How To Play With Your Guinea Pig

Do you know how to play with your guinea pig? A natural part of having pets is wanting to bond and have special “together time” along with companionship. All pets enjoy this human interaction and guinea pigs are no exception!

We’ve found that a great number of pet shops undersell the amount of attention and companionship that guinea pigs need. Lap time (also known as playtime or cuddle time) should form part of your daily routine. It’s really important for both you and your guinea pig friends.

Find Out More:

The Importance Of Guinea Pig Playtime
Happy Guinea Pigs
How To Introduce Lap Time
Duration And Frequency Of Lap Time
Can I Watch TV With My Guinea Pigs?
Do Guinea Pigs Enjoy Lap Time?
What To Do If Your Guinea Pig Doesn’t Like Lap Time

The Importance Of Guinea Pig Playtime

Bonding with your guinea pig is an important part of learning to care for them properly. From the moment you bring your guinea pig home, the bonding process begins. Whilst it may sound scary it’s great for you as well as your guinea pig.

The more time you spend with your guinea pigs, the more used to you they become. They may still run for cover when you go into the room or near the hutch since that’s part of their “run from predators” nature however they will be eating out of your hand (literally) the more time you spend with them.

A guinea pig that is handled frequently will be more tame, calm, and relaxed in its day-to-day life. They will feel comfortable in their environment and will love exploring when it comes to indoor play!

Guinea pigs are social and love the attention of humans as well as their own kind. The more you talk to them and the more that they have time on your lap the happier and more comfortable with you they will become.

Happy Guinea Pigs

We often get comments on how confident, happy, and calm our guinea pigs are and this didn’t happen through chance. The more time and love you put into caring for your guinea pigs, the more love you will get back.

Lap time is an important part of bonding. It gives you one on one time with them to just enjoy being with each other. I often find myself just chatting away with our little piggies. They actually listen too! Chocolate, in particular, will just lie down and listen to me whilst Orange climbs right up to my face!

Without lap time your guinea pig will stay scared of being picked up or held. It will always run for cover when approached. They won’t respond to your voice and will always hide whenever you are near.

How To Introduce Lap Time

If you have a new guinea pig, then you should start with how to hold your guinea pig for the first time. If you’ve had your guinea pigs a while and have tried and given up on lap time then it’s useful to refresh yourself on how to hold them.

It’s always best to start slowly when introducing lap time to guinea pigs, so don’t expect them to sit for hours and be happy with it.

We recommend always keeping a towel, thick blanket, or a training pad used for puppies since guinea pigs have very small bladders and are known for leaking on their owners.

The last thing you want during lap time is to be uncomfortable or wet. Your guinea pig will feel like something is wrong and may become afraid. Ensure you have somewhere not too far away from their cage or hutch so you are not walking up and downstairs the first few times you get your guinea pigs used to lap time.

Set the area up before you bring your guinea pigs out, having their favourite tasty treat is also great to have as this will help your guinea pigs associate lap time with treats.

We usually start with a maximum of five minutes for the first few attempts at lap time. Refrain from brushing your guinea pig during their first few outings. Just stroke them gently, talking softly whilst they are munching!

If they start squeaking or trying to run for cover, calmly place them back inside their home. Try not to feel down heartened! it can take several weeks or months for some guinea pigs to get used to lap time.

Duration And Frequency Of Lap Time

This is a question that we get asked quite frequently and the answer isn’t as straightforward as we’d like! The duration of your lap time should be based on your guinea pig’s reactions to it along with their personality.

Some guinea pigs are happy to sit on their owner’s knees for a good hour before wishing to head home whilst others never really take to it and are fairly relieved to go back after ten minutes!

The best indication is to take the lead from your guinea pig, if they become nibbly, biting at your clothes, trying to dig, wriggle or make a high pitch squeak then it’s fair to say it’s time to put them back inside! We would say a good duration of lap time would be between ten minutes to one hour but do let your guinea pig decide. One day they may be happy to sit whilst other days they desperately want to go back inside their hidey hole.

Can I Watch TV With My Guinea Pigs?

Another question we get asked a lot! Guinea pigs love sound due to their poor eyesight so there is no harm in your guinea pig watching TV with you as long as the program isn’t excessively noisy and contains sounds such as gunshots, loud music or drums.

Obviously don’t sit too close to the TV and ensure your attention isn’t solely focused on your favourite show.

We would advise that young children do not hold guinea pigs whilst watching TV as they tend to become too distracted and may forget they are also caring for a guinea pig.

With regards to frequency, We would advise that between once and twice a day is perfect for your guinea pig especially since they will also be enjoying indoor playtime, again take the lead from your guinea pig.

Do Guinea Pigs Enjoy Lap Time?

All guinea pigs are different and some guinea pigs love lap time, others will get used to it with time whilst a few hate it always and forever!

There are several ways to make lap time more enjoyable for your guinea pig, ensuring you are calm and relaxed helps them learn there is nothing to fear, along with using the same blanket or fleece each time you hold them.

They will associate it with lap time. Feeding them vegetables can also help to settle an anxious piggie. Remember some piggies are more active during lap time than others as well!

What To Do If Your Guinea Pig Doesn’t Like Lap Time

Firstly it’s important to remember guinea pigs are not toys and so not all like to be cuddled! Patience is key along with using the tips above. Never force lap time. Starting slowly with just a two-minute lap time and building up can work wonders as can combining lap time and indoor play.

This way you can let them run over your legs without you touching them. They will learn that you are not so scary and you can slowly introduce stroking them. Do not force them into lap time though, if it causes them distress to have lap time, increase indoor play, and spend your time sitting next to their cage or hutch and talking to them instead.