Should They Be Running Around More?

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rachsan

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
33
Reaction score
9
Points
75
Every time I put my guinea pigs in their large run they end up spending their time in the igloo. Is this normal or should they be running around more? I usually put them in their run around lunchtime for a few hours.
 
Adult piggies can become rather lazy... I have groups where all they do is find a new flopping place during roaming time! Yours have plenty of time to be active if they wish to, so don't worry!
 
Totally normal :) Our first two piggies did nothing but sit in houses in run time. Cookie and Treacy were more active and now Cookie, Sasspy and Widge are very active in run times but Vimto likes to flop... It's different strokes for different folks. Some piggies are more sedentary than others
 
Ours are various ages from 2 to 5 and they range from completely flopped to racing round the cage. Like my moms cats, two brothers, one sleeps hours a day while the other is an active Tarantino fan boy spending most of the day looking for moving targets to kill, they are all different.
 
Depending on his mood, Caramel either runs around like a nutter or he hides the whole time. Doughnut mostly just hides.

It really helps to put tunnels, arches, etc. around the run so your piggy can feel safer while running around. It will help convince them to run and explore everywhere. :)
 
Phew, I was worried that something was wrong with them. They tend to do one lap of the run and then hide for the rest of the time. I am conscious that they need time to run around and today was a warm dry day so I thought I would give them time out of the hutch. After an hour and a half of being under their igloo I decided that they might as well go back into their hutch's igloo!
 
Once Doughnut spent 3 hours hiding in the run, not having moved out of his hidey even once, proved by the huge poo pile he left in his sitting spot...
 
I put in one igloo and two tunnels for them but they ran straight to the igloo and stayed there for the whole time!
 
Well, guinea pigs are a bit stupid and don't notice much in the run unless it's right in front of them! :)) Have you tried putting the tunnels right in front of the pigloo so they can easily run between the pigloo and the tunnels?
 
If I put Star, Ellie and Barley in the hall to run about they sit in the corner huddled together until I put them back in their cage and then they popcorn. Some pigs are just not keen on running about. The main herd don't need run time as they are practically free range and Tim and Sophie enjoy it when they can be bothered, though Tim would rather eat the wallpaper.
 
Mine all like to have a mad dash around sniffing out anything new or different and then flop down and snooze - ages range from 18months to 3 1/2 years
 
Mine are a bit like this, for the first twenty minutes they run and popcorn like crazy and they just flop or find the best tunnel to have a chew at.

Before i got Ginger pig out and he just fell asleep in his fleece tunnel while Skittles zoomed about around him... :P
 
My pip and fudge spend almost all day in their bedroom and at run time they sit in one box or tunnel together and don't budge. They are shy and jumpy still so I put it down to that as they have lots of fuss and things to keep them from boredom. My other two boys Alex and oreo love running about and popcorning at run time and spend most of the day in the low part of their hutch they like to watch the comings and goings so I think it's just how certain piggies are :)
 
Rachsan said:
Phew, I was worried that something was wrong with them. They tend to do one lap of the run and then hide for the rest of the time. I am conscious that they need time to run around and today was a warm dry day so I thought I would give them time out of the hutch. After an hour and a half of being under their igloo I decided that they might as well go back into their hutch's igloo!
Click to expand...
Is the hutch and run outside? If you are in the uk and this is the case then it may be too cold outside for them
 
How long have you been putting them outside for? If it is new to them, they will be scared of the new surroundings at first. If they have space to run about inside, they won't feel the need for exercise when outside.
I used to keep my piggies inside in small pens with not much space to run. Then when I put them out in their much bigger runs, they'd go bonkers and run around like crazy! Now my piggies have the space to run about all day inside, they don't bother when they are outside.
 
Yes Shaz_dubz they are outside but it is very warm here at the moment and they have a cover over the whole hutch. When I open it up to say hello to them the heat that comes out is huge. I think they like it when they get some fresh air as that's when they chat and run around. Their hutch is also large so they do run around inside that too. I wouldn't be able to provide such a large cage if they were inside. They have quite a good life I think!
 
If the hutch is really warm I would be worried about the change in temperature.It can make them ill
 
They will be fine, just as long as they are not really scared and you are giving them a chance, they should be good!
 
Obviously everyone has their opinions about where guinea pigs should be kept but I have done a lot of research and got advice from many experienced owners of guinea pigs so I am not worried about the temperature outside at the moment. I put my two guinea pigs in their run today and they ran around a lot more so maybe they are just getting used to it still?
 
Rachsan said:
Phew, I was worried that something was wrong with them. They tend to do one lap of the run and then hide for the rest of the time. I am conscious that they need time to run around and today was a warm dry day so I thought I would give them time out of the hutch. After an hour and a half of being under their igloo I decided that they might as well go back into their hutch's igloo!
Click to expand...

I have got two who are lazy and to younger ones who just run around. I put there food bowl and hay on the opposite side to the hide so they have a walk a little to get it, 9just so they keep moving)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top