How to Free Roam Your Guinea Pigs the RIGHT Way! (no carpet mess!)
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- Guinea pigs out of the cage! Follow the guinea pig's free roaming floor time adventures, and learn how best to do free roaming with your own guinea pigs, from choosing the room and size of space (depending on how tame your piggies are), how to set it up and most importantly - how to avoid mess (pee) on the carpet! Yes, it won't be perfect, but 95% of the time it works and has done for all my piggies. Give it a try and let me know how you get on! 🐹🥰
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Pigs are FREE!
1:32 Explorers and followers
2:17 Piggie trains!
2:37 Benefits of floor time
3:12 Intrepid piggies
3:35 Setting up for free roaming
6:00 Naughty piggies?!
7:20 What about the CARPET!
9:23 Bonding with veggies
10:53 Let me know about YOUR cage
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My girl Phoebe loves to explore the entire room, my boar Finny follows her but always stays on the blanket waiting for her to come back when she explores the room on the wooden floor 😅 She is also quite the escape artist to get behind the closed off parts of the living room. I love piggie personalities 🥰🤭
Yeah sometimes there's say this one who scared and hides on the fleece liners, and the adventurer (who thinks there queen of the house) mine are sisters and are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
My two boars are complete opposites during free roaming time: Wally sits in his castle, eating; Fleming runs about like a loon and gets into everything.
Great video of some fun times! We have two boars in a flat, they live in the kitchen but are full time free. They have a double cage set up and run with the usual hay loaded dispensers taking up half the kitchen, and they have a big mat in the living room with another hay dispenser. They just run back and forth as they see fit. Milo is 7 now and has not known a locked door for years, he’s a very nice and trustworthy Guinea. Cheesers is a younger new friend after a sad passing of our other boy, and has only been granted increasing freedoms since last October. Generally they’re both full-time free now even when we’re out, and choose to spend most of their time in the cages with their own sticks and blanket forts. They certainly take themselves to bed every night and are always in the kitchen in the morning. Even though they could go into bedrooms, they don’t bother, there’s no hay in there so it’s boring.
Absolutely lovely to see your herd in a chain and following each other. My three (2 sisters 4+yrs and 1 neutered boar 2+yrs) live in a 3x5 C&C diy built home in the lounge. Free roaming is done in the 12x10 foot conservatory and my goodness, they pee everywhere. Mostly under the armchair, so I flatten out a large cardboard box and place it under the chair and cover the large rug with a mattress protector. Their hay box (similar to yours) goes in with them too, as well as their hideys, hammock and tunnels.
We used an old glass table that we built a wooden box to sit on top of it. Fleece and liner go on the tabletop. We use kitty litter boxes that we cut doors into and put paper bedding into them.
Nacho the rock cavy 😂
My piggies are totally different when it comes to free roam floor time lol 😂
My Queen Phoebe says sorry can't move I'm preparing to audition to guinea pig my 6lb life
And Lois, well you might as well give her the whole room it's hers now to sniff every single inch
Hahaha, Phoebe and Lois sound like such characters 😄😂
😂😂😂😂 good one 😅
My two piggies, Pumpkin and Nimbus (female and neutered boar), have a C&C cage. They love it! It's a 2x4 and the way I have it set up is perfect for them.
I'm really happy about this floor time video because I've down some floor time/free roam in the past but it's always been difficult because we've either lived in a home with dogs and the only space was my bedroom (which wasn't very big), or now we live in a studio apartment so me and my piggies are in the "room" since that's all a studio apartment really is. So unfortunately there's not too much space for them to get around. I think my best course of action is going to be getting another pen to attach to the first one that I have to make it bigger to give them a decent enclosed space to run around in. I don't think it'd be safe to just have them free roam my apartment like I'd like them to. I always worry that I'm not doing enough for them, but then I remember that they're very happy and loved and looked after and they often come up to me when I go to say hi so I must be doing something right. I know they love me too even if it's just because I bring them food. I love my little piggies!
Oh yes! I love the piggy train! 💕😁🥰😍👍😘🤗🌹
Boom Boom and Pow Pow run freely and it makes them SO HAPPY and brave, Boom Boom is the "leader" ❤ I love your videos! #guineapigslove
Good afternoon from America. I always enjoy watching the herd, especially when they free roam and give us a piggie train or two. I’m especially looking forward to the new piggie room; I’m sure it will be worth the wait❤❤❤❤
I enjoy watching the adventures of guinea pigs 🐾🐾
6:46 bugs when you lift up a rock
Callie, Nacho, Phobe and Roxy all look so cute they must be the cutest girls and boy in the world ❤ your channel!
Awh thank you!
@@SqueakDreams can a month old guinea pig do the same?
I got two enclosures for floor time and I link them together in a bigger circle. It gives enough space for me to lie down with them and spend some time on my phone or with a book. I especially like doing that outside when the weather is nice.
My piggies are very happy with their cage! I originally got a 2x4 C&C cage but I keep upgrading it. It's now 2x8 with an additional 2x2 loft. The 2x2 loft is very popular with my piggies; their favorite part about it is the two ramps, which provide a fun little race track when they get the zoomies. If you get a loft I really recommend getting two ramps for that reason. They also like hiding out underneath the loft - I made a little DIY "fleece forest" for them under there. It's very easy to make your own fleece forest for cheap.
I have tiles in my room, which my girls really love especially in Summer when it gets very hot here.They love to just pancake out on the tiles hehe
I've bought C&C grids, and might even get more, that I use to build an area for them. With other pets in the house it;s a bit hard to have a large area for floor time, but I only have 2 girls and they really enjoy running around my room. I have a lot of liners and accessories for them to use during floor time so they don't get too cold on the tiles or slip around. We don't do it so much in winter because it's a bit too cold if the floor isn't fully covered
Awww! They're so cute! I'm getting guinea pigs soon, and I'm so excited! Your channel has really helped me with preparing for them ❤
That's so lovely to hear thank you!
at first we were using two pre-made cages close to each other linked with one side open. but as the pigs grew up i did not like the hop over the side. so i build cage of wood planks and used top parts of the cage to stop them from jumping out. Then i cut off 1 wide wall of two of the cages and increased the area for them to roam. Now they have about 6m^2 wooden cage and ground floor open for them all the time with one cage being under the table so they can hide there and still see whats going on in home without me woring they will go under the table and poop.
We have two female piggies. One very senior 7 year old and a 2 year old girl. Our cage setup includes a Midwest with a ramp that goes into a traditional pet shop cage. We use the hard bottom one as our "kitchen" for easy cleanup. Also our senior piggy sometimes needs a break from her much younger cagemate, so we will close off the ramp if required.
aww, love the piggy trains!! we've stopped floor time - we did all day free roam daily for a long time but found they didn't venture very far in the end (even with fleece liners and hideys etc).. so we've now upgraded their cage from an L shape 2x6+2x2 to a 3x6 (about 220x110cm) , DIY c+c from amazon/ebay. They are lucky enough to be in our living room so lots of interaction and can still hop out if we take a grid off. Downside is having to get in the cage to clean it! I'd totally recommend to anyone who has the space to have their piggies in the living areas
They look so happy having free roam of the living room so much room for them to run in
Your Piggos are so cute!! My girls have a 2x5 C&C cage with a 2x2 loft. It’s currently shared by 2 female Guinea pigs, one 5 year old and one 6 month old (yes I’m aware of the drastic age difference 😂), but as we usually have 3, we’re hoping to get them a new friend this summer (hopefully one between their ages lol). We let them free roam the living room whenever we clean the cage, and as our apartment has wood floors and they’re mostly litter trained, we don’t have too much of a problem. Our senior girly has adopted a favorite sleeping corner behind a potted palm tree tho, which is kind of annoying to clean sometimes 😅
I have a 4x2 c&c grid enclosure for my 2 boys marmalade and juniper 😊
They're so cute, reminds me of when my sister and I had guinea pigs as kids and they ran around the conservatory floor in a guinea train. Their bums wobbling is so cute 😂❤
Such an informative video! My three girls have a 3 by 8 C&C cage that’s simply made from two large sheets of coroplast from Lowes and a few packs of Amazon basics grids.
My two boys have an open hutch in the lounge with a covered area on the floor next to it which is where they go to pee/ poop. I usually use washable puppy pads with fluffy bath mats on top. Then they can explore the lounge as they please. I’ve blocked off a couple of areas for safety also. They seem to know that they don’t poop or pee on the carpet. Never have done so I guess I’m just lucky! They don’t like the lino floor leading to the kitchen so they are nicely contained.
They enjoy running around in the larger area and also have a treat ball that I fill with pellets that they push around which is so cute to watch ❤
I also make a ramp out of sofa cushions so they can come up and sit by me in the evening, and they go up and down as they please. I do bribe them with pea flakes lol but then they enjoy snuggling in a blanket and having their fur brushed. Then at the end of the day they put themselves to bed upstairs in their hutch. 🐹🐻💖
ur cali is so cute
Seeing Nacho running about brings joy to my heart
Our boys live in a large animal run in the lounge, and if it's too wet and/or cold for them to go outside, we just open the door of the run and they have free rein of the entire room.
Love that❤. My piggies free roam too. I do exactly what you say about having an area on the floor where they can go to the bathroom. I don't let them stay too long under the table for example in case of a poop accident. I have to say I can count on one hand in 3 and a half years of owning them, that I've found a stray poop on the carpet 😊
The big fluffy one is so majestic 😍
I have a little straw forage toy that I put out for floor time with lots of veggies in it. I also love the little puzzles where the piggies have to get under a lid to get some parsley. My piggies are not explorers. They stick to the 6 bath mats that I put out for them. But they seem to love floor time with special cozies.
Your piggies are so adorable! Nacho and his constant bed head always makes me smile. I have 2 boars that I adopted from the local Humane Society. Twix is the more adventurous one, and Snickers is a bit shy. For their enclosure I took 2 Midwest cages, removed the divider and floor covers, and hooked them together. It's roughly 2 ft by 10 ft, so they have lots of space. For free roam time, I add a large x-pen.
Its definitely a personal thing. Some like it, some dont. Most of mine through the years were not into it, maybe because they live in a large enclosure already. Two of them would go round until they kind of park under cover, and one boar, Ronnie Red, would signal his desire to go back by standing next to one leg of the big table the enclosure is on.
After the week I have I need something cute and this is what I need
Hi Sarah! Hi piggies! Looking cute as always!
They're all beautiful but the yellow one with the black face and ears I want him so bad, i'm in love
It's a she😅
Really enjoyed this video, watching the antics of all the piggies! So cute when Phoebe and Callie touched noses. Looking forward to the video about cages/enclosures. We have a Mid-West for our solitary (mostly blind) piggy, it's 47" x 24". Everything has to be kept in the same configuration. She gets along quite well! (Love your new home, by the way!)
I got 2 female Guinea pigs a couple weeks ago called Maple and Willow. I love your videos, they have been so helpful with all my questions. They are living in a C&C cage in my room. I think a great video idea would be Guinea pig sounds and their meanings because I've looked everywhere and they all say different things.
Love watching your videos! ❤
My boyfried made a DIY cage 1,70m x 2m in size for my 4 neutered males
Loved this video, so cute to see the herd piggie training around your living room.
We have two guinea pigs, 1 year old sisters that share a 6 x 2 CC Cage setup in an L shape. Works really well to give when space to themselves if they want as they can be a little grumpy with each other at certain times of the month.
Or as my piggies did, RIP all stereo wires, telephone wires (yes, in the days when we had landlines), cable wires and one piggy tried to fight with a box fan (under my cousin's supposed supervision) and let's just say the box fan won. Poor piggy started screaming. She was okay but I don't know what happened!
This was such a fun and informative video. I know I've told you this before, but the best part of your videos are quite often the comments that your piggies make. They are such comedians. I loved when Nacho called himself "the fluffy one". My piggies aren't really much for exploring, but they do love when I sit with them in the large area that I've made for floor time. They like to crawl up and down on me as I read to them. They're partial to mysteries. Lol!
My little Charlie has always been a free roam piggy he has a cage “we call it his bedroom” but the door is always open 😊
Aww I love that video I personally love doing floor time with my 2 boars and sadly my cage is a pet shop cage but I do give them loads of floor time in the same room as I have a dog as well which cuts down my space luckily summmer coming and I do have a bigger outdoor cage and still get floor time outside if it’s not raining if wet they go in the hall way can.t use in winter to cold xxxx
I look forward to your videos as they educate as well as entertain us. Love how they all get along and I am totally impressed with how they don’t pee or poop (well maybe one or two) on the floor or carpet. Wish mine didn’t as it would make it easier for me to do more free roams for them. 😊
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What a lovely extravaganza!!😁😁😁
Love Callies little black feet!
I would love to have you do a cage reaction video! I have a handmade cage. C&c grids framed with wood from my parents farm and is live to see what you thought. I love seeing other people's cages too! Always gives me me ideas of things to try😊
This makes me miss my piggy😭😭😭
hi this channel is great!
Having a dark brown carpet is a good idea!!!
Callie waddling ❤️
i love your videos
I had to cut down my free roams as my pigs were too skinny from too much exercise 😂 no matter how much they were fed 😅
Nacho is such a floof.
I love your content
hi i love your guinea pig videos im accually getting some today and ive been wtching all of your videos
Omg I have Guinea pigs I love this video!! I’m a huge fan of you channel❤
I really enjoyed watching this video and it has given me some ideas 💡. Thank you❤
I got my boy Kiwi in my room with me
His cage is on the floor so I just leave it open and just let him go ham
He's like a little dog coming to great you Everytime you go into my room
Then he tries to bite my foot occasionally when I'm at my desk
(Absolute no reason I guess he thinks my toe is one of his treats 💀)
Just put my piggies back from their day of free roaming...they zoom around for hours, then they enjoy their veggies, before going back to a clean enclosure where they can pass out😂❤
I love your videos I am getting a Guinea pig in a week
Where did you buy the hay holder in your cage? I love your videos and your piggies x
I have a candc cage, which we have changed and upgraded several times
My piggies are open all the time, except when I am asleep.
I use a cnc cage for my 4 piggies there are in a temporary cage at the moment which im building a new home for them
Brilliant video! I have c and c cages for my guinea pigs. I have one 4 by 2 and one 5 by 2. And ever since I started following you (about 3 years ago) I have been abke to transform my piggies lives and improve them so much so thank you. I am looking to start floor time with my piggies. I have 4 boars, but they are in 2 separate pairs. I would just have to get some grids to block places off then I'm good to go! Also how often do you do floor time with your pigs or how often is good for starting out?
Hello! Yesterday my Guinea pig choked on her bedding and died at least 2 hours later now I know to use blankets you have made me learn so much! I am getting a New Guinea pig on Wednesday it will be a long haired one🥰
I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, that is so awful for the sweet piggie 😥
Awww, so sorry to hear. I never even thought that was possible! Can I ask what kind of bedding it was? We just switched to wood shavings.
Never thought such a calamity could happen. For years my piggies were on pine & aspen bedding. Finally made the switch to fleece bedding. Lots of laundry loads every day but so worth it. So sorry about your much loved piggie. Please all, consider that guinea pigs are HERD animals. Sam sex & compatible of course
@@nadirahtherealtor5173 yea you may it is called cedar wood! It is from pets mart so I do not recommend🥰
@@SqueakDreams Thanks it was really sad I couldn’t stop crying!
Can you do reacting to guinea pig cages your viewers have?
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Can you please do a video on how to clean a female’s grease gland ? video request
where do I get hay in Australia??
*They have a loft area too
I free roam mine but the set up takes so long. I’ve got an open kitchen/living room and multiple unsafe areas which have to be blocked off. I also have to cover everything in rugs otherwise they attempt to eat the wooden floor. I also had to block off part of the wall as one tried eating the wallpaper. It’s worth it but wish I could do a set up like yours.
My guinea pig enclosure also is a cc grid one. I brought it as a set online but I’ve added additional things like more cc grids and correx sheets from elsewhere to increase the space they have.
Another question I have is when we are doing lap time, and they show signs of not being happy, like teeth rattling, or vibrating etc should I take them back to their cage immediately or should I try to get them to work through it? Many thanks for all your videos! as a New Guinea pig owner they have been super helpful!
My 2 set of 2 piggies have a 3 panel by 4 panel C&C the two singles have a 4 panel by 2 panel. they all get 4 hr floor time each cage every day.
That’s great!
I have a question.... Where do you find / get your fleece? I'm looking for fleece for my guinea pigs 😊
😁
Hi 😍 wiggys
henlo hooman 😊
All four of mine do nothing but pee and poop EVERYWHERE. They don't care where it is. They don't even care if they end up walking and sleeping in it. I have never gotten them to have floor time without making a MASSIVE mess of pee and poop..
I have tried free floor time with my piggies, only had them for a month and they are still quite shy and also our floors are wood and very slippery for them, should I cover the whole area with blankets to make it less slippery or should I try to get them used to it?
For our cage, we have a DIY wooden frame that's 30 cm tall and 1,8 sq meters around. It doesn't have a floor which is cool as I can take it into the garden easily as well.
You’re telling me you put a couple fleece liners down and they never pee on the carpet. No way am I risking that with my boys. They will pee anywhere no matter if there’s a fleece or not. I need to cover the entire floor space for me to do this.
hey i have a question, so basically i have 2 piggies and they have like blankets on the floor of it and even though they have some hides they still only go under the blankets. So is there anything i can do to make them go into the hides?
Hi! I’m new here. I have two piggies: Beans and Rice. Your piglets are gorgeous! How often do you do floor time with your pigs?
Welcome 😊 probably once a week on average, though would like to do more! I'd aim for at least twice a week if you can!
how do you get rid of the litter?
One of my guinea pigs doesnt explore at all. He just sits in his hideout when he is not in his cage. How can I make him explore or should I be worried?
Hi Sarah, we’ve tried letting our piggies free roam but they don’t move much. Could it be our laminate flooring?
Maybe until they get used to it and get confident to the environment ❤
Hi can u help,p me find snuggle things for my piggies
Does floor time really near the cage usually make them want to go back more? I've tried but they keep wanting to go back in :( or they just hide
What if I don’t have carpet, I have hardwood floors..?
I just got a guinea pig named Milo, he is alone because he is aggressive to other piggies, is it ok to keep him by himself? Also I love phoebe (she’s my favorite!!)
If he really doesn’t get on with other piggy’s then I’d definitely recommend getting him a bar buddy (basically a piggy he can interact with but in separate cages!)❤
How old are they?
Is your carpet wee absorvant ? Bc my girls pee on the floor when they run around in the kitchen..l don't mind ,but they wee and poop 😂
I just got my 2 piggies about 3-4 hours ago and they are so scared well one of them is eating drinking and potting but they other one she is not doing anything I'm kinda worried
Should I let it be or go to the vet or wait another day or two??
These are my first pigs ever
Don’t worry too much! Some piggies will stop eating, drinking and not come out their hides for the first few days! You shouldn’t need to take them to the vet unless they aren’t eating for weeks on end’!❤
Give them time.Dont worry about it
Thank you!
What would you suggest for someone whose home doesn't have any carpet?
I always lay down some fleece liners and blankets for them. My boy stays on the blankets but my girl doesnt mind exploring on the wooden floor 😅
Piggie paws do tend to slip on hard floors, but it will probably vary depending on the surface, I've seen videos of piggies quite happily enjoying floor time on hard floors, but others where they avoid it. I would probably see how they react first, then you could consider getting a large lightweight rug (thin but rough material, something which can be storage away without taking up too much room, or leave it out if you want!) and lay that out in their main space - they might actually just stick to the rug and not venture off it, it depends how adventurous they are 😊
A large old mattress protector with the edges(skirt) cut away can be really useful
Be careful of power cables lying in the room. they gnaw at everything. that could then become dangerous for them.
I had a guinea pig that would stay perfectly still until you picked him back up.