Anyone have Guinea Pigs/ Cavies?

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I'm wondering if anyone here has some of these cute critters and can give me some advice.

We bought 2- a pair that had been caged together for 3 months at PetCo: boys about 5 months old. We have had them for about 3 weeks, slowly winning their trust and hopefully eventually their affection. The poor things were there at PetCo for over 3 months and not handled nearly enough. I pet them a billion times a day and they no longer run into their "pigloo"(it's like a mini dogloo) the moment I walk into the room. They actually let me reach in and pet them not without hiding. They are so freakin' cute, but my 9 y/o is tiring of them because they are too scared to really play with yet. I have managed to get one to trust me enough that I can take him out of the cage easily, but the other one kicks at me and nips, so it's hard to get him out to play with and handle.

Is this just a waiting game? Is this going to take forever? I can see that we've made significant progress in 3 weeks, but my 9 y/o wants to play with them and is disappointed that she can't- much. anyone have any idea how long it might take for these buggers to finally trust us?

the reason could be that petco is evil and mistreats there animals all the time and they can be suffering from some sort of stress disorder

guinie pigs often dont like being held, they dont like hands from above, they are prey animals . if you can take the cage into a small room , like a bathroom open it up and sit with your son on the floor with some veggies , pretty soon they will gain confidence and walk over to you and make freinds , mush easier to do it there way than try to force them to be freinds. id never advise a child to carry one because if they wriggle they drop and can easily die even from a very short fall .

Piggies love lettuce as a treat. If you leave the lettuce in a plastic bag, they'll learn to associate the treat with the rattling sound, and every time you open the fridge door, they will squeal (whistle) and run around in excitement. They'll be coming up to you and your child in no time.

P.S. Make sure that they get enough vitamin C, too, as they can't make or store their own. Piggies are great.

I used to breed and raise guinea pigs. It was such fun!

I agree with the suggestion about giving them fresh treats. You can train them to come to you for a bit of carrot or fresh greens.

But yes, they are still "prey animals". It is a rare guinea pig who will become truly affectionate like a dog or cat.

I did once have a biter who was successfully trained out of biting. So there is hope.