Like most other pets, guinea pigs require plenty of exercises to stay happy and healthy.
They are active and enjoy physical exercise and stimulation. However, they also enjoy munching and tend to overeat.
It can lead to excessive weight gain and accompanying health issues.
The best way to keep your pet’s weight in check is to ensure a nutritious diet and encourage them to get more exercise.
How to Get Your Guinea Pigs to Exercise
There are numerous ways to get a guinea pig to exercise. But first, you must make sure that they have ample space and toys to encourage them to get active and stay on their feet.
Luckily, guinea pigs are curious by nature. So, something as small as rearranging the cage or introducing a playpen can encourage them to exercise!
A Guinea pig can be exercised in a cage, playpen, or even outside. Your guinea pig should exercise for around one hour each day, but it doesn’t have to be done all at once.
Your pet can do a variety of activities each day to meet its daily needs. Here are some creative ways to work out your pet guinea pigs in a way that’s both entertaining and healthy.
Choose a Spacious Cage
They like to explore and roam around. However, it’s not fun if the cage is not spacious enough. Your guinea pig will quickly get bored, becoming depressed and lethargic over time.
Guinea pigs can’t just sit around and wait for someone to take them for a walk; instead, allow your guinea pig to go for a walk on its own schedule.
You should ensure that your pet’s cage is spacious enough to accommodate him safely and properly.
It must be large enough for them to be able to run around, do laps, and generally have a good time!
A guinea pig’s cage should be at least 7.5 square feet in size. A minimum of 7.5 square feet is required for two guinea pigs, although 10.5 square feet is ideal.
Create a Playpen
Young guinea pigs are highly energetic, and if you confine them to their habitat for the entire day, they will become dissatisfied and upset.
The same goes for older guinea pigs, although they are less energetic.
Therefore, you should have a playpen or guinea pig-proofed space where your furry pets can stretch out while still being watched over.
The change in environment will entice your guinea pigs to move around.
However, make sure the area is safe for your guinea pigs. It should not contain extra wires, other pets, or anything else that could harm a guinea pig.
You should also seal off any areas that your guinea pigs could try to get into, such as the underside of a dresser or couch.
Also, don’t forget to put some vegetables out for your guinea pig to eat while it plays.
In addition to boosting their energy, a quick snack will also make this time more enjoyable for them. You can get them a serving of carrots, broccoli, or celery in the playpen.
Opt for Guinea Pig Toys
Guinea pigs enjoy exercising on their own schedule, and putting in some interesting items will encourage them to do so. You can introduce new toys or everyday objects in the cage.
Putting everyday objects inside the cage allows the guinea pigs to interact, runabout, and discover new things.
You can use cardboard, cereal boxes, and other guinea pig-safe household items.
On the other hand, guinea pig toys are specially designed to offer loads of fun and adequate exercise. Toys might include chewing toys, wooden balls, and other toys developed for them.
Most activity will be elicited by using wooden balls and hidey homes or other items they can crawl through.
Keep in mind that it’s very normal for guinea pigs to chew on the toys you buy for them.
So, be selective in the toys you purchase for your pet. Toys containing colors or plastic parts can harm your guinea pig.
Also, never use exercise wheels and balls designed for hamsters and other rodents for your guinea pigs.
A guinea pig’s spine is far less flexible, and this can result in potentially catastrophic spinal injuries.
Move Things Around In the Cage
Toys, hidey places, and food bowls that take up so much space that your guinea pigs can’t move around freely should be removed. The goal is to make sure the cage isn’t overcrowded.
It is also good to rotate the cage’s contents from time to time to keep things interesting. Some owners do it daily, while others only do it after a cage cleaning.
When they get a change of scenery, many guinea pigs are more likely to explore and play about.
Create a Fun Obstacle Course
Training your guinea pig with obstacle courses may be a lot of fun. You don’t have to go crazy or work yourself ragged to create an entertaining obstacle course for your pet.
You can use simple everyday objects, such as cardboard tubes elevated above the ground, miniature balance beams, and other things to construct exciting obstacles for your guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs can also get a great workout when they sprint up the stairs. However, they are not going to do this on their own.
You must teach your pet to climb stairs by rewarding them with their favorite treats.
Consider Building a Guinea Pig Maze
Walking through a maze also helps guinea pigs exercise both their brain and body, which is good for their physical as well as mental health. Plus, it would be amusing for you to witness.
Making a maze for your guinea pig may seem difficult at first, but after you see how simple it is, you’ll enjoy building it.
All you have to do is build a base out of cardboard and adhere the maze’s walls to it.
Make sure that the maze for your pet guinea pig has a few dead ends and an exit for the pig to go through. Keep in mind that guinea pigs have short attention spans, so don’t make things too difficult.
Guinea pigs also love tunnels. They will have a lot of fun exploring and exercising in the tunnels on the floor.
You can use PVC pipes to construct tunnels for your guinea pigs in the maze.
Guinea pigs adore tunnels, so any tunnel that is large enough and doesn’t have any sharp edges will work just fine for your guinea pigs to explore.
Finally, introduce healthy treats and goodies in the maze to help your guinea pig find its way out of a tight spot and enjoy the maze.
Place Ramps around the Cage
Guinea pig cage ramps are an excellent way of keeping your pets active while having a good time with them.
Guinea pigs enjoy exercising on them, and they are easy to building, and.
You can build ramps for your guinea pigs out of a flat piece of wood that doesn’t have any sharp edges.
The guinea pigs will have a blast racing down and back up the ramp, which is great fun for you to watch.
However, if the ramps are too short or too steep for your guinea pigs’ taste, they may avoid using them entirely.
So, choosing ramps for your guinea pigs should be done with caution.
Experiment with several types of ramps until you find one that works best for your guinea pigs. Also, make sure that the ramps are not too high or pose the risk of falling for your furry pet.
Give Your Guinea Pig a Yummy Veggie
Another approach to get them moving is to give them a tomato. It sounds silly, but it works great!
Playing about and getting some exercise is the goal of the drill, not a tomato.
This technique works great when there are two guinea pigs and only one tomato. There will be an all-out battle to steal the tomato from the one who didn’t receive it.
Playtime and workout sessions will continue as the other guinea pig tries to get at the tomato.
You can also use cucumber, carrot, or lettuce in the same way if your guinea pigs don’t enjoy tomatoes.
Things to Avoid
All pet stores carry exercise wheels and balls, which are a pretty common item. However, these balls will only fit hamsters with a flexible backbone. They are not suitable for guinea pigs.
We recommend limiting yourself to tunnels, ramps, and stairs, as well as a lot of free-roaming. Also, avoid providing too many toys, as it can result in a cluttered cage.
If your pet’s cage is cluttered, it will be more difficult for it to move around. Make sure there is enough room in the cage for your pet to move about with a few toys.
It is also important to look out for wires if your pet roams around your home. Guinea pigs might gnaw on the wires and be electrocuted.
To keep our pets safe, utilize playpens and tunnels and keep the guinea pig in an environment that is large and new. They’ll love it!
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