changing 'room' around

[jamuk]

Is it ok to change the 'room' around in Sid's cage?

He currently has a hidey cottage but it is quite big and I was thinking I could change the furniture occasionally to give him different things to play with/hide in etc. He does like to sit in the cottage but i was thinking of getting a smaller type.
would this be ok? It wouldn't stress him out?

 

[bubble&squeak4ever]

Hello
Yes that would be totally fine! I'm sure he'd actually quite enjoyed the change because he'd get to explore it all!
I change my piggy's cage around each week to keep it exciting for her...

 

[twiams]

Changing around things is what piggies love!

No matter how big a cage is, it’s still a small area to live in all the time so you’ve got to imagine how they feel having things the same in that small area they live in (pretty boring). We’re lucky we can go out and see new things, but a guinea pigs world is his/her cage, so try to keep it new and exciting so they can feel as if they’re taking over a new world, new things to a piggy are really interesting, something more to sniff! Theres nothing scary about new toys just lots of fun to be had

You’ll find some things that your pigs really like and others not so much, but just because they like something doesn’t mean they should have it all the time, otherwise they’ll just get bored of it all together and not want to use it.

Mixing up my piggies cage is the only ‘fun’ part of cage cleaning haha, enjoy your piggy cage designing !

 

[jamuk]

brilliant! can't wait to re-decorate

 

[Hermes]

Changing around things is what piggies love! Theres nothing scary about new toys just lots of fun to be had

I would disagree with this to some extent, guinea pigs are naturally neophobic, therefore tend to be cautious of new things. This doesn't mean they are not curious and won't enjoy exploring new objects and I would very much recommend a regular rotation of new toys, tunnels and hideys but make sure you always retain some familiarity - don't change everything at once. Over time pigs will learn that exploring new objects can be rewarding and become less cautious of new things.

 

[twiams]

I would disagree with this to some extent, guinea pigs are naturally neophobic, therefore tend to be cautious of new things. This doesn't mean they are not curious and won't enjoy exploring new objects and I would very much recommend a regular rotation of new toys, tunnels and hideys but make sure you always retain some familiarity - don't change everything at once. Over time pigs will learn that exploring new objects can be rewarding and become less cautious of new things.

My piggies have never been cautious with anything even when they were little, if it was in their cage they were happy to explore and jump right into any hidey house, if it’s something new and their out having a run around on the floor their a bit more cautious and slower going towards it though, i guess every pig is different though and some may be more cautious than others

 

[bessiehen]

Ooh yes, my piggies love a change. I do a mix of old and new everytime I change the cage, and move everything around after each daily floor time, apart from theri hammocks and water bottles which stay where they like them.

 

[Hermes]

My piggies have never been cautious with anything even when they were little, if it was in their cage they were happy to explore and jump right into any hidey house, if it’s something new and their out having a run around on the floor their a bit more cautious and slower going towards it though, i guess every pig is different though and some may be more cautious than others

Yeah, there will be individual differences and also the fact that you've regularly introduced them to new things to explore since they were little means that they will have learnt that new things can be fun and are not scary, neophobia is more apparent with adult pigs that have not have a lot of new experiences. It's also why it's important to introduce young pigs to a wide range of foodstuffs because that way they'll be more likely to eat them and try other new foods as adults.

 

[madguinealady]

did start a new thread but not got any answers so will ask here . Is it okay to swap toys between cages or will this cause problems within the group. Have group of 4 and group of 2

 

[jenniferanneharris]

My piggies love having diffrent things in their cages. I think it depends on the personality of the piggies...but mune popcorn when things are moved/changed after cleaning :-)