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Cage Improvement Ideas

Paul Suangate

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I'm a newbie when it comes to guinea pigs and would like advice on how to improve my cage. It just looks really empty and unexciting, however I just bought a tunnel which should arrive soon. I tried giving my pigs some toys, but they never seem interested in them. I rarely see my pigs run around or popcorn.
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Piggly12

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Welcome to the forum!


I know what you mean. I rarely see mine popcorn or run around either, but my Mum says she’s been woken up when they do it at 4 in the morning, and that they run around while I’m at school.

My pigs completely ignore wooden toys too, however they like to twist their heads around and chew on the side of their wooden houses (like the one below). Could you try toilet paper tubes with a slit down the side? Mine were actually interested in them and chewed off the corners, amazingly! (I cut a straight line down them so they don’t get their heads stuck - also pictured below)

Maybe try cutting holes in cardboard boxes? You can arrange them however you want, which is cool, but you need to throw them away if they soak up too much pee (however they are pretty much free so they are easily replaceable).

There are tonnes of ideas in the photos section, just click ‘photos’, then scroll down to ‘features/accessories’, or ‘hidey houses’, or ‘bunkbeds’, or ‘toys’ - there are lots of pictures...

I love your fleece and you have super cute pigs by the way!

Oh, and I just noticed there is a bit of a gap between the Midwest cage and their kitchen cage; can you push them together a bit more is that as close as they will go? (i.e. is the lip of the kitchen cage causing the gap?)

Please post a picture of the cage when the tunnel arrives!

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Paul Suangate

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Thanks for the welcome and the advice! I actually tried both toilet paper tubes and cardboard boxes. My piggies don't really seem interested in them. They are really picky when it comes to toys haha. I fixed the gap by the way.
 

wombats

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Welcome to the forum!

Hmm...it's not much of a toy, but if you have extra hay and are willing to clean it up after, try putting a big clump of timothy hay in with them. My guinea pig LOVES his hay and he would run through it and bury in it while he ate it, and has a whale of a time! But maybe yours will enjoy that. :) Just remember to take it out if it gets soiled and take it out after about two or three days even if it doesn't look dirty...hay tends to get moldy so be careful about that.

And if you do or you don't, floor time is always an option. :) If they're in a room that can have closed doors, close the door and make sure there's nothing they can get into (wires, behind dressers or beds, etc.) and put 'em on the floor. Let them frolic and do guinea pig things, and if you have any extra fleece lay it on the floor and crumple it up so it has tons of folds and tunnels and see if they like that. Bob loves to bury himself in fleece and loves hiding and running through it and sleeping in it...it's a cheap but fun option for them, and if they don't like it you won't have wasted much money and can always use it for other things.

As for the cage itself...hmm. You already said you're getting them a tunnel which is a plus as they can run through it and use it as a hide. I've never had a midwest cage so I'm not sure what you could make that would work specifically for that. I made a fleece forest for example, but that only works for c and c cages. Hopefully more people get back to you so you can get more input though, and I hope you and you can find something your guinea pigs like. :)
 

lunarminx

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If you don't want to clean up the hay, try getting a deep box and cutting holes on four sides at different heights(depending on the age of the pis, so they can jump in and out) and fill with hay. When you get the tunnel, try to add a cat tube or two and use it during floor time. mine use to love that. You can get drain pipe at a hardware store cut into various lengths to use during floor time too. Mazes with bent tunnels and tubes. They really really love piles of hay.

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