DIY Guinea Pig Toy: Box of Hay

If you're anything like me, you have several cardboard boxes at any given time lying around the house, thanks to your latest Amazon or other online purchase. (Blame Black Friday.)

Why keep them instead of tossing them in the recycling bin right away? For guinea pig entertainment purposes, of course! A box, sheets of newspaper, and fresh hay are all it takes to turn those empties into an easy, inexpensive source of piggy fun.

Pig Sized Pillows

 

Some time ago I found a woodland creatures themed fleece pattern and sewed a couple of pillows for the pigs to use. Initially, the girls were duly unimpressed. "Is this edible? No. Well, then is it a cozy? Hmph, too small."

Hay Box for One

The empty cardboard strawberry cartons we get from the local market happen to be the perfect size for filling with hay. To encourage foraging I toss in a mix of timothy, orchard, and bluegrass.

Guinea Pig Bed from Spiffy Pigs

"No Mom.. you can't have it this clean ever again!" -Truffle

In the pigs' opinion, you can never have too many cozies. Which was my justification for ordering a matching guinea pig bed and snuggle sack from Spiffy Pigs. The cute woodland creatures themed fabric may or may not have had something to do with it.

Napping in the Fleece Forest

Running zoomies! Hiding! Stealth pooping!

The pigs use their fleece forest for a variety of purposes but napping is the most common one. Stealth beaning follows behind at a close second.

Enjoying our guinea pig bunk beds

We've been using C&C bunk beds in the pigs cage for the past few months (DIY instructions on how to build your own). As expected, some cavies use the upper loft more often than others.

Homemade Guinea Pig Toy DIY: Tunnel Tube

Some of the best guinea pig toys can be made from items found around your home. Here's how to turn an empty oatmeal container into a fun cardboard tunnel.

Guinea Pig C&C Fleece Cage Tour

It's been a while since our last C&C cage tour. Here's a look at our current spring themed guinea pig cage setup. Can you spot the cavies going about their piggy business?

How to Build a C&C Guinea Pig Bunk Bed

The newest additions to our C&C cage setup are guinea pig bunk beds. The pigs have quickly taken to their new furnishings with enthusiasm. Peaches enjoys using the top bunk as a retreat from her piggy sisters. Revy has become fond of snoozing in the lofty perch. Truffle can often be seen hopping upstairs for a nap while Belka springs up to sniff around for snacks. Meanwhile, Poof and Abby-Roo appreciate the privacy of the lower bunk.

We were inspired to make our own bunk beds after seeing these piggies. Since these standalone units don't take up much floor space, they're great especially if you don't have room for a loft. Best of all they're easy and quick to build, particularly if you have extra C&C supplies on hand. Here's a tutorial on how to build bunk beds for your own piggies.

Playtime with the Egg-cersizer

The piggies become enthusiastic whenever they see the Egg-cersizer in their cage, filled with treats and ready to be manhandled - make that cavyhandled.

Guinea Pig Toys: Egg-cersizer treat dispenser

I first came across the Funkitty Egg-cersizer when Bertie and Pinniped from Crafts, Cavies and Cooking tried it out. After spotting it at a local independent pet store we decided to let our wheekers put it to the test.

Marketed as a cat toy, holes on the side of the egg allow treats to fall out when it is rolled around. The openings can be adjusted to make playtime easier or more challenging depending on the cavy's level of motivation. Some treats work better than others to keep guinea pigs active and engaged.

Cavy cozy habits

The idea behind a cavy cozy is simple enough: a cushioned hideaway made of fleece to keep your guinea pigs snug and their bottoms dry. Like Truffle, many pigs prefer to use cozies how they were intended by tucking themselves into the sheltered pocket.

Corner casita from Piggiepopshop

While the piggies next door were busy with their cube house, Revy and Abby-Roo spent some time investigating the corner casita from Piggiepopshop. The adorable panda print suited the furry roommates perfectly. Black and white bears, black and white cavies, insatiable appetites, grumpy when provoked... close enough, right?

Cube house from Piggiepopshop

Belka, Truffle, Peaches and Poof have been testing out their new cube house from Piggiepopshop and are pleased to report that they love their new hideaway!

Exploring the fleece forest

Here's a video clip of all the pigs scoping out their fleece forest. Admittedly these have been a cage fixture for a while now so they aren't a novelty, but are still enjoyed regardless.

DIY Guinea Pig Toy: Fleece Forest

Fleece forests have become quite popular over the past few months. Reminiscent of the drying strips seen at drive through car washes, the hanging panels of fringe provide cavies a place to run through, sleep under, and hide behind.

After seeing several pictures of inquisitive pigs exploring their thicket of fabric, we decided to try a hand at making one ourselves.

Deck the cage!

Now that the cage has finally been decorated, all the piggies are officially ready for Christmas! We cordially invite you to take a tour of the holiday cage.

DIY guinea pig toy: Paper bag of hay

Have any spare paper bags lying around? For quick piggy entertainment fold the edges back, stuff with a handful or two of hay and lay them sideways in your cavy's cage.

Piggy Christmas stockings

"What do you mean, we have to share?"

Now that the holiday season is upon us, it is time to hang up the Christmas stockings!

Another cozy hideaway

Now that temperatures have cooled every piggy has been making good use of their fleece cage accessories. As soon as one leaves another is quick to take her place. To appease the growing demand we ordered another cozy from the Cozy Cavy.