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Most guinea pigs can become used to being handled and petted in a very short space of time with gentle and regular handling. Guinea pigs rarely bite but they do tend to be timid.
The best way to start getting your guinea pig used to you is to feed it a piece of vegetable or fruit from your hand. After a while it will feel comfortable with this and let you stroke it whilst it is feeding.
Once it is happy that there is nothing to fear, and accepts being stroked you can begin picking the guinea pig up. This is best done by sliding one hand under the chest towards the stomach and placing the other hand over the back or rump of the guinea pig in order to fully support its body as it is lifted.
Don’t lift your guinea pig too high as if it wriggles from your hands and falls it may injure itself. Once you have your guinea pig it is best to hold it against your body or sit and hold it in your lap.
Younger children should be supervised when handling guinea pigs as they may have trouble lifting them out of the cage or hutch or could unintentionally squeeze or drop the guinea pig.
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