Your guinea pig needs to de-stress

 

When you bring your guinea pig into your home, she is likely to be frightened. I know it might sound hokey, but she needs to de-stress.  When a guinea pig is scared, stress hormones are active in her brain and in her body. These hormones make her sensitive to things that make her scared, make her more likely to run and hide, more likely to bite, and less likely to eat food. All in all, it makes it a lot harder to bond!

 

Live life around your guinea pig until she's settled in

 

Put your guinea pig in her cage and let her be. Don't put your hands in the cage and don't try to pick her up. The point of this step is to make her feel comfortable in her environment. Talk to her soothingly if you see her moving normally around the cage. Moving normally means that she isn't bolting from hiding place to hiding place. If she is frozen in fear, leave her alone. Fear in guinea pig often displays as being absolutely still, so always look for active guinea pigs before you move on.

 

Watch her and tell her about how and why you picked her out of all the guinea pigs you could have gotten, how hard you are going to work taking care of her, and how much you love her already. Tell her about the three rules you are going to abide by to make sure she feels safe in her world. Get her used to your voice.