How Much Time Should You Spend With Your Guinea Pig?

It is crucial to keep a tight eye on your guinea pigs in order to guarantee that they are both happy and healthy all of the time. This is owing to the fact that guinea pigs are creatures that like the company of others. It’s conceivable that you’ve been wondering how much time you should spend with your guinea pig. If so, it’s a perfectly normal question to have. The following is a summary of my findings on the topic, which I arrived at after completing some research in the form of reading and interacting with a few experts. It is strongly suggested that you devote at least an hour and a half of your time each day to providing care for your guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are at their most active in the morning and evening, therefore this is the greatest time to connect with them via activities like as playing, caressing, and grooming. Guinea pigs are most active in the morning and evening. Because younger guinea pigs are more active than older ones, they need to spend more time on the floor than older ones do. Spending time with your guinea pig is the single most important thing you can do to improve its health and well-being. The only thing that should be done during this time is bonding with your guinea pig; it should take up the full hour. This should be the only thing that you accomplish during this period. Active play can take numerous forms, some examples of which are puzzles, games, and toys. Furthermore, there are mazes. It also incorporates other hobbies such as wandering aimlessly about the house or looking for food that has been concealed somewhere in the house. If you are tight for time or if you are in a hurry, the program can be split into two sessions, each lasting half an hour. It is in everyone’s best interest to pay attention to what they have to say since they take offense when their requirements are ignored.

Do Guinea Pigs need a lot of attention?

Your guinea pig needs a lot of care from you, in spite of the fact that they appear placid and unassuming. Providing a buddy for your guinea pig is essential for ensuring its continued good health.
In the wild, guinea pigs congregate together in large groups. It helps them both in their quest for food and in their efforts to escape being eaten by predators. Domestication has led to significant behavioral changes in guinea pigs, but this has not changed their desire for social interaction.

On the other hand, guinea pigs kept as pets do not have their own colony to call home. The vast majority of people who own guinea pigs choose to keep only one or two of the animals. As a direct consequence of this, they develop a craving for increased attention and care from their owner.

Because they are not part of a larger colony, guinea pigs require special attention because of their social isolation. It’s possible that your guinea pig might develop behavioral issues if they don’t receive enough interaction with other animals and people. Some of them include the following:
Aggression
Stress
Habits that are harmful
Depression

Provide Appropriate Attention

You shouldn’t make any efforts to force your guinea pig to hang out with you or spend time with you. In the event that your guinea pig is frightened or avoids interaction with you, it is in your best interest to back away.

If you coerce your guinea pig into doing something, it is possible that it could grow agitated, weary, or fearful of its surroundings. In the future, they could bite you, run away, or decide not to care about you anymore. You should give it some time before trying again if your guinea pig doesn’t have much of a social appeal.

At the same time, it’s possible that your guinea pig is interested in receiving care and attention from you. In this circumstance, you are free to accord them any amount of attention you see fit.

You are welcome to cuddle with, play with, or pet your guinea pig as long as it will allow you to do so. They are having a good time if they keep a busy and animated appearance for a number of hours.

If the amount of time spent playing with your guinea pig is only a few minutes, you might want to try again later when they are more active.

Understand your Guinea Pigs Properly

It’s possible that different guinea pigs have various preferences when it comes to how they should be socialized.

For instance, the young guinea pigs are allowed to run about and have fun without any restrictions. The senior guinea pigs are perfectly pleased to do nothing more than relax or sit by your side. Guinea pigs who have reached their senior years will no longer play with toys and will content themselves with snuggling between your legs.

In a similar manner, some guinea pigs demand far more attention than others. It’s possible that you have a guinea pig in your home that prefers their own company. On the other side, your other guinea pig can get annoyed with your continual attention, which comes in the shape of cuddling and grooming all the time.

Because of this, it is really important to have a solid understanding of your guinea pig. By adhering to these straightforward instructions, you won’t run the risk of overstimulating a guinea pig that is scared or understimulating a guinea pig that is excited.

Paired Guinea Pigs Require less Attention

Guinea pigs are known for their strong sense of community. As a consequence of this, the owners are in a position to take advantage of the social nature of their guinea pigs and keep two of them together.

It is highly recommended that you provide your guinea pigs with the companionship of other members of the same species if you do not have sufficient time to spend to caring for them.

The contentment of the paired guinea pigs may come from within themselves. People are free to interact with one another in whatever way that best suits them.

Even if you don’t pay attention to them, they will be satisfied with one another if they are healthy, have a safe place to live, and adequate food and water.

In addition to this, they will be pleasant to work with and will exude an air of composure.

Spend some quality time daily

A floor time of fifteen minutes may be more appropriate than spending an hour in close proximity to your guinea pig. Spending time with someone who can add value to your life is more important than clocking in a set amount of hours.

That is to say, it is preferable to spend fifteen minutes playing with your guinea pig as opposed to spending one hour resting next to them.

It is essential to keep one’s concentration and provide a greater amount of attention to a young and energetic guinea pig. You are able to train your guinea pig to perform tricks, participate in games, and find its way through mazes.

But, you might need to be more subtle when dealing with older guinea pigs or those that aren’t as thrilled about the experience. You can do something completely different while you’re occupying your time by sitting with your guinea pig. You also have the option of taking them outside for a change of atmosphere.

Also read: 25 awesome boredom buster ideas for your guinea pigs

Best time to play with your Guinea Pigs

Brown, tan and white guinea pig held in owner's arms

Nighttime is the best time to catch a guinea pig. This suggests that they are alert at all hours of the day and night.

Nonetheless, the early morning and early evening are the best times to spend time with your guinea pig because these are the times of day when they are the most active and vivacious.

You have the choice of choosing activities that are suitable for their current levels of energy.

Morning

When your guinea pig first opens his or her eyes in the morning, he or she will immediately become very active and excited. They will be kept engaged with activities including as grooming, running about, playing with their toys, and foraging.

They will most likely come running to you for food when they start to feel hungry. It is possible that this time would be the best opportunity to teach certain strategies and play various games at the same time. It is possible to save all of the strenuous tasks for the high-energy times of the day.

The middle of the day will mark the beginning of a decline in the amount of energy possessed by your guinea pig. You will probably find them nodding off in their usual sleeping location or lying down to relax when you go to check on them.

Evening

When your guinea pig first awakens in the morning, you’ll notice that he or she is quite active and energetic. They may be kept engaged by being groomed, running about, playing with their toys, and foraging for food.

As they start to feel hungry, they will most likely come running to you in search of something to eat. It can be the best opportunity to teach certain strategies and play some games at the same time at such a time. All of the strenuous pursuits may be reserved for the high-energy times of the day.

Around the middle of the day, you will notice that the energy level of your guinea pig starts to decrease. They are most likely to be seen napping off in their designated sleeping area or lying down to relax there.

What do Guinea Pigs like to play with?

Toys and tricks are two activities that guinea pigs like performing together. If you don’t know how to form a connection with your guinea pig in a methodical way, you may get a head start by doing the following:

Hide the snacks in plain sight for your guinea pig to discover
Give your guinea pig a rope to gnaw on
Construct a maze for them to run through.

Toys might be the finest kind of amusement for your guinea pig when you are not around to provide it with interaction.

When a guinea pig is weary or bored, it will most likely chew on the items around it, strike or kick someone or something, or make a mess of its surroundings.

To prevent this from happening, provide your guinea pig with a few small toys to play with inside their home.

The following are some examples of well-known cases:

Wicker baskets
Chew toys
Big brown paper bags
The cardboard box that opens from both side
Tunnels or PVC tubes
Newspapers and paper towels
Untreated wood chips

Things to do with Guinea Pigs

You and your guinea pig will have the most fun together during times designated for play.

If you’ve used up all of the possible ways to play with your guinea pig and are searching for something fresh to do with them, consider some of the following alternative or creative ways to interact with them:

Walk

Your guinea pig will be protected from potential damage by a harness that you provide for it. With this, you may just stroll calmly through a park, wander aimlessly about the garden, or even walk or move about the neighborhood in a relaxed manner.

As a direct result of this, your guinea pig will take pleasure in the clean air, the sunshine, and even the grass beneath their feet. Also, children will learn how to interact with you through this activity. You have a responsibility to make sure that there are no dangerous animals or strange noises in the area.

Roam outside

You should not restrict your guinea pig’s movement in any way when it is inside your bedroom or the house. It’s possible that giving your guinea pig access to the outside world is the most effective approach to provide enrichment and exercise for it.

If you don’t play with your guinea pig, it will get serious and start investigating the items in its environment.

In addition to that, they are able to take in the odors and contort themselves to fit in the gaps. You have an obligation to check the location thoroughly to ensure that it is devoid of any potentially hazardous substances or items. Guinea pigs have delicate feet, thus the surfaces must be non-hazardous for their paws.

You may give your guinea pig some hay to gnaw on or eat, along with a litter box and some toys, to keep it entertained. Let them have some fun as long as they stay in this area and don’t leave it, but you can’t let them go.

Forage

In the wild, guinea pigs are always searching for new sources of food and resources. This propensity has the potential to develop into a form of play in domesticated guinea pigs.
You may motivate them to get some exercise by concealing their favorite treats in locations that are tough for them to reach.

Your guinea pig will have to learn how to hop, wriggle, and be smart if it wants to get the treat. The following are some excellent spots to conceal food or treats:

Within the mazes
Inside the paper bags, knotted.
Inside the toilet paper roll that has been emptied
On the lower shelves, there are a lot of books.
Sofas on the bottom
Toys within the toys
Under the duvet
The tunnels themselves

You can try to hide different foods to mix up things. Vegetables, hay, fruits, or some specific treats of guinea pigs can be used.

What to do if you don’t have enough time?

Guinea pigs place a very high value on the bonds of friendship. It is the responsibility of the owners to provide enough care and attention for their guinea pigs. Yet, this is not always possible to accomplish.

There is no need for anxiety despite the fact that you do not have a lot of time. Providing your guinea pig with the necessary amount of attention may be accomplished via the use of the following strategies.

Provide small duration of floor time whenever you are free

It is highly recommended that you spend at least sixty minutes every day interacting with your guinea pig.

Try slicing the hour into five or ten-minute segments if you find that you don’t have a lot of spare time on your hands.

For instance, before leaving for work in the morning, you should aim to spend at least half an hour interacting with your guinea pig. After that, when you go back to your house in the evening, you should make an effort to spend the last half an hour with your guinea pig.

You should also try to spend at least ten minutes of playtime with your guinea pig each of the six times a day.

This can be the most convenient way for you to take a break, especially if you work from home or have schoolwork to do.

The effort will be appreciated by your guinea pig, and it may might be beneficial to you as well.

The objective here is to produce excellence while maintaining consistency. Your guinea pig won’t have more than a minute or two to play or rest after you give it this medication.

As a consequence of this, you need to make certain that each session of bonding lasts for at least 10 minutes. If you don’t correct this problem, your guinea pig won’t be able to enjoy any of it.

Do your activities alongside your Guinea Pigs

You have a responsibility to make sure that your guinea pig is comfortable around that person. It would be to everyone’s advantage if you made certain that the individual is aware of how to properly care for a guinea pig.

It is better to pay no attention to your guinea pig than to give only half of your attention to it.

If you are unable to devote a full or complete hour of your attention, you might want to think about dividing it in half and focusing on it for a total of two hours. If you have previously finished an earlier undertaking or endeavor, you should strive to:

Talk with your guinea pig in a very gentle, calm tone.
Pet your guinea pig with one hand.
Place your guinea pig in your thigh.

Your guinea pig can join some other tasks also. For example:

Talk to your guinea pig gently and softly.
Stroke your guinea pig with one hand.
Place the guinea pig in one of your legs’ thigh.
Try to offer your guinea pig as much attention as you can. If you are working hard to form a bond with your guinea pig, time will matter.

If you feel that you are unable to give proper care for your guinea pig, you have the option of seeking assistance.

For instance, you are reaching out to the people in your social circle. That may be the perfect opportunity for them to give one or two hours of their time to caring for your guinea pig.

Also, that individual will probably be overjoyed to be of assistance to you.

There is a distinction to be made between being alone and being entirely alone when it comes to guinea pigs. Guinea pigs may spend a significant amount of time by themselves. If your guinea pig is restless and wants attention, this is not good for their health and should be avoided.

Only one hour of quality time spent with your guinea pig each day may go a long way toward making them feel loved and socialized. You have a responsibility to select fun activities for your guinea pig and figure out which of those activities it appreciates the most.