Play Needing Fun Suggestions to keep pig Entertained

Re: Needing Fund Suggestions to keep pig Entertained

Unlimited timothy hay. Wood chews wont keep his teeth down, long strand grass hay will. Pigs need long strand grass hay 24/7 and give him it in big piles too! It keeps my pigs occupied for such a long time and they like to sleep in it. Some places sell pet cardboard tunnels he can chew on, just make sure its large enough so that he won't get stuck. Also, Walmart doesn't carry good brands of food. Good pellets are KMS Haylof, Oxbow, and I think the 3rd is Sweet Meadow, but correct me if Im wrong. Giving him the junk bits is like putting chocolate in your oatmeal for breakfast. It defeats the purpose of trying to eat healthier. Yes he may like the color bits but they aren't good for him. Im sure you wouldn't want to give your kid a candy bar for each meal if he asked for it. Its like the same way with pellets for pigs. He should get 1/8 of a cup of pellets a day. Also you can stuff pig safe veggies in toilet paper rolls and stuff hay in there and see if he'll get it out. Try green bell pepper (great source of vitamin C) or lettuce too. Side-note, is your vet an exotic pet vet? Dog and cat vets know nothing about guinea pigs and you'd waste your time going to them. Please don't be offended by any of that, Im just trying to help. Let me know how it goes.

Re: Needing Fund Suggestions to keep pig Entertained

i put a big paper bag in my guineas cage and they like to sleep in it and push it around. they also like cardboard boxes like you said, and they will throw around toilet paper tubes. they especially love their tunnels, and will push around and toss their waffle balls (hard plastic balls with big holes in them). i train them to do tricks, like push a little soccer ball, so they often mimic it in their cage. you could also try putting his treats on a hanging kabob (found at pet stores and piling in heaps of timothy hay because they love to burrow. i think the most important thing though, is companionship. my guineas will run raps of their cage at times, chasing each other through the tunnels. hope you find some helpful suggestions for your cute little guy.

My pig loves a tunnel I made for him by bending a wire grid. Then I just cut some fleece and tied it to the inside. I also bought him a 'crinkle tunnel' lined with some very soft furry material. He also has a wooden ball surrounded by a wooden cage of sorts and he loves chewing on the wood and even kind of tosses it around sometimes.

The best toy of all is a paper bag.

Lucy loves a wooden chew and cardboard tunnels. She doesn't pay with much of anything else, so I'm sure to have them both in her cage.

Hello and welcome to the forum

First off, just because your pig didn't get on with his original partner, doesn't mean he's best off alone. While guinea pigs can bond with humans, 95% of them need a guinea pig companion. Of course there are those odd ones out that outright attack every pig they lay eyes on, but it's rare. As long as introductions are done properly and the cage is large enough, you should be able to find a cage mate.

Secondly, are you taking your guinea pig to an exotic specialist vet? Because no good exotic specialist vet would deem that sort of food suitable. Mixed foods like that aren't good for guinea pigs, they need a good plain pellet so as they can't pick and choose. The ones recommended by @PiggieWigglies are the best.

The best entertainment for most pigs is a clear "race track" so to speak. If the sides of the cage are completely clear (envisage your cage, with the ramp in the centre), they can do what we call zoomies. I like to put my girls veggies in a little trail around the cage so as they have to walk round to get it, and they love their wooden bridge too. They go over, under, sleep under, and chew on it.

Re: Needing Fund Suggestions to keep pig Entertained

thank you for the Suggestions we know it's unhealthy but like our vet said that's what he had from a baby and he will allow himself to starve before eatting it.... BUT he really doesn't eat much of it as we offer other veggies and he has a Unlimited Supply of Hay We DO NOT use Timothy hay... we use Pure grass as Recommended by our Vet... she told me ONLY babies should really have Timothy hay.. and he went to a Vet that Specializes in GPs the vet told me that lettuce is a good way to get his water in the day we do NO carrotts at all!!! we are at the Cross point now that we just want to make the time he has left with us semi healthy he's not in pay but the prevoius owner already did alot of Damage to his System there kids has Dropped him MORE then once he now has masses on his sides and she said they she guessed he has maybe another year left if we are lucky and that if we hadn't Saved him when we (three years ago) he more then likely already be dead...

PiggieWigglies said:

Unlimited timothy hay. Wood chews wont keep his teeth down, long strand grass hay will. Pigs need long strand grass hay 24/7 and give him it in big piles too! It keeps my pigs occupied for such a long time and they like to sleep in it. Some places sell pet cardboard tunnels he can chew on, just make sure its large enough so that he won't get stuck. Also, Walmart doesn't carry good brands of food. Good pellets are KMS Haylof, Oxbow, and I think the 3rd is Sweet Meadow, but correct me if Im wrong. Giving him the junk bits is like putting chocolate in your oatmeal for breakfast. It defeats the purpose of trying to eat healthier. Yes he may like the color bits but they aren't good for him. Im sure you wouldn't want to give your kid a candy bar for each meal if he asked for it. Its like the same way with pellets for pigs. He should get 1/8 of a cup of pellets a day. Also you can stuff pig safe veggies in toilet paper rolls and stuff hay in there and see if he'll get it out. Try green bell pepper (great source of vitamin C) or lettuce too. Side-note, is your vet an exotic pet vet? Dog and cat vets know nothing about guinea pigs and you'd waste your time going to them. Please don't be offended by any of that, Im just trying to help. Let me know how it goes.

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thank you..... yes we take them to a exotic Vet she is the one who in the end told me to Spilt them when i got them they both had Mites.. our guy well he has Several masses from the poeples kids Dropping him she told me she thought that could be alot of the reason he was so "Protective" of his Space.. and didn't want to share.. and the fact that he wouldn't persay let up on the other pig that it was Safer to Spilt them... she Honestly when we talked Didn't think he would last more then 6 months before he wold pass away that was 2 1/2 years ago we have kept his weight steady put about 6 ozs on him and she told me she didn't want him to gain much more then that because she was afraid that as he put on the weight then the Tumors would grow more she agree it's not the best Food persay but that was the only thing we can get him to eat other wise he refuses all together.. to be honest he gets alot more "real" Food then the junk my parents loving self every year plats me lettuce just for him... he has a Open Supply of Pure grass hay that i buy from a local farmer.. he gets outside cage time where he hangs out with my 2 year old that in the picture above and well he get the "Run of the House" we dont do a "{lay yard for him .... we do alot of Boxes for him i pick up new ones each week when we hit Sams Club LOL I Stuff Lettuce in paper bags and throw it in the cage

Princess_Piggie said:

Hello and welcome to the forum

First off, just because your pig didn't get on with his original partner, doesn't mean he's best off alone. While guinea pigs can bond with humans, 95% of them need a guinea pig companion. Of course there are those odd ones out that outright attack every pig they lay eyes on, but it's rare. As long as introductions are done properly and the cage is large enough, you should be able to find a cage mate.

Secondly, are you taking your guinea pig to an exotic specialist vet? Because no good exotic specialist vet would deem that sort of food suitable. Mixed foods like that aren't good for guinea pigs, they need a good plain pellet so as they can't pick and choose. The ones recommended by @PiggieWigglies are the best.

The best entertainment for most pigs is a clear "race track" so to speak. If the sides of the cage are completely clear (envisage your cage, with the ramp in the centre), they can do what we call zoomies. I like to put my girls veggies in a little trail around the cage so as they have to walk round to get it, and they love their wooden bridge too. They go over, under, sleep under, and chew on it.

Click to expand...

My piggies ignore wood chews and toys, but they like running through tunnels. They also like just roaming around the cage, hoping to find some leftover lettuce or something.

If your vet says that junk food is ok for him, and that timothy hay is actually bad for him, I personally would be more than a bit skeptical of that vet. Timothy hay is great for all ages of guinea pigs. Of course, regular grass is by no means bad, but neither is timothy. Also, I have found that my pigs adore their KMS Hayloft pellets, maybe you could at least try them before deciding he won't eat them.

By the way, it's unclear to me how masses on his sides are related to him being dropped? And how does that affect how territorial he is? Sorry if I misunderstood, I'm just trying to clarify.