Can I give my guinea pig a PVC pipe tunnel?

[Mookie]

I've been left with a guinea pig and his cage is small and he had no toys, So I'm trying to make DIY toys and let him have a little fun in his small cage till I can get a new one and was wondering if he could have a PVC pipe tunnel. I've searched it up and it said yes, but I'm worried he'll chew on it? And what else could I make him?

 

[Mookie]

I'm trying to make DIY toys for my pig until I can buy some. I searched up if pigs could have cut socks filled with hay and it said yes, But I'm worried thread will be exposed around the hole. Is it ok?

 

[Betsy]

Welcome to the forum. Its great that you want to give this piggie a better life than the one he had before. The best and most important thing is to get him a larger cage and then a friend to live with.

Here are a few guides for you to help you.

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[Piggies&buns]

He may well chew it. You’d also need to make sure it was big enough so he couldnt get stuck
Guinea pigs don’t really play with toys but the guide below will help with further ideas for enrichment. Cardboard boxes with holes cut in and large piles of loose hay are fun for piggies.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

Have you taken him in/rescued him?

The very best form of enrichment is having another piggy to live with. They are social animals and need to be kept in pairs.
Have you sexed him to be sure he is definitely a he? Important to do that before finding him a friend and ensuring the cage is big enough (180x60cm for two boars)

 

[Piggies&buns]

I would not put a sock in the cage.

There are ideas being posted on your other thread.
(I will ask for this thread to be merged with your other given it is on the same subject)

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I wouldn’t use a sock. You can try cutting a toilet roll cardboard tube down it’s length and then filling that with hay. They also like a paper bag filled with hay. A big pile of hay to play in, sleep in and eat. You can scatter feed their veg and nuggets so they have to hunt for it. Hope that helps.

 

[Hope4gem]

Regarding PVC, I've used them before and my pigs like them. Because my pigs chew on the tunnels if I leave them alone with them I just have the tunnels out when I am watching my piggies so that I can take the tunnels out of it becomes an issue. Only use clean, new PVC. Make sure the tunnels are big enough for them to fit through. You can also use clean paper bags with the handles cut through (if there are any handles). Honestly, their favorite thing is big piles of hay. Orchard/meadow hay is best for piles because it reduces the likelihood of a hay poke (timothy hay is more coarse).

 

[Zorro1]

Hi and welcome to this forum, I've heard that a fun activity for your guinea pig is to hide food around the pen, so that they can hunt for it. And a great toy idea that I've used before is a toilet paper roll stuffed with lettuce. My piggy enjoys rolling it around the pen and slowly eating the lettuce out of it.

 

[Hannah_xx]

My pigs used to have new large PVC pipes. They chewed the edge a little bit it didn’t matter too much.

 

[doosnska]

I've been using PVC pipes as tunnels for years for my pigs. Not a single pig has ever chewed mine ever, not even a little bit. However: my pigs are free range during the day, and go to bed in the shed at night. The pipes are there for added protection from predators.

The two reasons I think my pigs don't chew stuff they shouldn't or eat things like mushrooms during winter (I used to go out every morning and look for any fresh ones that popped up and pick them out until I noticed they don't eat them. Younger pigs might be curious but they don't go outside until 10/12 months of age).

1. They always have access to fruit tree branches which they LOVE to chew

2. They're free range and have so much space and places to explore.

I was just on here to see if anyone had put grip inside and used them as ramps, if anyone has any ideas on what grip to layer inside and how.. I'd love to know! Thanks

 

[doosnska]

Hi and welcome to this forum, I've heard that a fun activity for your guinea pig is to hide food around the pen, so that they can hunt for it. And a great toy idea that I've used before is a toilet paper roll stuffed with lettuce. My piggy enjoys rolling it around the pen and slowly eating the lettuce out of it.

Cat treat dispensing toys are awesome too, I'll attach some pictures,
The purple one has one hole, so I put pallets inside. (It is open in two halves in the picture) The white ball has loads of holes and they are bigger, I chop up veggies so they poke out and fall through. Or I shove a long stem of parsley or something and feed it in and out of the holes so when they chew it they only get a little bit at a time!

 

[Zorro1]

I used to use a cat toy similar to the white one in the picture. My piggy loved to get treats out of it.

 

[doosnska]

I used to use a cat toy similar to the white one in the picture. My piggy loved to get treats out of it.

I love watching them nose them around