Frightened Baby Guinea Pig

Question
 Recently i bought a female guinea pig, Cassy, from my local pet store.  I have owned her for about a month now but i'm concerned.  She will never come out of her hiding tube and always jumps and gets nervous over small noises or even nothing.  I wish that she would just become more active and move around.  When i pick her up (after a long chase) she instantly becomes calm but i must be careful she doesnt run from a noise. The only time she moves is at night.  Also i never see her sleeping.  Is something wrong?  Is there anything i can do to help her become less frightened and more active?  Thanks

Answer
Kevin,

Nothing is wrong with Cassy, this is normal behavior for young Guinea Pigs. Cassy is most likely still a baby and not quite a year old yet, Guinea Pigs are prey animals so they get nervous pretty easily. Guinea Pigs sleep on and off through out the day and are most active at night. The only time a Guinea Pig is really up during the day is to eat, drink and maybe run around a little. At night that is a whole other story as they can get crazy active at night.

Keep in mind that Cassy is going to alway be a little frightened when it comes to sudden movements or sounds. My 5 year old Guinea Pig, Baby still gets frightened and still runs and hides at loud sounds or sudden movement. It is just how they are wired. What you can do though so she isn't as jumpy to noise is this, when every around her cage talk to her, if her cage is in a part of the house or a room where it is pretty quiet, then put a small radio in near her cage and play some classical music at a low volume. This will get her use to all kinds of sounds and noises, but with you talking to her this will allow her to recognize you and become more calm when you hold her.

To get her to be a little more active, try adding a few new toys to her cage. Some good toys are, the regular wooden Guinea Pig toys, wood ferret toys, wooden bird toys, wooden hamster toys, tunnels, different sizes hiding places, little stuff toys, a few little balls. Get creative and you can come up with all types of toys, just remember to stay away from anything cardboard, paper, and plastic (you can use plastic in the for of a tunnel, house, or ball as Guinea Pigs are not known for chewing on these types of items.) because paper, cardboard and plastic all contain poisonous chemicals to a Guinea Pig when they chew on them. Mix up the toys every week and put something new in her cage. This should get her to be a little more active. Also you might want to set up a place on the floor, where you can retrieve her again easily and let her play there for an hour each day. Put some toys in with her on the floor and let her run. She'll become a little more active during the day, but remember that Guinea Pigs are mostly active at night so don't ask for to much activity during the day from her.

Good luck to you,
       Take Care,
                 Jules