When to add food to the taming process
It's a common and well-intentioned piece of advice: The way to your guinea pig's heart is through her stomach. And it's true. Giving treats is essentially a major part of the method described in my taming guide. However, I'm very careful about making sure the guinea pig trusts your hands and your presence first. This reduces the chance for bites. It also starts a history of conflict-free interactions with you. Furthermore, it also begins a relationship with handfed treats as a reward rather than a bribe.
The danger with using food to lure your guinea pig close to you is that sometimes, her greed is stronger than her fear. And, once the treat is gone, she's alone with your scary hands. Oftentimes, the guinea pig comes closer than is comfortable because she wanted the food and now she feels like it's too late to run away because you're too close. Using food to lure your guinea pig into a situation she wasn't ready for is coercion. Would she have approached you without food? The use of force and coercion increases the risk of fearful and aggressive behavior such as hiding and biting.
If you wait until your guinea pig is used to your hands just like my taming guide suggests, then you are teaching her that you aren't going to put her in lose-lose situations: "If I approach the treats, I have to be near those hands; if I don't approach those hands, I won't get the treats. What should I do!" Instead, you are putting her into situations where she doesn't need to feel conflicted about her choices: "I'm going to approach those hands! They have never hurt me! Oh, cool! They have food in them, too! These hands are awesome!" You are teaching her that a relationship with you is going to be as conflict-free as possible. Animals are constantly making associations. And making sure your guinea pig has a rewarding relationship with food is essential if you want to train her to do tricks or use food for bonding with her. If you constantly use food to trick her to be closer to you and to lure her out of hideys when she wants to keep distance and hide, then you are teaching her that food predicts uncomfortable situations. This is a huge reason why you hear people say, "My guinea pig doesn't care that much about treats; I can't train her to do tricks." Instead, make sure she associates eating treats with having a fun time with you.
So, when can you add treats? Add treats to the taming process only after your guinea pig trusts your hands enough not to run away from them when she sees them in her cage. Add treats when it will be easy for her to approach your hands: You should see no conflict, only confidence. Use treats in a smart way and she'll always find them a rewarding part of her life.
