14 DIY Guinea Pig Toys for Beginner
Did you know that guinea pigs are active pets that like to play a lot? Yes! That is why you need the best guinea pig toys to keep them busy in the cage. Also, you don’t need to spend your money on ready-made products as you can do it yourself.
Many DIY guinea pig toys you can make to keep your piggies entertained exist. You don’t need any skills to make these beginner toys for your piggies.
We will describe 14 DIY pig toys you can use to keep your cavies happy all day long. Keep reading for details!
14 DIY Guinea Pig Toys Ideas for Beginner
DIY guinea pigs are cost-effective and entertaining, and you can use readily available materials. There are also endless design possibilities to explore.
We will walk you through 14 ways of making guinea pig toys. With this approach, your creativity is the only limit. The materials and ideas can be tweaked to meet your preferred design.
Box of Hay
If you like shopping and buying devices, cardboard boxes are daily wastes. Think of your last delivery from amazon.
That is the kind of box you need to make this toy. Instead of throwing them away, you can feel them with hay to become a playground for your pig.
To make a box of hay toys, cut the cardboard to an appropriate height and remove any labels and stickers that can harm your cavies. Make it easy for the guinea pigs to enter and exit by cutting one side low.
Line the bottom with newspapers or sheets of paper, and then add fresh hay on top. You can have different hay varieties such as Timothy, Orchard, and sweet meadow.
What you have just made may become the favorite spot for your piggies. Replenish the hay as frequently as possible while decomposing the old ones.
Also read: Guinea Pig Hay: Everything Need to Know and 4 Top Picks
Oxbow Animal Health Orchard Grass Hay
Hidey House by Weaver
Hidey house may require carpentry skills, but you can also make it if you are a badass DIYer. All you need are wood pieces and carpentry tools, including nails, saw, measuring tape, hammer, and jigsaw.
You can borrow a jigsaw, but the rest are usually available at home.
The idea behind Hidey house is to create many compartments with circular entrances to allow your pig to jump from one to another. Each one should have enough room and be lined with paper and hay.
Once again, your creativity is the limit for the design. You can create as many compartments as possible for your piggies. They will love the privacy that comes with their new toy.
Kaytee Woodland Get-A-Way Large Guinea Pig House
Toilet Paper Roll Nest by Alexandria
We often throw toilet rolls in the dustbin for howling. If you have guinea pigs and other small pets, you can put them into use.
Toilet paper roll nest toys are one of the toys that are easy to make. No skills and special tools are needed to [go about it.
Find a toilet paper roll and cut it into 10 rings of equal sizes. You need to layer the rings in different directions to form a ball.
Once done, stuff hay into the ball through the spaces. Your piggies will find it fun to pull out the hay strands from the ball one by one, keeping them busy when you are not there to play with them.
Making a Dangling Food Toy
Guinea pigs like food, and dangling food may just be all you need to wake them up from their moody state.
To make this toy, you will need a piece of thin nylon string, a few clothespins, and thinly chopped vegetable slices. If you don’t have these materials already, you can buy them at the nearby store.
Cut the nylon strings into appropriate sizes and tie them to the cage’s roof. The other end should freely hang just above the head of guinea pigs. That is where you will hook the clothespin with vegetable chops clipped on them.
Hand the clothespin up and finely cut the vegetable into thin pieces that cannot chock your guinea pigs.
The last step is to clip the chops in the clothespin to complete the dangling food toy. Do not overstuff the clothespin. If you do, the treat will fall off easily, which is not fun.
Kaytee Timothy Biscuits Baked Treat
DIY Toilet Paper Roll Toys
All you need for this simple DIY guinea pig toy are a toilet paper roll, scissors, string, and a pen.
Use a pen to draw a spiral line that winds along the length of the toilet roll. The rings formed should be evenly spaced at a distance of about 1-2 inches.
Cut the toilet roll along the line and from end to end. Punch a hole at one end of the roll and hang it as it is in the guinea pig cage.
Stuffing a Cardboard Roll with Hay
To make this food toy, a toilet roll or a long cardboard tube, string, hay, and scissors are all you need. If you want your piggies to be busy, this may be your long-awaited solution.
Using scissors, cut holes that are well distributed through the entire length of the cardboard. Next, stuff the tube with fresh hay and use a string to hang it just above the head of your guinea pigs. We are sure your guinea pigs will like the game.
Once again, you can design your cardboard tubes or toilet rolls as you wish. Be creative and come up with as many designs as you possibly can.
Paper Bag Foraging Toy
If you have medium-sized paper bags lying around the house, you can turn them into an interactive guinea pig toy.
Punch holes on the paper bag using a hole puncher or scissors and fill it with fresh hay, hubs, or clover. Tie the top with a string and toss it into your guinea pig cage.
Paper bag foraging toy gives your guinea pigs hours of foraging fun. Ensure to add more hay in the bag as necessary.
Also read: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Paper Bags?
Newspaper Foraging Ball
Newspaper foraging ball is a one-minute DIY guinea pig toy. Spread a single sheet of newspaper on the table and add tasty treats at the center.
Crinkle the newspaper into a ball and take it to the guinea pig cage. Standby and watch in amazement as your piggies spend all their energy to get to the hidden treats.
Newspaper Tepee Tent Cave
All you need for this toy are newspapers. Guinea pigs like to crawl through squeezed spaces, and you can give them that by creating a newspaper tent cave.
Spread a few sheets of newspaper on the floor and use other pieces to create a triangular folding to form sides and top of the tent.
Place it over the newspaper base, and you are ready to let your piggies have fun. You may need to constantly erect the tent when guinea pigs topple it over.
Stick Tree Roll
This is another simple guinea pig toy on this list. You will need a toilet paper roll, safe twigs, scissors, and hay or pellet, but optional. It is a good floor toy for guinea pigs and other small pets because sticks are fun to toss.
They will keep them busy the whole day.
Take the scissors and punch holes on the toilet rolls. The holes should be large enough for the twigs you collected and should be aligned such that a twig can go through two holes.
Make enough holes for all your sticks and insert them in. Once done, stuff hay or pellets inside the roll.
Put your toy on the cage floor for your piggies to start entertaining themselves.
Cardboard Box Cave
If you have an old cardboard or shoebox that can house your guinea pigs, you can turn it into a comfortable toy. Create a new home for your guinea pigs by pacing soft and safe bedding in the cardboard for comfort.
Cut the entrance/exit hole on one side of the cardboard and place it in the guinea pig cage. Also, ensure you remove all adhesives and stickers on the cardboard. These can poison your cavies if they chew them.
Fleece Hammock
Fleece hammock is the easiest to make of all DIY guinea pig toys on this list. Go to a craft store and buy a couple fleece pieces. Alternatively, you can cut up an old fleece blanket into a fleece hammock or curtain.
Sew non-toxic string or rope to the fleece ends to form a square fleece hammock that you can put at the corner of the cage. You may add hay or bedding materials for more comfort, but optional.
Foraging Clothesline
Foraging clotheslines or string buffets were initially designed for bunnies, but guinea pigs also love them. It tests their foraging skills and gives them the exercise they need. You will need a clothespin, string, tape, and treats.
Foraging clothesline is a beginner-level guinea pig toy. You may need to make it outside the cage if you don’t have enough room.
Tie the string at both ends the way you would do for a clothesline, ensuring it is low enough for your guinea pigs to access. Now use the clothespin to hang the favorite treats on the line and let your cavies forage for them.
Hay Socks
It is rare to spot mismatched socks around the house. These are usually useless, but not when you have guinea pigs as your pet. You will need hay and scissors to make hay socks toys for your cavies.
Stuff the socks with Timothy hay and tie the other end with a string. Use scissors to cut holes on the socks and stick some Timothy hay or treat from the openings.
Once done, hang the toy in the cage and let your piggies enjoy pulling the hay strands from the socks.
4 Safety Rules to DIY Guinea Pig Toys
Your piggies like chewing everything around them, meaning they can easily be poisoned by foreign materials. When making any guinea pig toy, observe the following safety rules:
- Safe materials: Avoid white cardboard rolls because they are bleached with chemicals. Also, avoid pine or cedar, corn cobs, straw, and plastic bags. These can potentially poison guinea pigs if they attempt to chew them.
- Safe size: You want your guinea pigs to play with the toys. That requires that the toys are appropriately sized. Caves, nests, and others should be spacious.
- Placement of toys: Where you place your guinea pig toys will determine whether they have fun or not. Ensure the toys are accessible. Hang them at the right height so that the guinea pigs can easily play with them. For floor toys, choose the best location in the cage.
- Observe and Adjust: Do not just place the toy there and turn your back. Watch how your guinea pigs interact with it and make necessary adjustments to ensure your guinea pig has the safest and most fun playtime.
Also read: Guinea Pig Setup: Step By Step Guide
Oxbow Simple Rewards Baked Treats
Wrapping Up
With DIY guinea pig toys, you can keep your piggies happy throughout the day and without spending even a penny.
All the toys mentioned in this article are easy to make, and your guinea pigs will find them fun to play with. Just get to work and provide your pets with what they deserve.
Thank you for reading this article at Pestive. We hope you can find the guinea pigs toys listed here easy to make and fun for your guinea pigs. Please share the information with other pet lovers and return for more related content.
