[Gpdd] [CARE] RE: Playing with your Piggie

[Diana]

Hi, everyone!  It has been quite a while since I posted anything, but first of all, thanks to all of you for all the help you have been to us with our Lucy.

Re: Donna's post regarding her guinea girls and winter activity, this is how "piggie play" evolved for us.

When we first started taking her out of her cage and putting her on the floor, she would just "freeze"  and look terrified, then run and hide under her cage, and we despaired of her ever learning to run and play and have fun.  I think that it was just being in that much open unfamiliar space that frightened her.

Very slowly over a period of "wheeks" she relaxed and began to explore our apartment, then she began to "play" with us...her first game being to sneak around behind us, then swing out and run around us, just out of reach, giggling as she went. She also likes to sneak up on me when I pretend to be not looking, and gently nibble on fingers or toes.

Then we bought two critter playpens (one was too small) and put them together, and wound up with a nice size play area.  We added some different color "chubes" for her to run in and out of, and a tennis ball plus a stuffed animal.  At first, she would mostly just go and hide in the chubes, but slowly, she would run around the pen and in and out of the chubes, growing bolder and bolder.  I started out just sitting quietly next to the pen, then I would sit inside with her.  Now we play "peekaboo" with the chubes, and she will run underneath my legs as well as in and out of the chubes.  She also enjoys knocking her stuffed animal over and running up and over it, and pushing her tennis ball around with her nose. Or I will curl up in the middle of the pen, and she will sniff and nibble at me (she really likes to chew on my hair!), or walk up and touch her nose to mine.  We will also play a variation of the chase me, chase you game, in which I crawl around on my hands and knees while Lucy chases me. Then she will pause, wait for me to turn around, and I get to chase her. My husband is threatening to tape this and send it in to America's Funniest Home Videos.  

I usually give her her "floor time" in the evening, before her dinner and mine.  After we play, she stays in the pen while I clean her house for her, then I get her her dinner, which provokes the cutest display!  Lucy runs back and forth, sits up like a prairie dog, and wheeks her adorable little head off.  This starts the second she hears me pick up the bag of Cavy Performance.  She does NOT like to have me bend down to pick her up though, I have to get into the pen and kneel before the Great Piggy Goddess before she will graciously allow me to pick her up and place her before the feast that I have prepared for her.  Then she will stretch out beside her food bowl, and eat lying down.  After all, exercise is SO tiring.

Are those of you who remember my first postings about her biting me everytime I picked her up laughing yet?

Donna, I hope this gives you some ideas for your piggies!

Wheeks to all,

Diana, Humble Slave to
Her Worshipful Piggieness, Lucy Sophie Cavy-Piggie