Edible hidey house and couch -- pine wood shavings and honey

[guineapikhs]

We saw this adorable tiki hut edible hidey house at the pet store, and my husband fell in love with it. One of the Amazon reviewers said it wasn't safe for cavies because it contains sawdust (I'm assuming it's the pine shavings) and honey. From my research, it seems like these things in moderation shouldn't be a serious health risk, but I'm a newbie (and still waiting to adopt), so I wanted to run it past more experienced cavy owners.

Here are the tiki hut's listed ingredients: Pine Wood Shavings, Cassava Starch, Alfalfa, Straw Liquid Mix, (Water, Sodium Alginate, Potassium Sorbate, Propionic Acid, Honey, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol), Cotton Thread, Bamboo, Straw, Paper Cord

There's a similar edible couch (yeah, we're those people), with these ingredients: Pine wood shavings, cassava starch, alfalfa, sodium alginate, potassium sorbate, propionic acid, honey, glycerin, propylene glycol.

I know more natural is better and that this is 100% for us, not for the piggies -- but I do want to use one if it's reasonably safe for them. We're also considering using big Lego blocks (idea from this forum, seems to be nontoxic and can be changed frequently to relieve boredom) or a barn-shaped version of the igloo. Thanks for any advice!

[lissie]

The edible ones are bad for them to eat because the honey and sawdust. The tiki hut can cause eye poke from the hay on the top of the hut.

Lego blocks can break into sharp edges, also not safe for them. Try mega blocks.

[lissie]

If you're looking for hidey houses, look for ideas in the gallery. I personally like fabric houses more than plastic ones.
Hidey Houses - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

[Silverbeat]

I had that Tiki Hut years ago and my pigs never so much as nibbled on it. They did love to pee in/under it though and after a few months the bottom got really nasty. I ended up burying it in the compost.
The last thing looks pretty cool. When I had pigloos my girls loved to hop up on top of theirs, that one seems to have "steps" which I bet your pigs would love.

For hideys now I just use bent grids covered with fabric.

[Onetwo]

Agreed those edible hidies/tunnels are not good for them and can cause serious health issues plus they are a waste of money. Best to just invest that money in some nice reusable fleece houses and beds. The piggies like them just as much if not more. Plus they are very cute too:

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