Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Making toys
• Part 2 of 4: Making your guinea pig's cage more fun
• Part 3 of 4: Providing fun exercise time
• Part 4 of 4: Giving food rewards
• Tips

Guinea pigs can get bored just like any other animal. That's why you need to find ways to keep them occupied, such as giving toys and making the cage interesting. Leaving him out of the cage every day will give your guinea pig some exercise and keep him busy. After all, providing treats with the food will keep her diet interesting.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Making toys

1. Crumple a piece of paper. Use empty paper and crumple it into a ball. Put it in your guinea pig's cage or let her play with it when she's outside. It sounds too easy, but guinea pigs like the creaking sound and are likely to gnaw it.
2. Form cheap cardboard tunnels. Cut a tube of wrapping paper into short lengths. Your guinea pig will toss it around and play with it. Just make sure to cut the sides so that your guinea pig doesn't get stuck in them.
3. Make a stuffed sock. Find an old sock and stuff it with some of your guinea pig's clean bedding material. Button the sock on one side. Cut the end of the sock. Your guinea pig will drag the pillow through her cage and chew it.
4. Use ping pong balls or a tennis ball. While you're not technically making these toys, you probably have a few lying around the house. Put them in the cage and let your guinea pig have fun.

Part 2 of 4: Making your guinea pig's cage more fun

1. Add tunnels and shelters. Guinea pigs enjoy digging their own personal burrow or running through tunnels. You can use simple items such as cardboard tubes and small paper bags to keep your guinea pig happy. You can also use rodent igloos, which are made of plastic.
2. Put it in a lively place. When you bring your cage home, consider placing it in the most active place in your home, such as the living room. Your guinea pig is a social animal and will want to be around people. Placing her cage in a lively place will keep her from getting bored.
   • However, be careful not to place your guinea pig near a noise source, such as a stereo tower or television. The noise can hurt their sensitive ears.
3. Provide chew toys. Your guinea pig needs to be able to gnaw on things to keep grinding her teeth. You can use cardboard boxes or untreated wood, or you can just buy chew toys specially designed for guinea pigs or other rodents.

Part 3 of 4: Providing fun exercise time

1. Make the room safe. Before you let a guinea pig out of its cage, make the room safe. Make sure you don't have anything in the room that she can get into, such as chemicals or cleaning supplies.
   • Remove cables or put them out of reach of your guinea pig. If she finds it on the floor, she can chew it.
   • If you are concerned about your guinea pig peeing on your carpet or floor, put down a layer of plastic to help prevent accidents.
   • Put houseplants out of reach. Many of these are toxic to guinea pigs.
   • Remove plastic bags, as guinea pigs like them, but they are not safe to play with.
   • Don't forget to provide food and water while your guinea pig is outside of her cage.
2. Seal the room. Close any doors to keep the guinea pig from escaping. Also keep other animals, such as dogs and cats, out of the room while your guinea pig is outside of her cage.
   • Also warn family members that you let the guinea pig out, as they can open the door while the guinea pig is walking around.
3. Make an obstacle course. Guinea pigs love challenges, so try making an obstacle course or maze out of cardboard. You can use a large piece of cardboard for the bottom, or just tape walls to the floor. Make twists and turns in it, and have a reward ready at the end.
   • Add interesting obstacles such as cardboard tubes or bridges. Tunnels are also a nice addition.
4. Give her time to wander. Guinea pigs need exercise every day to avoid getting bored in their cages. Take them out of their cage with both hands and put them in the room that your guinea pig made safe. Throw in a few toys to play with. If you want to socialize at the same time, sit on the floor with your guinea pig so he can come and examine you.
5. Avoid exercise balls. These balls are not really designed for guinea pigs, even if they state that they are for guinea pigs, and they can be dangerous to your guinea pig's back.
6. Catch your guinea pig. If your guinea pig does escape to the rest of your house, stay calm. Shut your other animals away. Block off any other escape routes, especially those that lead outside. Try to corner your guinea pig to get to her. If she's been hiding somewhere, know that she will eventually come out looking for food. Just be ready to catch her.

Part 4 of 4: Giving food rewards

1. Give your guinea pig fresh fruit. You can spice up your guinea pig's diet by giving her fresh fruit every now and then. However, like humans, guinea pigs shouldn't be fed too much sugar, so don't feed her more than two or three times a week.
   • You can give your guinea pig fresh fruits such as orange, pears, strawberries, seedless grapes, and blueberries.
2. Offer vegetables. You can be more generous with vegetables, as most of them contain less sugar than fruits. You can give a small hand to your guinea pig once a day.
   • Some vegetables to try include cucumbers, peas, carrots, and corn.
3. Give your guinea pig your vegetable waste. The parts of vegetables that you normally throw away are fine to feed your pet, such as strawberry crowns and celery leaves. However, always check that the fruit or vegetable is on the safe list before feeding it to her.
4. Know which snacks are not allowed. Your guinea pig may be fed some human foods, but most varieties are not good, such as salty snacks, gooey snacks, sugar-filled snacks (including chocolate) and other processed foods. You should also avoid lettuce, rhubarb, garlic and onions, raw or dried beans, and seeds.
   • Chips and pretzels are too salty for your pet. In addition, chips can be sharp and injure your guinea pig's mouth.

Tips

• Always give your guinea pig many different foods, treats and toys so that she does not get bored.
• Lettuce had been recommended by my vet, and I was advised to avoid citrus fruits, such as oranges. Find more information before following any advice.
• Surprise her with lettuce! But avoid iceberg lettuce because of its high water content, which can cause diarrhea.