Free Range Piggies!

[Jessi88]

I'm curious what your thoughts are on free range indoor piggies and letting them roam throughout the home as they please. I would guinea pig proof the home - cover up outlets, make sure electrical cords are out of reach, make sure the floor is clean, etc. And they would have a 2' x 6' cage as their home base (for 2 pigs).

And also it's not good for guinea pigs to walk on wood or tile floors right? They should have carpet so their toes don't spread apart as they walk? I read that somewhere a long time ago and want to make sure that's true.

So please let me know your thoughts and if you have any free range pigs, please let me know any tips and tricks. Thanks!

 

[superka]

I think it would be best to have a room for them. and even then only when you're supervising them/home have them free roam the room. other wise keep them in their cage. the cage you're getting is more then big enough. if you want make it a bit wider... a whole room to them selves is more then enough room for a little guinea pig. you would also be constantly looking under things and finding tiny little poops. also on that note if you're area has rodents always gotta watch for them coming in contact with rodent droppings. they also like hiding under things making it easy to step on/sit/kick them by accident. just opening a door you might hit one. or the door closing on one. many accident could happen. a single room is safe and small enough that that even with their poor eye sight can see everything that's theirs and they use.. you'll notice with most rodents if put in the middle of large room will run one way to a wall and follow that wall. its because they really can't see anything more then 5 feet from them.

 

[piggieminder]

Mine have free roam time when I'm home to supervise, most love it in one way or another one hates it. My boars who have C&C cages on the floor have doors that open so they can come and go as they please. I have single boars living side by side so they have to take turns. We have a wooden floor in our living room, some are fine walking on it some aren't. I have a 6 x 3 ft fleece (big a cage liner) I put down so they don't have to walk on the floor if they don't want to. All our electrics are on one side of the room so they are blocked off with a run of spare grids. I have a puppy pad and pee mat under their favourite cupboard where they like to sit. Caspy is the biggest fan of free roaming, he sits by his door in the evening asking to come out. Caspy runs around on the wood floor and visits the other piggies. We love it when he trots from the living room into the kitchen and the tone of the clicks of his nails on the floor changes. None of the other's venture into the kitchen. I don't let them out until we sit down for the evening and we can be aware at all times where they are. One of my boars who is in a cage on a table hates the floor, he has a C&C run on the fleece in the kitchen, he is scared of the floor cage piggies and won't come out of his house if he can see them.
I used to have some off cut carpet I put as a trail round the room so they didn't have to walk on the floor, it eventually got messy with pee and I threw it out, that worked very well. Tunnels and boxes scattered around are welcome hidey holes and enrichment.