questions about behavior

[Sam0214]

Hi I just got Sam a week ago. She is every happy little piggy. I dont really have a safe place for her to have "floor time" so I just put a towel down in the bath tub and let her run around in there for awhile. Is that OK? She was squeeking and running and bouncing up and down...but then after a couple of min she kept trying to jump out! I cant believe how high she could jump. I figured that she just wanted out so I put her back in her cage.

How high can guniea pigs jump?

Do you think she was just playing? She is only about 3 months old. She is the only little piggy that we have at this time.

Thanks for any advice..
Jennifer & Sam

[Emily]

If you're worried about a safe place for your GP to run around, before I had a room for mine I would just put a bunch of pillows on the floor to block where I didn't want him to go make sure he didn't hop over them. If your pig was hopping about, it was probably just popcorning which is what they do when they are happy and enjoying themselves. My pigs have never jumped very high so I can't help you with that, but good luck with your piggy.

[Treen]

They can actually jump over a foot high, at a push - especially the young, nimble ones. But my experience is they don't try to jump out of something they're happy to be in like a C&C cage or a big run in the garden. It's when you put them in an enclosed space they don't like, or when they perceive a threat that they'll try to jump.

Maybe for some reason Sam just didn't like the bath - I can imagine even with a towel it would feel a little slippy under the feet which pig's aren't usually too keen on. I know one of mine (who isn't keen on being bathed) tried frantically to leap out of the bath when I put her in it once (no water of course - she just didn't like it, or knew what was coming next!).

I think an area on the floor would be better for her to get exercise. If you're worried about her peeing on the carpet, try getting a shower curtain or a big bit of lino and putting that under a towel in the area you cordon off for her. You could use cubes to make a nice big enclosure if that would suit you best, or just to block off parts of the room you haven't protected and don't want her to go in. If you make an enclosure, provided it's a good space, and there are a few things for her to do (like a place to hide) I don't think she'll try jumping out of that.

Are you thinking of getting Sam a friend? Guinea pigs are social animals who do best with company of their own kind. Have a look at this page http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm for more info.