The Best Way To Handle A Guinea Pig

In Care by Ana M

Handling is a go-to “procedure” in your day-to day interaction with your pet. And learning how to hold a guinea pig properly ensures that your pet is safe and healthy. I would strongly advise to read this article carefully and have a little but of practice prior to picking a guinea pig up.

As with taming you need to become friends with your guinea pig first. Here I rely on three factors: talking, touching and treating.

This is extremely important especially if you are trying to hold your guinea pig for the first time. For example, when you just brought a new pet home.

 – How to handle a guinea pig for the first time?

Come to the cage and start talking to your pet in a warm and friendly manner. Try to avoid any sudden movements so a guinea pig doesn’t get scared.

Attract their attention with a treat. Hold it in front of a pet and wait for him to come up to you. That way you are building a trust between you two.

Now, it is a time to make a first encounter and touch your pet. Again, do not make any sudden movements and be very patient. Slowly try stroking your pet when giving a second treat. Slide one finger behind the ears and then you can use a whole hand to stroke the back while the pet is still eating.

After all these steps you are finally ready to take your pet out of the cage.

How to pick up a guinea pig from its cage?

Sometimes it can be tricky to catch a guinea pig in the cage. I find that it is easier to make a pet walk into the tunnel or a hideout house (you can even use a little treat to guide a piggy). Then you just need to close the other end of the tunnel, so your pet is trapped. Finally, lift up the tunnel or a house a little bit. That is going to encourage your guinea pig to come out. Now you are ready to pick up a guinea pig.

Guinea pig handling technique

OK, first, you need to slide one hand under the guinea pig.  Make sure that two fingers support the collarbone, other three hold the chest and the thumb has to wrap around the shoulder.

Immediately put the other hand under guinea pig’s rump, your hand should be in a form of a cup. That way you can support the weight of guinea pig completely. The next step is to smoothly put your pet to rest against your chest. It is very important to grip around guinea pig’s shoulder in a firm but gentle manner every time you are picking up or holding your piggy.

Once the guinea pig is comfortably resting against your chest, slowly sit down on the floor and put a pet on your lap.

– Can you hold a guinea pig too much?

Well, guinea pigs don’t like when you hold them for too long and if you do it quite often as well. As I mentioned before, as soon as you take it out of the cage, put a pet on your lap where it feels more comfortable and secure.

– How to pick up a guinea pig that runs away?

Normally, when you established a connection with your pet and your guinea pig is comfortable around you, it shouldn’t run away when you are about to pick it up. However, some pets can still be too shy or afraid. Especially when you pick it up from the cage (a guinea pig might think that you are invading its home). I can recommend to ‘trap’ a piggy in the tunnel and pick it up from one end (you can read the full procedure above).

– How to pick up a skittish guinea pig?

First, I want to remind that every guinea pig is skittish – it is in their nature. However, some can be extremely easily scared. If you are a lucky owner of a very skittish pet, you probably have seen them running around a lot. As a result, you need to chase them in order to pick them up. If that is the case, when chasing, try to back them into a hideaway or a closed space, so you can better support them while picking up. Once a piggy is in your hands, give it a veggie or a favorite treat, so it feels less threatened.

Handling Pregnant Guinea Pigs

There is a lot of debates on the web regarding this topic. Some sources claim that you need to avoid handling a pregnant guinea pig at all costs. Holding a pregnant guinea pig can lead to health complications and miscarriage. However, some owners are concerned that without having a contact guinea pigs can become untamed. Although you might loose a connection with your pet during the course of pregnancy, do not pick up and cuddle a guinea pig. You can form the bond quickly after pregnancy by hand feeding your pet.