A Guide to Bringing Your Guinea Pigs Home
First Introducing Your Pet to Their New Home
Bring your guinea pigs home and introducing them to their new living quarters is a rather important and also stressful time in the life of these little animals. After bringing your pet home you will, of course, be tempted to hold and cuddle them, thinking that this will comfort them as it would a baby or small child. However, doing this to a guinea pig who is in a strange, frightening location can cause them great stress.
Let the first few days they are home to be for exploring their cage in a quiet environment free from stress or loud noises, both of which will scare the guinea pig.
Important Note:
Remember that when bringing an animal such as a guinea pig into the home, whether it's just one or several, each of them will need to have their own special "hiding place." Guinea pigs must have a place to feel safe, and also a place to go in the case of a fight breaking out between cage mates.
Keeping Your Distance
Notice everyone in the family hovering around the cage? Watching the guinea pigs every move? Although cute and interesting, doing this is definitely going to scare the little guys!
Your close presence is easily misinterpreted by an animal as small as a guinea pig who will probably think a predator is nearby. If you want to watch your guinea pig be sure to bend down so that you will be at eye level with the cage and your pet, allowing them to see that it's a friend watching them and not a foe.
Bribing Your Guinea Pig
The best way to get your pet to trust you is, without a doubt, bribery. Sound crazy? Perhaps. But it's true! Bribing the small animal that you want to love and adore is the best way for trust.
Bribing a guinea pig, who usually have great appetites, with treats is ideal for showing them that you are there to help and not harm them.
Best Bribing Ways?
It isn't hard to bribe your guinea pig with treats so they'll trust you.
To start, show you guinea pig what you have for them and leave it at the open door of their cage. Wait near the cage quietly with your hands sitting in your lap.
After a certain amount of time, if he hasn't taken the treat, carefully and slowly pick it up again, close the cage door, and leave. Try this several times a day until he gets the idea that he has to come and get it.
Each time he comes, try to move a little closer to your pet's cage. This way, he's going to get used to your presence slowly.
Before long, your pet will eventually take the treat from you, but probably with plenty of trepidation in the beginning. However, with even more patience on your part your guinea pig will be nibbling treats right from you hand without any fear at all and even become happy and excited when they see you.
How to Pick Up a Guinea Pig
Don't make the common mistake of using treats to bribe your guinea pig into letting you pick them up for the first time. You certainly don't want to break the bond of trust you've spent so much time building up.
Start by slowly and gently petting and stroking the guinea pig, letting them see you aren't a predator but instead their friend and new family member.
Holding Your Guinea Pig
Be careful when you pick up your guinea pig! Because of the shape of their body, you can damage their lungs if you grasp them too hard.
Lightly cup your guinea pig's torso while supporting their back end while lifting slowly. Carry them gently but securely while making sure the entire body is fully supported.
If you have children, teach them how to pick up and hold the guinea pig and younger kids should always be supervised as these tiny animals can easily be injured, or worse, if dropped or squeezed.
Keeping Your Guinea Pig Relaxed
Don't you just love the idea of sitting on your couch, petting your guinea pig in your lap, and reading the paper or watching the news? It's a great idea, but in practice, it takes a while.
When you first handle your guinea pig, do so in a quiet room, and make sure that nothing is going on. Have a treat ready, and see if you can get him to eat it on your lap.
With some patience and understanding, bringing your guinea pigs home can be an exciting and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Bring your guinea pigs home and introducing them to their new living quarters is a rather important and also stressful time in the life of these little animals. After bringing your pet home you will, of course, be tempted to hold and cuddle them, thinking that this will comfort them as it would a baby or small child. However, doing this to a guinea pig who is in a strange, frightening location can cause them great stress.
Let the first few days they are home to be for exploring their cage in a quiet environment free from stress or loud noises, both of which will scare the guinea pig.
Important Note:
Remember that when bringing an animal such as a guinea pig into the home, whether it's just one or several, each of them will need to have their own special "hiding place." Guinea pigs must have a place to feel safe, and also a place to go in the case of a fight breaking out between cage mates.
Keeping Your Distance
Notice everyone in the family hovering around the cage? Watching the guinea pigs every move? Although cute and interesting, doing this is definitely going to scare the little guys!
Your close presence is easily misinterpreted by an animal as small as a guinea pig who will probably think a predator is nearby. If you want to watch your guinea pig be sure to bend down so that you will be at eye level with the cage and your pet, allowing them to see that it's a friend watching them and not a foe.
Bribing Your Guinea Pig
The best way to get your pet to trust you is, without a doubt, bribery. Sound crazy? Perhaps. But it's true! Bribing the small animal that you want to love and adore is the best way for trust.
Bribing a guinea pig, who usually have great appetites, with treats is ideal for showing them that you are there to help and not harm them.
Best Bribing Ways?
It isn't hard to bribe your guinea pig with treats so they'll trust you.
To start, show you guinea pig what you have for them and leave it at the open door of their cage. Wait near the cage quietly with your hands sitting in your lap.
After a certain amount of time, if he hasn't taken the treat, carefully and slowly pick it up again, close the cage door, and leave. Try this several times a day until he gets the idea that he has to come and get it.
Each time he comes, try to move a little closer to your pet's cage. This way, he's going to get used to your presence slowly.
Before long, your pet will eventually take the treat from you, but probably with plenty of trepidation in the beginning. However, with even more patience on your part your guinea pig will be nibbling treats right from you hand without any fear at all and even become happy and excited when they see you.
How to Pick Up a Guinea Pig
Don't make the common mistake of using treats to bribe your guinea pig into letting you pick them up for the first time. You certainly don't want to break the bond of trust you've spent so much time building up.
Start by slowly and gently petting and stroking the guinea pig, letting them see you aren't a predator but instead their friend and new family member.
Holding Your Guinea Pig
Be careful when you pick up your guinea pig! Because of the shape of their body, you can damage their lungs if you grasp them too hard.
Lightly cup your guinea pig's torso while supporting their back end while lifting slowly. Carry them gently but securely while making sure the entire body is fully supported.
If you have children, teach them how to pick up and hold the guinea pig and younger kids should always be supervised as these tiny animals can easily be injured, or worse, if dropped or squeezed.
Keeping Your Guinea Pig Relaxed
Don't you just love the idea of sitting on your couch, petting your guinea pig in your lap, and reading the paper or watching the news? It's a great idea, but in practice, it takes a while.
When you first handle your guinea pig, do so in a quiet room, and make sure that nothing is going on. Have a treat ready, and see if you can get him to eat it on your lap.
With some patience and understanding, bringing your guinea pigs home can be an exciting and enjoyable experience for everyone.
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