Floor Time? How? What?

[MooseandBear]

Hello, everybody!
I just got some guinea pigs, Moose and Bear, a few days ago (four), and I am trying to figure out how to do floor time... I don't want to scare them! They have already begun eating out of my hands, so I don't want to scare them off... but I do know that floor time is necessary. Do you guys have any idea how I should incorporate floor time into their schedule? And how should I make it less scary? Any activities I should have out?
Thank you guys! I really hope you can help!

 

[CarnivalPiggy]

One good thing is to provide quite a few houses/hidies. Having security can encourage them to come out of the houses on their own terms

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Perhaps try in a smaller area perhaps cornered off with some grids or something. Put in their favourite tube or whatever they interact with in their cage and food! A pile of salad in the centre will definitely make the adventure much better. My boar Mo just sat by my side the first few times and buried into me but now he happily plods along and popcorns like crazy.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, everybody!
I just got some guinea pigs, Moose and Bear, a few days ago (four), and I am trying to figure out how to do floor time... I don't want to scare them! They have already begun eating out of my hands, so I don't want to scare them off... but I do know that floor time is necessary. Do you guys have any idea how I should incorporate floor time into their schedule? And how should I make it less scary? Any activities I should have out?
Thank you guys! I really hope you can help!

Get a couple of cheap children's stools and use a soiled fleece with their scent marks on it for the underlay at first. This signals that is their territory. The stools give them the security to explore the new space from a safe basis. Place them about a foot apart.
Dot the area with tunnels etc. so they can dash from safe space to safe space during the first few times until they are more confident. if necessary, peg a blanket or fleece over the top of the indoors run. Piggies feel very exposed in open spaces they have not yet categorised as "safe".

You can sprinkle a few pellets, fresh grass or a bit of readigrass or their favourite veg around to encourage exploration, but don't be disappointed if it takes a few trips until they start popcorning and zooming around. Transport is easiest with a tunnel or box and is if you turn this into a ritual. My piggies all learn what "walkie walkie" means. If the journey goes out on the lawn it is "walkie grass grass grass"! "Walkie home" means that they go back to the cage. Each call has its own melody and cadence, as that is what piggies are listening to.
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

 

[MooseandBear]

Ok... Thank you! I will try it!

 

[MichelleM]

I bought a little critter playpen on Amazom for about ten US. dollars. It's easy to fold up and put away, and I just lay down a towel to avoid messes on the carpet.

My piggies don't like being picked up, so I made a little pig portal out of a tissue box and another small cardboard box. They've learned to crawl right in with minimal fuss. I just pick it up with my hand over the opening and let them out in the playpen.

 

[Guineapigfeet]

Mine have free roam floor time in the dining room at weekends, though they're currently being very lazy and haven't come out of their pen since I opened it up about 30 mins ago!

 

[PoptartShop]

I bought a little critter playpen on Amazom for about ten US. dollars. It's easy to fold up and put away, and I just lay down a towel to avoid messes on the carpet.

My piggies don't like being picked up, so I made a little pig portal out of a tissue box and another small cardboard box. They've learned to crawl right in with minimal fuss. I just pick it up with my hand over the opening and let them out in the playpen.

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I have the SAME playpen! Mine love it!
I put little hideaways, some 'crinkly' tubes, some hay etc. in when I do floortime.

 

[MichelleM]

Where do you buy tubes from? My boys are starting to burrow under the fleece and I'd like to give them something that doesn't mess up their cage so much :p

 

[Guineapigfeet]

A large chain pet store called Pets at Home sell them here, as well as other smaller shops and I think you can get them on Amazon too.

One of them is a carpet inner tube sawn up!