Toys

J

jcary

Junior Guinea Pig
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I worry I will give my piggies the wrong toys
Like if I go in Pets At Home and look at toys that say suitable for guinea pigs, I worry it is not true
I just worry what toys are harmful
And wonder what toys to give them
Because it nice if they have lots in their cage

Thanks :) :) :)
 
My piggies don’t have anything in their cage I would consider a ‘toy’. Whenever I have had anything like that they’ve just ignored it honestly I’d say save your money you can diy enrichment for them that they’ll appreciate a lot more.
I recommend big piles of hay and you can put their veg or nuggets in to encourage them to forage. Also stuffing hay into toilet roll tubes is something mine love. Mine prefer a less cluttered cage so they have space to popcorn and do zoomies so I really just have various hides, and piles of hay.
 
You don’t need to spend money buying anything commercial. Commercial toys from pet shops are usually a waste of time and money as piggies generally aren’t interested in them.

‘Toys’ and enrichment for my piggies are a large pile of hay on the cage floor, cardboard boxes with holes cut in and their normal hides and tunnels.
 
Mine just like doing zoomies and hiding. Plonk tunnels and cardboards boxes with holes cut into them on the floor and they go racing through them a train which is about to derail.

They also like big paper bags they can crawl in and hide. They seem to prefer these to the boxes sometimes... not sure if it's because of the crinkly, rustle noise they make.
 
Freya1234 said:
This guide might be helpful for you: Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
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Thank you :)))
Piggies&buns said:
You don’t need to spend money buying anything commercial. Commercial toys from pet shops are usually a waste of time and money as piggies generally aren’t interested in them.

‘Toys’ and enrichment for my piggies are a large pile of hay on the cage floor, cardboard boxes with holes cut in and their normal hides and tunnels.
Click to expand...
yeah they have lot of cardboard boxes lol
Thank you :-)
piggieminder said:
Potentially Dangerous Cage Accessories And Toys

Mine don't have toys as such, they like the inner tube of a toilet or kitchen roll though. I have seen them pick them up and put them in their beds and try to throw them. Boxes, paper bags and a big pile of hay is all ways interesting for them.
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yes they always love the toilet roll tubes!
 
One of my girls is very curious and likes to investigate everything whilst the other won't bother unless she feels like tagging along and seeing what the other is up to.

Minerva was fascinated with the hoover the other day and was climbing on it.

You could dump a pile of old blankets on the floor and they'll probably have a good nose, climb all over them and then hide in them and have a nap. You could give them anything safe, however mundane it seems to us, and it'll probably stoke interest. It's new and different.
 
:agr: with the advice above. None of my boars ever appreciated toys. I think these 'toys' for small animals are very much marketed by pet suppliers (particularly with the fancy colours and designs, etc) but aren't a necessity. Mine always appreciated hay piles, tunnels and the occasional cardboard box (as said above).

I had one boar that had a baby safe soft toy for company when he failed to bond with other pigs (my other boars ended up his neighbours) but I'm pretty sure he couldn't care less that it was there 😂 It was me who felt better for it being there. I ended up finding him a boar friend in the end anyway.

Dogs on the other hand.... there is a toy market there 😂 My Koda chooses himself a new toy every time we pop in to the stores
 
@Bradshaw Piggies , Dignified Sir George is very...er... affectionate with his toys. I do have to wash them quite often!
He also likes to move them round the palace, groom them and ultimately they end up in "his" corner where he snuggles up with them occasionally using one as a pillow. The picture isn't the best but here he is with his "harem"IMG20240111151819.webp
 
fluffysal said:
@Bradshaw Piggies , Dignified Sir George is very...er... affectionate with his toys. I do have to wash them quite often!
He also likes to move them round the palace, groom them and ultimately they end up in "his" corner where he snuggles up with them occasionally using one as a pillow. The picture isn't the best but here he is with his "harem"View attachment 240251
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My girls probably don't need a harem of humping toys... although..... Minerva might hump a toy, I don't know, I just get that vibe from her. But I do wonder what they would do if I gave them a small soft animal toy. I might do that just to see how they react.
 
fluffysal said:
The Ikea ones are good. At least you won't have to replace any because of boar glue!
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One of my nieces left a small toy here and I've just plonked it in the cage with them to see how they'd react. It's a little beanie toy about half the size of a guinea pig and roughly the same shape as a guinea pig.

Only Minerva was out and about so I placed it a few inches from and her first reaction was to give it a measured stare and then run. XD

Curiosity always gets the better of Minerva though so she was soon stretch-slinking her way out of hiding and came to have a good sniff. Then she nibbled its ear, then its hair, then its leg. Walked all over it. And now she is giving a demonstration on how to properly eat your own poop right in front of its face.
 
“Toys” for a guinea pig are plenty of space, a friend, places to hide/run through and a massive pile of hay :)

Honestly favourite part of my day, and probably theirs, is fluffing up the leftover hay and plonking some new stuff on top. I will never be bored of watching then burrow through it, popcorning covered in it like a new wig and eating away happily.

For real though, the only “toy” I buy for my pigs are tunnels or things they can run through, and the occasional willow tunnel. It’s just pieces of wood weaved together and they absolutely love to run through it and chew it to bits in about a week. Amazon.co.uk
 
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