Exercise Ball

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bpdfs

bpdfs

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Hello new here! Just got a guinea pig a couple days ago..

I was curious about the exercise ball? Is that something that is good or shoudl I stay away from that?

THanks

Lots more questions to follow! :)
 
Stay away from them as they are not designed for piggys, their backs are far to fragile for them and they will hurt their little legs and back if they are put in one.

Look for things like tunnels, cardboard boxes, tents, toilet rolls filled with hay, this site gives you ideas on things that piggys like to play/demolish. :))

http://www.guineapigcages.com/toys.htm
 
What is their favorite type of exercise/toy in your guys opp?
 
Food! Guinea pigs are mostly motivated by food, so I hide little bits of cucumber in bags of hay, tunnels, etc and let them forage. They love to find things. :)
 
imo guinea pigs are nowhere near hyperactive enough to use them, and prefer either food-finding or tunnelling/burrowing for mental stimulation.
mine have always loved things like brown paper bags or toilet rolls stuffed with hay, the cardboard tunnels you can buy in pet stores (as long as they're the right size so they don't get stuck) cardboard boxes, or tea towels draped over low stools to hide under.
Naturals pet products do a lovely range of dried herbs such as alfalfa, some of which come in rings you can hang from a cage. they're really great to keep pigs entertained :)
 
i didnt think you could get a ball big enough for a piglet :p lol they would hate it! just guinea proof a room and let them run about on the floor with lots of tubes, boxes, veggies and other safer things for them, they will prefer that :)
 
i bought one for mine,when i first had them,didnt know its not good for them at the time,i payed £13 for it,and they just sat in it haha,they prefer the tubes or they wooden arches more.x
 
If you got young ones, they also might like hurdles made from rulers, about 4-5cm (2 in) hich. When they are older, they prefer to push them out of the way.
Or you can simply drop an old towel on the floor with opening where the piggies can crawl under neather, or peg it to the side of the cage.
Guinea pigs do love things to investigate that smell of food. Try to swish a litle dish with some fruit juice and put it in their cage!

If you can create a cheap run, they will enjoy regular play time with toys out of their cage - and so will you! But you will need something waterproof as flooring if you live in rented accommodation, in case acidents happen and you need to make sure that they can get at any cables or in any nooks and crannies, which they will love to use at toilet corners!

PS: Stay off leads as well - while they are OK for ferrets, they can do serious harm to the much more inflexible guinea pig spines!
 
My friend got an exercise ball for her guinea pigs, not knowing that they're not meant to use them. The ones that have photos of guinea pigs, ferrets, etc. and are huge, but she thinks the guinea pigs weren't strong enough to move it around or didn't like it because one would just sit in it not moving, and the other would try to attack the one in the ball! (They're both boys and don't get on or live together.) So that was the end of that.
 
Yeah I was going to get one of those exercise playpen things with the protective flooring.. Anyone know a good plave i can get a pen with the protective flooring? Thanks
 
Hi so glad you're not going to be using one of those exercise balls, i wish they'd take the piggie's pigture of it.......as you've learnt by the comments they're not suitable at all for piggies :...:{:(
My girls love to tunnel thru loads of hay, hide some food in it, then use the toilet rolls or cut up the cardboard rolls from paper towels, i also use cut down wine boxes too, they love to run in and out and chew on them too rolleyes:(|)
 
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