Insane guinea pigs!

Question
HI, my guinea pigs Pip and Oliver, are 2 months old. I am pretty sure they are healthy, I buy the best for them and had them checked by a vet, but i have a bit of a dilemma. They are insane. I think. Every time I walk into the room they run into theyre house frantically. And when its time for catching them, they are nuts, they dodge in and out of there many houses and it takes a while to catch them. And when I do catch them, they try to wiggle out of my arms. Once I sit down, I stroke them and talk to them and tell them that they are the cutest guinea pigs on the face of the planet, and they usually start to settle down and make cute guinea pig noises. But then out of nowhere they jump out and run like there on crazy pills around my room. At which point I have to wake everyone up in the house and have a guinea pig scavenger hunt. I was just wondering if this is normal or if im doing something wrong, or if I got the crazy ones of the litter.  

Answer
Aubry --

Sounds like you have typical, normal, every day guinea pigs.  Here are some things you may want to try, though, to help them to settle down.  First, when you hold them, only hold one at a time.  That will make it easier to keep a good grip on the animal.  Second, there is a product sold in pet stores which is a harness for guinea pigs.  If you REALLY want to hold both of them at once, go get two of those little harnesses and strap them on.  That way, if they get away, they will not be able to go far.

As for why they are hyperactive, there are a couple guesses: they are young and probably haven't been handled much.  Over time, they will settle down and get used to you handling them.  Make sure you always hold them securely (back to the one at a time thing) so that you can speed up the process.  Check that they aren't eating too much sugar.  A diet with too much fruit in it can cause hyperactivity.  

Finally, I wouldn't worry too much, as long as you're gentle with them, they should settle down over time.  Hope this answers all your questions.  Feel free to contact me if you have any more or if you need clarification.  Good luck!

Lorena