Unable to Free Range....Bored Pigs? :(

Storm1974

Storm1974

Junior Guinea Pig
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We are really unable to free range our two boys in our small one bed bungalow as there is just too little available floor space that isn't covered with things that they can hide behind/chew etc. But I think they must be so fed up & bored, of being stuck in their cage 24/7 and feel quite awful for them as so many people say that pigs are very curious animals who love to explore and roam about, and we've also seen the YT videos of 'happy' piggies doing this! 😟
The only thing we can possibly do is put them in their outside (It's a bit too windy and there's a lot of noise around today as some scaffolding is being taken down, and the grass is nearly always too wet as well, to put them outside in it!) run, which isn't that large, inside our living room on the floor. But that's not really free ranging or exploring is it, although it would give them a break from their cage for a little bit, and probably make them appreciate their cage a lot more once they get put back in it, because the cage is larger than the run! ☺️

I'm not sure if they would really enjoy being down on the floor though, in the run.......😕
 
Hello sometimes even people that have space don’t let their piggies free range all the time - you can give them enrichment and play in other ways ….. sprinkle forage in their hay so they have to search for it, use paper bags/ cardboard boxes full of hay etc - they’ll be happy - as along as they are fed and watered and have different things to do they will be fine - it is too cold/wet to be outside in a run at this time
 
:agr: Completely

My four live in enclosures in my shed. As they are outdoor pigs, they only get run time in the summer months. For the winter they are in their enclosures 24/7 late autumn until late spring. (There used to be space for a playpen on the shed floor but when Wilbur and Hugo fell out and it went from two to three enclosures in the shed, the free space was obviously used up)
They are kept occupied through enrichment in their enclosures and companionship and interaction with each other.

For the time being mine are still getting plenty of lawn time as it is still warm and dry here.
 
I've had guinea pigs in the past who have loved to have some free roaming time. 3 of the 5 I have now do not liked it and have just hide under a cupboard until it's time to go home. I don't try these out at all now, they don't need it if the cages are big enough and much prefer enrichment in the cage.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
 
My 3 girls don’t come out for floor time as we have 3 cats. Instead, I put a fleece blanket on the settee and they come out and have a roam about there where I also do lap time. Sometimes they can be out for several hours.

They have each other for interaction and I provide enrichment in the cage x
 
Thanks for all your replies. It's all the 'different things to do' that I struggle with sometimes, and the fact that they are often wheeking when I walk past the cage, so I think they must either be hungry or bored (Or both) so I usually give them something small to eat. They have plenty of hay and I pick fresh grass quite frequently which I hang for them in a metal ball (High enough so it's not dangerous) from a string across their cage, so they have to pull all the grass out, which they really enjoy, but don't do a lot more than that, and they do have plenty of cardboard boxes, but only to sleep in really.

I can't wait until we get their HUGE new cage, so we can fit more things in there to try and keep them enriched more. Also, I know this is going to sound a bit funny & whacky to some of you ☺️😊, but they were born on the 4th June which makes them Geminis :lol:and being a Gemini myself, I know how quickly & easily Geminis get bored and fed up with monotony. I know it sounds silly, but I'm really into all that, so think animals must also have those traits lol. :roll:
 
They are neither bored nor hungry when they wheek as you walk past. What has happened is that they have totally trained and manipulated you into getting extra snacks!
The more you feed them as you walk by, the more they’re going to demand it
 
Piggies&buns said:
They are neither bored nor hungry when they wheek as you walk past. What has happened is that they have totally trained and manipulated you into getting extra snacks!
The more you feed them as you walk by, the more they’re going to demand it
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Yes you are most likely right, I am just too much of a soft touch, but I know it will be to their detriment, so I will try really hard not to give them too many treats, or if I do, it will just be teeny tiny amounts, or grass. :tu:
 
If they've got each other and a pile of hay, they aren't bored. If you want to really give them a thrill, give them a cardboard box, a paper bag or a sheet of tissue paper. The thrills! They say "happy as a pig in muck" but it should really be "happy as a guinea pig in crinkly paper".
 
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