Floor Time: Do your GPs move a lot during floor time?

[hamtaroplanet]

Hi all,
Do your guinea pigs move around a lot when you take them out of their cages for floor time? Mine hardly move around a lot unless if it's food motivated. Anyone willing to share tips on how to get them to be more active?

[Haley0489]

Mine used to run CRAZY laps around the floor, but then they started getting sluggy. I haven't done floor time in several months to be honest (I know, I know!) It's part of my New Year Resolution to start doing it more regularly. I'd be more motivated to transport them into their floor time room if I knew they'd actually USE it again.

[Shawnee]

My Snowball doesn't move much during floor time either. He's three years old. I think he may just be afraid of the vast space that I am providing him.

[gooberific]

My pigs like to explore my son's room and all his toys. There's a lot of hiding places, plus each pig leaves his own scent on the carpet, and they go nuts looking for the other pig.

Otherwise, it's usually food motivated!

[pigsmakemesmile]

The first 15 minutes they move about then will go underneath something and hide. Last night I took a heavy movers blanket and laid it across my bed and did "bed time" with them hehe. I watched tv while they moved about wheeking and churbling, they seemed to really enjoy being on the bed with me. After a while they climbed onto my tummy and chilled. Because I have 5, I rotate the pigs so everyday they each get a turn. It's winter and very cold, house is drafty especially on the floor so I need to becareful during floor time. You would think they'd enjoy being out of their pen. Usually though after 15 20 minutes they'll go into their hidey so I spread treats around during floor time to encourage them moving about.

[Myspoiltpiggies]

Do they move around!? Heck, they are one corner of the room one second and another the next!

If I have multiple pigs down on the floor they'll do the 'piggy train'.
I think it just takes some pigs getting used to. When Isabel is having her floortime I call her and squeak to her and then she comes running over to me and takes food out of my hand. She'll then have another little run and we'll do it again. It's adorable.

[pigsforlife]

Acorn is the real adventurer. He climbs over/through fresh towels, and runs all over the floor. If I have them out when I am cleaning their cage, he runs through the dirty rolled up towels which is quite hilarious when you see this tube with a moving lump in the side. I pull him out from the dirty towels quick though. The other girls watch Acorn move around and then gather up the curiosty to see what the heck is doing, then they follow him around. Unless they find something to eat. Ella and Toffee (from the top cage, Acorn and his two girls; Rosie and Lily are in the bottom cage) are a little bit more sedate, they run around for a bit and then only come out for food.

[auburnmare5]

It really depends on the guinea pig. Coco took to the grids cage in about a day. Then he was really active. Smudge on the other hand, took probably about 3 days to actually run around.
Maybe if the tempetature is right outside where you are, you can put them outside. Maybe if you make games for them with food, they may be more willing to play. Give toys with bright fun colors. Put food everywhere around the cage, put it under a towel and show the food, and motivate them as much as possible.

[daisymae12]

My Daisy runs laps! I got off a section off my room, it's about 5ft wide and 10ft long. I put a bag filled with hay, a cozy, a bottle full of hay and towels and blankets and lots of snuggly things. Daisy will dart through it all like its an obstacle course. She'll zoom around one corner and popcorn her way into the next! She does this for about thirty minutes. She's only a few months old but she's a "high-energy" type of pig!

[hueyeats]

Every time I lift the gate, they'd come rushing upstairs squeaking and doing that mad dash thing all the way!

They are so happy to be able to stretch their legs I think.

I know their pop-corning & mad-dash can last up to an hour or so... then they will quiet down, wash their faces, chew on some hay & may rest a little before starting up again.

I have also found that they like to do crazy happy things when I am around... but when I leave the room or go upstairs... they will more likely have the "rest" period then.

After a few hours, I will find most of them already going downstairs back "home"... so herding all of them back is a breeze. I usually feed them snacks then.

My piggies are really such great kids!

[Shawnee]

How do you prevent them from peeing all over your carpets? Or what do you use to clean it up if they do. In my room I lay down a layer of towels, But I dont have enough towels to do that in the living room.

[5guinea5pig5]

I tie a carrot to some string then pull it around the floor so they'll run then after 5 minutes I give it to them. One time Cocoa didn't take the carrot but was willing to chase it.

[Shawnee]

Originally Posted by 5guinea5pig5

I tie a carrot to some string then pull it around the floor so they'll run then after 5 minutes I give it to them. One time Cocoa didn't take the carrot but was willing to chase it.

That's really cute!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hueyeats]

Originally Posted by Shawnee

How do you prevent them from peeing all over your carpets? Or what do you use to clean it up if they do. In my room I lay down a layer of towels, But I dont have enough towels to do that in the living room.

That is why I said my piggies are great kids.

They are really really good when it comes to designated areas for potties. My living room is a very spread out space with the only big overhead hiding area, my sofa. My coffee table has a elevated maple base on wheels & is so smooth the piggies hates getting up on, so they do not go there; plus the top is a cloudy glass effect that is quite "light" so they do feel "exposed".

I lay down some adult underpads (30"X36"), then a couple of beach towels on it. Then to top that off, I have some plastic boot trays from the dollar store scattered.

Cleaning is a breeze, just empty the trays full of beads (poop) unto the towels and take the towels out to shake the beads off. Put them in the machine & they will be good to go a next day. I reuse the underpads a few times though.

I also have a designated "feed zone" between my steps (above their home, same level as the living area) about a good 50" plus from my sofa end that they will run towards when they need a drink, hay or treats (I do not put much there though as it is only a "rest-stop", also real close to their home-home).

I think the trick is to have most their feeding needs back at their home, so they know their home is the "main" hub. Since during floor time, they have open access all through the day going up steps to my living area... they will still "go back" when ever they felt like it.

When it gets dark, most of the pack will automatically be "back" as that is the time for their veggie feast.

I also use big light varied colored woven cotton throw rug on my carpet on those wide open area (those can be washed in the washing machine & they were on sale for $17 at Targets; I love those rugs). But like I said, they have been so good that the only beads I have been picking up, is all under the sofa.

[hueyeats]

I have 2 more photos to share but they are not of the best quality.
Cell phone pics that is why (my regular camera is going bonkers for me).

One is showing their home-home, them coming up to the main living area (see red woven rug $1 from dollar tree), the area besides their rug is the "feed zone".


This pic that has a flare shows the back of the sofa where the potty area is. The flare is caused by my glass coffee table.


The angle this picture is taken from is their "home" steps.

P.S. If you check my pictures, you will have an idea of my cage set-up. It is actually a very "open" cage with maximum piggie contact as they actually "live" with us, just on their own "level".

[Amsley246]

Mine go nuts! They dont need any motivation. But they don't like to run on anything other then carpet! Anything else they just freeze and don't move! One of my Gp's however doesnt like it. She's my lethal and is slightly blind so she doesnt move much and usually calls for her mother. I just let the other run and hold her while the other run and she doesnt mind at all! For some reason they also love to be chased. My 2 year old will run after then and thy love it, they run and popcorn and hide and spring out and they just love it! I just put them all on the floor, block everything off (under tv, computer, couches, ect) with towels and blankets, close all the doors down the hall and they have the whole living room and hallway to run. They love to do laps in the hallway!

[hamtaroplanet]

Wow... thanks for all the responses. I think my guinea pigs seem a bit less active compared to the rest. I am currently just leaving the cage door open so that they can go in and out as they please but they don't really like to come out much, sort of prefer staying in the cage more.

[daisymae12]

Can you try taking them into a different room or setting? Daisy got bored with my set up, so I took her into a different room and she walked around with her eyes like this at first: 0.0

Then she started to relax and while I was type, type, typing away on the computer I heard her jabbering and zooming around the room. So I think a change of scenery does wonders!

[Mhera]

My pigs like playing hide-and-seek between hideys. They chase eachother and play tag, then they all end up napping in the same hidey.

[piggers_sienna]

My pigs run all over the place. Especially when I try to direct them back to thier cage. When I'm vacuuming the cage I just open the door so they can run around my room. Sienna will mostly run under the bed. There is a lot of space under there so she loves that. Piggers actually chases the vacuum hose while im vacuuming. It's kind of funny I was so worried they would be scared of it but they aren't.