We have all experienced an extremely anxious Guinea Pig at least once since owning them. I am going to discuss how to help you both in the process of settling in their forever home.
Choosing the correct sized cage
A Guinea Pigs home is the most important thing to them. They have a big cage so they can run, play and hide away. This will help keep them calm and stress free. Check out my blog below to find the correct size guide on Guinea Pig cages.
We should all know by now that Guinea Pigs are social animals, so they should always be homed in pairs or groups depending on your own personal preference and how much room you have.
If you’re homing 2 Guinea Pigs, they will need a bigger home. This will help with reducing any fights or issues they may have with each other. Guinea Pigs need their space just like we do!
Hiding places
Guinea Pigs will get scared from time to time and will feel a little anxious. They may also just want their own space and will want somewhere to hide and feel safe.
This is why hideys are perfect to put in your Guinea Pigs home. We recommend that more hideys the better! 1, because it keeps your Guinea Pig adventurous and will help them realise that no matter when they sleep in their cage, they will be safe and 2, if you have more than one Guinea Pig, it gives them more space to relax, without any fights over hiding places.
Handling your Guinea Pig
Guinea Pigs aren’t always so comfortable with you handling them, which is why it’s important to hold them properly and talk to them. This will reassure them that they are safe in your arms.
You can gently stroke your Guinea Pig to help calm them down. They like to be stroked from the head, down the back and with an occasional chin rub (depending on your Guinea Pig.. some like it, some don’t)
You can use treats in order to make them feel more relaxed around you. This will make them associate you with food and everything involving food is good, right?
If children have handled the Guinea Pig, you may find once it’s back in its cage, they will hide for a short amount of time. This is because children can be a little rough with them without even knowing, so they just need time to settle and calm down.
Exciting environment
Giving your Guinea Pig fun things to do in the cage will keep them occupied for hours. If a Guinea Pig doesn’t have anything to do in its cage, they won’t know what to do with themselves and they will get bored.
Guinea Pigs will constantly want to chew on something, this helps keep their teeth at a nice length and will prevent any other dental issues that they are prone to, so giving your Guinea Pig things to gnaw on is a good idea.
Play with your Guinea Pig inside and outside of the cage, this will help them to realise that they are safe no matter where they are.
Check out my Toys For Guinea Pigs to see more.
New things
No matter what it is or where it’s kept, new things in and around your Guinea Pigs home will need to be introduced slowly. This includes food, toys or even a new Guinea Pig. Any sudden changes may effect your Guinea Pig, by causing them unnecessary stress. Especially if it makes a noise, looks or smells completely different.
Where to keep your Guinea Pigs
Guinea Pigs are very sensitive to sounds, especially when they are brought into a new environment. Even though they will get use to the normal everyday sounds around the house, if you do have a noisy household where children are, it’s ideal that you put your Guinea Pigs home in a quiet area.
My experience
When I first moved back in with my parents I had Loki and Thor in my bedroom and it was an absolute nightmare. It was very quiet up in my room, so every time someone or something made a noise it would startle them. After a few weeks it got too much for them, to the point where both boys were too scared to come out of their hidey, so I moved them downstairs to where we all sit, watch tv, eat, socialise etc and within a few days they were pop corning, squeaking and were a lot more comfortable with their surroundings. I believe this was because there were not any surprise noises.
It is also recommended that you do not make sudden movements and loud noises as this can also startle them.
I know I make it sound like you have to tip toe around them, but you don’t. Like any other animal, they will get use to everyday noises like the tv, voices and appliances being used in the house, but you have to remember that their ears are only tiny, they’re sensitive to noise and can get frightened very easily, especially if it’s something they haven’t heard before.
Other pets
As we know and have said before, Guinea Pigs are social animals, but only to their own kind and us Humans. Other animals are not ideal to share a living space with, as this can cause unnecessary stress for all animals.
Guinea Pigs are prey animals, so they will always feel anxious around other animals in the house, wether this be Dogs, Cats or even Rabbits. Dogs and Cats natural instinct is to play and hunt, so in a dogs eyes, to see a Guinea Pig, it can easily be mistaken for a toy and for a Cat, a large mouse. With Rabbits there could be an accidental injury caused by them thumping or jumping.
It’s best to keep all animals separate from each other when you are not around.
At night
At night I always cover my boys cage, this helps them feel safe and secure.
Guinea Pigs enjoy the dark and my boys are more awake at night. Giving them a dark space during the night helps them to relax, especially when we aren’t there.
Give them time
The one thing that people don’t have is patience with Guinea Pigs. Of course they’re going to be anxious when first coming home and for about a week or so after, so you must be patient with them.
Finding what Guinea Pigs do and don’t like can take a very long time and if you aren’t willing to be patient and learn, then you shouldn’t have Guinea Pigs.
The first few months is all about gaining trust from both you and your Guinea Pig. Once you have trust, you have pretty much succeeded in a big part of your Guinea Pigs happiness.
A schedule
You might think that I’m being silly when I say have a schedule, but this is a huge benefit!
Your Guinea Pig will get use to and will prefer a schedule. This means feeding, cleaning, cuddling, playing, etc at the same time everyday. This will help your Guinea Pig feel less anxious, because they know what’s coming up.
Come back next Sunday for more interesting facts about Guinea Pigs!
Lokiandthor18 