How can I get my baby guinea pig to be more friendly?

I have a 3 month old male guinea pig and although he likes to be talked to and will come over and look at me, he does not like to be picked up. Once you catch him and pick him up he is ok, is it normal for them to run away from you? I've never had a guinea pig before. I would really like to be good buddys with him. Does anyone know anything about this kind of problem?

Yes its very normal of him to want to run away. Try feeding him a treat when holding him and petting him. Make sure you hold his bottom. They need to be held securely. Maybe try holding him in your lap when your sitting down and feeding him his treat. The more you hold him the more comfortable he will become. Good Luck and Enjoy your little oinker!

this is normal for guinea pigs to run fast away from you, i have raised lots of guinea pigs....... try talking to him at first, then gradually get him used to you by just petting him. then gradually pick him up, once you got that mastered, give him lots of yummy treats! they love lettuce, carrots,cabbage, lots of clover in your yard grass, almost any thing gren.adventually the more time you spend with your little piggy, and the more you talk to him, he will adventually get to know your voice,when you leave home, then come back,after a while, he will whistle for you! they are really cute and fun to have!remember lots of good treats! good luck!

Here's a few excellent websites on guinea pigs, hope they give you some good info on guinea pigs and more contacts too -http://www.russelrabbit.com/languages/suk/36.htmhttp://jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigbehaviour.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pigI think it just takes time and patience ... spend as much time with him as you can, so that he gets to know you're his friend. Just sit on the floor in the same room as him and let him approach you. And have some food handy so that he'll be certain you're his friend with the food! Good luck!