Can A Child Sit On Coroplast, Or Will It Damage It?

[GPcrazy]

My son is desperate to hold the new piggies. I told him no yesterday, they needed time to adjust and calm down. But I was thinking it might be a good idea to try and handle them for a short period today a little. They were definitely far more relaxed this morning than they were yesterday, venturing out for short periods etc.
He is 4 years old. I will absolutely insist he sits down, and I will be right by him, and will rather encourage him to hold the piggy on his lap (he always olds animals on his lap at petting farms etc, never lifts them up higher). But I was thinking it might be safest if he actually sits inside their cage. That way if the piggy makes a quick escape it's still in a safe environment. But I'm not sure if him sitting on the coroplast will damage it?
Thoughts?

 

[Swissgreys]

I am not sure about the corolast, but at this point in time I would try to wait a couple more days before you let your son hold the piggies.
I know how hard it is - I also have children, and they were just the same when we got our guinea pigs a few months ago.

Plus I would try and keep their cage their special 'safe' zone to help them settle, and putting your son in there will most likely be terrifying for them.

My children were desperate to interact with the guinea pigs, so they started off by filling pellet bowls and water bottle and then gently hand feeding while talking to them. This gave everyone a chance to get used to each other and also I wanted to be certain that the guinea pigs associated the kids with positive things (basically food).

For the first lap time (outside of their cage) I sat the children on the sofa and I sat on a stool directly in front of the sofa facing them.
This meant I was on hand to stop accidents and remove any stressed animals.
We made a covered nest out of blankets for the guinea pigs to retreat to (between the children) and both of the girls had a snuggle sack on their laps for the guinea pigs.

This worked well, and these days the guinea pigs willingly come out and climb all over the kids.

It will happen - it just takes a little time and patience at the start.

 

[artcasper]

slowly slowly...... i know kids are desperate to hold them.... let them hand feed them bits first ..x

 

[DM030819]

Ditto to everything that Swissgreys mentioned. I try to let the pigs cage be their own space and I either interact through the bars with them, or take them out.

Sitting on coroplast is okay. I had to get inside the cage when I was building it, and other than a dent where I kneeled on it it is all okay still. I think I came off worse than the corplast. I'm not a small lady and trying to fit in the bottom of a stacked cage is a bit of a squeeze.

 

[GPcrazy]

Thanks everyone. I'll make him wait a few more days. Will maybe encourage him to put the pellets in their bowls and their bowls into the cage after school today, and then maybe we can try a little hand feeding veg later, though I tried to get them to take leaves from me this morning and they wouldn't. But maybe even doing the pellets will help.

Out of interest, when do you think I should start taking them out for floor time? I'm guessing when they're out for floor time he could maybe sit in that area for a bit and see if they come to him then? I was thinking of putting them in the bathroom for floor time, then I can close the door and windows (we have cats).

 

[Wiebke]

Coroplast is not suitable to sit on. Please wait a bit longer until your piggies have settled more, as hard as it is to wait for a young child. Make sure that they are out of reach for the time being.

You may find the tips in these links here helpful:
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
All Kinds Of Biting And What You Can Do

 

[Keiko The Pig]

Sitting with them for floor time is definitely a good idea but as everyone said above let them settle in first. Definitely have your son start off by feeding them and maybe gently stroking them inside the cage. For my first piggy this helped him get used to handling as he could hide in his tunnels/houses and feel safe while being pat. I only gave him one or two strokes if he went to hide and more if he stayed out to be pet. But I waited 4 days before I started doing this and I apparently have a very cuddly and brave piggy pair as now my two boys run out of their hideys and lay down with immediate chookens if I stroke them regardless of in or out of the cage! It sounds pretty early to tell but once you find that favourite veggie it really goes a long way in taming and bonding. Definitely have your son offer this to them by hand if he can hold still long enough for some very scared piggies to get curious (or hungry) enough to come snatch it!

 

[Freela]

I would probably not set him in the cage for fear of breaking it or really freaking them out. I would give them a couple days to settle. At that point, I would let him hold a pig at a time on his lap in a blanket or other cozy. The pig will be calmer 'hiding' and he will be less likely to get scratched or nipped if they get startled. Of course, stay within arm's reach and model patting nicely and gently and be ready to intervene should he get too enthusiastic with the piggy!

I have three kids, at the time we got our first set of pigs they were 6, 4, and 2. We had ground rules for pigs: First, kids did not take pigs out of the cage without an adult supervising. Second, kids didn't walk with pigs (parents ferried them from cage to couch. Too easy for a child to drop them.) Third, the cage stayed shut when an adult wasn't there (interaction through the bars only. Prevented escapes!) Four, only one pig at a time got held (one of our first pair would get aggressive if another pig was sharing 'her' human. This might not be necessary with a more mellow pig!) And finally, no feeding the pigs without an adult saying it was okay. This prevented a kid deciding that the pig might like a cupcake or something else that might upset their stomach. We also had a 'no horseplay around the pigs!' rule, so when the pigs were out they had to sit quietly in the vicinity and not run around, bounce, flail limbs, or otherwise freak out or potentially injure the pigs. It worked really well and we never had any pig-related mishaps. The kids are now 14, 12, and 9, so it's less of an issue now but they are still really good with the pigs and what they are allowed to do on their own has increased with time. Actually, my 12-year-old now actually has her own pet that is 100% her responsibility (Aigis the hamster) and she does a great job with her... very diligent with cleaning the cage, getting food and water, and very responsible/gentle with handling, so I think it's a great way to model behavior towards animals that will carry forward later in life too.

 

[Dorothy&Coco]

Having guinea pig rules is a great idea and something we have also done. A big one for us was no sudden loud noises around the piggies.

I have the say the piggies have been amazing for teaching my daughter patience and staying quiet / calm!