After putting your guinea pigs inside a cage, the first question comes to your mind is, Do guinea pigs need to be let out of their cage?
You need to let your guinea pigs out of their cage to allow them to exercise, run around and explore different places. This is necessary because they are curious and social animals and it keeps them active and healthy.
Let’s find out why, how often, and how long you should let your guinea pigs out of their cage.
Table of Contents
Why do guinea pigs need to be let out of their cage?
Here are the reasons for which guinea pigs need to be let out of their cage.
Offering them floor time
You have to offer floor time to a guinea pig every day. This is the time when they can come out of their cage and then roam freely, perform the exercise, play, and explore.
So, letting them out of the cage is important to ensure floor time.
Mostly floor time is arranged inside a guinea pigs-proof area. You can choose a wide playpen for that.
They need a minimum of one hour of floor time every day or at least three times a week.
You have to offer them toys, a hideout, tunnels, and other stuff to help them explore, play and exercise.
Check out our other article to know what to put in the playpen.
Allowing them to exercise properly
Guinea pigs love to roam around. They need a minimum of one hour of exercise every day.
You can provide them with exercise toys to play with and exercise but it is not necessary.
They can do their exercise by running, playing, and exploring different places.
You have to offer them a wide area so that they can move around freely.
Preventing unexpected weight gain
Guinea pigs are prone to obesity. Many piggies become obese because they lack physical activity and eat more than they should. When you let them out of their cage, they can move around and burn some calories.
This way, you can prevent them from becoming obese and suffering from health problems like heart disease, arthritis, and respiratory problems.
Moreover, piggies that are allowed to exercise are less likely to suffer from depression.
Helping them to stay active and healthy
Guinea pigs should be allowed to explore outside of their cages. It encourages them to keep active and healthy.
If you don’t do that, then they can become obese and their health will be affected.
Allowing social time
Guinea pigs are social animals and they love to interact with their owners and other guinea pigs. They can socialize and bond with you and their fellow guinea pigs when you allow them out of their enclosure.
This is important because it helps to reduce stress and anxiety levels in piggies. It also helps them to stay active and healthy.
Enabling them to explore and learn
Guinea pigs are curious animals. They like to run around and explore new places.
They also learn to perform new activities when you let them happen.
If you keep them inside the cage all the time, it will prevent them from doing so.
Over time, you may see a change in their behavior. That’s not good for their mental health as well.
So it’s essential that you let them explore and learn.
Maintaining health
Letting out of the cage allows them to exercise, run, or popcorning. All of these activities keep them healthy and prevent various medical conditions such as obesity. It also helps them become free from stress and improve their mental health.
Getting rid of boredom
Guinea pigs get bored staying in the cage all day. Think about your own. You can’t be locked inside your home day after day. They are curious and social just like you. So, allowing them to come out of the hutch helps relieve their boredom.
Allowing them to play and have fun
They are playful animals. When you let them out of the hutch, they can play with different toys and have fun.
This is important because it helps them stay active and healthy. It also helps to relieve boredom and stress.
Allowing you to establish a good relationship with them.
When you let them out of the enclosure, they will come to you and allow you to establish a good relationship with them.
Check out my other article on keeping guinea pigs indoors.
What to do with guinea pigs after letting them out of their cage?
Here are the things you have to do with guinea pigs after letting them out of their cage.
Putting them in a guinea pig-proofed area
The first thing you need to do is to put them in an exercise pen, a guinea pig-proofed area, or a playpen. This will help to prevent them from running away and getting lost.
It will also help to keep them safe from other animals and hazards.
Encouraging them to exercise and play
After putting them in a safe area, encourage them to exercise and play. You can do this by offering them different toys or by playing with them.
This will help to keep them active and healthy.
Taking them outside
If you have a yard or a garden, you can take them outside. This will help to keep them active and healthy.
It will also help them to get some fresh air and sunshine.
You have to make sure that the area is safe and secure before taking them out.
Check out my other article on how to take them outside.
Trying to bond with them
When your guinea pigs are out of the cage, try to bond with them. This will help to establish a good relationship with them.
You can do this by playing with them or offering them treats.
Putting them in a room with other guinea pigs
If you have other guinea pigs, you can put them in a room with them. This will help to keep them entertained and busy.
It will also help to relieve boredom and stress.
Things to look for letting guinea pigs out of their cage
You have to take the following precautions to light your Guinea pigs out of their cage.
Supervise them constantly
When your Guinea pigs go out of the enclosure it’s hard to control them. If you cannot supervise them the entire time there is a chance you love them or they go somewhere that can be dangerous to them.
So, you have to put them in a guinea pig-proofed enclosure or playpen to prevent this from happening. This allows you to keep an eye on them all the time.
Ensure a safe and good quality playpen
As you have to use a playpen, make sure that it’s safe for them and high in quality. Some playpens are not suitable for Guinea pigs. A perfect playpen should also be large in size.
Check out our other article to know about the playpens for them.
Ensure access to food and water
You have to make sure that they have enough food and water so that they can stay hydrated and nourished.
Even though you like them to go out of the cage you have to ensure they have constant access to hay and water.
Without these, they can become sick. Also remember, they need more water during summer.
Monitor their food intake
It’s important to monitor their food intake when the piggies are out of the cage. This is because they can eat more than they should and become obese.
You can do this by giving them food pellets or vegetables in small amounts.
Providing them with hideout, tunnel, and toys
The next thing you need to do is to provide them with toys and other objects. This will help to keep them entertained and busy. It will also help to relieve boredom and stress.
You can give them different kinds of toys such as balls, tunnels, and hide houses.
You can also give them objects such as boxes and paper bags to play with.
Ensure low noise levels
You have to make sure that the noise levels are low when they are out of the cage. This is because they are very sensitive to noise and it can stress them out.
You can do this by keeping the television and radio off. You should also avoid making loud noises.
Ensure adequate air circulation and light
Another thing you need to do is to ensure adequate air circulation and light. This is because they can get heatstroke very easily.
You can do this by opening windows and doors. You should also use fans and air conditioners.
Offer a safe and friendly environment
You also need to offer a safe and friendly environment. This is because they are very shy and timid animals.
You can do this by not having too many people around them. You should also avoid handling them too much.
Ensure a safe and comfortable temperature
Ensure a safe and comfortable temperature. This is because they can get very cold or hot very easily.
You can do this by using a thermometer. The ideal temperature for them is between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
When to let guinea pigs out of their cage?
The best time to let guinea pigs out of the cage is in the morning or evening. This is because they are more active during these times.
How often should guinea pigs be out of their cage?
Guinea pigs should be let out of their enclosure at least three times every week for one hour or more at a time. But, daily floor time for at least one hour is preferable for a guinea pig, especially if you have a young guinea pig or a small cage. If it’s possible, they should be let out of the enclosure twice a day.
The better time for this is during dawn and dusk. These are the times when they stay very active.
A guinea pig cannot be active or can’t perform the exercise or natural movement required to stay healthy if they live in a small cage.
So, you need to compensate for it by letting them out of the cage for more time.
If you have a large cage, you can let them go outside once every other day.
However, young guinea pigs have a lot of energy. Their bodies demand workouts daily.
So, they also need more time outside their cage to get their energy out and you have to let them go out every day.
Furthermore, you have to maintain a routine for them. Guinea pigs can be benefited if you can let them out of the enclosure every day at the same time.
How long do guinea pigs need to be out of their cage?
Guinea pigs need to be out of the cage for at least one hour daily or once every other day. This one hour is necessary to give your guinea pigs some time to start their activities, explore, exercise and play. The duration of this depends on the size of the cage. Giving them more than an hour is important if they live in a small cage.
Besides, young guinea pigs need more than an hour.
If they stay in a small cage, you can let them out in a playpen for 2 to 4 hours.
You can break it into two sessions. A good example can be one hour at dawn and one hour at dusk.
If you have a large cage, you can decrease the duration.
However, you have to ensure that they are healthy and getting enough nutrition for or doing these activities.
The duration may also be decreased if the temperature or weather outside of the cage is not suitable for them.
They cannot tolerate too hot or too cold temperatures and therefore you cannot let them stay outside for a very long time.
Do guinea pigs like to be out of their cage?
Guinea pigs love to go out of their cage and explore their surroundings because they are social animals and very curious. Moreover, they get this nature from their ancestors. In the wild, they stayed outside and didn’t like to be kept in a cage.
Though indoor Guinea pigs don’t be so sad as them they would love it if you let them go out of their enclosure.
Conclusion
You should let your guinea pig out of their cage regularly because they are very active and social animals. This helps keep them healthy and happy and allows them to explore, exercise, and have fun.
The best times to let them out are in the morning and evening, and the duration should be at least one hour each day. If the weather or temperature outside is not suitable, the duration can be decreased.
