Floor time question

MildredMaudeandEnid

MildredMaudeandEnid

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I just want to pick your collective brains about floor time. I have 2 pairs of sows who don't get on with each other so I have to do floor time separately. They live in 4x2 C&C raised cages (so can't just open the door) and I let them free roam in the kitchen since it's piggy-secure.

At the minute I've been striving to get them out every day but I work full time and live alone so really struggling to get anything else done.

I suppose what I'm asking is, would I be a terrible piggy mum if I have a couple of nights to myself? How often and for how long should I be letting them out? I feel so guilty if I don't get them out every day. I also have one chronically sick piggy who needs meds/nebuliser every day and two peruvian who needs daily grooming so they take a huge chunk of my evening.

Thanks!
 
My piggies come out for floor time twice a week, on cage clean days, because that is as much as I have time to commit to regularly. I always make floor time really fun, lots of cardboard box houses and paper bags full of treats and tiny bits of scattered and hidden veggies, and they always get 2-3 hours out, but it's just twice a week.
Dont feel guilty adapting your routine so piggies fit in with your life! Much better to commit to a regular routine that works for you and stays fun all round rather than letting the piggy time become a chore that you dont have time for- if you're a commited piggy person for the long term you have to find a balance with what you can realistically do every week for several years!
 
PigglePuggle said:
My piggies come out for floor time twice a week, on cage clean days, because that is as much as I have time to commit to regularly. I always make floor time really fun, lots of cardboard box houses and paper bags full of treats and tiny bits of scattered and hidden veggies, and they always get 2-3 hours out, but it's just twice a week.
Dont feel guilty adapting your routine so piggies fit in with your life! Much better to commit to a regular routine that works for you and stays fun all round rather than letting the piggy time become a chore that you dont have time for- if you're a commited piggy person for the long term you have to find a balance with what you can realistically do every week for several years!
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Fewer times for longer seems a good compromise. I work from home a couple days a week so could do then and weekends. I do hidies and tunnels, etc for them and they love to zoom around. Trying to do it every night has had me stresses to bits! They only end up getting 30 mins per pair and I end up shattered!

What do you do for enrichment on the others days? I've been giving them forage and lap time but always struggle to keep them interested.
 
My pair who live in a 2x4 usually have a piece of "edible furniture" in their cage- a large size hay cube, or a carrot cottage, or a wine box with a door cut in for a chewable bed house- that seems to keep them entertained! And you can always serve their dinner hidden in a brown paper bag full of hay occasionally, lots of fun to be had with a paper bag :)
 
PigglePuggle said:
My pair who live in a 2x4 usually have a piece of "edible furniture" in their cage- a large size hay cube, or a carrot cottage, or a wine box with a door cut in for a chewable bed house- that seems to keep them entertained! And you can always serve their dinner hidden in a brown paper bag full of hay occasionally, lots of fun to be had with a paper bag :)
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I've tried the brown paper bag full of hay but they wouldn't go near it. They're such fusspots! I might buy a couple of those hay cubes. They seem to be popular with the piggies. Do you leave yours in all the time or just supervised?
 
Claire W said:
My piggies come out of their cage for floor time every other day as that’s what I can commit to.
Your piggies will be fine not coming out everyday. There’s no harm in fitting their life around yours rather than fitting your life around them
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That settles it. I'm giving myself tomorrow night off! 😂
 
MildredMaudeandEnid said:
I've tried the brown paper bag full of hay but they wouldn't go near it. They're such fusspots! I might buy a couple of those hay cubes. They seem to be popular with the piggies. Do you leave yours in all the time or just supervised?
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If they can climb in and out of the haycube without a risk of getting stuck I leave it in until it gets destroyed, though some people may pop one in for maybe an hour or 2 each day or every other day perhaps.
The important thing with enrichment is, things are only enriching if they only happen some of the time. Imagine how bored and also stressed we would get going on holiday or out for dinner or for a really energetic prolonged exercise activity every single day without a break! Piggies need duvet days too- active days, interesting days, but also duvet days when "mmm I havent lounged in this fleecy bed for a while" is fun because it didnt happen yesterday :)
Just a different set of fleecy beds they didnt have for a couple of weeks can be a fun change, a different dinner, they will also be exhausted if you try too hard! Lounging about eating hay with a friend and being hand fed veggies and watching what the hooman people do is also an acceptable piggy entertainment much of the time :)
 
PigglePuggle said:
If they can climb in and out of the haycube without a risk of getting stuck I leave it in until it gets destroyed, though some people may pop one in for maybe an hour or 2 each day or every other day perhaps.
The important thing with enrichment is, things are only enriching if they only happen some of the time. Imagine how bored and also stressed we would get going on holiday or out for dinner or for a really energetic prolonged exercise activity every single day without a break! Piggies need duvet days too- active days, interesting days, but also duvet days when "mmm I havent lounged in this fleecy bed for a while" is fun because it didnt happen yesterday :)
Just a different set of fleecy beds they didnt have for a couple of weeks can be a fun change, a different dinner, they will also be exhausted if you try too hard! Lounging about eating hay with a friend and being hand fed veggies and watching what the hooman people do is also an acceptable piggy entertainment much of the time :)
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They have millions of beds which I change around when I clean the cage. All the creature comforts! Thanks for your response!
 
PigglePuggle said:
My piggies come out for floor time twice a week, on cage clean days, because that is as much as I have time to commit to regularly. I always make floor time really fun, lots of cardboard box houses and paper bags full of treats and tiny bits of scattered and hidden veggies, and they always get 2-3 hours out, but it's just twice a week.
Dont feel guilty adapting your routine so piggies fit in with your life! Much better to commit to a regular routine that works for you and stays fun all round rather than letting the piggy time become a chore that you dont have time for- if you're a commited piggy person for the long term you have to find a balance with what you can realistically do every week for several years!
Click to expand...
I'm trying extended floor time today so I've turned the hallway into a piggy room for the afternoon. I've removed a section from the spare cage so they can run in and out.16228976603503961309838605462826.webp20210605_134943.webp
 
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