Sunday, August 2, 2009

Walking my guinea pig?

can i walk my guinea pig? how far can i walk her with out with out her getting tired? should i carry her if she gets too tired.? any tips would help...
Answers:
guinea pigs don't need walking, they prefer to run around on their own in a large enclosure protected from anything i.e. cats
You can take your guinea pig outdoors, preferably in a play pen (unless your guinea pig is accepting of the idea of a harness, many get stressed out over those).

You can't walk your guinea pig around the neighborhood, but you can allow her to run around the front/backyard, supervised for a bit. They aren't followers, so they don't walk on a leash like a dog would.
yea do you have a leash? it depends you can walk her around the yard, but if she starts slowing down or looking tired then you can pick her up. Just keep an eye on her and make sure it's not too cold outside.
buy her/him a guinea pig treadmill. that's enough exercise for them.

only bigger pets get to be walked. get a dog if you really want to walk a pet.
There are harnesses you can buy for walking small pets, but frankly I don't walk my ratties as cats and other predators could try and get them and goes exactly the same for your guinea pig. Also G/Ps don't need walking. They like running around outside. Make sure you can a secure enclosure in your backyard so that cats etc don't try and get them for lunch!!
thats hesterical! You proabably shouldn't take her or him outside, if that is what you mean. It shouldn't walk on the sidewalk or on the grass. It could get hurt, but if you do want to take it outside ake a small fenced in area in your backyard. Make sure it is soft and any rocs or pebbles are removed from the area. Make sure it is fenced in though, so it won't run away. You could probably keep her outside for 10 or 15 minutes. If she likes it, maybe next time a little longer. Make sure to keep her safe and stay close to keep an eye on her, the last thing you would want is a runaway guinea pig!
you can walk her around the house, but be careful if you take her outside because their are lots of digs and cats that will see her as fair game. do not put a collar her neck, buy a small cat collar and put that on her body. walk slowy and watch wear ever she goes so you won't step on her. good luck!
they are best to be kept in their cages, but if you want you could try them on a small body harness. They are even more fun if you let the loose in a protected contained area indoors or outdoors. your choice. Outside: be sure to provide water and shelter. Hope this helps.
Absolutely no excersize wheels or harnesses. The harnesses are very bag for their spine. Guinea pigs have a fragile bone structure and you risk severly damaging her insides.

Guinea pigs do not run on wheels. They are not active animals like rats or chinchillas. Their spine does not bend in a curve like they would need for a wheel, and if you force a guinea pig to use one, it's spine will likely snap.

If you want to bring them outside, choose a shady spot and build them a pen. Always supervise, any domestic or feral animal including hawks, cats, dogs, etc. will try to get your pet for food.
The leashes sold in petshops are bad (yes I know they are made for guinea pigs), guinea pigs backs cannot cope with a harness. They aren't as flexible as rats or ferrets so a leash could easily snap their back if they struggle. Before I knew this I got mine a harness and they hated it anyway and got stressed out when I tried to put it on. They easily wriggle out of harnesses too.

People who say guinea pigs are not active are very wrong. All my guinea pigs run laps and 'popcorn' every single day - if yours does not do this then the cage is NOT big enough! Petshop cages/hutches are usually way too small for guinea pigs.

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