9 Best Guinea Pig Toys
Everyone gets an opportunity to request a gift at least once in a while and if guinea pigs could talk I’m sure they’d make a wish too.
Since they don’t have the luxury of telling you what they want, this article is going to discuss the 9 best Guinea pig Toys you can add to their enclosure, their safety levels, and where you can find them.
Toys are a great way to enrich your pet’s life. Aside from stimulating their brain and alertness, adding toys to your pet’s cage can enhance their health. You can be certain that the toys discussed here will not fail to grab your piggies attention.
Let’s get into it!
Why Do Guinea Pigs Need Toys?
According to Marie Channer, deputy manager of Small Animals Department Of Wood Green Animal shelter, “Enrichment is really important for Guinea pigs to stay mentally and physically stimulated”.
Guinea pigs need to relate with their newfound environment as they would with their natural habitats.
Being able to run through tunnels, have lots of hiding places, and never run out of options on things to chew on is a great way to stimulate them mentally.
As a piggy parent, you have to integrate these into their routine by getting them toys that give them a chance to enjoy all that they do naturally enjoy in the wild.
Also, letting your pet guinea pig play with toys will give it a sense of freedom as though in the wild.
Buyers Guide: What To Look For In a Good Guinea Pig Toy?
Guinea pig toys are accessories you put into your pet’s home to make it conducive and enjoyable for your guinea pig.
To understand what to look out for in a piggy toy, you should know exactly what Guinea pigs love doing.
Every piggy-pet parent can attest to the fact that guinea pigs love to Play, Explore, Chew, and Hide (because they are animals of prey in their natural habitat), hence, by instinct they’ll love such habitat to be replicated in their captive environment.
Playing and Exploring helps them to form a bond with their pet parent and discover new things while keeping active and healthy.
The best Guinea pig Toys are the ones that stimulate them mentally while ensuring safety, are easy to play with, help them explore, and satisfy their chewing desires.
Safety
Not every toy available at a pet store is ideal or safe for guinea pigs. Some will make great toys for smaller animals such as reptile lizards while others are designed for bigger stronger pets such as dogs.
Hence, to ensure safety, ideal toys for guinea pigs must be made of smooth edges, with adequately soft material, and shouldn’t be harmful or toxic to them when sniffed, touched, or chewed.
Toys that require climbing high such as bridges and ramps, with the risk of falling off, or toys that have a chemical smell, made of plastics or glass are unsafe for guinea pigs and should be avoided.
Toys Designed For Easy Play Or To Be Chewed
Guinea pigs are intelligent animals and therefore must be mentally stimulated to stay happy.
Toys that are easy to play with or chew are great additions to your piggie’s habitat. Besides helping them get the mental stimulation they require, they help keep the piggy’s constantly growing teeth at a healthy length.
Guinea pig teeth do not stop growing even in adulthood. Having healthy chews to play around with asides their diet, keeps their teeth from growing unhealthily long.
Reasonable Price
Keeping healthy and happy guinea pigs shouldn’t punch a whole in your wallet. Besides, they’re easy to care for and have low maintenance.
Most of the safest toys you can get your pet guinea pig can be made from recycled materials. Except you really have the extra money to spend, guinea pigs don’t need expensive toys to stay happy.
It is wise to not only go for “safe, easy-to-play-with toys” but also toys you can get at reasonable prices to cut down your yearly piggy parent budget.
As we look at a few toys together, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision as to what would suit your guinea pig.
9 Guinea Pig Toys and Their Reviews
Below are 9 toys that have been selected for their popularity amongst pet lovers, safety to pets, easy for piggies to play with, and availability at low cost. This is an honest review that should help any guinea pig parent or soon-to-be parent purchase wisely.
| Products | Safe And Non-Toxic | Easy To Play/Chew | Cost (around) |
| Hagen pet tunnel | safe and non toxic | Easy to play with. | $(7.52 – 12.25) |
| Ware Willow Branch Ball chew toy | Uncertain | Easy to play with. | $5.39 for a pack of one. |
| Hanging toy Snuggle Hut | Safe and nontoxic | Easy to play with. | $15.79 |
| Trixie Natural Living Bridge | Safe and nontoxic | Easy to play with | $15.66 |
Living World Hagen Pet Tunnel
Guinea pigs love to explore and the Living world Hagen pet tunnel is just right for that purpose. If you’re just setting up a home for your piggy, you want to get this one.
From the collapsible design to the spaciousness and the large openings for easy pet navigation, your guinea pig is going to live its habitat lifestyle at home.
It can be used as an extension of the living World Tent or used alone as a place for your guinea pig to explore, burrow, hide and even sleep in.
Its polyester material gives a crinkly sound causing your guinea pig the extra amusement it needs during exploration and is very easy to clean.
It’s a great product, the polyester is strong and doesn’t come off easily so the guinea pigs don’t chew it up. They find it comfortable to sleep/ hide in and the lightweight makes it easy to clean.
This product is super great – see how well it’s rated here.
Living world Hagen pet tunnel Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Perfect toy for burrowing and exploring. – Fun. lightweight and beautiful colors red and blue. – Large size is perfect for Guinea pigs. – Easy to clean material. | – The ties work better with a large cage due to its length. – Sticky material requires cleaning often. |
Ware Willow Branch Ball Chew Toy
The Ware willow branch ball is a good chew toy choice for your Guinea pig as its natural willow is Non-Toxic and promotes healthy teeth in your Guinea pig.
It is made from natural willow and has a lightweight of 0.634 ounces making it a great play choice for your guinea pig.
Great chew toy choice for adult guinea pigs and also for younger piggies. They can’t stop chewing it almost immediately it is introduced. It helps keep their teeth in check.
However, it lasts only a few days at most which makes purchasing it a bit expensive if you’re on a budget.
There have been a few complaints about it having an awful chemical smell and its consumption causing Constipation in younger guinea pigs.
See real-life Guinea pigs response to the Ware Willow Branch ball.
Ware Willow Branch Ball Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Perfect for tooth trimming. – Great play toy. – Edges not rough enough to harm your pet. – Affordable. | – Sometimes has a bad odor to it – Digestibility in younger pets is in question. |
WINOMO Pet Hammock Hamster Hanging Toy Snuggle Hut
The Hammock Hamster Hanging Toy Hut by Winomo is soft and has a thick material. It is safe and is something to purchase in preparation for the winter season.
It’s a Warm and cozy Snuggle hut for small pets to stay in. It is safe, keeps the cold away and the material is long-lasting which is a plus.
- Requires a big cage to hang it. It is still effective even when it’s not hung.
- Non Toxic material, with great Quality
WINOMO Pet Hammock Hamster Hanging Toy Snuggle hut Pros and Cons.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Soft and safe material. – Great for sleeping in. – Holes on the sides are perfect for playing. – Great value for the money | – Long chain handles can tangle easily. – Doesn’t work well with a smaller cage. |
Trixie Natural Living Bridge
Depending on how you place it, the Trixie Natural Living Bridge’s adjustable wood and its different applications make it a prime choice.
As the name implies, the Trixie natural living bridge is made from Natural wood which makes it a Safe choice for Guinea pigs.
It can be used as a bridge, hideout, and tunnel. It is fit for different enclosures and durable thanks to the adjustable metal strings.
The adjustable metal strings and natural wood material make it safe for playing and chewing.
Make sure it’s not too high for your guinea pig, adjusting the bridge’s height. It offers great value for the money
It’s a great exercise tool and an ideal play toy for Guinea pigs.
A downside is that a very big guinea pig wouldn’t fit in it.
The best quality of this toy would be its multipurpose use. You can place one end to a wall to switch it from a bridge to a hideout. Shop Now
Trixie Natural Living Bridge Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Completely Safe and non- toxic – Easy to play with. – Height adjustable metal strings – Durable – Great value for money – Serves as a good hideout | – Not fitting for large Guinea pigs. |
Combined Chew Toys Molar Sticks Sweet Bamboo Apple Branch Timothy Grass
These Molar sticks are a tasty variety combination. It’s great for helping you know your pet’s preference.
The molar sticks are great for Guinea pigs and other small pets.
Made from a combination of safe chewable sweet bamboo, grass forage, and apple chewable sticks. Great for Chinchillas, Gerbils, Hamsters, and Guinea pigs.
The Chew Toys Molar Sticks are nontoxic to the smell, touch, or taste. Creates a perfect fun time for your pet.
The downside to these products is how small the sticks are and how easily they get broken before arrival due to fragility.
The manufacturer, Dbeans Flourithing offers great customer service. see more about their products here.
Chew Toy Molar Sticks Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – All natural and nontoxic to pets. – Varieties help you learn about your pets preference. – Easy to chew and play with. – All time favorite to small pets including Guinea pigs, Chinchillas, Gerbils, and Hamsters. | – Poor consistency in quantity. – A bit expensive for those on a budget as you need to replace them often. |
Ecotrition Snak Shak Large Activity Log
Why have a hideout and treat separately for your small pet when you can have a thin one pack of goodness?
The Ecotrition Snak Shak Large activity log is the perfect combination of a place where your guinea pig can relax and safely chew!
The Snak Shak is a tasty combination of Pine shavings, fresh Alfalfa, and golden honey.
It is made into a durable tunnel-shaped snack perfect for helping your guinea pigs control their teeth growth by chewing and having fun through exploration.
Materials are safe and nontoxic to the pet or owner.
Sturdy and easy to play with. It can be placed on the floor on its own allowing pets to go in and out of it on their own while having fun.
Helps your guinea pig relax, stay mentally stimulated and keep a healthy tooth length.
The pine shavings in it are great for Guinea pigs but not for smaller pets like rats and rabbits.
This Ecotrition snack shack by Tetra is large and won’t fit nicely into a small cage. You can place it on the floor so it serves as a floor-time play treat for your pet.
See how guinea pigs respond to the snak Shak here
Ecotrition Snak Shak Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Safe and nontoxic to guinea pigs. – Easy to play with. – Great value for the money – Long lasting – Durable and sturdy. | – Not easy to clean when it gets messy. – Not recommended for rats due to pine shavings content. – Controlled chewing is recommended as too much of the snak – Shak could lead to Constipation. |
Wheeky Treat Ball Toy for Guinea Pigs
An absolute fun maker! The Wheeky Treat Ball Toy allows your guinea pig to have hours of unending fun while exercising.
Made from hard chew-resistant plastic, the goal is to cause your guinea pig to keep pushing the ball around, trying to get the treats you put in, out of the ball.
The Wheeky Treat Ball is easy to play with, available at a reasonable price, and is an ideal mental stimulator.
A nicely constructed ball, lightweight for easy use.
Great choice to help your guinea pig keep their weight in check through exercise.
Not very easy to clean as the opening is small. It is advised that when you put in treats that can rot like carrots, you throw out the leftovers daily so it doesn’t rot in the plastic.
Hays is a great treat to put in the ball as a reward to steer your guinea pig into the activities. See how guinea pigs respond to the toy here.
Wheeky Treat Ball Toy Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy to use toy – Light weight – Affordable Price – Great mental stimulant | – Made from plastic material. – Not easy to clean. |
Hay Grass Pet Balls for Chinchilla Guinea Pig
These handmade delicious balls of hay made by Niteangel come in different designs.
This toy is made of water hyacinth, natural seagrass, and rattan. It encourages chewing in guinea pigs and is easy to play with.
Hay grass pet balls are safe and nontoxic to guinea pigs as they are smoothly woven and made from natural seagrass.
Hay grass pet balls are loved and chewed up quickly by guinea pigs.
It’s been observed by several buyers that some of them contain marbles, styrofoam in between which is dangerous to a guinea pig’s health.
Hay Grass Pet Balls Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy to play with. – Made from natural ingredients. – Creates minimal mess. – Easy and fun to chew. – Good mental stimulant. | – Guinea pigs can easily get entrapped in the twines during play. |
Kaytee Nut Knot Nibbler
This is a colorful, safe-to-chew toy for guinea pigs and other small pets.
Made of smoothened natural wood it is nontoxic, safe to play with, and affordable.
Guinea pigs and other small pets love to nibble on this toy; however, the splinters come off easily, the structure is broken down to a pile of sticks which is no more fun to guinea pigs.
Kaytee Nut Knot Nibbler Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Safe vegetable dye coloring – Made from natural wood. – Easy to chew. | – Easy dismantled – Poor value for the money – Wood pieces can easily choke pets. – Not easy to clean up. |
Warn from Petsive
Kaytee Perfect Chew for Guinea Pigs
CAUTION!: Although this toy can be a great addition to your piggie’s hutch, kindly note that recently a few guinea pigs have been reported dead after chewing on this toy. These guinea pigs were reported to have started acting sick or found dead after chewing on the toy. Therefore, following this recent report, we will not recommend it for your guinea pigs.
It is advisable to consult your vet before getting this toy to be certain that none of the materials used in making it is harmful to your pet in particular.
Kaytee Perfect Chew Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| – Safe vegetable dye coloring. – Great value for the money. – The hang design keeps the wood off the ground, reducing messiness when they chew on it. – Easy to chew. | – Because it’s hung, it can only be on one side of the cage at a time. – Wood is soft so your guinea pig exhaust them quickly – A big cage housing more than one guinea pig will require at least a pair of it. |
Final Verdict
Providing your guinea pig with safe and fun toys plays a huge role in stimulating them mentally.
Deciding on what toy to get your piggy can be tough, especially if you’re a new pet parent.
You can begin by trying out the Living World Hagen Pet Tunnel. Wheeky Treat Ball toys for Guinea pigs is another must-have toy in your pigg’s toy set as it is easy to play with, keeps your pet having fun for long, and is affordable.
Also read: 7 Top-Rated Guinea Pig Accessories to Buy in 2022!
