Floortime?

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Pigmad

Pigmad

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Just wanted to ask if any of you guys gave your guinea pigs floortime? if so how long do you let them have?

I'm going to be at home a bit more frequently now so i've decided to give it a try with my 2 girls tonight. I've put a big fleece down on the lounge/diner floor and i bought home a few boxes from work, turned them upside down and cut holes in the sides for them to hide in, and ive given them some hay to play with/eat. Now Rose has done the rounds to make sure nothing is going to come and steal her hay :))rolleyes she seems to have settled down to stuff her face, wandering off every now and then, but Martha seems to be a little stressed, hiding in the box and chewing it :{

Do you guys have any tips/ideas? i'm going to pets at home tomorrow to have a look at what they've got
 
I let my boys out daily for floortime and they are out for at least 3 hours, sometimes longer if I'm home with them.

I fill primark bags with hay and hide veg around, that way it may encourage them to explore more, also i have a tunnel and a tent that i got from p@h and they love zooming through the tunnel or chilling in the tent. :)

I'm sure your one girl will get used to floortime as at first a large space can be scary but I'm sure once you introduce veg/tunnels etc she will become more relaxed and with time she will follow the other piggy and go off exploring.

I also cut some grass and pick some dandelions and put that around the floor again to encourage the move about and explore, they do like to chill out and have a sleep too.

Have fun shopping at p@h. :)
 
I also put a plate of veggies out at floor time or sometime spread them around to encourage exploring.

Willow is not really one for racing around either - she occasionally will, but much prefers to just chill out in an upturned box or pigloo. She's not afraid of big spaces (she was the first to discover the kitchen :)) ) she just prefers life at a quiet pace!
 
Cardboard hideys and tunnels are great. A big pile of hay on some layers of newspaper is always a favourite. I chop up small pieces of cucumber and sprigs of parsely and hide/ scatter them. I lay on the floor next to the fleece and the girls potter around eating and popcorning. They come up to my face and have a good sniff and run up and down beside my body in a piggy train. I'll stay there for 20 minutes or so then leave them to it for another half an hour. I can tell when they've had enough because they line up nearest the door to come back to the living room (floortime is currently in the hall). But I'm piggy proofing the living room now so that when I'm in I can open the c & c and let them come and go as they please. :)
 
My piggies are roaming the living room during the day - once you have seen how much fun they are having (and you are having by watching them!), there's usually no way back...

It might take a couple of times for them to get used to the new surrounding and to pluck up the courage. A plate of food will go a long way!

Cardboard and soap boxes are a good place to start, as are paper bags from Primark! Toys do not need to be expensive to be fun.
 
Thanks for the advice :) I will give the hiding the veg thing a go, should be fun to watch :))


I have a feeling i'm going to come home with rather alot tomorrow, and they will be even more spoilt than they already are rolleyes :))


Will let you know how i get on!
 
the boys tried out their new run today! only a 125 cm diameter metal playpen/ run but theyre only 6 weeks ish so it seemed big enough.

they loved it, i took your advice boxes, tunnels, hay bags you name it they had it and they REALLY LOVED it!

Spent about 2 hours popcorning and exploring, certainly made us giggle watching them lol

Donna x
 
I collect wine boxes from the supermarket (even though I don't drink) then I fill then with different hays, veggies and food. Then I close the box using that foldy method and pop it into their shed. They go wild and it give them hours of entertainment!
 
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