Floor time

[Hope4gem]

My pair Sandy and Penny have a large L-shaped cage (C&C). It is 5X2 grids on one side of the L and 4X2 grids on the other side of the L. I have a large cage for them because until very recently I didn't have a piggy safe area for floor time. This Summer I've had off from work and one of the things I did was to make a piggy safe area for them. I have a door grid with a ramp for them to walk over the coro wall and then they can go in and out of the piggy safe floor area while I'm watching them. This additional area provides them with a space for floor time which is about as large as their cage. The problem is that they don't seem interested. I thought they were scared of my hardwood floors because their feet slip around (they won't walk on bare coro either) so I put down piggy safe puppy pads, hidies, tunnels, etc. They will play for a few minutes but then go right back into their cage. I tried switching out their hidies and adding in some new things. They still don't seem interested. Any ideas on why they are not really interested? I think it's possible they may need more time to get used to it, but it has been two weeks now. Wherever they prefer to be is fine with me. I was just hoping to provide them with a little variety.

 

[Siikibam]

It may be they just don’t want to be out of the cage. They may feel they have enough space to wander around. Are there lots of hiding places for them in the run area, so they’re not too exposed?

 

[Black piggies]

Sandy and Penny have a great size cage already. What age are they again? I find age makes a difference, as well as personal piggy preference. When I did bonding recently in a huge pen, young Bertie was flying round loving the space, while 5 year old Shadow was moping and staring straight at me, once the bond was sorted, saying she'd more than had enough of being out her cage.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Does your floor time area have big piles of hay and treat veg? My piggies get compulsary floor time in a playpen for 2 or 3 hours twice a week while I do the cage cleans, but my older ladies take exercise time to mean "lets sit in an Amazon box with little doors cut in the sides, lined with newspaper and filled with hay and a sprinkle of porridge oats and some bitesize treat veg"
They enjoy a change of scene, but much in the same way you might take an elderly relative to the park or seaside and they sit in a cafe with a different view while the youngsters dash about the place!

 

[Hope4gem]

It may be they just don’t want to be out of the cage. They may feel they have enough space to wander around. Are there lots of hiding places for them in the run area, so they’re not too exposed?

There are lots of hidies and I usually include a tunnel too. I think you might be right. They might be content with the space they have already. I didn't think of that.

Sandy and Penny have a great size cage already. What age are they again? I find age makes a difference, as well as personal piggy preference. When I did bonding recently in a huge pen, young Bertie was flying round loving the space, while 5 year old Shadow was moping and staring straight at me, once the bond was sorted, saying she'd more than had enough of being out her cage.

Sandy and Penny are about a year old now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.

Does your floor time area have big piles of hay and treat veg? My piggies get compulsary floor time in a playpen for 2 or 3 hours twice a week while I do the cage cleans, but my older ladies take exercise time to mean "lets sit in an Amazon box with little doors cut in the sides, lined with newspaper and filled with hay and a sprinkle of porridge oats and some bitesize treat veg"
They enjoy a change of scene, but much in the same way you might take an elderly relative to the park or seaside and they sit in a cafe with a different view while the youngsters dash about the place!

I'll definitely consider adding a pile of hay as well. They always have big piles of hay in their kitchen/litter areas, but I could make a pile in the run too. Thanks for the idea!