do guinea pigs need tissue as nesting material or is paper bedding on the base fine?

B

BubblesPiggies

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
146
Reaction score
68
Points
270
Location
Manchester United kingdom
hello I was wondering if you are supposed to put tissue inside hideaways like you would with a hamster so guinea pigs can make a nest or is paper bedding like fitch fine on the bottom.
 
BubblesPiggies said:
hello I was wondering if you are supposed to put tissue inside hideaways like you would with a hamster so guinea pigs can make a nest or is paper bedding like fitch fine on the bottom.
Click to expand...

Hi! Guinea pigs do not nest or build burrows although they use abandoned burrows if they find them.
They are ground-roaming group animals that cover quite a large territory from safe bases in their need to hay (which should make over 80% of the daily food intake) and grass, supplemented with the occasional lucky find of herbs and berries and other edible vegetation. They live in the grasslands of the lower Andes, but have been domesticated for thousands of years without changing their social instincts or basic behaviours.

Paper bedding is another option for creating an absorbent layer on the cage floor.

What piggies really enjoy is burrowing in a large pile of soft meadow or orchard hay (timothy hay is too stalky and can cause eye pokes much more easily). If you want to enrich their lives, why not use a low plastic tray, a cardboard box with an entrance or two, or a brown paper bag (any handled cut through, please), which you fill with soft hay?
Guinea Pig Toys
 
For a hay tray I use the bottom of an old cat carrier that I bought from a car boot sale for £1. I line it with paper first then just add hay and my lot love it!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Guinea pigs do not nest or build burrows although they use abandoned burrows if they find them.
They are ground-roaming group animals that cover quite a large territory from safe bases in their need to hay (which should make over 80% of the daily food intake) and grass, supplemented with the occasional lucky find of herbs and berries and other edible vegetation. They live in the grasslands of the lower Andes, but have been domesticated for thousands of years without changing their social instincts or basic behaviours.

Paper bedding is another option for creating an absorbent layer on the cage floor.

What piggies really enjoy is burrowing in a large pile of soft meadow or orchard hay (timothy hay is too stalky and can cause eye pokes much more easily). If you want to enrich their lives, why not use a low plastic tray, a cardboard box with an entrance or two, or a brown paper bag (any handled cut through, please), which you fill with soft hay?
Guinea Pig Toys
Click to expand...
would the INGS hay from hay for pets be ok?
 
Yes - any hay that is not spikey and can easily cause eye injuries is safe to play in.

Speciality hays with sharper bits or lots seed heads are better to be used as enrichments in ways that do not pose this danger, but they can also be used to create novel interests and as things to investigate and enjoy.
 
BubblesPiggies said:
could you use a cat litter tray?
Click to expand...

Yes. Why not? I use corner units, seed trays from a DIY or garden shop or, for my older piggies with arthritis, old darkroom photography trays that have a lower rim. Anything that you piggies can get into but that somewhat contains the mess as they romp around will do! ;)
 
Wiebke said:
Yes. Why not? I use corner units, seed trays from a DIY or garden shop or, for my older piggies with arthritis, old darkroom photography trays that have a lower rim. Anything that you piggies can get into but that somewhat contains the mess as they romp around will do! ;)
Click to expand...
Guineautopia said:
I use cat litters trays that are £3 from Tesco, all mine get in and out fine. I do the same as @Betsy and line with newspaper and add meadow hay
Click to expand...
Sounds greatx
 
Wiebke said:
Yes - any hay that is not spikey and can easily cause eye injuries is safe to play in.

Speciality hays with sharper bits or lots seed heads are better to be used as enrichments in ways that do not pose this danger, but they can also be used to create novel interests and as things to investigate and enjoy.
Click to expand...
Thanksx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top