With the right accessories, guinea pigs can really play and have fun. Read here how to get the right utensils and set up a small playground for your sweet furry friends.
Not only delicious: guinea pigs need hay to live – Shutterstock / PHOTO FUN
Guinea pigs don’t jump and climb around as much as rats or chinchillas. But they still want to have fun and need something to explore in their home.
Optimal cage for guinea pigs
In order for the little rodents to be really happy, they need a lot of exercise to be able to let off steam. A cage with an area of 100 cm x 100 cm or, in the best case, 140 cm x 70 cm per animal is a good choice. The more animals, the larger the accommodation must be chosen. The height should not be less than 50 cm. Make sure the struts of the cage aren’t painted so the sea creatures won’t poison themselves if they gnaw on them.
Guinea pigs: accessories for rodents
Avoid painted materials or plastic. The rodents may nibble on it – which isn’t exactly healthy.
- ● Litter: The right bedding is one of the basic things. It is best to get small animal bedding made from softwood chips.
- ● Hay: Meeri’s main course is fresh hay – this should never be missing! You can find out why this is the case and what the little ones eat in our guide to feeding guinea pigs. You can get the hay prepackaged from pet shops or from farmers. When buying, look for a pleasant scent and a nice green color.
- ● hayrack: Put the hay in a hay rack. The best is the one that you can attach to the cage. However, caution should be exercised with food balls. The delicate heads of the guinea pigs often fit through. There is a risk of injury: You can’t always keep an eye on the little rascals.
- ● loopholes: Since the sociable rodents will certainly live with you in a group, you will also need several shelters. These can be cardboard and willow bridges, but also wooden nest houses. When it comes to houses, we always recommend one with a flat roof, so your rodents also have another seat. It must have several exits in case there is a guinea pig congestion. Attention: the entrances and windows of the rodent houses should have a diameter of at least 11 cm.
- ● Shelters: There are also very nice shelters with four wooden legs. Here your guinea pigs can lie underneath and climb on it.
- ● Seat boards with ramps: Also equip the cage with seat boards that you attach to the trellis. Since the little pigs are not really good jumpers, you should provide them with ladders or ramps with cross braces.
- ● climbing trees: Structures made of wood with small steps especially for guinea pigs are also ideal. Just browse in a pet shop you trust.
- ● Feeding place: Now only a large ceramic feeding bowl and a nipple drinker with fresh, not too cold water are missing – and the first step of the basic equipment is done!
Guinea pigs like to slip through narrow passages and hide in dark burrows. Therefore, hammocks, grass nests, and tubes made of cork, wicker, clay, or wood are other nice items on your guinea pig shopping list. There are great suggestions from guinea pig fan Anna and her father:
Even if guinea pig owners have a lot of fun equipping the cage with great accessories. It should not be delivered in full. The rodents also need space to run. In addition, there are numerous products available for purchase that are offered to guinea pig lovers. Do not buy everything at once and ask questions: many things do you more harm or are completely unsuitable for keeping guinea pigs.
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