Bringing Your Guinea Pigs Home
Bringing a guinea pig home involves a great deal of responsibility on your part. This includes focusing on different aspects of settling them in new environment and new mates. Initially the New Guinea pigs at your home may be quite nervous and may even end up hiding away from you. Therefore it is very essential to learn about the nature and requisites of the animal that has been absconded from its familiar environment. Its just a matter of few days or weeks for guinea pigs to get accustomed to you and the new surroundings.
The Initial Phase
After bringing your guinea pigs home, the first few days prove to be the most stressful and hazardous. The guinea pigs just feel out of space due to the new home that offers new place, new food, new noises, new mates, etc. Thus it leaves them with a very frightening experience. In order to cope up with such situation, it is recommended to provide the best possible space to the new animal. In case you have more than one guinea pig, try to provide a separate hiding place to each one of them. Also make sure to avoid touching the nervous guinea pigs.
In the meanwhile, try talking to your new friend in a gentle way. It is an essential aspect as this helps the guinea pigs in getting accustomed to your voice and new place. Do remember to never suddenly lift the animal as this may leave her frightening and nervous. Always offer your hand first and try to be friendly. It is very important for you to get familiar with the new guinea pigs and then take the next set of actions.
Developing Understanding
As stated, the guinea pigs need to be fully accustomed to new surroundings and people. You can develop understanding and trust with the animal by not hovering at them and watching through a cage at the eye level. You can also become friendly with them by offering some good eatable stuff to them. Once the animal starts enjoying such treats in your presence, now is the best time to learn to get more closer and pick them up. While picking them, make sure to handle them softly without hurting them.
If you have bought the guinea pigs for your child, it is very necessary to supervise them to avoid any kind of injury to the animal. Also, children have a tendency to treat the guinea pigs as toys and thus being handed over to their friends as a play thing. This may prove stressful for the animal. Therefore always supervise and teach your child to get friendly with the animal.
The Best Solution
By bringing your guinea pigs home, you do take up an additional responsibility of caring and feeding of a creature. The best solution to get friendly with the animal is to be patient and do as stated above. With utmost care and love, you can easily won the confidence of guinea pigs and make them feel comfortable among new setting.
