Train is essential for each animal to thrive. Guinea pigs want to have the ability to stroll, run, and discover. In addition they require psychological enrichment with a purpose to thrive!
The easiest way to train your guinea pigs is to offer them a big cage–the larger the higher! Guinea pigs are additionally extra energetic once they produce other guinea pigs, so get your piggy a companion if you happen to haven’t already. Ground time can also be an effective way to supply exploration and enrichment.
On this article, we’ll discuss fourteen methods you possibly can train your guinea pigs in addition to what to keep away from.
1. Develop Their Cage
The naked minimal cage dimension for 2 guinea pigs is 7.5 sq. ft, whereas the beneficial minimal based on the Humane Society is 10.5 sq. ft.
Nonetheless, many piggy guardians agree that even this beneficial cage dimension is simply too small for an energetic pair. Males, particularly, thrive when given extra space.
If you happen to can, increasing your guinea pig’s cage will give them extra room to run round, popcorn, and have enjoyable!
That is particularly essential in case your cage doesn’t meet the minimal necessities. Many individuals make the error of pondering it’s okay as long as they supply ground time and different train–nevertheless it isn’t.
Guinea pigs don’t sleep by the evening both, so placing them away in a small cage at “bedtime” additionally doesn’t work. Small cages are solely acceptable for very short-term use, similar to bringing your piggy to the vet, or in medical instances the place it is advisable to limit motion to permit them to heal from an harm.
2. Don’t Crowd the Cage!
Who doesn’t get excited once they see a brand new tunnel, toy, or disguise for his or her piggies? I do know I do!
As a lot as we love spoiling them, placing all the things within the cage directly can overcrowd it and go away little or no ground house. This may make it in order that piggies with sufficiently big cages nonetheless don’t have any house to run and play.
As a substitute, strive swapping out gadgets. This not solely frees up house within the cage, but additionally retains issues fascinating and enriching on your piggies.
3. Preserve the Center of the Cage Clear
On the same word, attempt to organize the cage in order that there aren’t any roadblocks within the heart. A tunnel or double-sided disguise is ok, however even these can litter up the cage when utilized in extra.
By conserving most of your guinea pigs’ hides, toys, and different gadgets across the perimeter of the cage, you liberate the center for them to race round in.
4. Give Them Ground Time
Ground time is whenever you arrange a secure, guinea-pig proof house on your piggies to come back out of the cage and discover. This may very well be an affordable playpen, or you may block off forbidden areas of a room like beneath chairs and close to electrical wires and allow them to free-roam.
Bear in mind to deliver out their hay in order that they’ve entry, as they want to have the ability to entry it 24/7. Even an hour of ground time is simply too lengthy on your piggy to be away from their hay.
A change in surroundings is enjoyable and enriching for a lot of piggies. It could deliver them out of their shell and encourage them to discover.
Nonetheless, remember the fact that some guinea pigs dislike ground time. In the event that they keep of their disguise the entire time, you would possibly resolve that ground time simply isn’t for them–and that’s okay!
5. Protected Out of doors Time
In my view, secure outside time for guinea pigs could be a problem. It’s because they have to be monitored always, secure from predators, and secure from sickness and parasites. Many individuals skip important steps, which may result in catastrophe!
Right here’s what to contemplate with regards to outside time:
- An enclosure they can not escape from, in order that they don’t run away.
- A safe prime cowl to guard from birds of prey and different predators.
- Fixed supervision–even turning your again for a few minutes can finish in catastrophe on your piggies!
- Shade, in order that your guinea pigs aren’t sitting in direct daylight with no escape from the warmth.
- Clear grass with out chemical compounds or predator urine (this consists of canine pee!).
- Parasite prevention remedy to stop your piggies from catching mites and different parasites open air.
Please do not forget that this recommendation applies to non permanent, supervised outside time solely. Guinea pigs who reside open air want rather more safe constructions!
6. Add a Loft to Their Cage
Lofts don’t depend towards the sq. footage of your cage, since guinea pigs want a big, flat house to run round in. Nonetheless, a loft can add some extra space on your piggies to discover and train in.
In case your cage meets the minimal and also you’d like to offer your guinea pigs extra space, however don’t have the room, lofts are an awesome possibility.
Ensure that the loft is safe in order that it received’t collapse in your guinea pigs, and that the ramp isn’t too steep. Guinea pigs aren’t actually meant to climb, and steep ramps can harm their backs over time.
7. Set Up a Maze
This one is extra for enjoyable and enrichment than it’s for on a regular basis use. Organising a maze on your guinea pigs with meals to information them by is an effective way to bond with them, find out about their personalities and intelligence, and supply them with a little bit of train.
Begin with simple mazes as your guinea pigs study the idea, and construct up from there if you happen to’d like!
Do not forget that having your guinea pigs work for some pea flakes is ok, however by no means make them work for his or her hay as they want fixed and ample hay entry.
You’ll additionally need to restrict maze time in order that they aren’t away from their hay for too lengthy!
8. Scatter Feed Your Piggies
Scatter feeding is straightforward! All you must do is sprinkle your guinea pigs’ pellets, veggies, forage, or different treats across the cage as a substitute of feeding them in a bowl or pile.
This encourages them to search for their meals and could be very enriching. It additionally forces them to maneuver round and get some train!
In fact, hold their hay in an easy-to-find place. Hay is one factor that’s finest served in giant piles!
9. Use Puzzle Toys
There are a selection of puzzle toys available on the market, sometimes marketed towards canine and cats–although there are a number of for small pets as nicely.
I like to recommend selecting the best puzzles, particularly to start with. This consists of those with easy sliders masking the meals and balls that dispense treats or pellets once they roll.
It’s unlikely your guinea pigs will study something extra difficult than these!
As we mentioned above, ensure that to not use these toys for necessities like hay and veggies. They’re finest used for pellets or treats.
10. Present a Number of Toys
One other approach to stimulate your guinea pigs is to make your personal toys out of home items. Fill empty rest room paper rolls with hay, minimize doorways into cardboard packing containers and use them as hides, or put treats in an empty paper towel roll on your guinea pigs to get out.
You may as well purchase toys on your piggies–simply ensure that they’re secure, as not all the things marketed towards them is.
Swap out the toys throughout cage cleans and add new ones to the rotation to maintain issues enjoyable and fascinating. Do-it-yourself toys are one of the best ways to do that as a result of they’re low cost and straightforward to make!
11. Change the Cage Format
I touched on this above–however altering the structure of your piggies’ cage encourages exploration and gives train and enrichment.
Hides and toys, particularly, might be simply positioned in several places. Simply ensure that your piggy is having enjoyable with the change as a substitute of being spooked by it!
Some favor their routine or to maintain their favourite disguise of their favourite spot. It’s additionally a good suggestion to maintain the cage structure the identical when you have a blind piggy, as they’ll depend on their reminiscence to get round.
12. Make Certain They Have a Good friend
The most effective enrichment for a guinea pig is one other piggy. In case your guinea pig resides solo, please undertake a good friend for them!
Guinea pigs are social animals. They really feel safer once they have a buddy, and are prone to spend extra time exploring and exercising. Piggies are additionally happier with a companion (or herd!) and extra prone to get zoomies and popcorns!
As people, we can not exchange a piggy good friend irrespective of how exhausting we strive. Now we have to go away for work or college, run errands, and socialize with different people. We can also’t talk or perceive our guinea pigs the identical method as others of their species can.
Some individuals imagine side-by-side dwelling is okay, however this isn’t one thing I imagine in personally except many makes an attempt at bonding with quite a lot of different piggies have failed. That is exceptionally uncommon!
That mentioned, even having a good friend by bars is healthier than nothing–no guinea pig ought to ever be the one one of their family.
13. Educate Them Tips
Instructing your guinea pig tips encourages them to maneuver round, gives psychological enrichment, and is an effective way to bond with them!
Some easy tips are coming when known as, standing up on their hind legs, and spinning in a circle.
14. Feed Them a Balanced Weight loss program
Guinea pigs ought to have fixed entry to wash, contemporary hay. In addition they want a cup of veggies a day and ⅛ cups of pellets.
The correct food plan retains your piggies at a wholesome weight, which permits them to transfer freely and with out issue.
Ensure that their greens are different and acceptable. Feed largely darkish, leafy greens, and solely feed sugary or high-calcium meals carefully.
A high-quality pellet fed in the correct amount is the important thing to sustaining good weights on your guinea pigs. Too many pellets is often the rationale for obese piggies!
That mentioned, don’t fear about your piggies’ weights as long as they’re consuming proper. They are often chunky! It’s not solely pure for them to appear like little potatoes, however inspired for them to have a bit of additional weight in case they get sick. Guinea pigs’ well being can go downhill rapidly, and their weight sometimes descends with it.
Placing your guinea pig on a food plan might be counteractive except you’ve really been feeding them an excessive amount of. Do not forget that they’ve quick metabolisms and have to be consuming continuously!
Issues to Keep away from
There are some merchandise available on the market that you need to keep away from in any respect prices on your guinea pigs, even when at first they appear like good concepts. There are additionally some kinds of train that aren’t good for piggies.
These embrace:
- Train balls: These don’t present sufficient air flow for guinea pigs to breathe correctly, particularly in the event that they’re peed in. They’re additionally very disorienting and may trigger spinal issues. Train balls aren’t beneficial for any animal, even hamsters, opposite to well-liked perception!
- Wheels: Whereas the correct dimension wheel is nice for a hamster, they aren’t acceptable for guinea pigs as they’ll trigger spinal accidents.
- Harnesses: Sadly, there are tiny harnesses marketed towards guinea pigs. These aren’t secure as a result of if you happen to or the guinea pig pulls, the harness can injure their backbone. As a substitute, see the part above about secure outside time.
- Steep ramps: Whereas second tales are nice, guinea pigs aren’t climbers on the whole. Their spines weren’t made to be strolling up steep ramps, and over time this sort of exercise can harm their backs.
- Stairs: Going up and down stairs is nice train for individuals, however not a lot for piggies. It’s not a pure motion, and so they may also simply fall down and injure themselves. Even a brief fall can damage a guinea pig badly as a result of they’re so small.
- Unnatural actions: Something that makes a guinea pig transfer in a method they don’t naturally might be a foul concept. Stick with easy, pure train like giving them ample house to run.
Continuously Requested Questions
Guinea pigs mustn’t run on wheels. They want a flat, open house to stroll or run round in for train. The rounded edges of a wheel can harm a guinea pig’s backbone.
No! Train balls can damage guinea pigs in a number of methods. They don’t present sufficient air flow, your guinea pig can not simply management their motion within them, and so they may cause spinal accidents.
This varies relying in your set-up and your piggies’ personalities. In case your piggies love ground time and you’ve got a secure set-up that features a hay pile, they’ll keep out so long as you or they like.
In case your guinea pigs are nervous throughout ground time, it is likely to be finest to restrict it to a short while till they get used to it, and even cease altogether.
Like ground time, lap time is cherished by some piggies and disliked by others. In case your piggy likes lap time, holding them every day is an effective way to bond. In the event that they don’t, it’s finest to respect their house!
