fsafa

Question
Im worried that my guinea pig will never get used to me. Ive had her for three weeks now and every time i pet her when shes in the cage she starts jumping and running away. Is this bad?

Answer
Hi Matt,

I actually answered a similar question recently, so I am going to copy the answer below. Please swap "he" for "she" and I hope it helps. If you have just one guinea pig, yours will be especially frightened, as guinea pigs are only truly happy if they have a cagemate. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

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Answer to Lola's question about her new guinea pig:

Guinea pigs are skittish by nature as in the wild they are preyed upon, so until he learns to trust you, he will be afraid. Guinea pigs from pet stores are usually the most skittish of them all, as they are not handled regularly and are not kept in particularly good conditions. The good news is there is lots you can do to turn your fraidy piggy into a very affectionate pet!

Stroking him in his cage is a good place to start. He will feel safe in his home, and will enjoy being stroked. If you do this regularly he will start to realise that you're not a predator, you just want to stroke him. To start with you'll have to stroke him in the corner, but as he gets braver and learns to trust you, he'll come closer and closer.

Hand-feeding him is also a great idea. Start by holding out a tasty treat that is long, like a carrot stick, so he doesn't need to come close to eat it from you. Make the treats smaller as the days go by, so he has to come closer to eat. Eventually as soon as he sees you he'll be waiting by the cage door to receive his snack :o)

Being picked up is a scary experience for a guinea pig to start with, so I recommend you get him used to being stroked and eating from your hand before you try to pick him up. Start by not actually picking up, but positioning your hands on him as though to lift him, whilst he's still in his cage. Do this a few times, on different days. Then try lifting him up in his cage (don't bring him out), and putting him back straight away. Again, do this over a number of days.

Finally, when you take him out of the cage for the first time, there are a number of things you can do to make him feel more secure. Hold him very close to you; he will trust you by this point, and will feel safe from predators. Remember, it will be the first time he's out in the room you hold him in, so he won't know that he's not going to be eaten! Give him a snack, and make sure you sit on the floor. Stroke him (under the chin and behind the ears are always winners!) and make him feel safe and loved. Put him back in his cage (hold on tight; he will jump!) after about 5 minutes. The next time, keep him out for 10 minutes, then 15 and so on.

Circling around the cage is normal behaviour ... my guinea pigs love coming out of their cage and they still do this ... they're just cheeky!

Good luck,
Jenny.