Piggie nature

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Bullseye

there is nothing i would like more than to let my piggies run free around the garden but i worry they will make a bolt for freedom

after sing a video on here of some indoor piggies playing i started to think

do guinea pigs stay close to their home?

or is it in their nature to run away
 
with my girls...Inside only...(I've only had them a short time) They of course Run for the hills!....but within a few seconds....they are screaming....Mommy? Mommy? and come running back to me. Oh and if they get separated.....whoah! the screaming they let out is "Oh crap....Molly...where are you come back....I cant see you Molly?!?"
I dont think i could let them out in a yard...too scarry:...:...
 
it would depend on the pig.
i had a girl who would sit perfectly happily in the middle of my lawn, never bolted and never spooked at anything.
then again i know a couple of mine that i have now would probably bolt as soon as i put them down, and i'd never see them again =]
if they're relatively solid you could try putting them in a carrybox on your lawn, and they might use this to run into if they get scared of anything. you could also keep them away from flowerbeds or bushes by herding them with your hands if your group is relatively small.
however you would have to decide how safe you think this would be in regards to how well you know your pigs and how happy they are being outside of their hutch or cage.
 
I used to let some of my single boars free-range (one at a time!) in the garden, they would visit the other pigs in the runs and often just sit and chat to them - they would not however put themselves back to bed! They got harder and harder to catch because they were having such a lovely time, that I had to stop in the end.

I guess they have territory and if allowed to live like it, they would have regular spaces. Some people do have free-range pigs but I'd worry to much about predators, esp. birds of prey

Sophie
x
 
last night i wanted to give Bridge a really good run around so put him in the play frame its a good 4 foot square withe a foot high border and having been told piggies dont jump

guess what

Bridge made a break for it

when i went to get him he was happy to be picked up which is what started me thinking

i would not leave them out to roam - too many red kites and buzzards around here.

back to plan a - C&C run
 
If they have a firm base and a solid relationship, they will explore from there and return there frequently while charting a new territory. They will only run away if spooked.

In the wild, guinea pigs have a fairly wide territory which they roam constantly. That's why they don't build sets themselves and have well developed babies that can keep up with the group.

I wouldn't recommend you to try it out in an open garden, though! Mine is enclosed, and previous piggies have ever so much enjoyed roaming freely - but only after they were well bonded and settled, and I had established a method for returning that didn't involve picking up a piggy physically, as they can give you a merry chase if they are not in the mood to come back! And only if I was around to keep an eye out for the neighbourhood cat and raptors!
 
Haven't read replys as busy feeding piggys but don't forget about birds from above. I wouldn't chance it they need a secure run. :)
 
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