How to Introduce Your Guinea Pig to Floor Time

Floor time is an excellent method of play that is highly encouraged to introduce to your guinea pig to promote healthy exercise, enrichment, and mental stimulation. Aim to set up floor time at least once a week to reduce boredom within the cage. If you've never given your guinea pig floor time, then now is a great time to start!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing for Floor Time

1
Understand the concept of floor time. The purpose of floor time is to provide your guinea pig with exercise, enrichment, and time to explore a new environment. Floor time is also beneficial to your guinea pig's mental health, as it gives them a special time to interact with new objects.
- Floor time is an increasingly popular and effective method of encouraging guinea pigs to exercise and keep them healthy. During floor time, your guinea pig is stimulated to move around more.
- Floor time also allows you to play and bond with your guinea pig. The open space allows the both of you to interact and connect.
- During floor time, provide your guinea pig with plenty of toys, hideouts, tunnels, and obstacles to explore and play with on the open floor. Interacting with such objects is something your guinea pig probably wouldn't be able to do just as well in their confined cage.
2
Understand that your guinea pig may feel scared at first. It might seem confusing to read about floor time as an encouraged exercise method and then seeing your guinea pig inactively huddle in the corner of the room. This is normal and most guinea pigs are timid when they are first introduced to the concept of floor time. Your guinea pig will need some time adapting to their new activity.
- Set up places for your guinea pigs to hide, such as pigloos and tunnels. If your guinea pig can hide and feel safe, they will be more comfortable with the floor space and adapt faster.
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3
Set a schedule. Floor time should be arranged at least every other day, especially if your guinea pig is first being introduced to the concept. For instance, you can say that every Monday. Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, you will give your guinea pig an hour of floor time. The consistent schedule will help your guinea pig adjust faster. If possible, floor time should even be given at the same time every day.
- If your guinea pig has a smaller cage, arrange to provide them with floor time more often. Although floor time is not a substitute for a larger cage, it can help reduce boredom and promote better activity if your guinea pig feels restricted.
4
Acquire a puppy pen or border (optional). If you have a guinea pig-safe room (no wires or things to chew), you can allow your guinea pig inside of the space to free-roam. However, if you have a bare spot in a room that your guinea pig isn't allowed to wander around in, a puppy pen is a good way to safely make sure they stay in one place. Things like electrical outlets/power cords are dangerous to guinea pigs, and they may also gnaw on wooden furniture or items, which can damage the wood and harm your guinea pig.
- Grid cubes designed for C & C cages are a cheap and easy material that you can construct into a DIY playpen for your guinea pigs.
5
Decide where you would like to your floor time to be. Consider arranging floor time directly outside of your guinea pig's cage. This assures that you don't have to go through the hassle of transporting your guinea pig from one room to another.
- A spare bedroom is a suitable option. Otherwise, bathrooms are also a good choice, since they are relatively safe and contain tiled floors that can't be damaged by guinea pig urine.
- Select a room that has low traffic so that you and your guinea pig are less likely to be disturbed. On top of that, it's suggested to choose a room that is well-lit and well-ventilated (but no drafts).
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Setting Up

1
Safety check your room. It's important to ensure that the room you choose for floor time is safe and secure for your guinea pig to play and roam around in. You must provide a safe environment for your guinea pig. This includes:
- Closing the door to the room if possible. This ensures that your guinea pig will not escape.
- Packing away wires sprawled around the room. You can temporarily put these in a box secured away from your guinea pig or move them out of your guinea pig's reach. This includes phone chargers too. If your guinea pig chews into the wire it will cause an electric shock.
- Blocking off areas where your guinea pig shouldn't go. Guinea pigs are notorious for getting into places where they shouldn't be. Usually out of fright, they will scamper to the first hiding spot they can see, like under a sofa or other hard-to-reach place. You can block these areas off with something as simple as a flattened cardboard box, as long as it doesn't have tape or other things your guinea pig might chew on.
- Removing pets from the room. Other animals such as dogs or cats are predators to guinea pigs. If you have both animals in the same room, a cat or dog could attack and fatally harm your guinea pig.
- Removing any house plants that are poisonous to your guinea pig. If you're unsure about a specific plant, remove it. Don't put your guinea pig at risk.
2
Set down some puppy pads, towels, or other absorbent material. This is particularly important if you have hardwood floors, which can become damaged if your guinea pig pees on them.
- Do not just put down fleece. Although it's used as bedding, it needs an absorbent layer underneath, as its material will not soak up spills on its own.
3
Add toys. Toys are a great contributing factor in encouraging enrichment and stimulation during floor time. You can place as many toys as you'd like, as space is unlimited. However, do your research to ensure the toys you use are safe for guinea pigs. There are a few toys that should be avoided.
- Exercise wheels and balls are a big no! These toys are commonly marketed for guinea pigs in pet shops, however, they are extremely unsafe. Unlike mice and hamsters, guinea pigs do not possess a flexible spine. Using these balls/wheels on your guinea pig will harm their back.
- Check for splintering wood. Before you add a wooden toy to the floor time area, examine the wood for splinters which can harm your guinea pig when/if they chew on it.
- Avoid wire treat toys. Guinea pigs are susceptible to getting their head and body stuck between the metal bars of wire toys. Choose a safe alternative, like a plastic ball treat dispenser.
- Try making your own toys instead! You can get creative with the materials around your house. Use cardboard to Make Cardboard Guinea Pig Toys and stuff hay and treats inside of a toilet paper tube.
It's not abnormal for your guinea pig to feel frightened and want to hide when they are first introduced to floor time. Hideouts aren't only a great object for your guinea pig to explore, but they serve the purpose of providing a safe space for your guinea pig to retreat to when scared, thus reducing stress levels.
Guinea pigs are burrowing animals in the wild; they love hiding in tunnels and climbing ramps! You can purchase a safe tunnel from a pet shop or recycle a cardboard tube. Ramps can be made out of any materials around the house.
6
Add obstacles. Obstacles placed around the cage will promote your guinea pig to exercise and manoeuvre around. A few examples of things you can use as obstacles are toy tunnels and ramps, and anything lying around the house (and is, of course, pet-safe), such as blocks, wood, logs, pillows, etc.
- You could even construct a maze with the obstacles.
7
Set up a feeding station. During floor time, your guinea pig should still be allowed unrestricted access to hay. Pellets and vegetables are unnecessary, but can be scattered around the area to encourage your guinea pig to "hunt" for their food.
- You can turn hay into a fun toy! Stuff a toilet paper tube with hay and a few optional treats. Your guinea pig will have fun pulling the hay out of the tube. You can also place the hay in location that your guinea pig has to work to get to, like on the top of a ramp.
- You can also provide water during play time. However, keep the water in a bottle as opposed to a bowl to reduce leakage and mess.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Doing Floor Time

1
Supervise your guinea pig. Never leave your guinea pig unattended while they are outside of their cage. Something can easily go wrong in an unconfined, open space where there is no supervision.
- Use your time effectively and wisely. Bond with your guinea pig. Talk to them or even play with them.
- If you think your guinea pig is able to escape, stay in the room to make sure they stay safe. If your guinea pig is in a safe and confined space, it's not necessary to be in the same room as them frequently.
2
Encourage your guinea pig with treats. Understandably, your guinea pig may be shy at first within their new surroundings. You can try your best to encourage your guinea pig to walk around and explore by scattering treats around the cage. Guinea pigs love fresh fruits and vegetables, pellets, pea flakes, and forage mix.
- Fruits are a healthier alternative to commercial treats. Strawberries, blueberries, apples, and banana are a few fruits that are just as sweet, but contain less sugar and preservatives. However, they are still high in sugar and should be fed sparingly.
3
Take time to bond with your guinea pig. Floor time should be a special time for you to develop a better connection with your guinea pig. In the space you are provided, you should use your time effectively. Socialize and play with your guinea pig. Be in the space with them wand explore each new toy along their side.
- If it's your first time giving your guinea pig floor time, refrain from interacting with them. They need time to be comfortable with their new area first.
Guinea pigs are quite timid, especially in new environments. It's not uncommon for your guinea pig to shy away when they are first introduced to the concept of floor time. Patience is important. Encourage your guinea pig to explore by scattering treats around the cage.
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Question
My guinea pig just sits on the floor and does nothing. He only eats. How do I get him to exercise more?
Amy Harrison
Top Answerer
If your guinea pig simply eats during floor time, try using that as an advantage. Spread vegetables and treats around the enclosure and hide them around obstacles and tunnels. Try to make it challenging for your guinea pig to get to the treats.
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Question
I have a dog in my house, and I'm scared that my guinea pig(s) won't get a lot of floor time. What should I do?
Community Answer
Keep your dog somewhere else while your guinea pig has floor time, and keep a time schedule so you know when to keep your dog away. Alternatively, you can look for a room with a door so your dog won't be able to get in.
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Question
What can I do if I can't get down on the floor for playtime?
Community Answer
Put your guinea pig on your bed; just be careful and watch your guinea pig while doing this, as they can fall off.
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Tips

If your floor time-space is upstairs, secure the stairway.
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Guinea pigs can easily slip on wooden or tile floor, which can hurt their feet. It's recommended to lay something down over the floor, such as towels or fleece. Remember that they may pee on the floor, so opt for something absorbent and don't use something nice (like a rug).
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Warnings

Never use exercise wheels or balls during floor time. Guinea pigs have delicate spines which are nothing alike to other small rodents such as mice and hamsters. These objects can easily injure their back.
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Guinea pigs, surprisingly, can fit in the tightest of spaces, and can easily get stuck underneath furniture or behind refrigerators. Make sure to block all spaces off.
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