Time flies when you are having fun with your new pet!
Interacting with your pet is an important and fun thing to do, so let’s talk about proper holding and interaction. Most importantly a calm guinea pig is a happy guinea pig, and a happy guinea pig will be a wonderful pet.

To hold a guinea pig always use two hands, slow easy movements and gentle touches to keep your animal secure and comfortable. It is best to sit or kneel close to them and then, using two hands, “scoop” underneath the animal to support its legs. Moving down to its level will be comforting to your pet and will also prevent a long, dangerous fall if the animal leaves your hands.

If you don’t chase your pet and calmly offer rewards (like a favorite treat), then your guinea pig will become excited to see you. Building a friendship with your animal may take a little time, so take a moment everyday to remind your pet that you are a good person to be around.

Guinea Pig boot camp and training with treats.
Training and treats are great tools for any pet owner. First, determine a reward or treat that really makes your pet interested and motivated. The more it wants your reward the more your pet will do to get it.

Here are some possible guinea pig rewards:
• Small amounts of strawberries, oranges, and other sweet fruit
• Small amounts of lettuce, bell pepper, kale and even cilantro

Small amounts of treats can go a long way, so only use the smallest amount that will still motivate your animal. Now that we have some treats, you can start training. The best way to train is with baby steps. Think of what you want your pet to do and then make a plan to get
your animal there. Rewarding with a treat when your pet makes steps in the right direction will keep the animal moving in that direction.

Guinea pigs are not likely to learn complicated behavior, but training simple behaviors like “come” should be possible with practice. Positive reinforcement for the right behavior is the best way to go. Look for training resources online and at your local library.

Keep ’em busy (and out of trouble)!
What does your animal do when you are not around? It will get into anything it can find and sometimes cause trouble. Just like people get bored, animals can get bored without something to do. Giving your animal fun things to do is an important job for pet owners. Since animals can’t go out and buy new toys, they will often use whatever is around. This could mean chewing the wrong things, trying to get out of their housing to explore or worse. Giving animals enriching times or “enrichment” will keep them busy and happy.

Here are some great guinea pig enrichment ideas:

• Give them paper tubes, cardboard boxes, shredded news paper
• Hide food
• Train your guinea pig
• Have other guinea pigs for company
• Let them walk around a safe place in your home (always under supervision!)
• Let them walk around in an exercise ball

Change up the enrichment regularly to keep your pet’s home new and exciting!