Such A Thing As Too Many Toys?

Mikknu

Mikknu

Junior Guinea Pig
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Is there such a thing as too many toys? I'm preparing for my pigs and trying to buy in bulk what I can. I'm getting a large pack of small animal wooden chew toys, A couple timothy and apple wood chews, a bag of apple wood sticks in general, some wooden bridges(less for toys and more for getting in and out of the litter pan), and I've put away ~10 USD for buying anything that might pop up in a store toy wise, like a chube. I know my guinea pigs may not choose to play with the toys or anything, which is okay with me, but can you have too many hanging/floor toys in a cage? Would they restrict space for running and jumping if hung around the edges of the cage every couple feet?
 
Honestly, I would save your money and not buy loads of things. You will absolutely need several hidey houses, but as for chew toys, the chances of them being interested in them are quite small. The best things mine have ever liked to play with are cardboard boxes, and large piles of hay (with or without veggies or forage hidden amongst it) which they eat, hide and play.

The enrichment ideas in this link may help you. Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

This link also highlights the potential dangers of some commercial toys Potentially Dangerous Cage Accessories And Toys
 
^Agreed. No need to waste money on toys. I've found they like toilet paper/paper towel rolls & cardboard boxes. I actually made mine a hay box, cardboard box & filled it with hay - they love climbing in it & most of the time they don't pee in it, so it works! :D
 
Okay, that's good to know! Thank you for the suggestions. I'll look around at what's in my are and see what I can find simple-wise for some enrichment.
 
They also love brown paper bags filled with hay and forage and a cardboard box with entrance holes cut in keeps them entertained until the box is destroyed. When I first had my girls I bought all the hanging chew toys to hang in their cage and they still look the same as they do on the day I bought them. Something they did love was a willow basket that held same chew toys that they had great fun chewing until it was totally destroyed think it only lasted 2 days 😆
 
Thanks for responding! It's good to know that wicker is a good option for a hide/toy mix. I've heard that wood can start smelling pretty bad though...

Would if be okay to tie things like apple sticks together with something like paper rope to make small spaces I could stuff cardboard or hay into?
 
Mikknu said:
Thanks for responding! It's good to know that wicker is a good option for a hide/toy mix. I've heard that wood can start smelling pretty bad though...

Would if be okay to tie things like apple sticks together with something like paper rope to make small spaces I could stuff cardboard or hay into?
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Should be ok I think, cardboard tubes stuffed with hay is another good one.
 
Its a good idea to rotate the toys and furniture around so they dont get bored, rather than giving everything at once we have some things for in the cage, some things they only get once or twice a week in the playpen, and we alter the cage furniture a bit every week in our smaller cage so its always new and interesting for them x
 
Mine love playing in big piles of hay.
Hiding under the pile and eating your way out is great fun.
Tunnels of any description are fun too.
After cage cleaning today my 4 did a piggy conga through all the tunnels.
The tunnels are a mix of wooden bridges and cardboard boxes with doors, plus the tunnel created by them in the hay pile
 
Would it be okay to do something like put a small kitten litter box into their (much bigger) kitchen area and fill it with a different type of hay/some forage materials? The kitchen area is 26" x 20.5" x 4.5", and will have a 17" x 9" Hay Bag to go on either the back wall/sides. I haven't really decided yet. A kitten litter tray is about 14" x 10" x 3.5", so I could put it in the corner of their kitchen area. Maybe under the hay bag? Or should it be off to the side? I plan on feeding primarily Orchard Grass Hay, as I can get it very cheaply nearby, but can I put Timothy Hay and a little sprinkling of an herb pack in there without any eye or respiratory issues?
 
Yes, that would be ok, but you could just use a cardboard box which is what I do
 

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@Merab's Slave What's that lining your box? And of course, the cutie's name is necessary!

Oddly enough, as I live out of the way, it is cheaper for me to buy a small plastic litter pan on amazon than to have actual cardboard boxes shipped to me on Amazon.
 
My piggies have the Rosewood corner rabbit litter trays filled with hay, which I bought from Amazon, but kitten litter trays work well too. And boxes :)
 
Awesome! Glad to know this idea is going to work out. Should I place the hay pan near/under their primary hay, or farther away? With there being two different types of hay, I want to ensure that they're eating the (slightly) healthier Orchard Hay more than the Timothy Hay in the tray, which I figure will get both eaten and simultaneously soiled by the pigs. If it helps for positioning, most of the bigger kitchen has a cover, but a strip of about 26" x 7" will be exposed.
 
When my piggies were younger their favourite thing was to run round and round doing zoomies. They needed space and not too many toys to do that. As they'd been on shavings before we had them they'd go crazy getting new fleece, popcorning a lot.
Occasionally now they'll try to popcorn going in a fleece box and you'll see it raising up a tiny bit.
And yes agree with others, big pile of hay goes down well.
 
Mikknu said:
Awesome! Glad to know this idea is going to work out. Should I place the hay pan near/under their primary hay, or farther away? With there being two different types of hay, I want to ensure that they're eating the (slightly) healthier Orchard Hay more than the Timothy Hay in the tray, which I figure will get both eaten and simultaneously soiled by the pigs. If it helps for positioning, most of the bigger kitchen has a cover, but a strip of about 26" x 7" will be exposed.
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We have our hay trays in different places from their other hay, its good to have different hay stations seeing as hay is so important to piggies! All hay is very healthy really, we have a separate area where we serve timothy (which might be better in your bag as it is spiky) then meadow hay in the trays as it is soft to jump in :)
 
as a general rule if it doesn't involve food my boys couldn't care less. I give them balls which release treats when they roll them and plastic egg shaped toys that release treats when they tip them which they do enjoy. Rattan balls filled with forage are also a firm favourite but lots of hides and a few cardboard tubes from the local carpet shop go along way too.

try to keep a clear pathway for zoomies but i find the best thing to do is to rearrange once a week, swap out toys, move hides, clean bedding. It's as though they've never seen them before and suddenly it's all new and exciting again.
 
Thank you all for your lovely advice! I really didn't expect to get this many replies for one thread, if I'm being honest. With your advice in mind, I redid my sketch of how I plan to arrange my cage/what is going into it to include space for zoomies(Thanks @Black piggies ), and for a place to put a hay box.

@PigglePuggle Thank you for the suggestion about where to place hay. I read up a bit and Orchard Hay is softer than Timothy, so it would probably be better in the hay box. Can you or anyone else give me an idea of how much of the hay should be put in though? I know the the pigs will likely go pee in it, and that pee will ruin the hay. Should I put bedding beneath the hay?

@Rivervixen What is a carrot cottage?

@Sweet Potato Are the egg-shaped toys like... actual toys, or like plastic Easter eggs? If they're toys, could I see a link for them? That sounds like a super good idea.
 
In terms of how much hay, piggies can never have too much of it! I throw in a large handful several times throughout the day. I throw out any old hay which has got wet once a day. I get through 15kg of meadow hay for bedding (and eating) and 5kg of Timothy hay for eating every four weeks.
 
Piggies&buns said:
In terms of how much hay, piggies can never have too much of it! I throw in a large handful several times throughout the day. I throw out any old hay which has got wet once a day. I get through 15kg of meadow hay for bedding (and eating) and 5kg of Timothy hay for eating every four weeks.
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How many piggies is that for?
 
Mikknu said:
Thank you all for your lovely advice! I really didn't expect to get this many replies for one thread, if I'm being honest. With your advice in mind, I redid my sketch of how I plan to arrange my cage/what is going into it to include space for zoomies(Thanks @Black piggies ), and for a place to put a hay box.

@PigglePuggle Thank you for the suggestion about where to place hay. I read up a bit and Orchard Hay is softer than Timothy, so it would probably be better in the hay box. Can you or anyone else give me an idea of how much of the hay should be put in though? I know the the pigs will likely go pee in it, and that pee will ruin the hay. Should I put bedding beneath the hay?

@Rivervixen What is a carrot cottage?

@Sweet Potato Are the egg-shaped toys like... actual toys, or like plastic Easter eggs? If they're toys, could I see a link for them? That sounds like a super good idea.
Click to expand...
You sound super thoughtful and organised. Shame you're not running the country instead of planning for your piggies 😂 They often hide at the start in a new place so you have time to adjust things. A carrot cottage is a hard cardboard box with carrot bits stuck on it for them to chew, here they're sold at Pets at Home and Amazon.
 
In terms of planning the environment for piggies I'd also think a lot about temperature, not being next to a window or in a hot room, I got my piggies in winter and when the weather changed, the room they were in suddenly shot up to a dangerous temperature for them. I have a mini room temperature beside their cage. I'd also think about them being irritated by loud or sudden noise and cooking smells, so the cage not to be right next to the washing machine or TV etc.
 
@Piggies&buns Thank you very much for the info on how much hay you use! That's really useful for planning actually, and as I can buy bulk hay very close to me, ~20kg a month should be no problem. I might even use a little less, as I won't be getting a rabbit. I don't know much about rabbits though, nor how much they eat/play with hay in a day, so maybe not too.

@Black piggies Thank you for the multiple replies! They all are full of good information. I'll start with thank you for the compliment, though I'm far too young to be running for President, nor do I think I would want to... ^-^ I prefer having plans in any given day, rather than flying around by the seat of my pants, especially when it comes to things like big, expensive projects and living animals.

I looked them up, and carrot cottages are sold here on Amazon! They look like a great hide, but I probably won't get one until I know for sure my pigs are bonded/if I manage to get an already bonded pair. Although it does look pretty easy to cut them, so maybe... I'm planning on having a big hide right in the middle of the cage, maybe something like a cuddle cube that I can make so that it has two openings, but is big enough for two pigs to snuggle in?

Speaking of temperature though, the basement room can be a bit colder, which I'm concerned about a little. There aren't any windows, it's just underground. The ambient temperature never drops lower the 64-65 F(~17.7-18.3 C), but I figure that if I don't like 65, my piggies won't either. There is also a fireplace, which I believe the piggies will be placed to the side of, but it is never used due to there being a portable space heater that brings the ambient temperature up to about 68-70 F(20-21 C), and the fireplace doesn't connect to the outside. I've looked into those "self warming" pet beds, and at the "how to stay warm" thread, but it didn't seem to apply too awful much to my situation... This is another reason I'm making a stand though, so that they aren't on the floor.

The basement is sort of considered the "Guest Room", and does have a TV, but I can always ask that the volume be soft, or move the piggies temporarily if guests are there. I've heard stories that some pigs will even watch TV with you, which sounds really interesting. As for cooking smells... well, the House is a Ranch style and the only places that have doors are ones that lead to the outside, the Master Bedroom, and the Laundry Room. There will be a good amount of pet-safe deodorizers and scent absorbers near the cage however, as relatives don't want to smell the guinea pigs outside of the basement. I personally don't have qualms about the scent of hay & barn, and find it funny that they don't want to smell my guinea pigs when they have 3 mastiffs and 2 cats, but to each their own. Would these help with smells at all?
 
it’s great you can get carrot cottages. They are great for playing but they don’t last long, they aren’t a permanent hide, they are for playing with and are often destroyed within a week.

Also, not all piggies will cuddle - my two don’t sleep in the same bed. It’s best to have more hidey houses than you have piggies.

As for temperature, they are most happiest between 18 and 21 degrees. That said, a little either side is fine for them. Ideally you don’t want it below 15 degrees as that is too cold, or above 25 degrees as that is too hot and risks heat stroke.
 
@Piggies&buns Thank you for that temperature info! It's very reassuring to know that if the electricity were to go out for some reason, that my pigs would be okay.

I did know that some pigs won't cuddle(Here's to hoping though because it's definitely adorable when they do), so I'm trying to plan accordingly, but what exactly counts as a "hide"? Do things like Fleece Forests/Corner Fleece Hammocks count? Or does a hide have to be something like a pigloo or a floppy fleece tunnel?
 
Somewhere they can go into and, well, hide and feel safe, secure and warm - so pigloo, tunnels, fiddlesticks tunnels etc. I wouldn’t count a fleece forest or corner hammock as a hide
 
Mikknu said:
@Piggies&buns Thank you very much for the info on how much hay you use! That's really useful for planning actually, and as I can buy bulk hay very close to me, ~20kg a month should be no problem. I might even use a little less, as I won't be getting a rabbit. I don't know much about rabbits though, nor how much they eat/play with hay in a day, so maybe not too.

@Black piggies Thank you for the multiple replies! They all are full of good information. I'll start with thank you for the compliment, though I'm far too young to be running for President, nor do I think I would want to... ^-^ I prefer having plans in any given day, rather than flying around by the seat of my pants, especially when it comes to things like big, expensive projects and living animals.

I looked them up, and carrot cottages are sold here on Amazon! They look like a great hide, but I probably won't get one until I know for sure my pigs are bonded/if I manage to get an already bonded pair. Although it does look pretty easy to cut them, so maybe... I'm planning on having a big hide right in the middle of the cage, maybe something like a cuddle cube that I can make so that it has two openings, but is big enough for two pigs to snuggle in?

Speaking of temperature though, the basement room can be a bit colder, which I'm concerned about a little. There aren't any windows, it's just underground. The ambient temperature never drops lower the 64-65 F(~17.7-18.3 C), but I figure that if I don't like 65, my piggies won't either. There is also a fireplace, which I believe the piggies will be placed to the side of, but it is never used due to there being a portable space heater that brings the ambient temperature up to about 68-70 F(20-21 C), and the fireplace doesn't connect to the outside. I've looked into those "self warming" pet beds, and at the "how to stay warm" thread, but it didn't seem to apply too awful much to my situation... This is another reason I'm making a stand though, so that they aren't on the floor.

The basement is sort of considered the "Guest Room", and does have a TV, but I can always ask that the volume be soft, or move the piggies temporarily if guests are there. I've heard stories that some pigs will even watch TV with you, which sounds really interesting. As for cooking smells... well, the House is a Ranch style and the only places that have doors are ones that lead to the outside, the Master Bedroom, and the Laundry Room. There will be a good amount of pet-safe deodorizers and scent absorbers near the cage however, as relatives don't want to smell the guinea pigs outside of the basement. I personally don't have qualms about the scent of hay & barn, and find it funny that they don't want to smell my guinea pigs when they have 3 mastiffs and 2 cats, but to each their own. Would these help with smells at all?
Click to expand...
My piggies only smell if I don't clean them out often enough. If you have a hay tray or hay loft with a cover they'll do most of their business in there and it can be changed daily. Animals' sense of smell is so much better than ours, I'm not sure that deodourisers wouldn't irritate them, especially if there isn't much ventilation in the basement. Pet shops sell stuff that isn't always good for our pets. But then I've never seen them before, maybe they're ok.
 
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