Exercise
Exercise = Happy, Healthy Piggies!
Guinea pigs need daily exercise to stay healthy and happy. A spacious cage is a great start, but they also benefit from extra time to stretch their legs.
Floor time or supervised outdoor play gives your piggies a chance to explore, run zoomie laps, do piggy trains, and pop around with joy! These activities aren’t just cute — they help your cavies stay fit and let them express their natural behaviours.
Bonus: It’s also a great way to bond with your floofs!

How Often?
Floor time should preferably be done as often as possible (ideally once a day), and the longer they are out, the better!
Guinea pigs which are housed in smaller cages will need regular exercise time outside their cage to ensure they remain fit and healthy, as they won't be as active with their regular cage space. See more on ideal cage sizes for your piggy clan here.
INDOOR FLOOR TIME
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✔️ Indoor floor areas should:
- Provide adequate space and be considerably larger than their normal cage area
- Allow supervision and interaction
- Provide sufficient lighting
- Be well ventilated
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❌ Indoor Floor time areas should NOT:

Floor Time
Once a suitable location has been allocated for floor time, there are some important guidelines which must be followed to protect your piggies and your household. It is vitally important that you always make any area where you let your piggies have floor time is completely safe, secure and free of any hazards.
Some guinea pigs can be litter trained, which can help in minimise accidents during floor time (we do recommend a backup plan though as this isn't always a reliable method!).
OUTDOOR RUN TIME
If your guinea pigs usually live indoors, giving them some supervised outdoor time can be a real treat! Fresh grass, new sights and smells, and a little sunshine all make for an enriching experience — plus, it’s a natural way to soak up some vitamin D.
⚠️ Important for Aussie Piggy Parents:
Outdoor time is best saved for the cooler months. Australian summers can reach extreme temperatures — sometimes over 40°C — which is dangerous and potentially deadly for guinea pigs. In hot weather, heatstroke can set in within just 10 minutes.
Quick rule of thumb: If it’s too hot or cold for you to be comfortable outside, it’s not safe for your piggies either.
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📍 Location
Choosing the correct location for outdoor time for your piggies is very important, as it can be a risk to their health and life to have a run in the wrong location!
First and foremost, outdoor runs should only be used during the day. Night time poses a lot more predator threats and is unsafe for your piggies as you won't be monitoring them constantly.
Please note, if the weather is hot (particularly in Australia), do NOT leave your guinea pig outside all day, as they will suffer and potentially die from heat stress! -
✔️ Outdoor runs should:
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❌ Outdoor run areas should NOT:
