Fun Floor Time

[VoodooJoint]

Here’s an idea my kids and I came up with for our piggies to break up the monotony of floor time.

We use a corral we made up of wire shelving for floor time. Occasionally we blow up enough big balloons to fill the corral.

We put in the piggies and after a few tentative minutes they start playing hide and seek in the balloons, running through them (making them fly) and playing "bop the balloon"

It is hysterical to watch since you can rarely see the piggies because of all the balloons but you can see where they are because of the balloons bouncing up in the air.

PLEASE, if you do this do not leave the piggies alone. While it has never happened to us there is the potential for a balloon to pop and for the piggies to eat it and choke. Remove any popped balloons immediately.

Elly

 

[mom to cujo]

Just as it is advised not to let young children play like that w/balloons I would think the chances of a piggie choking on a small piece would be even greater and happen much more quickly. I would never suggest this game as one tiny little piece of a balloon would be all it would take to choke or suffocate a guinea pig!

 

[piggielover92]

I agree with mom to cujo! Not only could they choke on a tiny piece of balloon, but when it popped it could scare them really bad! A popping balloon could hurt them too! I would NEVER do that to a guinea pig!!!!!

 

[loves2travel]

please dont continue this activity - a head turned for just one minute could have disasterous affects

 

[VoodooJoint]

I understand the risks

Obviously I understand the risks, Otherwise I wouldn't have made mention of watching them every minute and I even mentioned the danger of eating a popped balloon.

I understand your concerns and I am grateful for everyone worrying about the piggies’ welfare. However I would like to stress that I do this once in a while...that means ~ twice a year...when we have leftover balloon after my kids' birthday parties.

Please believe me that when they play with the balloons I never leave them for a second. I am either on the floor next to their floor corral or on the chair next to it.

I never leave the pigs alone during floor time anyway. I have 4 dogs and while they all seem gentle with the pigs I don't trust them with the pigs' lives.

I have never had a balloon pop. They don't play very rough with them. However one may pop one day. I am quite certain that a popping balloon will not hurt them. Yes, it may frighted them although my pigs are used to loud and unexpected noises since they live in the living area of the house with my 2 kids running about, the 4 dogs barking, me dropping things in the kitchen, etc... None of these or the multitude of other things that go on in my very active household seem to phase them in the least.

Of course if a popping balloon did frighten them I would be right there to see it, remove the popped balloon, and promptly cuddle a frighten piggie.

This was just an idea I thought I'd share. Obviously it was not well received. So everyone feels better I won't do it anymore. So, everyone should just move on.

Oh yeah... some of you may want to rethink your usage of the red frown face icon. It's a negative image and manages to get a persons hackles up. If someone feels "on the defensive" they are less willing to accept advice no matter how good it is.
Elly

 

[mncavylover]

Obviously I understand the risks, Otherwise I wouldn't have made mention of watching them every minute and I even mentioned the danger of eating a popped balloon.

I understand your concerns and I am grateful for everyone worrying about the piggies’ welfare. However I would like to stress that I do this once in a while...that means ~ twice a year...when we have leftover balloon after my kids' birthday parties.

Please believe me that when they play with the balloons I never leave them for a second. I am either on the floor next to their floor corral or on the chair next to it.

I never leave the pigs alone during floor time anyway. I have 4 dogs and while they all seem gentle with the pigs I don't trust them with the pigs' lives.

I have never had a balloon pop. They don't play very rough with them. However one may pop one day. I am quite certain that a popping balloon will not hurt them. Yes, it may frighted them although my pigs are used to loud and unexpected noises since they live in the living area of the house with my 2 kids running about, the 4 dogs barking, me dropping things in the kitchen, etc... None of these or the multitude of other things that go on in my very active household seem to phase them in the least.

Of course if a popping balloon did frighten them I would be right there to see it, remove the popped balloon, and promptly cuddle a frighten piggie.

It's great that you know the risks, but if you do... why do you do it? I'm really not trying to make anyone upset here, it's just that I don't see why you would continue to do something you know is potentially dangerous.

This was just an idea I thought I'd share. Obviously it was not well received. So everyone feels better I won't do it anymore. So, everyone should just move on.

Thanks for understanding, and I'm glad you have decided to discontinue this activity. We weren't trying to attack you at all, we are just concerned about the welfare of your cavies.

Oh yeah... some of you may want to rethink your usage of the red frown face icon. It's a negative image and manages to get a persons hackles up. If someone feels "on the defensive" they are less willing to accept advice no matter how good it is.
Elly

I agree with that, although it does come in handy when ranting about pet stores... =) Thanks for reading, and I hope you're doing well!

 

[piggielover92]

Obviously I understand the risks, Otherwise I wouldn't have made mention of watching them every minute and I even mentioned the danger of eating a popped balloon.b

I understand your concerns and I am grateful for everyone worrying about the piggies’ welfare. However I would like to stress that I do this once in a while...that means ~ twice a year...when we have leftover balloon after my kids' birthday parties.

Please believe me that when they play with the balloons I never leave them for a second. I am either on the floor next to their floor corral or on the chair next to it.

I never leave the pigs alone during floor time anyway. I have 4 dogs and while they all seem gentle with the pigs I don't trust them with the pigs' lives.

I have never had a balloon pop. They don't play very rough with them. However one may pop one day. I am quite certain that a popping balloon will not hurt them. Yes, it may frighted them although my pigs are used to loud and unexpected noises since they live in the living area of the house with my 2 kids running about, the 4 dogs barking, me dropping things in the kitchen, etc... None of these or the multitude of other things that go on in my very active household seem to phase them in the least.

Of course if a popping balloon did frighten them I would be right there to see it, remove the popped balloon, and promptly cuddle a frighten piggie.

This was just an idea I thought I'd share. Obviously it was not well received. So everyone feels better I won't do it anymore. So, everyone should just move on.

Oh yeah... some of you may want to rethink your usage of the red frown face icon. It's a negative image and manages to get a persons hackles up. If someone feels "on the defensive" they are less willing to accept advice no matter how good it is.
Elly

Not only would it scare them, but it would hurt them. When I was little, I popped a balloon against my stomach I had a bad rash thing that stung soooooo bad! I think if a guinea pig was near a popping balloon it could do the same thing.

It doesn't really matter how often you do it, just that you do it at all.

I understand you are watching them but that would not stop a balloon from popping. And a guinea pig could choke on a small peice you forgot to pick up.

I get what you are saying about the icon, but those are to express what you feel and things like this make some people angry because people could be hurting a pig in a situation like this.

 

[conniehsc]

That sounds fun to watch, but I don't think I'll be trying that. My pigs practically chew on anything they see, and I think this is the case with most pigs.

 

[loves2travel]

Obviously I understand the risks, Otherwise I wouldn't have made mention of watching them every minute and I even mentioned the danger of eating a popped balloon.

I understand your concerns and I am grateful for everyone worrying about the piggies’ welfare. However I would like to stress that I do this once in a while...that means ~ twice a year...when we have leftover balloon after my kids' birthday parties.

Please believe me that when they play with the balloons I never leave them for a second. I am either on the floor next to their floor corral or on the chair next to it.

I never leave the pigs alone during floor time anyway. I have 4 dogs and while they all seem gentle with the pigs I don't trust them with the pigs' lives.

I have never had a balloon pop. They don't play very rough with them. However one may pop one day. I am quite certain that a popping balloon will not hurt them. Yes, it may frighted them although my pigs are used to loud and unexpected noises since they live in the living area of the house with my 2 kids running about, the 4 dogs barking, me dropping things in the kitchen, etc... None of these or the multitude of other things that go on in my very active household seem to phase them in the least.

Of course if a popping balloon did frighten them I would be right there to see it, remove the popped balloon, and promptly cuddle a frighten piggie.

This was just an idea I thought I'd share. Obviously it was not well received. So everyone feels better I won't do it anymore. So, everyone should just move on.

Oh yeah... some of you may want to rethink your usage of the red frown face icon. It's a negative image and manages to get a persons hackles up. If someone feels "on the defensive" they are less willing to accept advice no matter how good it is.
Elly

Thanks for stopping. We didn't mean to sound harsh or offensive, only concerned. Again, thanks.

 

[sabriel_paws20]

I was suprised by everyones defensive replys. When I read this post I was a little concerened about the pigs safety but when I got to the end and she explained about constant watching and picking up any popped ballons I actually did think it sounded "okay". Not that I was going to go and try it or anything, but it wasn't something I immediatly dismissed.

But then everyone got so upset! Thank good this woman is a mature and responsible person who didn't fight back and forth. If it was someone younger or maybe a bit less insightful it could have turned into a very good arguement/fight that would come to no good end.

I understnad everyone wants the pigs to be safe. That shows caring, understanding, compassion, and responsibility. However...I have noticed that sometimes it seems a bit...oh I don't know what the word is...radical? dramatic? It just seems that SOMETIMES the people on this board can go overboard.

At any time a pig can get hurt or frightened. Floor time can be dangerous in it's own ways. It's almost like you guys are being these super moms who are very protective of there kids! I just think....at some point maybe it can go a bit too far. You can't protect the pigs from everything! Although I know we try.

I'm not saying to let your guard down and start letting them get into all sorts of trouble that can end up hurting them, like letting little wild kids pick them up and playing with them, or leaving them outside by themselves where a dog or bird could hurt them. I just wanted to point out what I've noticed since it's sort of been bugging be lately and this seemed like good place to write it.

I really hope I didn't offend anyone, that wasn't my intent.

 

[CavyCatastrophe]

Yeah I agree. Too many people act like they are the only ones that know right. I dont think a popping ballon could actually hurt a guinea pig unless they were allergic to latex. It is good that people look out for pigs but everyone needs to just relax. And no I am not saying that her idea is a good one i just dont think everyone should be so critical. I dont mean to ofend anyone and if I did I am sorry.

 

[piggielover92]

I am sorry if I upset anyone. It just didn't seem like a good idea to me so I wanted state my opinion. I am sorry if I sounded too critical or harsh.

 

[CavyCatastrophe]

I think it is good to post your opinion. As long as no ones feelings are hurt. I just thought everyone was being a little harsh on voodo.

 

[mom to cujo]

The point is even if you are watching them the entire time, if a balloon pops and a piece gets inot his mouth, what exactly would you do to retrieve it? It isn't so much criticism as it is pointing out something that might not have been thought of. If I were doing something that I didn't realize could be hazardous I would appreciate the advice.

 

[conniehsc]

Yeah I agree. Too many people act like they are the only ones that know right.

Yeah I had that feeling too. Some people's advices are really strict and precise, as if there are no other ways of doing it. The suggestions are sometimes so strict and precise that I highly doubt the writer actually does what he/she says. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, I'm glad to see people are so careful in taking care of their pigs, that is If they actually do everything by the book like they wrote in their replies.

I dont think a popping ballon could actually hurt a guinea pig unless they were allergic to latex.

I actually think a popping balloon can injure the piggers. I've had balloons popping in my hands or near my skin, I'm sure everybody has, and it did hurt a little. I don't think it's such a good idea to have a balloon popping in front of the pigger's eyes. And the popping sound too, it makes me jump. The pigger might be very frightened.

 

[CavyCatastrophe]

I didnt mean to dicount anyones credit. I never have had a baloon pop against me. Im sorry if someone thought that i was saying that they were wrong about a balloon popping against there skin. I also dont think that its a good idea to let pigs run with balloons. I was just upset about how people reacted to the post. Once again i am sorry if i have affended anyone.

 

[mom to cujo]

none taken!!

 

[Piglet]

Oh god, I see no harm with this baloon thing. She only does it a couple of times and if she's constantly watching then theres no harm. Sheesh.

 

[piggielover92]

Oh god, I see no harm with this baloon thing. She only does it a couple of times and if she's constantly watching then theres no harm. Sheesh.

Not that I am trying to bring this whole thing up again, but there is harm to doing this. But if you don't think there is that is your own opinion and I am not going to try to change that. Now, I don't care if you want to talk about it but I know what my opinion about this is.

 

[mncavylover]

Piglet, would you allow your kids to run around in a pit filled with flimsy and huge beach balls that are a major choking hazard? We're trying to give solid facts and advice, if you can't take the truth then just keep it to yourself please. The balloons CAN and WILL injure the pigs sometime, preiod. Thank you for your opinions, but please let's let this discussion be over.