# Doesn't like to play



## xspiked (Feb 27, 2011)

So my baby's a cuddler. Take her out, and all she wants to do is curl up in the blanket and go to sleep. Some days, I set up a playpen and hope she'll play instead of cuddling up into me. Nope. She doesn't even really check out her playpen. She just stays still for a few minutes, then curls up and goes to sleep.

I've given her toilet paper tubes, balls, PVC pipes. She ignores them for the most part. I put food on top of/at the base of the balls, hoping she'd get the hint, but she ignores the food there. I put food in the PVC pipe, and she goes in to eat then leaves. (I leave these in her pen, and she ignores them then too)

I just made her a dig box, with lots of fleece stripes and meal worms. She goes in and sleeps. =T She doesn't even drag things into her house. She kicks out the fleece strips in her house. She doesn't drag things around. I don't want her to change her personality, but is it normal to not want to play at all? 
:?:


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## mcwojo (Dec 29, 2010)

I'm not an expert by any means but my Hazel does the same thing. She certainly has fun at night but when I take her out it is very rare that she will "play". She curls up and sleeps. At this age your baby is still a baby and they sleep all the time. I think my Hazel is still considered a baby too. She is just now smelling the air and poking her head up to see what's going on when we "cuddle" at night but then she'll go right back to sleep. I'm sure someone with more experience than me will come along with some words of wisdom.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I think mcwojo is right: babies tend to sleep...ALOT!

Having said that, Snarf is almost two years old and you described him perfectly. :lol: He'll wander when he's out but it seems it's mostly to find a quiet hiding spot...he does love his rock garden but I am pretty sure when I hid kibble in his dig box, he just stood at the edge and leaned in to grab it...ignoring the fleece strips.The closest he comes to playing is forcefully removing fleece strips from where I've put them...apparently, he didn't want them there. :roll: I have tried everything you listed and more - if it has a mealie involved, he will interact with it long enough to get the mealie (I'm nost so sure as I would describe it as 'play'...more like Snarf's annoyed: "Oh for pete's sake...she's onto the hiding the mealies in a TP tube again! Will she ever get tired of this?"

My vet's advice: Keep trying; rotate toys; re-try one for the 200th time; set up obstacle courses of toys with hidden treats, kinda forcing her to move around to get treats. 

My advice after learning what I should have been doing differently: never just 'give' a mealie - make her work for them: hide them; make her walk to you to get them (you may teach her her name this way!); challenege her...Snarf is WAY smarter than I thought and I really regret not expecting more of him at first cuz I think he would've delivered!!


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## xspiked (Feb 27, 2011)

Thanks guys. I'll be persistent.

I've tried hiding kibble in TP rolls and the dig box. Reaction: ignore that bit of food (Bulu: even if I'm starving, I will not go in and get it. I have my pride.) 
All she does is food, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel, water, home. Even alone in her cage, she doesn't touch anything else *sigh*.


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## alantheo (Feb 13, 2011)

My litle Alan is almost 1 year old and is ALWAYS sleeping. He goes in his wheel sometimes at nights but refuses to play with me


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

Norman is the same way. If he's out with me, he's perfectly happy to curl up in my lap and sleep there. He'll start to poke around and explore a little if it's around the time he usually gets up but he always climbs back into my lap after a minute or so. The only time he'll actually run around is if he's getting hungry. Absolutely no interest in the dig box or ball in his pen, but the wheel is used religiously and if that PVC pipe is even slightly out of place (read: whever I put it), he'll shove it around until he's satisfied with its new location. That's about as playful as he gets.


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## KathyTNY (Jan 21, 2011)

Great post! Glad to see others have the same issue! My pogs are older though and so you have the other end of the scale problem---- like all us old farts - all my retired Tiggy wants to do is sleep!!! Pippin is still getting use to his surroundings so that is his excuse.

I will say tho the tube is a big hit with both my pogs but only for a few minutes........then it is splat and sleep. But play time in the pool gets them to move around and stretch their legs and be part of the family (we set them up right in the middle of the livingroom during tv time at night) and get use to noises etc. so it has multiple benefits. They go back into their tubs at 11pm and they are both on the wheel within minutes running all night long - I believe they are happy souls!

Kathy


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## hercsmom (Jul 6, 2010)

What time are you taking him out at? The reason I ask is because my Hercules is a snuggle-puss during the day, and doesn't go really active until after midnight. Then, he goes insane. He rearranges his cage and runs on his wheel like he stole something. If I try to get him up when it's still light out, forget it, he gets so cranky!


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