Guinea pigs need exercise to stay healthy, just like people do, so just like you schedule gym sessions for yourself, you need to schedule floor time sessions for your pigs. Floor time is your pigs' daily opportunity to get out of their cage and run around your house. However, since guinea pigs are small, curious rodents, they can get into a lot of trouble during floor time if you don't guinea pig-proof your house first. Here are four tips for guinea pig-proofing your home for floor time.
Get rid of electrical cords
Guinea pigs have constantly growing teeth, and to keep their teeth from becoming too long to manage, they need to gnaw on objects to wear down their teeth. In the safety of their cage, they can gnaw on wood chew toys, but when they're roaming around your house, they may chew on dangerous items like your electrical cords. This will ruin your cords, but worse, your pet may be electrocuted. In fact, this is the most common electrical injury for pets.
To protect your guinea pigs, make sure that none of your electrical cords are lying on or close to the floor. Your cords need to be far enough away from the ground that your pigs can't gnaw them, even if they stand on their back legs.
Cover floor vents
Floor vents aren't dangerous for people, or for your larger pets like dogs and cats, but they're a hazard for guinea pigs. If your guinea pigs run across your floor vents, their tiny legs could fall through the gaps between the grilles. In the best case scenario, this experience will terrify your pets, but in the worst case scenario, they could break their legs.
To keep your pigs safe, cover your vents before floor time begins. Placing a bathmat or small rug on top of the vent is an easy way to keep your pigs from hurting themselves. Remember to remove the mat or rug after floor time is over.
Block small openings
Like other rodents, guinea pigs love to squeeze into small openings. Even though guinea pigs have round bodies, they can fit their bodies through any hole that's big enough to fit their head. Once they've squeezed into a small gap, they may hide and refuse to come out.
To keep your pigs from getting stuck in places that you can't get them out of, take the time to inspect your house for small gaps that will tempt your guinea pig. To make this easier, get down on your hands and knees so that you get a guinea pig's eye view of your house. Once you've identified gaps —like the spaces beneath your refrigerator or couch or cracks in your walls —block them with cage grids or other obstacles.
Hide your house plants
Guinea pigs don't know the difference between house plants that are safe to eat and house plants that aren't, so to protect them, make sure to keep dangerous plants out of your pet's reach. Common plants like buttercups, nightshade, tulips, and lilies can be very dangerous for your guinea pigs. If any of these plants are in pots on the floor, move them to a table or shelf for the duration of floor time.
Plants like goldenrod, marigolds, nasturtiums, and sunflowers are safe for guinea pigs to eat, but if you don't your plants to be devoured by your hungry pigs, you should store them out of reach as well.
Floor time is essential for your guinea pigs' health, but if you don't guinea pig-proof your home first, they could get themselves into a lot of trouble. If you have more questions, contact a professional like 1st Pet Veterinary Centers.
Share2 March 2016
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