Exercise |
| | We need exercise! |
 | Piggies are energetic little souls - something which is easily forgotten if they are kept in small cages where they are unable to exercise. There are many ways in which you can ensure your pig can keep fit and healthy. Whatever the method, make sure you give your pig a minimum of a couple of hours a day if they live in a cage - more if you can! If they don't want to exercise, they will just sit still, so you can't ever overdo the opportunities. But it really is important they are given the opportunity to meander - both for their physical condition, and also mental stimulation. If your pig is overweight simply increasing the opportunity to exercise can sort them out and is also much more fun for them than having their food reduced! |
| Free range |
 | Allow your pigs free roaming in the house. For this they will need to be toilet trained (see the bottoms page) unless you want rotten floorboards, and you will need to make sure there is nothing they can chew that you don't want them to, or that would be dangerous to them (electrical flexes and poisonous houseplants are biggies). You also need to ensure they can't escape out the door, or get trapped, and that everyone knows there are pigs on the floor so will watch their feet. It takes a while to get your house in shape but is worth it as they love to have their adventures! |
| Floor time |
 | This means you allow your pig access to a room or the house for specified periods each day, under your supervision. Therefore, you don't need to make as much effort tidying things away as you can keep them out of trouble. Again the toileting is an issue. See the Cavy Cages site page on floor time for more information on how to set it up and make it fun for your piggy! |
| An indoor pen |
 | Best if your pig isn't toilet trained or the environment isn't safe for free roaming. Many people make these by blocking off a hallway, or area of a room. You can also use the creative cubes used to make the cube cages, or anything that will safely cordon off an area. You could put some lino or a shower curtain down and cover it with towels, or even get some cheap or free carpet testers and line the area. It's best if the surface isn't slippery if they are to exercise, and the lining is good for pigs who can't be bothered to go to the toilet where you want them to. |
| An outdoor run |
 | Good if the weather is nice, but impractical to rely on this as the sole form of leg stretching if you live somewhere with rubbish weather (like England). If you have grass which hasn't been treated with fertilizer, or for weeds, this is great for the pigs! Make sure they have food, water, and shelter from the sun and wind. They ail quickly with sunstroke which can easily be fatal. They will also need to be safe from other animals. Mine have a lovely home made run and they love their summer days on the lawn! |
| A huge NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! |
| NEVER use the exercise balls or wheels you may see advertised for pigs as these can be very harmful to their spines (see balls). Also NEVER use harnesses on guinea pigs. Their bodies are a tubular which a harness doesn't fit well on, and their skeletons are far too delicate to take the pressure needed for it to act as any kind of safe and reliable method of securing them. They are not the kind of creature you can walk, or that will accept being restrained and many pigs have been injured by the use of these. |
