wanted to make something nice for my boys

[jacqueline]

i spent a lot of time making a fleece sleeping bag, and also a cuddle cup - (thanks to the instructions i found here , sorry i forget exactly where/who)
they're colorful, and soft and cozy - says the human -but i can't get my boys to even be interested in them. the spend alot of time in their hideys (they're about 4 months old) and don't often come out, but they are getting braver as they get older and more secure, so they are coming out more and more
so - any ideas about encouraging your pigs to use cuddle cups or sleeping bags? maybe it's just a personal-pig style thing. . .

[lovemyguineas]

Maybe you could try putting them in the cuddle cup when you get them out to play and then see what they do. Try putting them in the cozy while you have cuddle time and see if you could get them use to it, maybe they just dont know what they are suppose to do with them. .

[Fizzlepop40]

I put some treats inside mine. That seemed to work.

[piggi_zone]

hey i was gonna make my own cuddle cups and removable pads. what would be the most comfy and asorbent?

[bpatters]

Mine use them just fine -- on TOP only. Never inside...

Fleece over mattress padding is easy to work with, wicks and washes well, and is soft.

[kacie]

I put a roof over where I put the cuddle cups so it's like a little comfy hidey house for them... Once the cuddle cups have the piggies scent on them, they seem to enjoy them more...

[zaylea]

I put a tent over my cuddle cup. Otherwise, they sleep UNDER the cuddle cup. This is the tent I have. It's just fleece and cotton on a PVC pipe frame, and can be removed from the frame for washing.

[spy9doc]

It seems that they often won't use them if they're new. May be the new-fabric smell or lack of familiarity. When I first made them, my boy wouldn't go near them! I find that putting him in the cozy sack for lap time seems to help and to get his scent on them.

Also, if your cavies are very attached to you, rubbing the inside of the cups and cozies over your skin gives them a familiar scent. And, of course, the treat suggestion usually works for everything.

My boy sleeps in them, on them, and sometimes wears them like a hat, depending on his mood and the temperature of the room.

[jacqueline]

thanks for all your suggestions. i have a tent already -i'll try putting the cuddly cup in their. i'll also try getting their scent on it and maybe mine too.

[spy9doc]

Just to reinforce my previous posting......I'm now quite sure (at least in Chester's case) that it is the new fabric smell. I just changed his cage and put in a brand new cozy sack......he wouldn't go near it.

I toss his cuddle cups and cozy sacks in the washer with his towels, Oxyclean, and an unscented detergent, so they shouldn't still have his scent on them. It takes him a little bit of investigation and sometimes a bit of rearranging, but he is soon back in them.

[SurfingPigs]

I would place the cozy in the cage, shoo the pig into it, and then start lap time right then with the pig in the cozy being rewarded with a treat. Eventually, the cozy is associated with food, and they will be looking for the cozy all the time.

I really think it depends on the pig whether or not they will be inclined to use new things. All of my pigs love to explore new things that get placed in their cage. My pigs also generally nap on top of whatever I make, despite its intended function. I would imagine that, if left in the cage long enough, your pigs will explore whatever you make. The fact that they spend a lot of time in hiding while you are around makes me think they are still getting comfortable in their surroundings. Nervous pigs aren't likely to explore new things in the open.