Handling your pet guinea pig

Picking up a guinea pig for the first time can be quite a scary experience for a new pet owner, and especially so if the owner is a young child. Most guinea pigs will try to avoid being picked up and may struggle and squeal as if in pain.If your pet gets used to being picked up from an early age, you will win its trust and it will feel quite safe and confident when you handle it. Guinea pigs are friendly creatures that very, very rarely bite... if the pig is nervous and struggles it is most likely a result of either being handled badly or not often enough. Having said this, most guinea pigs however tame will attempt to avoid being picked up though and usually try to hide in a corner of their cage or under some hay.

Once you have cornered your pig, the correct way to pick it up is to slip the palm of your right hand under the pig and place the left hand on top (if you are left handed then simply reverse the hands!). If you do this with confidence the pig will feel more secure and confident too.

When you first get hold of your piggy it will more likely than not be facing the wrong way... having tried to hide away from you in a corner of its cage. Place it in your lap or on a firm surface and turn it around so that it's nose faces up your arm and you cradle its rear end in the palm of your hand. Open your index and forefinger a little so the the pig's rump is in the V of the forked fingers.

Always use two hands when moving around with your piggys... one on top and one beneath supporting the whole body, and keep it close to your body. Try not to carry them too far by hand - if bringing them up from the shed to the house it is better to carry them in a deep box or bucket to minimise the risk of dropping them should they suddenly decide to struggle. Remember any sudden noise such as a dog barking or a car backfiring can frighten a guinea pig and it can be a long and fatal drop to the ground!

See Also: "Transporting your Guinea Pig"