Floor/lap time

[Tytheguineapig]

So we got a baby guinea pig about 3 to 4 weeks ago and we've tried to take her out the cage for lap time but once she was on my lap she made a desperate bid to escape. I have heard that people with hamsters often do their floor times in a bathtub so I was wondering would that work for my piggies since they can't escape?
Thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

A bath isn’t a very big area for exercising. You want an exercise space which meets cage size requirements (which is an absolute minimum of 120cm x 60cm for two sows) and ideally is bigger than their normal cage to give them the exercise time they need

 

[Tytheguineapig]

What

A bath isn’t a very big area for exercising. You want an exercise space which meets cage size requirements (which is an absolute minimum of 120cm x 60cm for two sows) and ideally is bigger than their normal cage to give them the exercise time they need

What about laptime? I have a playpen for floor time that was going to use.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If your piggy doesn’t like laptime and tries to escape then you would be better to just do floor time and interact with them when they are in the playpen, or if it’s big enough, sit in the playpen with them. A lot of piggies will never like lap time.

 

[Tytheguineapig]

If your piggy doesn’t like laptime and tries to escape then you would be better to just do floor time and interact with them when they are in the playpen, or if it’s big enough, sit in the playpen with them. A lot of piggies will never like lap time.

Ok

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Is your baby a single or does it have a same sex friend?

Please read this link here to understand how things look from your little piggy's view:
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

Make sure that your piggy has got familiar smelling stuff in the exercise area; otherwise it is just yet more scary potentially dangerous territory that doesn't smell of piggies and that make it feel even more lost and alone.

Companionship
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips

 

[CMaz13]

Some piggies just don’t like being held or laptime. A little here and there will help and always having food at laptime has helped me.
It’ll take her weeks if not months before they are settled and even then they just might not be in the mood. I agree that runtime will help. I’ll sit crossed legged in the run and put some food on my thigh so Tyrion will crawl on me to get the food and sit on me to eat. He laps up the stroking unless he’s in a mood. All piggies are different. Tyrion lets me stroke him loads and is confident being on my lap and moving around on me but he hates just being held and made to stay in one place as he’s so confident and just wants to explore! Jon Snow doesnt mind being held and today I kind of swaddled him in a soft blanket and I think he secretly enjoyed it....but he’s much less confident approaching me/crawling on me and letting me stroke him in the cage or run!
Def try and bond some more with runtime and then build up to the laptime. All the best x

 

[PoppyFloss]

Some piggies just don’t like being held or laptime. A little here and there will help and always having food at laptime has helped me.
It’ll take her weeks if not months before they are settled and even then they just might not be in the mood. I agree that runtime will help. I’ll sit crossed legged in the run and put some food on my thigh so Tyrion will crawl on me to get the food and sit on me to eat. He laps up the stroking unless he’s in a mood. All piggies are different. Tyrion lets me stroke him loads and is confident being on my lap and moving around on me but he hates just being held and made to stay in one place as he’s so confident and just wants to explore! Jon Snow doesnt mind being held and today I kind of swaddled him in a soft blanket and I think he secretly enjoyed it....but he’s much less confident approaching me/crawling on me and letting me stroke him in the cage or run!
Def try and bond some more with runtime and then build up to the laptime. All the best x

I don’t take my piggies out of their cage for lap time, they just come out onto my lap. I also do ‘hand time’ which is the same thing but with my hand. Flossy now climbs up onto my hand when I need to pick them up and Poppy doesn’t mind me stroking her in the cage.
All guinea pigs are different, some will HATE handling but some will put up with it .