Great Ways to Keep Your Guinea Pig Entertained

Many people enjoy keeping guinea pigs as pets because they are fun, busy little creatures that are a pleasure to have around. These cute furry companions boast having great entertainment value because they are always up to something. They love being around their owners and have a tendency to squeal with delight when they know food or a treat is on the way! Guinea pigs are clever and know when a fridge door is opened, or when the lid is taken off a tin of goodies and will chatter away until they are offered a favourite treat which is great fun.

Using Food Treats To Entertain Your Piggy

Guinea pigs are social creatures and like nothing better than being around their own kind. They need to be kept busy which means making sure they have something to play with when you're not around to keep them entertained. One of the things that all piggies adore doing is chewing on things because it's the best way to keep their teeth in good condition.

Below are a few ways to keep your pet entertained by offering them things to chew on and play with.

• A really great way to keep your guinea pigs happy, fit and busy is to hang some fruit on some string around their cage. Apples and oranges are healthy treats for your guinea pig but you can also hang carrots, celery or cucumber with the skin left on!
• If you can get hold of some apple tree wood, guinea pigs love gnawing on this type of guinea pig safe wood and it keeps their teeth in great shape.
• Place some of your pet's favourite fruit in a small container that you have made some holes in so that when your piggy pushes it around little bits of the fruit fall out for them to chew on.
• Guinea pigs just like any other pet, need to be stimulated so placing small treats around their cages just out of their reach means they have to figure out how to get to them. Some piggies will stand on their hind legs so they can reach a favourite treat which is not only great fun to watch but it means your pet has to fall back on their natural instincts to get to their food which is a great form of stimulation for them.
• Invest in a small plastic tray and fill it with lots of tiny bits of your pet's favourite vegetables – this could be carrots cut up into small pieces and mix these up with some bits of apple wood, your pet will have a great time searching around for their favourite treats and be able to gnaw on the apple wood too which means their teeth are kept is great condition too!

Making Fun Toys For Your Guinea Pig to Play With

There are lots of things you can make yourself which your cavy will love playing with and the best part is they don't cost you anything! Below are a few things you commonly find in the home which makes great toys for cavies to play with.

• Kitchen towels are found in most houses and the middle tubes make wonderful playthings for piggies. However, you need to cut the tube open to prevent your pet from getting stuck in the tube as they run through it as if it was a tunnel! You can hide a few treats in the tube to encourage the game and the best part is they can chew on the tube and the goodies they find in it!
• Paper bags are great toys for guinea pigs. They love hiding in them and if you cut a few little holes in the paper, your pet will peek through them which is really cute! However, never put any plastic bags in a piggies cage, the bags must be made out of paper or your pet might suffocate if they try playing in a plastic one!
• As mentioned above, piggies are very social creatures, they love to know what's going on, so if you can place their cage in a spot where they can see lots of things going on, all the better. However, make sure the cage is not in any draughts or in too much direct sunlight!
• You can also build a play area for your piggies out of things you find around the house. A small cardboard box is ideal – all you have to do is cut some holes in the sides and then place a lot of treats in the box like bits of apple or carrot and then place this in your cavies cage so they can amuse themselves getting in and out of the box to find treats and then peak out at the world!
• However, the one thing you should give your guinea pig to play on is an exercise wheel because they could end up damaging their spines!

Conclusion

Making sure your guinea pigs are kept busy and entertained during the day when everyone is out at work and at school, means being a little bit creative. You don't need to spend any money on expensive toys because you can make fun and interesting things for your pet to play with out of things that are commonly found around the home!