Have you ever wanted to get a new toy or accessory for your guinea pigs, but weren’t sure which things they love to play with most? Believe me, I have felt that way, too. So I did a little research on the topic, and here is what I discovered.
Guinea pigs love to chew, hide, eat and explore. If you give them toys and accessories that allow them to do their favorite things, they will have a lot more fun with them. In addition to this, if you give them items that allow them to do their favorite things, it will be more fun to watch them play with them.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into learning more about items that allow guinea pigs to do their favorite things!
Items that Encourage Exploring
Guinea pigs love to explore, and items that encourage exploring often prove to be big hits! Bellow are several toys/accessories that many guinea pigs love to explore!
Fleece Items
Many guinea pigs love fleece items, as fleece is a soft material. Fleece items often encourage your guinea pig to explore.
They come in all different sizes, shapes and colors. They make a great addition to a guinea pig cage, and since there are so many kinds of fleece items you’ll be sure to find the perfect one for you and your furry friend!
There are fleece hideouts, beds, hammocks, tunnels, etc that your guinea pigs will be sure to enjoy! Even a fleece liner with a pocket can spark your piggies’ interest and encourage them to explore!
From hideouts to curtains your guinea pig is sure to love a soft fleece item!
Obstacle Courses
Obstacle courses are a great way to get your guinea pigs up and moving! Since guinea pigs don’t have very long attention spans, you may want to make it different than a traditional obstacle course.
To make an obstacle course, first get lots of guinea pig accessories (willow bridges, tunnels, ramps, etc) and household items (cardboard boxes, plastic cups, etc) that you already have.
Set up the household items and accessories in a large area. After setting up the course put food on top of, underneath and around the ‘obstacles.’ Your guinea pigs will love exploring the course!
Stuffed Animals
Many guinea pigs love to play with stuffed animals. These prove to be cheap but amazing toys for them!
To ensure your guinea pigs’ safety, make sure that the stuffed animal’s eyes are sown, not made out of buttons, plastic or glass. In addition to this, make sure to cut off any threads and tags before allowing the piggy to play with it, as they may choke on them.
Also, if you will be keeping it in the cage for long periods of time, you might want to take the stuffing out of the stuffed animal and fill it with bedding instead, in case your guinea pigs chew it up.
Chew Toys
Chew toys are essential for wearing down your guinea pigs’ continually growing teeth, and because of this, guinea pigs love to chew! Providing chew toys not only wears down your guinea pigs’ teeth, but it also keeps them entertained!
There are all different kinds of chews for guinea pigs out there! Whether it be sticks, wood blocks, etc your piggies should definitely love them!
You can buy chew toys on Amazon or at pet stores, but you can also make them yourself.
Sticks
Sticks are great for guinea pigs to chew on! As long as they’re untreated, clean and dry you gather them outdoors if it’s a safe kind of wood. You can also buy sticks for guinea pigs on Amazon or at pet stores.
Socks
Socks can also be fun toys for guinea pigs to play with! They will drag them around, chew on them and throw them. This can be very enjoyable to watch. Also, filling socks with bedding or food provides extra fun for your little pets! Just grab a sock you don’t use anymore, wash it and watch your guinea pigs play!
Cardboard Tubes
My guinea pigs love cardboard tubes! They chew on them, toss them around the cage, and knock them over. These make great toys because, chances are, you will have some lying around in your home. You can also do many different things with cardboard tubes, including using them as obstacles in an obstacle course or just simply tossing them into the cage for them to enjoy!
Untreated Wood Blocks
Wood blocks are another item that some guinea pigs like to chew on. You can make fun guinea pig items with wood blocks (e.g. hideouts, DIY toys, etc), but you can also just toss a few blocks into the cage for them to chew!
Just remember that if you are going to let your piggies play with wood blocks, that the blocks must be untreated. Also, any wood blocks the guinea pigs are allowed to play with should be a safe kind of wood.
Hanging Toys
Hanging toys are another great option for guinea pigs to chew on! They are usually made with wood and other similar materials, and hung on the top or side of the guinea pigs’ cage.
Some hanging toys are made of treats; if you get one made of treats make sure it doesn’t look good enough for you to want to eat (if it does, this may mean it has artificial colors, flavors or added sugar). Also, checking the ingredients in the treats is great idea as well!
Fun with Food
Guinea pigs love food, and pretty much any game that involves food will prove to be a big hit! Here are 2 great ideas for food-related fun that your piggies will enjoy!
1. Veggie Hunts
Veggies hunts are tons of fun for both the guinea pigs and you! They are very easy to set up. Just prepare their favorite veggies, and hide them, whether it’s in their cage, during floor-time or outdoors in a playpen. The piggies will enjoy looking for the yummy treats!
2. Treat Lines
Treat lines are also quite fun for guinea pigs! To make one, get some string or twine, and some vegetables, fruits or other treats. Hang the string or twine wherever you would like. Next either cut holes in the treats, or peel/cut them into thin pieces and hang them on the treat line! Your piggies should have lots of fun working to get the treats!
Items That Encourage More than One Thing Guinea Pigs Love
These fun guinea pig items will allow them to do several things that they love to do!
Hay Hideouts
Your guinea pigs will love a hay hideout, as it combines three of their favorite things: eating, hiding and exploring! To make a hay hideout, get several tunnels/hideouts and put them relatively close to each other. Next, grab a big handful of hay and put it on top of them, and you’re done!
Tunnels
Tunnels allow your guinea pigs to explore, hide, and if the tunnel is made of materials such as sticks, chew! They also have two openings, so if a guinea pig is in the tunnel and a more dominant guinea pig comes and wants to hide in the tunnel, the other piggy can flee even if one of the openings is blocked.
Tunnels come in all different sizes, colors and materials, so you are sure to find the best one for you and your piggies!
Paper Bags
Paper bags can be a ton of fun for your guinea pigs! Using just a couple paper bags, you can make hay racks, D.I.Y. toys and accessories, hideouts, etc.
Also, chances are, you have a few lying around the house. Whether you use a paper bag to make a fun guinea pig toy or you just toss the bag into the cage, your piggies will enjoy it!
Just be sure to only use brown paper bags!
Cardboard Boxes
Cardboard boxes are surprisingly useful for guinea pig owners. They make great hideouts, and the piggies can also chew on them to wear down their teeth.
You can also cox your guinea pig into one and take them out of their cage if they aren’t too comfortable with you holding them yet.
Also, you can cut up the boxes and make all kinds of neat DIY toys and/or accessories! You can use cardboard boxes to make mazes, obstacle courses, playgrounds, and other fun play equipment!
Another reason of why cardboard boxes are so great for guinea pigs is because you most likely have several of them lying around in your house!
Hay and Grass Toys
These can be very fun toys for your furry friends! There are all kinds of toys made of hay or grass: tunnels, hideouts, balls, beds, mats, and much more!
Hay and grass toys aren’t just great for playing with; they are also great for them to chew on and wear down their teeth!
Bendy Bridges
Guinea pigs also love bendy bridges! They are very versatile and can be used in many different ways! Bendy bridges can be used as tunnels, ramps, obstacles, etc. They come in all different sizes as well!
You can buy bendy bridges at pet stores and online. Also, if you would like you can make your own!
Treat Balls
Guinea pigs love food, so it’s no surprise that many enjoy playing with treat balls as well! Many piggies will love pushing around the ball to get their treats given right to them! You can buy treat balls from pet stores or on Amazon and other online websites, but you can also make your own!
To make your own treat ball, simply get a cardboard tube and use it to cut two smaller tubes, then put one small tube inside another and fill it with treats!
Hay Sticks
Hay sticks are not only great for wearing down your guinea pig’s constantly growing teeth, but they make tasty treats for them as well! They also contain fiber and other nutrients that help keep your piggy healthy!
Also, because alfalfa hay contains a high amount of calcium, which can lead to health problems over time, it is a much better idea to get timothy hay sticks instead. You can buy hay sticks in pet stores or online.
Other
Below are several items that your guinea pigs should really enjoy that fall under other categories than what we’ve talked about so far.
Light-Weight Balls
Some guinea pigs enjoy pushing around a light-weight ball! So, if you have a ping-pong or similar ball lying around, wash it (if needed) and let your piggies play with it! Also if you have the time, patience and willingness, you can teach your guinea pigs to play soccer!
Ramps
Providing ramps in your guinea pig’s cage or play area can encourage them to exercise! You can buy ramps online or in pet stores, but you can also make them yourself!
Just remember that guinea pigs are fragile, and falling from a high distance can injure them. Also, older guinea pigs will probably not be interested in using ramps.
Hammocks
Many guinea pigs enjoy lying down on a soft hammock. Hammocks come in all different sizes, shapes, colors, textures, etc. so you should definitely find the perfect one for you and your pet!
Of course, there are the traditional-looking hammocks, but there are also hammocks that serve as hideouts as well (some are hideouts, while others have hideouts under them), etc.
Also, if you are interested in making your own hammock for your piggy, there are plenty of tutorials online on how to do it!
Beds
Many guinea pigs will love to rest on a soft bed! There are many different colors, styles, etc of beds your piggies will enjoy! Also, you don’t even have to use a bed that is made for guinea pigs! Dog and cat beds also provide your guinea pigs with a nice, comfortable, and huge place to rest! You can also make your own bed for your piggies!
Several Items Your Guinea Pigs Should Not Be Playing With:
Hamster Wheels or Balls
Never let your guinea pigs use hamster wheels or hamster balls, as when guinea pigs use it, it causes their backs to bend unnaturally.
They can severely injure their back or spine running on a wheel or in a ball, and can even break their backs. Also, a hamster ball does not provide very much ventilation, so the piggy is more likely to get heat stoke while using it.
So, never, ever use a hamster ball or a hamster wheel for your guinea pigs!
Leashes and Harnesses
You should never put your piggy in a harness or leash! Guinea pigs are very fragile creatures and putting them in leash or harness can injure them, especially if the harness is on too tight! Not to mention that putting them in this kind of restraint stresses them out.
Also, walking your guinea pig outside in a public place is dangerous on its own! For example, if you take your piggy for a walk at a public park, it could eat things it shouldn’t be eating (such as lawn chemicals), hear loud noises that frighten it without being able to flee, or even get out of the leash and run away!
Salt and Mineral Licks
Salt and mineral licks are more dangerous than they may seem. Your guinea pigs will most likely be getting enough salt and minerals from their food, and don’t need a block of salt (or minerals) in their cage.
Too much salt is harmful, as it can cause health problems. An overdose of minerals such as calcium can have a similar effect.
So, rather letting your piggies have a salt or mineral lick, give them other safe, fun toys instead!
I hope that this info has been helpful!
