Keeping it fun

[Guineapoops2022]

Hey everyone I’m wondering if you could share with me what you have in your cage for fun and boredom? Are you taking your piggies out everyday for floor time and what items do they really love that keeps them content and busy…I would hate to think my piggies are sad or bored due to not enough in thier cage we currently have a cardboard tunnel a long tunnel that stretches in and out some hide aways a hammock a cardboard puzzle chew I also have wooden and hard carrot for chewing on but I have heard the carrot one is dangerous as it contains sawdust but p@h highly recommend… I’m just looking for lots of fun stuff lots of replies very welcome thank you!

 

[Guineapoops2022]

I’m wondering if the large wooden tunnel is ok left in unsupervised as the girls do bite it lots and eat it…

 

[Guineapoops2022]

I have seen these carrot top houses and edible houses I’m just looking for lots of ideas please

 

[Sweet Potato]

I would take out the hard carrot thing and avoid any edible hides made from the same material I seem to remember readingthat they're high in sugar and piggies don't need chew toys to grind down their teeth like other rodents. Piggies love carrot cottages and cardboard boxes for hiding in and chewing. It's fine for them to chew the bendy Bridge. We get cardboard tunnels from our local carpet shop and cut them to different lengths and stuff some full of hay. One of the best bits of enrichment is just to mix forage into their hay so they have to rummage around to find it. I also feed them pellets in a treat dispensing ball thing.

 

[Piggies&buns]

The biggest form of enrichment for a guinea pig is another guinea pig. As you have four, they all have each other and plenty to keep them occupied.
The next best thing is huge piles of loose hay for them to snuggle into, run through, forage through.

The wooden tunnel is fine for them to have. My boys have three of them.
The wicker ball is also fine. Just do keep an eye on them once they start to destroy it so that it doesnt become dangerous.
The hanging toys I personally wouldn’t bother with, they are often ignored and some can be unsafe. A lot of the commercial toys are ignored and often a waste of money
Cardboard boxes and tunnels are also fine. Along with carrot cottages and hay cubes.

As long as their cage is big enough to run about in, they don’t need daily floor time.

My boys live in a hutch in my shed. The shed door is left open and they free roam the shed all the time. They have tunnel hides and big piles of hay.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

 

[Guineapoops2022]

Thank you very much guys that’s a great help chucking out the hanging carrot and sticks now! I will definitely get a carrot cottage and some forage for them is there a limit on how long they get the carrot cottage? (Sugar content) and a limit on how much forage thanks so much x

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you very much guys that’s a great help chucking out the hanging carrot and sticks now! I will definitely get a carrot cottage and some forage for them is there a limit on how long they get the carrot cottage? (Sugar content) and a limit on how much forage thanks so much x

i tend to just leave mine with the carrot cottage until they’ve destroyed it. its not like eating an actual carrot where they would sit and eat everything. It can take a long time for them to get all the carrot roof of a cottage - the last one took my boys two weeks to get through.

Forage - it depends what forage you feed, some can be fed more often than others. Mine get some forage every day

 

[piggieminder]

Cardboard boxes, paper bags and cardboard tunnels stuffed with hay. We also have fleece tunnels and the stick tunnels. I find interest wanes after a while so I tend to swap things in and out of cages to keep interest alive and not give more than one or two things at once. I find mine get most enjoyment out of a large empty space they have room to do zoomies in.

 

[Guineapoops2022]

Brilliant thank you very much does anyone know how much forage is ok from piggy parcels and would you take away pellets if giving forage many thanks x

 

[Piggies&buns]

Brilliant thank you very much does anyone know how much forage is ok from piggy parcels and would you take away pellets if giving forage many thanks x

It depends what types of forage you use. I give a sprinkle of a few different types to my boys every day - green oat, plantain, raspberry leaves, birch leaves etc are used most days. Dandelion is higher in calcium so I tend to give a bit less and not as many times in a week. Things like the dried carrot and apple are even less frequent.

You can still give pellets if you give forage