Floor Time Means Bore Time

[TX_2_Pigs]

My boys did that at first too when I started putting them out for floor time. They would run to the nearest spot to hide and stay there. Now, they run all over the place. I got one of the cat/ferret crinkle tunnels (you can see pics in my gallery) and they love that. Once suggestion with that though, get a piece of fleece or towel about 6" wide and put along the bottom of it. The inside is kind of waterproof so when they pee (and they will pee) in it, it just sits there and they get all yucky. When I put them up, I spray it with vinegar/water and wipe out with a paper towel. I let it air out for about 15-30 minutes before I skwunch it up and put it away.

[MilwCavyMom]

Great suggestion. That shall be my next purchase.

THey do so great in their cage and they do seem to love it there, but I want a good extra play time for them. I'll keep the idea too of quiet sounds. I was watching tv out in the living room where they were.

I'm going to try and buy a dvd recorder which hopefully will allow us to convert our vhs camcorder tapes and then I can upload them. I took 20 min of video of them and the cats last night.

[cavyowner2007]

I buy them chewable tunnels for $2.00 at petmart and they love them things too! It is chewable and fun for them. If you add about four together it becomes one mega chew toy for your piggies. Mine love anything they can run through. Faith just loves anything she can hide in, of course! Good idea about the ferret toys, I buy ferret toys for my girls and they adore them. The chewable tunnels are their favorite toys though.

[freddy's mom]

When my boy goes into his floor-time pen, I put towels on the floor and drape one over the side in one place to create a tunnel (it reaches the floor on both sides for "privacy"). At first he mostly hid in the "cave," but now he goes in and out, and when he's feeling particularly perky, he races around the pen, through the tunnel, around and through and around and through... When he's feeling silly, he'll actually nose his way out the "wrong" end and toss the towel back with his head. I use an old baby towel I have (it's light-weight and soft), and he likes to rearrange it, play with it, and tunnel through it. It took a great deal of time before he was comfortable enough with everything (all new sights and smells and sounds) before he went into full-psycho-play mode, though! Now he has a blast!

[SoCalCavies]

Originally Posted by cavyowner2007

I buy them chewable tunnels for $2.00 at petmart...

I don't mean this mean at all...I hope it doesn't sound that way...but remember, every dollar you put in Petsmart's pocket, is another dollar towards them selling live animals. Just a thought I wanted to mention.

Could you somehow make them yourself instead, I wonder?

[Percy's Mom]

By chewable tunnels, do you mean the cardboard Chubes that come stuffed with that icky wierd bedding stuff? If so, an empty oatmeal cannister is about the same size, doesn't come filled with stuff that should be thrown away, you can eat the oatmeal yourself, and costs at least $1 less most of the time. If you didn't mean Chubes, what kind of chewable tunnels are you talking about?