Learning how to pick up your guinea pigs can be a real challenge since their instincts are to run from anything that tries to lift them from the ground. It can also be difficult to know how often to pick your guinea pig up, and for how long.
The best way to pick your guinea pig up is to get them into a cuddle cup and gently lift it off the ground, supporting your piggy’s weight evenly and blocking their escape so that they don’t jump out. If you need to handle them more closely, lift them with one hand beneath their chest and one under their rear, tucking them securely against your chest.
Avoid chasing your guinea pig, sneaking up on them, or grabbing them from above.
In this article, we’ll discuss a few ways to pick up your guinea pig, how long to hold them for, and more.
Do Guinea Pigs Like Being Picked Up?
Most guinea pigs dislike being picked up, though some enjoy sitting on your lap. Their instinct is to fear anything coming from above and scooping them up because, in nature, that thing would likely be a bird of prey coming to eat them!
Luckily, there are ways to make being picked up less stressful for guinea pigs, which we’ll discuss below.
Can You Hold Guinea Pigs Straight Away?
You can pick up and hold your guinea pig as soon as you bring them home. It will be necessary as you’ll want to look them over and make sure they appear healthy. You should also bring them for a vet check-up soon after adoption.
Aside from necessary handling, it’s often good to let your guinea pigs get settled for the first week or two before bringing them out for cuddles or floor time. However, this heavily depends on the guinea pig. Some have been very well socialized at their previous homes and will crave attention and exploration, while others will be skittish and avoidant.
When it comes to newborn guinea pigs, you should only handle them if absolutely necessary during the first week, such as for vet visits, cage cleans, or to give medications to sick babies. You should also handle their mother very little during this time.
How to Pick Up a Guinea Pig the Right Way
Firstly, please don’t try to forcibly “tame” your guinea pig by teaching them to not struggle while you hold them in a stressful way. This doesn’t reduce their stress, just the outward signs of it–essentially, your piggy will learn to freeze up because struggling doesn’t work.
We don’t want our interactions with our guinea pigs to be stressful for them, though. We also don’t want them to learn that they cannot show signs of stress, or that we won’t care for them when they do.
Instead, try the following method:
- Put some food into a cuddle cup, upside-down hide, or similar object. You can also lure your piggy to the object using the treats.
- Once your piggy is inside, pick up the entire object, making sure to block the entryway to prevent jumping. You can give their butt a little nudge if they’re not entirely inside.
- Bring your piggy to where you need them to be, whether that’s your lap for a snuggle, the floor for exploration, or a carrier to go to the vet.
- Be sure to bring hay along–remember that guinea pigs should never be without it!
When you need to handle your guinea pig, I still recommend sticking to this method as it tends to be the least stressful. Once they’re securely in the hide, you can:
- Get down low and approach from the side, not from above.
- Use one hand to gently grab their chest. Holding one foot between your fingers can help to hold them in place as well.
- Swoop your free hand beneath their rear and lift, supporting their entire body weight with both hands.
- Quickly bring your guinea pig close to your chest.
- Remain close to the ground until you’re very confident holding your guinea pig and know that you won’t drop them or let them jump from your arms.
- Do not flip your guinea pig onto their back while holding them. This can damage their spine and is a very vulnerable, uncomfortable position.
Extra Tips
- Avoid making sudden movements or loud noises while picking up your guinea pig, as they scare easily.
- Approach them from the side or bottom, not the top. Your hand coming down from the sky reminds them of a hawk!
- Be firm and quick, but also gentle. Hesitation on your end can add to your guinea pig’s nerves, especially if it makes the process take longer than it should.
- Having your guinea pigs’ cage on a table, or sitting on the ground before lifting them, can help so that they don’t feel you’re towering over them.
- The more time you spend interacting with your piggies while they’re in the cage (talking, hand-feeding, etc.) the less afraid of you they’ll be.
How to Put Your Guinea Pig Back Into their Cage
Once your guinea pig is ready to go back home, you can pick them up in one of the ways described above. Carry them to the cage, holding them securely against your chest.
Lower your piggy into the cage carefully. Don’t let them jump from your hands or the cuddle cup, and only let them go once their feet are touching the bottom of the cage.
How do You Pick Up a Guinea Pig Who Keeps Running Away?
You should never chase your guinea pig around the cage. This is incredibly stressful for them and can harm your relationship.
Picking up your guinea pig should be a quick process to reduce stress. If they won’t follow food as described above, they may be too skittish for a lot of handling.
When necessary, you can corner your guinea pig in their hide and pick them up from inside of it. However, this should only be done while necessary and until you can gain more trust.
Some ways to gain trust with your guinea pigs include:
- Approaching them quietly and making slow movements.
- Hand-feeding vegetables, or staying nearby and talking to them quietly as they eat.
- Spending ample time in the same room so that they grow used to your presence.
- Getting down to their level, such as sitting or laying on the floor during floor time instead of walking around.
- If your guinea pig enjoys floor time, sitting and allowing them to come to you is very helpful! Keep veggies on hand to encourage them to approach.
How Often Should You Hold a Guinea Pig?
You’ll read a lot of conflicting advice regarding how much guinea pigs can be held. Everyone seems to have a different opinion! This is partially because every piggy is different.
In my opinion, lap time should never be forced onto a guinea pig. Some piggies love cuddling with their people, and these piggies should be held at least once a day for a short period of time. Most guinea pigs don’t like being outside of the cage for more than 15-30 minutes.
For guinea pigs that dislike being in your lap, it’s really not necessary. The most important thing for a guinea pig is to have other guinea pig friends, and sometimes they’re not super human-social. That’s okay!
Remember that these are prey animals, and learning to trust a large predator species (aka humans) is already quite the feat for them. The cute photos you see of piggies snuggling in their peoples’ laps aren’t representative of every guinea pig, or even most of them.
Part of the fun is learning who your piggy is as an individual, and how they enjoy bonding with you. This might mean eating yummy treats from your hand, doing tricks inside the cage, or running around with their piggy pals during floor time.