 5

it might be pregnant or it could be sick or just defensive

Answer 6

the guinea probably isnt used to ur scent. also ur voice. this may take time. or the guinea wasnt even that tame with the previous owner so its still untame.

hope this helps!

Answer 7

Guinea pigs are nervous animals by nature and will often run and hide if they sense danger. Even when a guinea pig has shared your life for sometime, they still have the natural instinct to run away, if they sense you are going to lift them up. However, many become quite tame and some will even stand very still while you lift them up.  

Please remember that guinea pigs have delicate bodies, so great care must be taken when holding them. When picking up a guinea pig, its a good idea to approach them from the front rather than behind. They may become very frightened if they are suddenly lifted and didn't see you coming. First of all, gently talk to your guinea pig and stroke them, this will help to calm them down. Place one hand under the guinea pigs chest, just behind the front feet, and use your other hand to support their hindquarters. Keep a firm grip, but do not squeeze as their bones and internal organs are fragile. Bring piggy close to your chest, still supporting them by using two hands, one to place over their back and the other to support their hindquarters. If you are new to guinea pigs or have a guinea pig that really struggles, then you can kneel down on the floor to lift them. Of course, you want to avoid your guinea pig falling at all costs, but if they do manage to squirm out of your hands, the distance for them to fall will be less. They could still break their bones or teeth from a short distance, so please be careful.

http://www.jackiesguineapiggies.com/hand...

  

Answer 8

dont make it streested out so just hand feed it but dont touch it after a few days then gentally pet it and see what it does and if it get bettar keep trying that every week

Answer 9

Message to person above me:

KILL IT? Jeez, have a heart!

Message to asker:

Most guinea pigs are super fragile and scared. Most guinea pigs never get used to it. I used to have a guinea pig, and it was always scared, no matter how calm I was. Then she passed away.

Answer 10

Guinea pigs are scaredy cats by nature. The only way to get them over it is to constantly handle them and show them you are not going to hurt them. Take it slow. Start by just laying your hand in the cage and letting it sniff you. Do this and give it some food or treats. When it will take food from your hand, move on to petting. He's gonna freak out at first, just let him take his time. Don't try picking him up until he is used to being pet. You don't want to freak him out. And good luck!

Answer 11

Because of the BB gun pellet stuck in its left lung when she shot it out of frustration

Answer 12

it is scared becuz it doesnt know u and that it has never been petted just hold it for a little bit and do that a lot so it can get used to u then u can start petting ti make sure it doesnt bite u though!(:

Answer 13

well if you only just got the littler feller' (as in sort of "lent" it to you), it'll be scared of you and its new surrounds for awhile. Let it get to know you, and after being bitten a few times and ran away from i'm sure he'll soften up. Unless never being picked up before instilled a fear of heights into him =)

Answer 14

It is scared because it doesn't know you. Give it some space for a few days and make sure it has food and water. Slowly start trying to interact with it. It just doesn't know what's going on right now and misses it's owner.

Answer 15

im trying to figure out the same question...i just got 2 yesterday and they are my first very small animals (have 2 dogs)(and had a fish) but dont listen to the sumb people who said put paper bag over your face or kill it.

Answer 16

Yes, Tame it slowly. Hold it for a few minutes each day (short periods) several times a day.  Also feed it while you are holding it, a carrot or slice of an apple. Don`t foeget to talk to it too, it will learn who you are.

Answer 17

aww its scared =[ leave it alone for a couple of days let it get used to its surrounding then start petting it eventually u will be able to hold and pet ur new g. piggy =]

Answer 18

Try wetting your hand and put a treat like peanut butter on it and then try.

Answer 19

Give it some time to get used to you first (don't pick it up/pet it, just sit by the cage so it can see you).  After a few days, you can take it out and let it explore the room while you're in it (just make sure it can't get into anything dangerous) --don't try to pick it up, just let it nose around while you're there.  Once it's more used to that, you can try holding it on your lap (on top of a towel to keep it from getting messy!) and talking to it and petting it.  

Answer 20

its a change of surrounding and if hes never been handled then hes probably very stressed out right now, when i got mine i didn't try to handle him for about a week i would take about twenty minutes a day and just talk to him in a soothing voice, plus when you feed them they come to relize your the source of there food so make sure you are the only one feeding him for awhile. then slowly start to try to pet him it might take awhile but eventually he will get used to you, also there naturally flighty so its not something your doing keep that in mind, good luck

Answer 21

Okay, I have 2 guinea pigs, at first they were real scared of me too, yes, not picking them up is not a good idea because they don't know you as well, so what I do is for about a couple weeks or so just be around them a lot and walk around their cage and hang around them, try your best to pet them but not if they run because that could put them in a very scary position, first of all they need to get used to their new surroundings and their new people. They don't know you yet, try giving them fresh vegetables by hand, then they think of you as giving them treats, they know you are nice and friendly caring person taking care of them, when you see them in the morning, talk to them in a sweet, soft babyish voice saying "good morning," and talk to them a lot as often as possible in this babyish voice, they like hearing it since the human voice is a little controlling and overpowering to the little creatures. eventually try petting them and picking them up, but maybe you are hurting them on accident when you try to pick them up or pet them, be gentle, they are very fragile creatures. Make sure you know everything about them, how to pick them up, what to feed them, all that stuff, all techniques, picking them up is very important. Some guinea pigs are just scared, they might just be shy, once they warm up after trying a few of my suggestions, then attempt to further get to know them!

Hope I helped!

Answer 22

The poor little bugger has never had human contact, he's not sure what to make of it. So until people can be catagorised in his mind as "good" or "bad" he's going to be instinctualy afraid of you.  When you pick him up try wearing gardening gloves, he might try and bite you. Hold him often, get him used to people. But NEVER feed him treats when you hold him, he'll learn to expect them and will then start bitting your fingers thinking they are food ( this is from experience). I just advise holding him, talking to him, and keeping him warm and sheltered as you do.  He just needs time.

Good luck.