Studying decide up your guinea pigs generally is a actual problem since their instincts are to run from something that tries to raise them from the bottom. It may also be troublesome to understand how usually to choose your guinea pig up, and for the way lengthy.
One of the simplest ways to choose your guinea pig up is to get them right into a cuddle cup and gently raise it off the bottom, supporting your piggy’s weight evenly and blocking their escape in order that they don’t leap out. If it’s worthwhile to deal with them extra intently, raise them with one hand beneath their chest and one below their rear, tucking them securely towards your chest.
Keep away from chasing your guinea pig, sneaking up on them, or grabbing them from above.
On this article, we’ll focus on a couple of methods to choose up your guinea pig, how lengthy to carry them for, and extra.
Do Guinea Pigs Like Being Picked Up?
Most guinea pigs dislike being picked up, although some take pleasure in sitting in your lap. Their intuition is to concern something coming from above and scooping them up as a result of, in nature, that factor would doubtless be a fowl of prey coming to eat them!
Fortunately, there are methods to make being picked up much less worrying for guinea pigs, which we’ll focus on under.
Can You Maintain Guinea Pigs Straight Away?
You possibly can decide up and maintain your guinea pig as quickly as you convey them house. Will probably be crucial as you’ll wish to look them over and ensure they seem wholesome. You must also convey them for a vet check-up quickly after adoption.
Apart from crucial dealing with, it’s usually good to let your guinea pigs get settled for the primary week or two earlier than bringing them out for cuddles or ground time. Nonetheless, this closely is determined by the guinea pig. Some have been very nicely socialized at their earlier properties and can crave consideration and exploration, whereas others might be skittish and avoidant.
In terms of newborn guinea pigs, it is best to solely deal with them if completely crucial in the course of the first week, corresponding to for vet visits, cage cleans, or to offer medicines to sick infants. You must also deal with their mom little or no throughout this time.
Decide Up a Guinea Pig the Proper Manner
Firstly, please don’t attempt to forcibly “tame” your guinea pig by instructing them to not wrestle when you maintain them in a worrying approach. This doesn’t cut back their stress, simply the outward indicators of it–primarily, your piggy will be taught to freeze up as a result of struggling doesn’t work.
We don’t need our interactions with our guinea pigs to be worrying for them, although. We additionally don’t need them to be taught that they can’t present indicators of stress, or that we received’t look after them once they do.
As an alternative, attempt the next methodology:
- Put some meals right into a cuddle cup, upside-down disguise, or comparable object. You can too lure your piggy to the thing utilizing the treats.
- As soon as your piggy is inside, decide up the whole object, ensuring to dam the entryway to stop leaping. You can provide their butt somewhat nudge in the event that they’re not totally inside.
- Carry your piggy to the place you want them to be, whether or not that’s your lap for a snuggle, the ground for exploration, or a service to go to the vet.
- Make sure you convey hay alongside–do not forget that guinea pigs ought to by no means be with out it!
When it’s worthwhile to deal with your guinea pig, I nonetheless suggest sticking to this methodology because it tends to be the least worrying. As soon as they’re securely within the disguise, you’ll be able to:
- Get down low and method from the aspect, not from above.
- Use one hand to softly seize their chest. Holding one foot between your fingers may also help to carry them in place as nicely.
- Swoop your free hand beneath their rear and raise, supporting their whole physique weight with each arms.
- Shortly convey your guinea pig near your chest.
- Stay near the bottom till you’re very assured holding your guinea pig and know that you just received’t drop them or allow them to leap out of your arms.
- Don’t flip your guinea pig onto their again whereas holding them. This may injury their backbone and is a really weak, uncomfortable place.
Further Ideas
- Keep away from making sudden actions or loud noises whereas choosing up your guinea pig, as they scare simply.
- Strategy them from the aspect or backside, not the highest. Your hand coming down from the sky reminds them of a hawk!
- Be agency and fast, but additionally mild. Hesitation in your finish can add to your guinea pig’s nerves, particularly if it makes the method take longer than it ought to.
- Having your guinea pigs’ cage on a desk, or sitting on the bottom earlier than lifting them, may also help in order that they don’t really feel you’re towering over them.
- The extra time you spend interacting along with your piggies whereas they’re within the cage (speaking, hand-feeding, and so on.) the much less afraid of you they’ll be.
Put Your Guinea Pig Again Into their Cage
As soon as your guinea pig is prepared to return house, you’ll be able to decide them up in one of many methods described above. Carry them to the cage, holding them securely towards your chest.
Decrease your piggy into the cage rigorously. Don’t allow them to leap out of your arms or the cuddle cup, and solely allow them to go as soon as their toes are touching the underside of the cage.
How do You Decide Up a Guinea Pig Who Retains Working Away?
You need to by no means chase your guinea pig across the cage. That is extremely worrying for them and may hurt your relationship.
Choosing up your guinea pig needs to be a fast course of to scale back stress. In the event that they received’t comply with meals as described above, they could be too skittish for lots of dealing with.
When crucial, you’ll be able to nook your guinea pig of their disguise and decide them up from within it. Nonetheless, this could solely be executed whereas crucial and till you’ll be able to acquire extra belief.
Some methods to realize belief along with your guinea pigs embody:
- Approaching them quietly and making gradual actions.
- Hand-feeding greens, or staying close by and speaking to them quietly as they eat.
- Spending ample time in the identical room in order that they develop used to your presence.
- Getting right down to their degree, corresponding to sitting or laying on the ground throughout ground time as a substitute of strolling round.
- In case your guinea pig enjoys ground time, sitting and permitting them to come back to you may be very useful! Preserve veggies readily available to encourage them to method.
How Typically Ought to You Maintain a Guinea Pig?
You’ll learn numerous conflicting recommendation relating to how a lot guinea pigs will be held. Everybody appears to have a distinct opinion! That is partially as a result of each piggy is totally different.
In my view, lap time ought to by no means be compelled onto a guinea pig. Some piggies love cuddling with their folks, and these piggies needs to be held at the very least as soon as a day for a brief time period. Most guinea pigs don’t like being outdoors of the cage for greater than 15-Half-hour.
For guinea pigs that hate being in your lap, it’s actually not crucial. Crucial factor for a guinea pig is to produce other guinea pig associates, and generally they’re not tremendous human-social. That’s okay!
Keep in mind that these are prey animals, and studying to belief a big predator species (aka people) is already fairly the feat for them. The lovable pictures you see of piggies snuggling of their peoples’ laps aren’t consultant of each guinea pig, and even most of them.
A part of the enjoyable is studying who your piggy is as a person, and the way they take pleasure in bonding with you. This may imply consuming yummy treats out of your hand, doing methods contained in the cage, or working round with their piggy friends throughout ground time.