Providing your guinea pig with a sufficient supply of toys may cause them to lose interest in playing.
In addition to being extremely selective, guinea pigs also become bored very quickly. Remember to rotate their toy supply on a regular basis in order to keep them happy and entertained.
It would be beneficial if you also kept an eye on their physical and mental health. If they are sick, they will be more interested in participating in the game. Because guinea pigs are prey animals, they are extremely adept at concealing their discomfort.
The natural progression of time is that the energy level of your guinea pigs decreases as they get older.
Guinea pigs become less interested in participating in any type of physical activity as their energy level decreases over time.
If you notice any changes in your guinea pig’s behavior, you should always consult a veterinarian because these changes can indicate a variety of health problems.
Why is my guinea pig not playing anymore?
Guinea pigs lose their interest in playing with their growing age. They will turn out to be less active as time moves on.
But it is a gradual process and not an overnight thing. If you notice a sudden change in your guinea pig’s behavior, there is something wrong with them, which you should investigate.
It could be a mental or physical reason for their sudden change in behavior. If you find your guinea pig not moving around, but is healthy, it is likely to be a physical illness.
If they are ignoring all types of contact, then they could be going through an emotional phase.
Some common reasons for a guinea pig not wanting to play include:
- Boredom: It may be possible that your guinea pigs get bored very soon with the toys in their cage. When they get bored with their toys, you should replace their toys with the new one.
- Frightening: When two guinea pigs share a common cage, the dominant one will try to claim the toys, which will take away the enjoyment of the other.
- Stress: When your guinea pigs are not comfortable with their present surroundings, they might get stressed. And guinea pigs are not good at handling stress in themselves.
- Physical Illness: With their growing age, your guinea pigs can become less energetic, and their muscles also deteriorate. Your guinea pig can suffer through arthritis in the rear legs or any other health issues.
- Other sicknesses: If your guinea pig is going through any other health issues, it affects every aspect of life. Depression could be a major problem as well.
A guinea pig avoiding to play doesn’t conclude that they cannot come back to their natural behavior. Once you are successful in detecting the problem with your guinea pig, you can help them return to their natural behavior.
How do guinea pigs like to play?
Guinea pigs are fond of playing, but they are particular as well. If you want them to enjoy certain games, you will need to act in the following manner:
- Make their own decision: You should not force your guinea pigs into their playtime against their wish. If they would need playtime, they will come and play with you. So instead of forcing them for your want, you should wait for their call.
- Gain attention and interaction: Guinea pigs always want to get social care, so we will advise you to be involved in their playtime whenever possible. It will also help in improving the experience of your guinea pigs.
- Enjoy playing on the ground: As guinea pigs are prey animals, they are much more comfortable on the ground than being held up. So try to keep all their playing activities on the ground itself.
- Enjoy tearing things: Guinea pigs enjoy tearing things instead of creating, so if you can provide them something like cardboard, they can enjoy hours with that as they like to tear things apart with their paws and teeth.
- Guinea pigs also enjoy noise: From the word ‘noise,’ we don’t mean loud noises as they can get scared by loud, sudden sounds. But they like to enjoy noisy toys, especially with the ones they can play around.
- Need exercise: Guinea pigs become less energetic with their growing age, so they need proper exercise to maintain their health and avoid certain types of health issues.
- Need intellectual stimulation: Guinea pigs are not intelligent than humans, but that does not mean that they are stupid. They always accept the chance to bend their cerebral muscles.
If you follow these steps, your guinea pigs will always enjoy their playtime.
Do guinea pigs play with humans?
Yes, guinea pigs are extremely social creatures who enjoy being observed. If you have a positive relationship with them, they will enjoy playing with you.
They will be uncomfortable in your presence, however, if you do not have a strong bond with your guinea pigs, as previously stated.
Once you have succeeded in developing a bond with your guinea pig, they will begin to enjoy your company, and you will be able to participate in their playtime.
We will advise you to refrain from playing with your guinea pig until and unless you have formed a strong bond with your guinea pigs. They should be able to relax and enjoy themselves while around you, rather than being constantly stressed.
Once you’ve established a positive relationship with your guinea pig, they’ll begin to enjoy your company, and you’ll be able to spend more time with them.
How often should I play with my guinea pig?
If you have a good relationship with your guinea pigs, you can play with them on a daily basis. However, it is important to remember not to play against their wishes.
If they are not in the mood to play, please do not force them to do so, as this may cause them to become upset.
Guinea pigs prefer to make their own decisions because they do not want to be coerced into anything.
If you try to coerce them into playing, there is a chance that they will become upset with you, which will negatively impact your relationship with your guinea pigs.
What games can you play with your guinea pig?
You should know what your guinea pigs enjoy playing.
Let us learn about some fun games you can play with your guinea pig:
- Play fetch: You can play this game by rolling a small ball to your guinea pigs. They will most probably pass it back to you.
- Conceal treats in your guinea pigs cage: Guinea pigs always be on the lookout for rewards. They enjoy digging and searching for food. So you can hide fresh fruits and veggies in their hay. But you must surely remove all the uneaten food before it turns moldy.
- Develop a barrier course: If your guinea pigs can move freely, you can put barriers in their path, which will be an adventure for them to cross. They will enjoy figuring out how to pass them. For this activity, there is no need to purchase any expensive toys. Any safe household items can do well.
- Read to your guinea pigs: Guinea pigs always soft and rhythmic human sounds. So if you are going through a book or newspapers, try to read it aloud so that your guinea pig can understand that you are addressing them.
- Clash, small noisy toys: If your guinea pigs discover a noise, they will have the curiosity to find out the source of the sound. If the toy is small in size for them to toss around, they will try to interact with it.
- Make tunnels: You can purchase or make a tunnel for using safe household items for your guinea pigs as they will love running through it.
- Let your guinea pig chase you: Some guinea pigs like being chased, but many guinea pigs who do not take it as a game as they get scared. Most of the guinea pigs even like chasing, though. Go a few steps back, and call your piggie. If they come running after you, that means they enjoy chasing. You can play this very often with your guinea pigs.
- Place yourself on the ground: You can place yourself on the ground and permit your guinea pig to use you as a jungle gym. You will be amazed to know how long this can entertain them.
There are many other games you can play with your guinea pigs to keep them fit and healthy.
Just remember to follow all the rules for playing with your guinea pigs. Try not to wrestle, and do not handle them in a wrong manner.
How do I know if my guinea pigs want to play?
Guinea pigs understand their own minds, and they will let you know when they want to play. Some actions they do when they want to play are as follows:
- Running around your feet: If you find your guinea pigs running around your feet, it means that they are glad to see you and want to play with you. You can then get involved in their playtime.
- Pulling your sleeve or trouser leg: This is very similar to the child who wants you to pay attention to them. Guinea pigs, by doing this, indicate you to play with them.
- Biting: You can believe that this is your guinea pig’s misbehavior, but on the truth is that they do it when they are very excited and want to gain your attention.
- Rolling toys around: If your guinea pigs are playing with their toys, that means they are in a happy mood. At that time, they are more likely to enjoy playtime with you. That can also be an excellent time for strengthening your bond with your guinea pigs.
- Engaging themselves with household items: If your guinea pigs find nothing to play with during their floortime, they will find any other household items and start playing with that to keep themselves busy. At this time you can offer them playtime with you.
To begin, you should be aware that guinea pigs are most active in the early morning and at dusk. Because they awaken in an active mode at these times, they are more likely to engage in recreational activities.
Never force your guinea pig to participate in a game against their will because they may not understand your actions and may mistake you for a potential predator. It can also cause stress and have a negative impact on your relationship with your guinea pigs.
How do I know if my guinea pigs have finished playing?
Guinea pigs will not hesitate to tell you that they are finished playing, and now they want something else.
Let us go through some of the guinea pigs behavior that tells us that their playtime is over:
- Laying down: When your guinea pigs are done playing, they will start laying down. When they show such indications, even you should then not force them to play.
- Grunting: If you notice your guinea pigs grunting, that indicates that they are done with their playing. When you see this behavior in them, you should immediately leave them and alone instead of forcing them to play.
- Moving towards their cage: When your guinea pig starts moving towards their cage, that means now they are tired, and they want a nap. We will advise you to let them go instead of forcing them to play.
From the above explanation, we can conclude that we should not force our guinea pigs to play more when they start showing signs to stop.
Kindly let them end their playtime when they want to as they do not have as much energy as humans, so they cannot play for a longer.
Guinea pig not playing with its toys
For them, guinea pig toys are an essential part of their pet’s daily routine. They continue to be enthralled by their toys because it helps them to keep their teeth and claws in good condition.
If you fail to provide toys for your guinea pigs, you are putting yourself in a difficult situation.
They are full of energy and are more likely to play when guinea pigs first wake up in the morning. In addition, if they are not provided with enough activities to keep them entertained, they will become noisy and boisterous.
However, you may also notice that your guinea pig has completely lost interest in their toys.
We have some hypotheses about what is going on in this situation. Bring it on, let’s go through it together:
- It is possible that your guinea pigs had the same toys for a longer time, and they have lost interest in playing with that. So we would advise you to replace our guinea pig’s old toys with the new ones often. That will also show your love against them, which they might admire by licking you.
- The toys you provided, are boring for your guinea pigs and they are not according to your guinea pig’s preference.
- Your guinea pig’s other cage mate is of dominating nature, they are not allowing your guinea pig to play by bullying them.
- If your guinea pig has no interest in playing alone anymore, they now need a company which could be another guinea pig or human interaction.
- Your guinea pig may have injured themselves while playing with their toys, and now they are scared of that particular toy.
- If your guinea pig is going through stress and anxiety, it will profoundly affect our guinea pig’s lifestyle. You must know the reason for their fear and try to cure that as soon as possible to bring your guinea pig back to its natural behavior.
Signs of boredom in guinea pig
Boredom is not good from our guinea pigs, as if they are bored, they will do all unsuitable and unsafe activities.
Let us go through the behavior your guinea pig will adopt once they are bored:
- Destructive Behavior: Once your guinea pigs get bored, they will adopt destructive behavior and start biting their cage. That could include the wire or the woods of the cage. By doing this, they can even hurt themselves.
- Overeating: When your guinea pigs get bored and have nothing to do, they will prefer eating. That will result in weight gain and health issues. But, the right side is that the guinea pigs cannot overeat hay.
- Immoderate Grooming: This is the most significant symptom. Your guinea pig will begin to pull down their fur in clusters.
It is not enough to simply provide toys for your guinea pig and sit back and relax.
The fact that you have noticed whether your guinea pig is enjoying playing with those toys would be beneficial.
And if they aren’t having fun with their toys, you should replace them with new ones that are more appropriate for your guinea pig’s preferences.
It is not necessary to purchase expensive soft toys from the market.
You can create new toys for them out of everyday items such as cardboard tubes and cardboard boxes. Just make sure that whatever you make is safe for our guinea pigs to eat and chewable.
My guinea pig is not running around
As soon as your guinea pigs grow older, they are less likely to run around as they don’t have that physical strength as they used to have when they were young.
But as it is a gradual process, it takes time. It cannot be done overnight.
If your guinea pig suddenly stops running, check whether they have injured themselves. If you cannot detect anything by yourself, that doesn’t mean that nothing happened. X rays and Scans must be taken into consideration.
Some elderly guinea pigs can be prone to arthritis. Following are the symptoms of arthritis:
- Struggling in moving.
- Avoiding being a part of any physical activities.
- Excessive pain and lack of grooming.
- Urine scalding on their rear legs.
My guinea pig won’t come out
This indicates that your pet is either uncomfortable or scared, as evidenced by his or her refusal to leave their cage.
You’ll have to convince them that there’s nothing outside that can harm them before they’ll be satisfied.
The only way to accomplish this is if you have a strong bond with your guinea pig. Unless you do this, they will not trust you and will regard you as a potential predator.
As a result, convincing them to come out of their cage will become increasingly difficult.
You can put a cardboard box in front of their open cage to keep them from getting out. That can aid the guinea pig in its transition from one location to another.
They will also be able to regain their confidence as a result of this, which is a positive development. However, if even this technique fails, the problem is more likely to be medical in nature.
You should then seek the advice of an experienced veterinarian who can assist your guinea pig in returning to its natural state by administering all necessary medications.
Finally, we would like to recommend that you take good care of your guinea pig because they are delicate animals.
Always make an effort to provide them with a hygienic environment, which will protect them from a variety of diseases and also improve their quality of life. Apart from that, show them your undivided attention and affection at all times.
