Floor time

Tommywing5b7

Tommywing5b7

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello all,

I think I might have made a bit of an oversight. We've had the girls now 6 weeks and they're all happy and healthy. But aside from a couple of short breaks in the garden I've not really done any floor time for them.

I was reading elsewhere yesterday that you should do this three times a week! Obviously I handle them a lot and give them plenty of love but was this a bit of glaring error on my part?

😬
 
It depends on cage size really, its less necessary if you have a big set-up, but still nice to add some variety to their piggy lives!
Our piggies all get 3-4 hours of floor time twice a week on cage clean days. We have Bunny Business rabbit playpens we set up for them indoors, with plastic mats then newspaper on the floor, and different hideys and cardboard boxes and things to play with, and a big pile of hay in the middle with scatter fed veg.
Some people let their piggies free roam on the floor if they have a safe closed off area with no trailing wires or places they could get stuck, but I like to keep mine contained as our house is quite open plan (and too cluttered) for free roaming!
 
Don't panic or feel guilty. In the winter mine are confined to the hutch during the coldest months as they are outside piggies and they are fine. As soon as the weather outside starts to warm up I bring them inside then when it's a decent temperature they all get to play outside. :) Today all 5 of them have had 2 hours on the grass in 2 separate runs. Now 2 are back in the hutch for a bit and the other 3 are on the patio. This afternoon the 3 on the patio will go back in the hutch and the 2 in the hutch will go out on the patio. Life was so much easier before Christian decided he didn't want to play with Dennis anymore!
 
Betsy said:
Don't panic or feel guilty. In the winter mine are confined to the hutch during the coldest months as they are outside piggies and they are fine. As soon as the weather outside starts to warm up I bring them inside then when it's a decent temperature they all get to play outside. :) Today all 5 of them have had 2 hours on the grass in 2 separate runs. Now 2 are back in the hutch for a bit and the other 3 are on the patio. This afternoon the 3 on the patio will go back in the hutch and the 2 in the hutch will go out on the patio. Life was so much easier before Christian decided he didn't want to play with Dennis anymore!
Click to expand...
Ah thanks Betsy that has made me feel better. I was worried I had neglected them!
 
PigglePuggle said:
It depends on cage size really, its less necessary if you have a big set-up, but still nice to add some variety to their piggy lives!
Our piggies all get 3-4 hours of floor time twice a week on cage clean days. We have Bunny Business rabbit playpens we set up for them indoors, with plastic mats then newspaper on the floor, and different hideys and cardboard boxes and things to play with, and a big pile of hay in the middle with scatter fed veg.
Some people let their piggies free roam on the floor if they have a safe closed off area with no trailing wires or places they could get stuck, but I like to keep mine contained as our house is quite open plan (and too cluttered) for free roaming!
Click to expand...

Their cage is big (160) and they're pretty busy and Happy but I'll definitely be doing some floor time later anyway!
 
PigglePuggle said:
It depends on cage size really, its less necessary if you have a big set-up, but still nice to add some variety to their piggy lives!
Our piggies all get 3-4 hours of floor time twice a week on cage clean days. We have Bunny Business rabbit playpens we set up for them indoors, with plastic mats then newspaper on the floor, and different hideys and cardboard boxes and things to play with, and a big pile of hay in the middle with scatter fed veg.
Some people let their piggies free roam on the floor if they have a safe closed off area with no trailing wires or places they could get stuck, but I like to keep mine contained as our house is quite open plan (and too cluttered) for free roaming!
Click to expand...

The hallway is all contained and wipe clean with no wires or anything. I'm going to try them there next chance I get. Thanks for the tips there.

Excuse the bars but how can this be comfortable
?
 

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Tommywing5b7 said:
Their cage is big (160) and they're pretty busy and Happy but I'll definitely be doing some floor time later anyway!
Click to expand...

Here are some enrichment tips for floor time. Please make sure that you do not let your piggies free roam in rented accommodation where they can damage carpets, cables or wallpaper. In this case, a puppy run or a rabbit run with a plastic underlay is strongly recommended.

Once your girls have settled in, they will enjoy the change of scenery and the opportunity to let rip!
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
 
My girls are free roamers in a limited part of our downstairs.
They get this freedom any day that I have time to sit with them.
They are very good at putting themselves back in the cage - encouraged by a bowl of veggies

Your girls are beautiful
 
Merab's Slave said:
My girls are free roamers in a limited part of our downstairs.
They get this freedom any day that I have time to sit with them.
They are very good at putting themselves back in the cage - encouraged by a bowl of veggies

Your girls are beautiful
Click to expand...

We love them very much 🥰
 
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