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Shortly after Piglet and Hammy were welcomed as the first arrivals to the HappyCavy Forever Home, The Humans realized one thing they forgot to buy: guinea pig toys!
New guinea pig keepers often go through a flurry of activity in the days leading up to a new piggy’s arrival. There’s a seemingly endless list of things to do: shopping for supplies, planning and building (or buying?) a C&C cage, and seeking out that perfect pattern of cute, comfy fleece bedding. “But what about my toys?” your new guinea pig wheeks with baited breath.
Fortunately for your wallet, guinea pigs are easily amused. It doesn’t take a specialty toy or super-spendy accessory to keep your guinea pig happy. It just takes a little searching, just a few minutes of shopping, and possibly some clever DIY-creativity to get the perfect play-thing your guinea pig will love and enjoy.
Perhaps you have a new guinea pig, or your current guinea pig has tired of his or her toys. Whatever the case may be, here’s a list of inexpensive, fun, and super-simple toys that are sure to inspire and amuse your guinea pig. We’ve even ranked them for you to make the treasure hunt easier!
Do you have a favorite toy for your guinea pig? Share your ideas in the comments section! We’ve love to hear them!
Cheap & Easy Toys for Your Guinea Pig
“FUN FACTOR” KEY:
= The MOST fun
= Definitely fun
= Usually fun
= Sometimes fun
= Ho-hum
Almost-Free Guinea Pig Toys
Ping Pong Balls
| Pros: Cheap, colorfulCons: Cavy may tire easily of toy
Ping pong balls are an excellent toy alternative to expensive “specialty” toys you’ll find at big-box stores like PetSmart or PetCo. You can find ping pong balls at any sporting goods store and even local department stores. Often available for just a few bucks, ping pong balls come in different colors and patterns. They’re easy to wash and will last nearly a lifetime.
Caution: If your guinea pig likes to chew, keep an eye out for excessive wear. If you’re seeing them biting the plastic quite a bit, it’s a good idea to remove the toy.
Mirrors [link]
| Pros: Cheap, easy to findCons: May get dirty easily
If you had a face as cute as a cavy’s, wouldn’t you enjoy staring at it in a mirror of your own? The Humans have kept a mirror in the HappyCavy House for quite some time. Now used as “Dot’s Mirror”, the mirror hangs at the end of Dot’s ramp. She loves looking at herself as she walks down the ramp, and it even seems to encourage her to use it. Pick up a small, vanity mirror at a local dollar discount store or online and attach a simple “mount” to hang from the cage. You’re cavy may just fall in love with his or her new mirror toy!
Crumpled Up Newspaper
| Pros: Simple, costs no money Cons: Must use soy-based inkCrumple up a few pieces of soy-based ink newspaper and place conspicuously around your guinea pig’s cage. Newspaper is perfect for chewing, rolling over, and even sleeping on! Just be sure that the newspaper you use is made with soy-based dye or ink, which is safe for guinea pigs to play with.
Cardboard Boxes
| Pros: Free, easy to customize Cons: Easy to damageGuinea pigs are naturally burrowers and will love the chance to explore and hide in over-turned cardboard boxes, length-wise cut oatmeal containers, and empty soda cartons. Just cut a few holes to provide an entrance and you’ve got yourself a free hidey! The Humans use over-turned boxes for floor time, as they provide a welcome chance from plastic pigloos and can be chewed and knocked over easily!
Small Stuffed Toys
| Pros: Super-cute!Cons: Difficult to find pet-safe stuffed toys
The best part about stuffed animals is that you can find some really cute ideas and colorful designs online and you can usually find a stuffed toy in any price range. A lot of guinea pigs love to snuggle and sniff the toy, while others may not show any interest at all.
But even if your cavy isn’t enamored with a new stuffed toy, you can always save it for floor-time to give them something different in their environment to explore.
Caution: If your guinea pig likes to chew, be sure to watch how your guinea pig plays with the stuffed animal. If you’re seeing excessive chew marks or ripping out of stuffing, it’s a good idea to remove toy from the cage. You can remove the stuffing and replace with hay if you’re piggy likes the toy but also likes to chew.
Fruit Tree Branches / Chew Sticks [link]
| Pros: Helps keeps teeth trimCons: May not be that exciting
Did you know that apple tree branches can be eaten fresh off the tree? Just stay away from cherry, peach, apricot, plum, redwood branches, and fruit trees with pits, all of which are poisonous to guinea pigs. No fruit tree? You can pick up some super-cheap guinea pig chew sticks here.
Only Use Pesticide-Free, Unsprayed Wood
Be sure to ONLY give your guinea pig outdoor products that are unsprayed and untreated. Pesticides and insect sprays can cause serious damage to your guinea pig’s health!
Cozies, Cuddle Cups, and Tunnels
| Pros: Cute, colorfu, cozyCons: Cost may be prohibitive
Fleece and cloth accessories are a no-brainer for fun, colorful, and cozy play-times! There are hundreds of options to choose from, with a multitude of colors, styles, and sizes. Shop around! Our favorite accessory shop is Piggy Bedspreads.
Free Guinea Pig Toys
Clean Socks Stuffed With Hay
| Pros: Free, easy Cons: Once the hay is gone…What to do with that sock missing its pair? Or how do you put an old, worn-out sock to good use? Turn it into a guinea pig toy! It’s no secret your guinea pig loves hay. So stuff that sock full, throw it in their cage, and watch the curious sniffing and cautious approach turn into a full on fun war.
Egg Cartons Filled With Hay
| Pros: Free!Cons: Once the hay is gone…
Sensing a theme? If it can hold some hay, it can probably be put to use as a toy for your guinea pig. You can cut the egg carton in half or, if you have a large family of cavies, keep it whole. Just stuff the carton with some hay, close it as best as you can, and let the games begin!
Toilet Paper Rolls & Paper Towel Rolls
| Pros: Free! Cons: Damages easilyInstead of throwing used paper towel and toilet paper rolls into the recycle bin, toss ’em in your guinea pig’s cage! Like the wooden blocks, having a chew toy helps your guinea pig to keep their teeth trimmed and is be a practical way to prevent your cavy from chewing up other materials inside his or her cage. The best part? It’s free!
Caution!
Many guinea pigs like to chew on cardboard and used paper rolls. If you see your guinea pig eating a paper product in their cage, remove immediately as doing so can cause digestive issues.
Additionally, your guinea pigs SHOULD NOT eat the glue on used paper rolls. Remove any glue from a roll before giving it to your guinea pig. If all glue cannot be safely removed or cut off, then discard the roll and do not give to your guinea pig.
Bonus points: Stuff some hay into the empty rolls to kick the fun up 10 whole degrees!
Old Towels or Blankets to Burrow
| Pros: Free! Cons: Needs laundered regularlyTake those old, ratty dish rags and give them a good washing. Then place in your guinea pig’s cage in different arrangements and areas. Guinea pigs love to burrow, and they love to snuggle, making old towels the perfect household item that doubles as a totally free, and totally upcycled, guinea pig toy.
What’s Your Guinea Pig’s Favorite Toy?
Does your cavy have a toy that he or she simply cannot live without? Have an idea for an easy, affordable guinea pig toy?
As always, we love your comments! Leave your ideas in the comments section below!
these are really nice… even though ive seen most of them on youtube already some were new and she/he (sorry i dont know) is right!! guinea pigs are easy entertained also when you have your guinea pigs in your hands try bouncing them just a little… my guinea LOVES it!! 🙂
Glad you found some new ideas and thanks for the tip! Happy *wheeking*!
Thanks for the cute tips! Will definitely be doing the cardboard roll with hay. My girls will love it! They also really enjoy a plain brown paper lunch bag on the floor. They run in and out of it, and then chew it up! So cute. : )
Thanks for sharing, Jill! A paper bag is one of our favorites, too 🙂
Popcorn love love loves uncle Ben rice boxes and lots and lots of red pepper!!!!!!!!!!
My guinea pigs Patches and tuffty would recommend a treat in a toilet tube with some dry and wet grass in it .I hope Dot,Hammy,Feebee and buttercup are having a lovely time with you.
Kind regards
Kara
Thanks for the suggestion, Kara!
I don’t know why I never thought of ping pong balls. I have so many of those laying around. I will have to put one in the cage tonight and see what happens! thanks for the idea
You’re welcome, Eric! Happy to be of service 🙂
I really want to give my guinea pigs fleece/cloth toys and pouches to play in but they seem to poo and pee a lot.. everywhere ! what should i do?
You’ll just have to wash it every few days, which is why my Humans keep several fleece tunnels/pouches on hand so there’s always one available in case of a “heavy wee” day 🙂
I find with my guinea pigs that they use heir food bowl as a toilet
would your suggest getting a smaller bowl so they cant sit in it by the way its a 12cm bowl and they fit into it cause their only babies!!! trolololololol 🙂
A GOOD IDEA IS TO PUT THE TOY OF FLEECE THING SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY DONT WEE AND POO ALSO YOU CAN PUT A LITTERPAN IN THE CAGE AND TRAIN THE TO GO IN THERE
does anyone not know who piggiepigpigs is
well go check out their website which is just their name
they have an online shop with great fleece products and check out their vids on YouTube
I’m getting a guinea pig and i think your ideas will totally amuse them! i’m going to do the hay in the toliet tube
Yay! Guinea pigs just wanna have fun!
My pig loves empty oatmeal containers. I cut out the bottem and instant piggy tunel. And if she keeps her waste in her litter tray then she can play with the tunel for a few months just in time for the next container to be emptry. I also use the lids (just the shallow plastic circle is what it is) to catch any water from my bottle… my pigs arn’t chewrs though unless it’s card board or food. She also loves her ramp tunel. While creating her ramp part of it has doubled as a tunel.
shred some paper and the guinea pigs will love to burrow in it
can they eat like normal cardboard boxes if you put it in there and also about the toliet/towel rolls. What if they chew it will anything happen? and also old twoels can be cut in half tied around a corner of the cage and its a tent thing.
They can hide in and play with cardboard boxes and toilet/towel rolls but they shouldn’t eat too much, and avoid the ones with glue, they shouldn’t eat that. The towel trick sounds fine, and I have no idea about tennis balls. I’d say they’re fine if not eaten, but I have no idea what they’re made of. You can send future questions to Ask HappyCavy, we can answer better there.
How do you train a guinea pig to use a litter tray?
Our family just adopted a cavy and we are in love with him. Bandit is his name and even though he is taking time to adjust to his move and my girls can be a little inpatient at times, I can still see the relationship developing with Bandit. Everyday is something new and he opens up a little more and I am smitten! He shows most affection to my youngest (just turned 1). All the help I have gotten is from your blog. Thank you!
Happy we could help! 🙂 So glad to hear that Bandit is getting along well.
I have always had guinea pigs and they love pine cones so i find the ones that have fallen off the trees and i like the larger ones they are better for chewing and baking , I get them and i put tin foil on a cookie sheet then i layer it with my pine cones and i bake them on 250 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes let them cool and there you have it safe free and fun to chew . Baking them is a must because if you give it to your piggy before you can make them sick . The sap and any bugs and what nots need to bake off for them to be safe . Good luck and have fun!!!!
It is safe as long as there is no tape or plastic pieces to chew on .
Have you wicked your fleece at all ? That will help with the pee . They poop alot but i shake mine out every day so it helps
IM A NEW PIGGY MOMMY AS OF 1-3-2014 2 FEMALES 4MO OLD WE NAMED CHOCOLATE AND COCOA
IVE READ MORE ON GP IN THE LAST 3DAYS THAN I HAVE READ IN A MONTH LOL IM ENJOYING MY NEW FUR BABIES SO FAR. STILL HAVE THE TRANSITION STAGE AS I TOOK THEM OFF SOMEONE ELSES HANDS SO FAR SO GOOD.
Hi, Crystal! Give Cocoa and Chocolate a big *wheek!* and two fuzzy nose-rubs from us! Glad to have you around, keep learning! 😀 ~Hammy
Hi, I’m Bella and I just got a guinea pig named Rocco! I tried stuffing a sock with timothy hay like u said and Rocco loves it!! Thanks for all your great ideas!
Good for Rocco, love to hear it! *wheek*
Sorry, Christina, i think u r wrong about that, my guinea pig Wizzy had indigestion from chewing on cardboard, (most guinea pigs I have ever had have always chewed on EVERYTHING. If you have one that doesnt, you are so lucky), so, can anybody tell me how to make nonchewable homemade toys that my piggy will like?
Olivia
Paper bags are a favourite in our house. You can put hay in, and once it’s eaten they hide in and eat the paper bag. They also love to hide in larger tubes, likes ones from a roll of carpet.
If you have a nice and friendly animal, my guinea pigs love snuggling up next to my dog or cat
Thank you for all the great tips. I’m going to try the egg carton stuffed with hay today. I have also found that our girls, Vanilla and Cocoa, loved a ball that I made out of toilet paper rolls. If you cut the roll into about five or six rings, by inserting them into each other you can make a ball. We put a grape inside the ball and the girls had to push the ball around till it fell apart, and the grape fell out. They really seemed to enjoy it so now we love looking for other ideas to keep the piggies happy.
That’s a really clever idea, and it seems like it would eliminate the danger of them getting their head stuck in the tube. Thanks for sharing, RetroMum!
hello, I just got a guinea pig for the first time, she is 3 weeks old and I named her Ellie, I picked her up for the first time today (I just got her yesterday) and she was trying to bite me, should I just keep holding her and she should stop or is it just because she is young?
Young guinea pigs are feisty. Biting is generally a sign that they want to be put down. The reasons could range from wanting to poo, wanting to eat a “magic bean”, or suddenly becoming uncomfortable or frightened. Sometimes, it’s just because they don’t want to be bothered. That happens to all of us 🙂 She may get more docile as she gets older. Patience is the key to success with caring for a feisty, bitey little pig. It’s nice, though, at least she’s clear on what she means. And guinea pig bites are the cutest bites ever, right? 🙂
My little “pig, pigs” love a paper bag..filled with hay, of course. The sound is music to my ears.
It helped my pig become more docile by holding him for short periods of time, with a snuggle wrap like a towel. Car shams from the Dollar Tree are really good for that. Patience and then letting the pig take lead and expanding its petting time slowly. 🙂
Thank y’all! She is so hyper now. She is used to me and will just let me reach my hand in her cage a pet her!(: I love m piggy so much. The only complaint I have is that poops/pees all over me and the floor and it irritates me because I’m a very OCD person. Lol.
Thank you!(: so can you teach there names? Like I say “Ellie, stop” she will look at me so maybe it might be the tone of my voice or maybe she is starting to know her name???
so if i put the hay in a toilet paper roll if she chews on the roll wont that hurt her,by the way her name is Carly,i havent had her very long am just learning about her,she was my Grandson’s but he gave her to me
Hi, Laurie! Just be sure that the toilet paper roll is free from any glue “strings”. Sometimes toilet paper rolls have very thick glue from holding the paper to the roll. If you peel those off or cut them out, you should be fine. If your guinea pig is small, cutting the roll down the side prevents your small cavy from getting his or head stuck. Happy playing, and give Carly a nose bump from us! 😀
I am getting 2 new ones in few days and i have only had my first one Carly for few months so could anyone give me any advise as to introducing the new ones to Carly i would like them all to get along however the 2 new ones have been together for about a year and they do have their own home from Carly.Thanks
well she is not so small lol she most likely would not be able to even fit inside a roll
i was wondering can they eat apples? when i saw the picture of the new ones i am getting one was standing by an apple look like to me anyways to be eating it,Thanks
thanks,we got 2 new ones,Buddy and Sega can you tell me the best way to introduce them to Carly? I want them to be friends,right now i have just been taking her to their cage and letting her see them i do not want any of them hurt whats the best way for them to be able to get together,Thanks
I have a book about guineas that says apples are great in small amounts (constipation) and NO seeds. They are poisonous to us, as well as them 🙂 (of course…i ate the seeds growing up hoping i’d grow an apple tree from my belly..but theirs are much smaller.)
ok thank you so much that is great to know because the 2 i just got had been fed apples all the time and they do love them suppose is partly why they are so small,they are a year old and have to put both them together for them to be as big as my female and she is about same age they just seem so thin to me
I will have to try this as my guinea-pigs (Piglet and Roo) don’t have many toys, they don’t really play with much so I didn’t want to waste money on something they do not enjoy. Those are some good ideas. thank you!