Floor time or not.. ?

[Sophie76]

Hello!

I have had my two Guinea pig boys for three weeks. They are about 9 weeks old.
They are still quite nervous but i have started handeling them more often since i know i need to check them and soon cut their nails..

I have also tried to give them Floor time since they sometimes popcorn in their cage so much i think they will hurt themselves :-) think they would like the extra space..

The thing is they dont move during floortime at all. They run to a hidey and sits there the whole time. Scared ... :-( I cant decide if i should give them floortime more often so they get used to i or let them be in their cage.. Feel sorry for them being afraid.

An ideas?

BR

 

[Betsy]

Three weeks is not a long time for new piggies. Pleased they seem to be settling in to their cage. Floortime (if you are a piggie) is a big scary place where there is a possibility of getting eaten if you are a prey animal. You could try adding a couple of hideys not far from each other so they can run from one to another. Piggies tend to follow scent spores so that they know they have been there before and it's safe. I started mine of with floortime with an old blanket and lots of hideys. Everytime I got them out I would put the hideys in a different place until they had been all over the blanket leaving their smell. Then gradually they were brave enough to come out of hiding and wander around on the blanket. Then suddenly one day one of them went "off blanket" and then there was no stopping them.

 

[Eviolus-]

Hello!

I have had my two Guinea pig boys for three weeks. They are about 9 weeks old.
They are still quite nervous but i have started handeling them more often since i know i need to check them and soon cut their nails..

I have also tried to give them Floor time since they sometimes popcorn in their cage so much i think they will hurt themselves :-) think they would like the extra space..

The thing is they dont move during floortime at all. They run to a hidey and sits there the whole time. Scared ... :-( I cant decide if i should give them floortime more often so they get used to i or let them be in their cage.. Feel sorry for them being afraid.

An ideas?

BR

Try putting things with their scents out during floor time, they might just be confused and scared because it's new do introduce it slowly

 

[Wiebke]

Hello!

I have had my two Guinea pig boys for three weeks. They are about 9 weeks old.
They are still quite nervous but i have started handeling them more often since i know i need to check them and soon cut their nails..

I have also tried to give them Floor time since they sometimes popcorn in their cage so much i think they will hurt themselves :-) think they would like the extra space..

The thing is they dont move during floortime at all. They run to a hidey and sits there the whole time. Scared ... :-( I cant decide if i should give them floortime more often so they get used to i or let them be in their cage.. Feel sorry for them being afraid.

An ideas?

BR

"Practice makes the master" - put all sorts of tunnels, cardboars hideys etc. in the cage for your piggies to explore and scent mark.
Then sprinkle around the floor about a foot from any other hidey to encourage your piggies to use them as a basis for further exploration.
Sprinkle pellets or tiny bits of their favourite pellets around to entice them further.
Cheap children's stools and side tables etc. also make good covers to explore from further.

Also place a fleece bedspread or old sheet in the case that you can then spread on the floor to mark the area as theor territory. Piggies go where piggies have been before and have scent marked the paths and spaces.

Be patient and persist.

Please be aware that piggies are instinctively wary of open spaces they are not familiar with; it is where they are most exposed to predators. Giving them cover and 'safe spaces to explore from and to get their bearings is important.

 

[Darcey15]

My older boars used to love exploring the front room & kitchen (I just blocked under the sofa) and conveniently poo'd on kitchen paper I put under the table (dont know how that happened but it did) but my youngest piggie does the same as yours- sits rather startled under the dining table & doesnt move. It must be a bit disconcerting being so small in a big room so i think its just a familiarity thing & confidence which likely comes with age. Like other people have mentioned, some familiar hideys or smells might help & I'm sure in time they'll be darting around in no time.

 

[SqueakersNYC]

My two piggies seem to really hate playpen time and just stay in their hidies so we don’t do it every day now...

 

[amber89]

I have introduced the play pen around 3 weeks after I have gotten my piggies. It had tunnels on 3 sides and was additionally covered with old towels. At the beginning my piggies didn't even want to get out of their cage so I let them have access to it 24/7 to get used to it and explore it on their own accord. After 2 days they went outside.

Now, after 5 months the play pen is still 24/7 available. The feedings take always place in the play pen and they love running around it.

 

[SqueakersNYC]

Would love to give my piggies 24/7 access but their enclosure is on a stand so a bit tricky.

 

[Sophie76]

Thank you all for the replies! I put out a lot (!) of tunnels now in the pen and today they explored quite a bit and seemed exited for a while :-) Very fun for me to see them :-) They run from tunnel to tunnel :-)

 

[artcasper]

Thank you all for the replies! I put out a lot (!) of tunnels now in the pen and today they explored quite a bit and seemed exited for a while :-) Very fun for me to see them :-) They run from tunnel to tunnel :-)

I cover part of my run with a fleece blanket - over the top - so they feel safe being out in the open...