Tips On Catching Guinea Pigs?

[GuineaPigs100]

Hi,
I have recently moved my guinea pigs inside for winter and have had some trouble catching them from their cage and taking them out for lap time. When they were in their hutch I had no trouble catching them as I could block them off in the bedroom compartment so they didn't have so much space to run around and would mostly just sit still and let me pick them up. But now their in the indoor cage it's much harder to pick them up and I have to do a lot of chasing which clearly puts them under a lot of stress. They are also not the type of guinea pigs that will let you stroke them in the cage, however they are happy to let you stroke them during Lap time. I have tried to pick them up using one of the cosy items but they will refuse to come out and you can't lift them out as the opening is too small. I also tried to scoop them out of the cage using a towel but they just jumped out back into the cage as soon as lifted it a cm off the ground. They aren't really very shy guinea pigs as they'll climb over me during floor time and as I said don't mind lap time but when it comes to stroking and catching them in the cage it is a whole other story!
If anyone had any tips on how to catch these cheeky monkeys then it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

You will find these tips here helpful in making friends with the piggies and how to pick them up. alternatively to the tunnel, you could cut a little door opening into a suitable small lidded cardboard box, place some hay or a rag on the bottom and a little veg treat at the far end. When you move them, cover the opening but keep up your chatter and be very complimentary and encouraging. It often helps to place the shuttle in a corner, as there are less escape routes. Be patient!

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up Your Guinea Pig

 

[biscandmatt]

i always teach mine to hop into the carrier to be lifted out. they soon learn what it means and feel more comfortable having some control i think. i regularly leave the carrier in their cage or run as a play thing without the door on aswell just so they feel comfortable with it. it works well for us anyway because i don't like picking them up from the cage if they don't like it and feel mean making them tolerate it.

sometimes they have been happy to be lifted whilst in their cosy beds, especially my previous girl maisie. but on the whole, the carrier is what they have all preferred and then it's fairly easy to lift them out from there instead. alot of the time they hop out onto the settee from there

 

[GuineaPigs100]

Thank you for the replies! I will definitely try those tips!

 

[Mairi M]

I use four c&c grids locked together into a 1x1 square. I call it my piggy catcher. It avoids the stress of a chase and they don't seem stressed by it at all. Much easier to lift them from this small space than the 4x4 run.