With Christmas coming up around the corner, everyone's on the lookout for unique gifts for everyone on their list. I suppose I might just be weird, but my piggies always seem to appear at the top of my list. I know they probably don't know the difference between a holiday and every other day, but watching them check out their new stuff usually ends up being just as entertaining for me as it is for them. After all, watching your pets investigate their new toys is the best part of getting them new toys.
A lot of the treats out there for guinea pigs aren't always healthy or safe, and finding toys that a guinea pig won't ignore can be difficult. There's nothing worse than getting a new bed or toy for your guinea pig, only to have them sniff it and go back to sleeping on their hay pile. It can be hard to find creative guinea pig toys that pigs actually show an interest in (trust me, I've found plenty of "toys" they could care less about!) but in this list, I'll go over some of the things that I've found that have really hit it off with my piggies.
1. Wheeky Treat Ball
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These treat balls can be found on Amazon. I have one for my piggies, and they love it (but only when it's filled with food of course!) It has a hole on one side, and you can load it with diced up veggies before giving it to your guinea pigs. When they push the ball around, the treats periodically fall out of the ball. My guys figured out how it works pretty fast, and now they recognize that ball immediately when I bring it out. Now I often fill it with kibble instead of feeding them in a bowl, so they can get some exercise and turn their feeding times into a bit of a game.
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2. Hay Pigs Toys
Ace and Ceico also have a bunch of toys and beds from haypigs.com that are well used and loved by the piggies. Hay Pigs has an entire range dedicated to guinea pigs, with things like a lounge bed, fleece hidey hut, tunnels, hay wagon, and a veggie kabob.
It used to be such a clean bed....
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Acey, where's your head?
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3. Play Tunnels!
My guinea pigs have a couple different tents and tunnels to navigate and run through. They love them, especially when you move them around periodically or hide treats in them. I would supervise your guinea pigs at first with their new toys to ensure they don't try to chew too much, as these tunnels are not the edible type!
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4. Edible Tunnels
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Edible tunnels are also loved by piggies (maybe even more so) than non-edible play tunnels, because they can run through them, hide inside, and also eat or chew on them! These tunnels don't last nearly as long as the previous tunnels unfortunately, but they are good for your guinea pig's teeth, don't require as much supervision while they're using them (because they're safe to eat!) and piggies absolutely love to chew them. My guinea pigs love the oxbow hay tunnels the best. They're usually glued to those things until the tunnels are chewed to the ground. It works out well though, because they enjoy chewing those tunnels more than any books, wires, fabrics, etc. that they might otherwise try to hunt down. In other words, it keeps them entertained and out of trouble. ;)
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5. Hay Mats
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Hay mats (also by Oxbow) are another favorite with my guinea pigs. They absolutely love to chew on any kind of weaved hay toys. Again, this is a great one for keeping pigs occupied and out of trouble. Piggies with chew toys are well behaved piggies! Like other hay toys, they are a great way to help your guinea pigs keep their teeth grinded down so they don't become overgrown. |
6. Hay Twists
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Sticking to the same theme here, hay twists are yet another great weaved hay toy from Oxbow. Guinea pigs love these things. Once I open the package, I find these little things all over the place. Guinea pigs love to chew them and carry them around. Fair warning though, they may not last long. However, these toys are still great for chewing and they are less likely to be peed on than hay mats or tunnels. |
7. Fleece Toys
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Fleece toys are washable, reusable, and cozy for guinea pigs. You won't find many guinea pigs that don't love fleece beds and cozy cuddle cups. Plus, fleece items are often handmade, so you can support crafters and piggy lovers that use the same products for their own pigs. To find fleece items for your guinea pigs, you can search on Etsy or do a google search for fleece guinea pig accessories.
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8. Apple Tree Sticks
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You can't get much simpler than these, but apple tree sticks are great for your guinea pig's teeth and they love them! My pigs will turn down a much more expensive bed or chewable toy, but they'll gnaw at these endlessly (typical!) |
9. Compressed Hay Blocks
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Compressed hay blocks are a pretty simple concept, but guinea pigs seem to enjoy pulling them apart and dragging them around. I was surprised by how much my guys carried these around with them. They especially seemed to like the idea of bringing their hay with them to their bed, so they wouldn't have to move when they wanted a snack. :) |
10. Make Them a Gourmet Dinner
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The best for last! Everyone knows guinea pigs are ruled by their stomachs over almost everything else, and yummy veggie treats are always appreciated by piggies. I'm not much of a cook, but luckily guinea pigs appreciate simple, raw veggies mixed up into a delicious salad. I like to mix up a bowl of all their favorite veggies, with some romaine lettuce, sweet bell peppers, and shredded carrots on top, along with any other veggies we have in the fridge at the time.
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That sums up our list of 10 things every piggy would love for Christmas! Now I'm going to have to narrow it down further for my piggers. Don't forget; when Christmas morning rolls around, the most important thing to do of course, is to get up and hug all your loved ones (and cuddle your piggies!)
(And don't forget their morning treat!)
Thanks for reading!
(And don't forget their morning treat!)
Thanks for reading!
Ceico and Ace with their "veggie kabob" toy from Hay Pigs.
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