Do your pigs have to have floor time every day?

[xoLauraox09]

Hi
Do guinea pigs have to have floor time every day?
When your piggies are doing floor time, how long do you have to do it for?
Thanks

 

[poisonapple88]

I try to get my piggies out everyday but sometimes it's every other day. Depending on how nice it is outside or what my plans are they get about an hour each day.

 

[Duffinvt]

Mine do. I think most days a guinea pig should have an hour or so of floor time. Mine actually spend four or five hours out each day. I am out of work, but if I go back to my job they will have to get floortime in the evening.

 

[xERICx]

My two pigs get at least an hour and a half of floor time each day in our living room and/or dining room.
I'd say to give them at least 45 minutes of floor time each day, more if possible. Though it wont harm them at all not getting floor time for a day or two.

 

[bpatters]

Honestly, my pigs get more exercise in their cage than they do in floor time. I've tried several things with floor time -- big bathroom, small bathroom, penned up in a bed room, I don't have a hall, hideys, no hideys, tunnels, boxes without tops, you name it and I've tried it. And they just huddle.

But they're like Nascar racers in the cage -- all around the bottom, up the ramp, bounce off the hay box, down the ramp, back around the bottom.

I've got some grids coming to make a fence so they can be in a corner of the living room, which is where their cage is. I'm hoping that once they get used to it, maybe in a year or two :sad:, they'll actually get some exercise. But I'm not holding my breath ...

 

[Sugar&Ellie]

Mine usually get 2-3 hours a day. I block off the places where they may be able to get under and I wouldnt be able to get them out and then off they go!

Recently I havent been able to give them alot of floor time OR cuddle time because of school and the fact that I had to do 3 exams in the span of 2 days AND finish 6 books of homework. =S
After all this school stuff clears I'll be able to commit to them again =)

 

[JD In Van]

Mine get 3-4 hours a day on the weekend/holidays or days that we're home for what ever reason.

During the week floor time is not always had, I try and get them onto the floor as soon as I wake up in the morning so that they can run in the kitchen while we get ready - this gives them at least 45 min to an hour but it's not always do able - or practical (during the colder months there have been plenty of days where I was more concerned about the morning/evening drafts then them getting excersise).

 

[Tessa Bea]

An hour a day. I agree with bpatters, though- my pigs are more active in their cages than they are on the floor!

 

[Ly&Pigs]

They should have at least an hour of floor time daily in a safe area. You can put stuff down for them to play with such as cardboard box tunnels, bent grid tunnels and other homemade type safe things. If they aren't used to floortime, they may sit in one spot for a few days but once they realize they can play and have fun, they enjoy it more.

I miss the days of my large herd following each other in a piggie train. It was so cute to watch.

 

[xoLauraox09]

Ok thanks everyone!

 

[Duffinvt]

They should have at least an hour of floor time daily in a safe area. You can put stuff down for them to play with such as cardboard box tunnels, bent grid tunnels and other homemade type safe things. If they aren't used to floortime, they may sit in one spot for a few days but once they realize they can play and have fun, they enjoy it more.

I miss the days of my large herd following each other in a piggie train. It was so cute to watch.

It always make me smile to see my two in a piggie train, looking like they are somehow attached. It must be really fun to see a whole herd doing that !

 

[ryounce]

I get my 4 sows out at least every other day. The C&C cage I built currently has 30 square feet in 3 levels. The 3rd level is floor level. When I get them out I always leave the level open so if the feel like going back to their cage they can. They like to run through the dining room and popcorn while out that generally last 40 minutes and then they are headed back to the cage all by themselves. One of sows will go back to cage in about 20 minutes...

 

[wigglesgiggles1]

I try to get them out every day but sometimes it doesn't happen. They don't love floor time, they usually follow me around and don't play that much. It is hard because I have to let the dogs outside when the pigs are out and if it is cold the dogs don't like to be outside. But they usually get floor time. I am also expanding their cage to a 2x7 or larger with a 1x7 or greater upper level incase they don't get free range for a day or so.

 

[xoLauraox09]

I try to get them out every day but sometimes it doesn't happen. They don't love floor time, they usually follow me around and don't play that much. It is hard because I have to let the dogs outside when the pigs are out and if it is cold the dogs don't like to be outside. But they usually get floor time. I am also expanding their cage to a 2x7 or larger with a 1x7 or greater upper level incase they don't get free range for a day or so.

Yeah it is hard for me aswell, I usally have to wait untill the dogs are asleep.

 

[Tdchewy]

Honestly, my pigs get more exercise in their cage than they do in floor time.
But they're like Nascar racers in the cage -- all around the bottom, up the ramp, bounce off the hay box, down the ramp, back around the bottom.

We haven't had floortime in quite a while as the cage is huge enough (2x10) that it ends up being bigger than a confined floortime enclosure would be in my house. I do make sure to physically interact with them quite a bit by removing one of the walls of the cage allowing plenty of human access. My cage sits on a custom table that I built for the cage that is 36" off the floor, so its the perfect height to reach in and move stuff around and play with the cavies every day.

 

[xoLauraox09]

We haven't had floortime in quite a while as the cage is huge enough (2x10) that it ends up being bigger than a confined floortime enclosure would be in my house. I do make sure to physically interact with them quite a bit by removing one of the walls of the cage allowing plenty of human access. My cage sits on a custom table that I built for the cage that is 36" off the floor, so its the perfect height to reach in and move stuff around and play with the cavies every day.

2x10,wow thats big! How many guinea pigs do you have? I agree, I only have a 2x6 but my apartment is very small and the only place they can have floortime ( the hall ) is only the same size as the cage.

 

[Tdchewy]

2x10,wow thats big! How many guinea pigs do you have? I agree, I only have a 2x6 but my apartment is very small and the only place they can have floortime ( the hall ) is only the same size as the cage.

We have 6 sows. There are also 2 1x2 haylofts on an upper level at each end of the cage and a 2x2 upper level section in the middle of the cage. They love all the ramps and tubes. They really don't seem to be interested in getting out of the cage at any time, even when we change out the fleece/towels each week. We just shoo them to one end, block it off with a couple grid sections ziptied together as a temporary wall, and redo the bedding setup on the other end. We have recently started to pull out a couple piggies each day to sit on the table as my wife cuts up the veggies for dinner. It's been working out quite well and it is hilarious when they run inside a bag full of cilantro and just wiggle around to make the noise. Thats about as close to floor time we get these days.

 

[lissie]

We have recently started to pull out a couple piggies each day to sit on the table as my wife cuts up the veggies for dinner. It's been working out quite well and it is hilarious when they run inside a bag full of cilantro and just wiggle around to make the noise. Thats about as close to floor time we get these days.

That sounds dangerous. What if they fall off the table? And with the knife nearby, seems like an accident waiting to happen.