Floor time and cuddle time

[dyonataly]

Hi all!

I have had my guinea pigs now for 4 months now.

What I do with regards to floor time and cuddle time is:

Floor time of 2-3 hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Saturday if I am free)

Cuddle time - short cuddle time when picking them up after floor time to bring them back to their enclosure and longer cuddle time Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I have always wondered - is this sufficient? X

Thank you so much.

 

[dyonataly]

Hi all!

I have had my guinea pigs now for 4 months now.

What I do with regards to floor time and cuddle time is:

Floor time of 2-3 hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Saturday if I am free)

Cuddle time - short cuddle time when picking them up after floor time to bring them back to their enclosure and longer cuddle time Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I have always wondered - is this sufficient? X

Thank you so much.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s about finding and doing what works for you and for them!

Everybody’s situation is going to be different - some people can do floor time once a week; some can do it a lot; some piggies don’t like floor time at all so providing a big cage with lots of mental stimulation in the cage is a better form of ‘exercise’

Cuddle time, usually, is rather for the humans instead of the piggies!
Mine hate being held so I don’t do any cuddle time at all - there is simply no point as it isnt something they want or enjoy (handling is purely for the health and weight checks).
Also as they live in my shed, they can only get on the lawn during summer so in winter they don’t get out of their cages much at all so I do lots of mental stimulation instead.

 

[dyonataly]

Thank you so much. Sometimes I just wonder if I do enough for them. I do try to give them as much stimulation as well when they're in their enclosure.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You definitely sound like you do enough! Remember the best form of enrichment is the piggies having each other!

 

[Betsy]

My piggies are in the garage and live in The Penthouse Suite of Betsy Towers. (Double decker Chartwell Hutch). They have cuddles, combs and coriander every morning and then go in the run every day and go back in the hutch at night. As @Piggies&buns has already stated, what works for you and your piggies is the right thing to do.

 

[Merab]

Mine don’t like being out of their cage and they really don’t like cuddles.
They have a large enough cage, plenty of enrichment and the only time they get cuddles is when I do health checks.
They can make this a bit challenging!

Being rescues and having had a rotten start I just let them set the pace.

 

[dyonataly]

Thank you so much. I feel like it's been such a roller coaster since having them (no complaints tho) atm also I think my 2 boars are having hormonal changes (they are around 9 months old I believe) and one of them (Dobby) has been rumbling and rumbling all day, sometimes chasing Kreacher. I am just here crossing my fingers and hoping that it won't escalate from there. Phew. Sorry for the ramble. I am just so obsessed with my piggies I don't know how I ever lived without them!

 

[dyonataly]

Mine don’t like being out of their cage and they really don’t like cuddles.
They have a large enough cage, plenty of enrichment and the only time they get cuddles is when I do health checks.
They can make this a bit challenging!

Being rescues and having had a rotten start I just let them set the pace.

Thank you, when I got my piggies I was not sure about their history. I went to the rescue centre, had one look at them and adopted them straight away, lovely as the people in rescue centre were I was not convinced it was the right place for them. It was only when we got home that I wondered about their history!

Anyway no regrets as I would not have been able to sleep after seeing them. I knew I had to take them home the moment I saw them.

 

[dyonataly]

My piggies are in the garage and live in The Penthouse Suite of Betsy Towers. (Double decker Chartwell Hutch). They have cuddles, combs and coriander every morning and then go in the run every day and go back in the hutch at night. As @Piggies&buns has already stated, what works for you and your piggies is the right thing to do.

Thank you

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you so much. I feel like it's been such a roller coaster since having them (no complaints tho) atm also I think my 2 boars are having hormonal changes (they are around 9 months old I believe) and one of them (Dobby) has been rumbling and rumbling all day, sometimes chasing Kreacher. I am just here crossing my fingers and hoping that it won't escalate from there. Phew. Sorry for the ramble. I am just so obsessed with my piggies I don't know how I ever lived without them!

There is a hormone spike at 9-10 months but it is much rarer for it to be a bond breaker the way the 4-6 month spike can be.

Do all the usual things ie make sure they have plenty of resources, scatter feed veg and pellets in hay and avoid doing total cage cleans (clean part of the cage at a time so you don’t ever totally remove all scent)

 

[fluffysal]

Thank you so much. I feel like it's been such a roller coaster since having them (no complaints tho) atm also I think my 2 boars are having hormonal changes (they are around 9 months old I believe) and one of them (Dobby) has been rumbling and rumbling all day, sometimes chasing Kreacher. I am just here crossing my fingers and hoping that it won't escalate from there. Phew. Sorry for the ramble. I am just so obsessed with my piggies I don't know how I ever lived without them!

Don't apologise for the ramble, you are among people who understand exactly.
My boys did eventually have to become neighboars, they still interact a lot. I often find them "twinning" where they are sleeping in the same positions, doing exactly the same thing etc.

 

[dyonataly]

Don't apologise for the ramble, you are among people who understand exactly.
My boys did eventually have to become neighboars, they still interact a lot. I often find them "twinning" where they are sleeping in the same positions, doing exactly the same thing etc.View attachment 271119

Aw they are so cute. Even after getting my piggies I still visit rescues sometimes just to see other piggies. I am just obsessed lol.

 

[dyonataly]

There is a hormone spike at 9-10 months but it is much rarer for it to be a bond breaker the way the 4-6 month spike can be.

Do all the usual things ie make sure they have plenty of resources, scatter feed veg and pellets in hay and avoid doing total cage cleans (clean part of the cage at a time so you don’t ever totally remove all scent)

Thank you so much. Fingers crossed!