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Go into any pet shop and you’ll undoubtedly find lots of gizmos and gadgets designed to be used for exercising your pets. But without a doubt, the most effective way to keep your cavies healthy is to simply let them out of their cage to scamper around. You should aim to do this as often as possible, but be sure to keep these 3 pieces of advice in mind:
1. Don’t Let Them Stray Too Far
Despite being larger than other pets, guinea pigs have surprisingly thin bodies. Combined with their adventurous nature, you will notice that if you don’t keep an eye on them, they’ll soon squeeze their way into a narrow space, and they won’t want to leave!
To prevent this, you should contain them somehow. Ideally it is best to use a special run, which is essentially a large cage for them to run about in, but if you don’t have one of these then you can make do by marking out a space with boxes, chairs, and other solid items.
2. Keep Them Comfortable
Unlike humans, guinea pigs unfortunately don’t have the option of wearing shoes to protect the soft skin on the bottoms of their feet. As a consequence, they can easily injure themselves if they step on a hard or sharp item when running about exercising.
Before letting your guinea pigs out of their cage to explore, give their exercise space a good inspection to ensure that it is clear of loose items. Then place a cloth or some newspaper on the surface for them to run on. This helps by giving your pets a soft surface, and also soaks up any little accidents they might have while exploring!
3. Avoid Potential Hazards
Ask most animal lovers, and they are sure to be able to tell you of a time when one of their animals chewed through a wire. Besides the fact that this can be very inconvenient to you, it could also be very dangerous to your pet. Be sure to clear your guinea pigs’ exercise area of all wires and cables before you let them out.
As an animal lover, there’s a reasonable possibility that you might own more than one type of animal. If this is the case, it’s essential not to get them out at the same time, or there’s a chance that they might become agitated and cause serious damage to each other.
