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All of us wish to present our guinea pigs with the very best care potential, however there’s a variety of conflicting recommendation on the market! You may need a variety of questions on flooring time particularly.
Establishing an area for flooring time requires an area as giant or bigger than their cage. Use C&C grids or different limitations to dam off unsafe areas and darkish areas the place piggies could also be tempted to potty. Line the ground with a water-resistant liner and supply a contemporary pile of hay and loads of hides and tunnels.
On this article, we’ll go in-depth on methods to arrange flooring time for guinea pigs, and offer you some concepts on methods to forestall them from peeing on the ground and going the place they shouldn’t. I’ll additionally speak about methods to present enrichment in your piggies whereas they’re out of the cage.
Tips on how to Have Ground Time With Guinea Pigs
Ground time for guinea pigs is fairly easy. The 2 most important issues to account for are guinea-proofing the area and maintaining issues tidy.
![Tips on how to Present a Protected & Enjoyable Expertise 1 Guinea pig eating vegetable](https://www.animallama.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Guinea-pig-enjoying-food.jpg)
Right here’s a step-by-step information on methods to arrange flooring time in your piggies.
Select a House
Will you employ a playpen, make a barrier out of C&C grids, or let your piggy free roam a room or the home? All are nice choices when completed proper.
Guinea-Pig Proof the House
Subsequent, you want the area to be protected. That is fairly simple for small areas, however will get harder if you wish to let your piggies free-roam on the ground.
Decide up choking hazards, tuck electrical cords out of attain, and ensure there’s nothing on the ground that they may chew. Use limitations to cease your piggies from climbing beneath furnishings or going wherever unsafe, akin to close to the steps.
Additionally block off something your piggy can injury, akin to furnishings legs and baseboards.
Take away Different Pets From the Space
Guinea pigs shouldn’t be allowed to work together with different pets like canine and cats, as they’re predator animals. Even essentially the most docile canine or cat can shock you, and plenty of canine or cats who’ve been positive round guineas earlier than have gone on to kill them. It’s merely not well worth the danger.
Rabbits, although they aren’t prey animals, may also severely injure guinea pigs. They’re additionally asymptomatic carriers for Bordetella, which might kill a guinea pig in the event that they catch it. Canines and cats may also unfold Bordetella to piggies.
Defend Your Flooring
There are a number of methods to guard your flooring from guinea pig pee. Use waterproof liners coated with fleece for small areas. Bigger areas could be coated with giant tarps and fleece, or you possibly can select to belief your piggies to potty in sure spots. This typically works when you present pee pads across the hay and beneath their hides–many piggies will poop and pee essentially the most in a hidey home, reasonably than out within the open.
With that mentioned, you do wish to block off something you don’t need your piggy pooping or peeing beneath–as they’ll possible gravitate towards these areas and can virtually definitely make a large number. I discovered this the onerous manner when my piggy Rocky left an enormous pile of poop in a cat tree!
Deliver the Hay
Guinea pigs want entry to hay across the clock, so don’t neglect to additionally present it throughout flooring time!
Present Hides
Massive, open areas are scary for many guinea pigs. Present loads of hides, particularly in giant areas, to make them really feel extra comfy.
Make Ground Time a Group Exercise
After I first had my piggies, I made the error of attempting to bond with them alone by giving them their very own flooring time. But it surely’s really simpler to convey bonded teams of piggies out collectively. It additionally offers them a confidence enhance and will make extra timid guinea pigs extra more likely to discover.
Supervise Your Piggies
I like to recommend supervising flooring time through the first few occasions a minimum of, simply to ensure the area is guinea pig-proofed. That is particularly essential when you’re permitting them to free-roam.
Should you’re utterly certain the area is protected and nothing can go flawed, it’s then okay to look away or depart them alone in a room.
![Tips on how to Present a Protected & Enjoyable Expertise 2 Guinea pig out-of-cage time](https://www.animallama.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Guinea-pig-out-of-cage-time.jpg)
How A lot House Do Guinea Pigs Want for Ground Time?
For my part, flooring time ought to present guinea pigs with a minimum of as a lot area as they get of their cage–however ideally extra.
Even areas the identical measurement as their cage could be enriching as a result of your piggies get to discover a model new area with completely different smells and sights.
However too small of an area, they usually received’t have room to run round and have enjoyable. Ground time is about offering enrichment and inspiring your piggies to train, so that they do want to have the ability to dash round!
How Lengthy Ought to Ground Time Be for Guinea Pigs?
You might have seen folks declare guinea pigs want an hour or a number of hours a day of flooring time, however this isn’t essentially true. As a substitute, it is determined by the guinea pig.
Some piggies are homebodies who get pleasure from spending most of their time of their cages. They may cover throughout flooring time and be too scared to have enjoyable or discover it enriching. On this case, flooring time isn’t crucial.
Others are extra outgoing, love adventuring, and must be allowed to take action for so long as potential (or so long as they’re nonetheless having fun with themselves).
Lastly, please don’t make the error of considering that flooring time makes up for a small cage. In case your cage doesn’t meet the minimal of seven.5 sq. ft for 2 piggies (or larger for bigger teams), flooring time shall be helpful however received’t make up for his or her improper housing the remainder of the day.
Guinea pigs don’t sleep for lengthy intervals, both, so letting them free-roam through the day whereas locking them up at night time nonetheless neglects their wants.
![Tips on how to Present a Protected & Enjoyable Expertise 3 Guinea pigs free roaming](https://www.animallama.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/guinea-pigs-training-session.jpg)
What to Use for Guinea Pig Ground Time
There are all kinds of choices relating to flooring time. Some folks merely let their guinea pigs free-roam on the ground with unsafe areas blocked off. Others fence off smaller areas utilizing a playpen, C&C grids, and even cardboard.
Borders for flooring time don’t need to be as robust as they’re for a guinea pig cage, as long as flooring time is supervised. Should you aren’t supervising your pigs, you do wish to make certain their enclosure is safe.
To guard your flooring from pee, you should use a water-resistant tarp, fleece liner, or an affordable bathe curtain. As long as the article you select is waterproof, you’ll be good to go!
Ground Time Enrichment Concepts
- Scatter feeding: Scatter their every day pellets, treats, or forage across the area in order that your piggies can seek for their meals. This imitates what they’d need to do within the wild–simply make certain their hay is all the time simply accessible, as it is a meals they need to by no means need to work for.
- Use puzzle toys: Puzzle toys made for cats, canine, or pocket pets all work. If utilizing cat or canine toys, make sure to select simple ones with easy sliders or small deal with balls they’ll simply roll round. The extra superior puzzles will possible be too troublesome!
- Arrange a maze: Establishing a straightforward maze in your piggies exhibits you ways clever they are surely! Put some tasty treats, forage, or veggies on the finish or scatter them all through the maze to pave the way in which.
- Deliver them out collectively: The perfect enrichment for guinea pigs are different guinea pigs. Deliver bonded pairs or herds out collectively for flooring time they usually can preserve one another occupied.
- Use quite a lot of hides and tunnels: This makes your piggies really feel protected and encourages exploration. They’re a lot much less more likely to go from one aspect of the room to a different if it’s a brilliant, open area. However add in a bunch of tunnels for them to run by, they usually simply may!
- Change up the area: You don’t need the ground to have all the identical objects as their cage, in all the identical areas. What enjoyable is that? As a substitute, change issues up throughout flooring time in order that your guineas have a cause to discover.
![Tips on how to Present a Protected & Enjoyable Expertise 4 Floor Time Enrichment Ideas](https://www.animallama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Guinea-pig-toys-for-playing-1024x768.jpg)
Why Does My Guinea Pig Not Like Ground Time?
Some guinea pigs don’t like flooring time. Of those piggies, some are skittish of their new properties and can heat as much as the idea over time. Others might not ever get pleasure from it.
Should you’ve simply introduced your piggy dwelling, attempt backing up a number of steps. Allow them to get used to their cage first, then attempt bonding with them within the cage. As soon as they really feel comfy round you, attempt flooring time once more.
Single piggies may additionally be scared throughout flooring time, however with pals they get pleasure from themselves. Having a companion makes guinea pigs really feel extra assured and completely happy.
It’s additionally potential that your flooring area isn’t arrange effectively, and your piggy feels scared within the open area. Strive offering a number of hides throughout the room in order that they’ll get from place to put with out as a lot worry.
Offering a relaxed, quiet ambiance typically helps as effectively. Attempt to sit and even lay on the ground, reasonably than strolling round–this will make some guinea pigs nervous.
All of that mentioned, I had a guinea pig named Child who by no means grew to like flooring time. He wasn’t skittish and was okay being held, particularly if the TV was taking part in his favourite exhibits! However, he additionally cherished his cage and would typically wander down the hallway towards it to let me know he was able to go dwelling.
On the time, I assumed it was unhealthy to by no means take guinea pigs out of their cage. However understanding what I do now, I’d deal with giving a piggy like Child the largest cage potential and offering loads of enrichment within his cage, reasonably than forcing him to be outdoors of it for longer than he preferred.
I hope this information has helped you to study flooring time for guinea pigs, methods to arrange an superior flooring area, and what to do in case your piggies dislike flooring time.
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