Our pigs hate floor time!!!

[mbt7234]

Our pigs used to get floor time at least once every other day, usually more often, but now they hate it! We put them on the floor once a week while the cage gets changed and they want to go back right away. We started putting their house down on the floor with them because some of them were chewing the cage so hard we were afraid they would break a tooth. They'll sit in the house and watch us change the cage, when they see the hay being put in they know it's almost time and come out and stand there watching. When we pick them up to put them back in they literally jump into our hands. Are we doing something wrong with floor time? They used to love floor time, they'd run around popcorning like little bulls. They're very happy in their cage, they run around like crazy when they go back. They have room to exercise in the cage so we're not too worried about that but we want them to enjoy floor time too.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Give them floortime everyday and give them places to hide and make sure they have food and water. Give them toys to play with too like toilet paper rolls with one side slitted, plain brown paper bags, crumpled up pieces of newspaper, large pipes/tunnels to run through. They need floortime everyday not just once a week or every other day.

 

[mbt7234]

Like I said they used to have floor time almost everyday but since they starting hating it we don't do it as much. We aren't going to continue making them do something they don't like. I did try a new thing the other day, I opened up the cage for floor time to use two walls as borders, before we moved we would have them in the hallway and they loved it. My theory was that maybe the walls would remind them that it was fun to run on the floor. It actually worked for a couple of minutes before they wanted back, baby steps I guess.

 

[*Piglets-Angel*]

Yeah, I put hidey houses, food, fresh grass, tunnels, and my pigs hate it! They just stay in one hidie house the whole time like they just wanna go back in there cage, how can I get them to like floor time? Its a 2x3 playpen I just made out of leftover grids, so I think its big enough....

 

[pennick]

My piggies didnt like floor time either. Actually I hated it myself. Their cage is as big as the extra floor space I have anyway. Such a mess to clean up everyday. All they did was poop and urinate all over the newspapers and hide in their houses. They couldnt wait to get back in their cage. ME TO!

If my floor space was next to the cage where they could come and go at will then maybe it would have worked out.

 

[Piglet]

My pigs don't like it when they have floor time near their cage. I cut the zip ties on one of my cubes so that they it hinged. They could walk in and out as they pleased. However, they just spent most of their time IN the cage and not outside. So, try giving it some place elsewhere

 

[Eventrocker33]

My pig loves floor time. She runs around and goes up to the dogs. But she gets scared when I try to catch her.

 

[bromers]

bromers used to hate floor time. all i did was move him into a silent room shut off from the rest of he house and made the room empty, so he can travel anywhere. now he loves it and is running like crazy.

 

[citronsoul]

Phoebe wasn't a big fan of floortime. Well, she'd run around when she in the bathroom but would start wheeking after 10 minutes. Then I tried a playpen for her out of coloured runs (shown in my photo's) but she preferred to stay in her cage. So I just decided to use the fences to block off places in my room where I didn't want her to go.

Now she absolutely loves floortime. I think it's because of all the space she has, plus she's got the option to go back in the cage if she wants. She's got a little "hidey area" under a table where I've got a towel & a litter tray that she likes to go to for a break. In the morning she'll even stand by the door waiting to be let out.

 

[cavy_13]

My piggies didnt like floor time either. Actually I hated it myself. Their cage is as big as the extra floor space I have anyway. Such a mess to clean up everyday. All they did was poop and urinate all over the newspapers and hide in their houses. They couldnt wait to get back in their cage. ME TO!

If my floor space was next to the cage where they could come and go at will then maybe it would have worked out.

My guinea pigs just stay in one spot, they don't even "excrete", if I put a hidy house, they will just stay there

 

[love4pigs]

My boys hate floor time too. They have full range of the whole finished side of the basement and I keep their cage door open so they can go in or out as they please. I have hidy holes and toys out of their cage for them. When ever I open the door for their cage so they can get out, they dont. And if I take them out of their cage, they jump right back in.

 

[pennick]

Mine also in the beginning hated it. It is like getting use to another type of cage all over again. Since my cage is 3 levels and has plenty of room I am content with the fact that they don't have free time. I live in an apartment anyway and I don't have much room to begin with.

Anyway, just recently I decided to keep their cage door open and I gave them a small area to venture out in. I put veggies there and a hidey house. After a few days they ventured out. Now when I open the door they go out on their own.

I would suggest starting small. corner off a small section so they don't feel overwhelmed. Add veggies or something they really love and make a trail from their door into the small area. Hopefully within a few days they will venture out on their own. Be patient. If they do then in a few days you can make the room a little bigger, and so on and so on.

 

[The Magic Taco]

My pigs don't like it either, because they just sit there. So I get their pigloo and make them run for it for exercise! I know that's mean, but it gets them running.

 

[Sabriel]

I have a lose-lose situation with my boar. If I give him floor time in the living room near the cage he spends the entire time looking at my sows. He won't move, he'll just stare at them. If I put him in the bedroom he gets really angry that I took him away from his sows. The only time I was able to get him to move during floor time was when the kitty came into the floor time cage in the living room (he loves kitty tails!) but kitty doesn't always want to play and she likes to play in the bedroom when we watch TV. If she goes in the bedroom floor time cage he chatters his teeth at her and chases her out of the floor time cage!