How To Introduce Piggie To New Toy/Treat?

[KirbyFan8910]

Hi guys! I got some new stuff for Cupcake from my local Meijers yesterday (some small rice treats and a chewable wicker ball) and I was wondering. How do I get her to play with them? I heard that even though they're unhealthy, (don't worry. I'm only going to give her one for now.) guinea pigs are supposed to go crazy for these rice treats. It's like she doesn't like playing or trying new things at all.. Can anyone help me introduce them to her? I hate to see her just sitting in that cage all day, doing nothing but eating. (Every time I try to get her to exercise by playing, she just sits on the ground staring at me and chattering her teeth..)

[ChinandLacey]

To get my guinea pigs interested in something, I usually roll it around the cage until they come to investigate. If the wicker ball has big enough holes you could also stuff some hay inside. However, my piggies get most of their exercise by chasing each other around the cage and running up and down the ramp to their loft. I've also seen that when they do play with or chew on a toy both of them are doing it together, so you could consider adopting a friend for Cupcake.

[bpatters]

I never had a pig that would play with a toy, so can't help you.

[KirbyFan8910]

To get my guinea pigs interested in something, I usually roll it around the cage until they come to investigate. If the wicker ball has big enough holes you could also stuff some hay inside. However, my piggies get most of their exercise by chasing each other around the cage and running up and down the ramp to their loft. I've also seen that when they do play with or chew on a toy both of them are doing it together, so you could consider adopting a friend for Cupcake.

DW! I'm planning to! ^^ First I'll need to save up for (and find somewhere that'll sell) a suitable bigger cage.

[KirbyFan8910]

I never had a pig that would play with a toy, so can't help you.

It's okay. Maybe some piggies just doesn't prefer toys? Because it's starting to seem like cupcake doesn't..

[MerryFriarTuck]

It's okay. Maybe some piggies just doesn't prefer toys? Because it's starting to seem like cupcake doesn't..

A lot of piggies actually don't prefer toys! It seems about fifty/fifty. My two piggies love them, though! You could try more edible chew toys, like apple/willow sticks and Oxbow timothy twists/hideys/mats. Everyone told me about their favorite toys here: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...46#post1012746

[ItsaZoo]

I have a couple of treat toys that my guinea pig likes. One is simply a plastic wiffle ball from Dollar Tree. It's hollow and the size of a baseball with holes all around. I cut strips of veggies to put inside and Lacey rolls it around to eat. I also have a cat toy treat ball that I put pellets in. Here is a link:

https://www.chewy.com/petsafe-funkit...yABEgJBMvD_BwE

[Windrunner]

My piggies love the wicker balls -- they destroy them pretty quickly -- and also like apple wood sticks. I also get them small hanging bird toys (the ones that have natural wood, loofah, cardboard, etc. -- nothing with plastic or rope since my piggies are all big chewers). Sometimes it does take them time to realize that toys are fun, and I've learned that location in the cage also matters, at least for hanging toys; I just switched out two of their hanging toys, and they didn't touch the two new ones for 2-3 days until I moved them to a more desirable location.

I think having more than one piggie helps with the desire to play, but I think sometimes it is just a personality thing. My piggies also love having little cardboard boxes filled with hay, or toilet paper tubes stuffed with hay... anything edible gets their attention pretty quickly!