My guinea pig needs to feel safer. How can I help it feel secure?

Congratulations on your new pet! To help Chanel feel safe, you can move slowly around her. First just standing near her cage, then placing your hand in the cage without touching her, and then gently petting her before attempting to pick her up. Guinea pigs are curious and like to play with toys and burrow in tunnels. In order to be healthy, Chanel should have plenty of water and hay avaiyat all times. She should have a ration of pellets everyday and can have some green leafy veggies and fruits as an occasional treat. You should monitor her for signs of diarrhea, skin issues, loss of appetite and energy and have her seen by a vet if any of these occur.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can get Lilli some huts and nesting/bedding material to hide/play in. Guinea pigs enjoy burrowing/tunneling so things like huts and pipes are fun for them. You can find plenty of options in pet stores, or make things your self out of shredded paper, toilet paper rolls, PVC pipe, etc. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Thank you for your question about your guinea pig! In general, yes, guinea pigs are very social animals and thrive with a companion. However, there are exceptions to that general rule. To be able to tell if your guinea pig is okay without a companion, there are a few things to do. First is to ensure that your guinea pig is healthy and in a good body weight - this can be done by taking your guinea pig to a veterinarian for a wellness exam. It will provide you with a baseline for health, and then you can continue to monitor your guinea pig at home. Once you have determined that your guinea pig is healthy, then you can evaluate its behavior. If it hides a lot, or doesn't come out to see you or make noise when food is being provided, this may indicate that it needs a companion. Guinea pigs that are comfortable being alone will interact with their humans much like they do with other guinea pigs - lots of excitement! Also monitor the food intake - guinea pigs should eat lots of hay, a bit of pellets and vitamin C supplementation, and a bit of produce. If you are seeing a decrease in appetite, this may be due to a guinea pig being shy or uncomfortable (and can also be a sign of illness!). Lastly, ensure that they are producing lots of fecal pellets - they should be moist, of a decent size, and a huge quantity! I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This is a common problem with guinea pigs. I would recommend finding a very special treat for Beanie, something she really likes. I would recommend starting to slowly introduce the treat only when you are around and wanting to play with Beanie. It can be a slow process but eventually Beanie will come around. hope that helps

The more you interact with your guinea pigs the more comfortable they will become with you. Start by leaving the cage door open (under your supervision of course) and leaving some treats outside the cage. Let them come out on their own so they don't feel threatened. Every time you open the cage or need to handle them give them a special treat, something they love and only get when you are with them. Hold off on doing any baths or anything like that if you can for now. Make every interaction with you a positive one for them. This is called positive reinforcement and they will respond to this tactic more quickly than anything else As you can tell, treats are a big part of training them. So reserve any special food items for when you are there. They will start to associate you with the treats and begins to start trusting you more and more. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I would recommend allowing Bella more time to get use to her surroundings. Guinea pigs can be very fearful and nervous. It is possible that Bella has not warmed up to the new house and it just staying in a place she is most comfortable. I would continue to play with her and give her good hiding places in her cage to allow her to feel comfortable. I hope that helps

Continue to give the attention and handle them daily. And offer them treats. Try to find treats that a high in vitamin c since they can't produce their own vitamin c (kiwi, bell peppers, kale, oranges, etc). It will take some time for them to get use to you as changing environments can be stressful. I hope this helps