Who is ready for the ultimate Guinea pig Christmas gift guide? We love to spoil our guinea pigs and Christmas is a great excuse to shower them with treats! Guinea pigs love Christmas time as their owners are home much more than usual! Guinea pigs are such social creatures. Whilst they love to spend time around other piggies they also want attention from us! Ensure to indulge yourself and your piggie with some laptime, floor time and plenty of cuddles!
Find Out More:
- Create A Winter Wonderland!
- Christmas Cage Creations
- Keep Boredom At Bay
- Fun Can Be Free
- Food For Thought
- Be Festive And Keep Safe!
Create A Winter Wonderland!
Christmas is a great time to upgrade your guinea pig’s cage! Plus there are some really fun toys and accessories out there. Let’s start our Guinea pig Christmas gift guide with some interior fun!
If your cage is in need of an upgrade or you just want to celebrate the festive season in style then why not try a Christmas-themed cage liner? Fleece Liners don’t just look good, they are actually really easy to spot-clean plus they can go straight into the washing machine (once any debris has been removed).
Christmas Cage Creations
The Christmas-themed fun doesn’t have to end with a cage liner. There are so many fun beds and hideaways that can be added to give your cage a festive feel.
Try a fun-themed hay bag feeder or even a Christmas-shaped one! We always advise caution though when clipping anything to your guinea pig’s cage. Ensure that your inquisitive piggies can’t get their heads trapped.
There isn’t much in the way of Christmas-themed food bowls so opt for a tasty-looking one instead!
Introducing new items into your guinea pig’s cage or hutch isn’t just great fun for you, it is actually good for them! Being exposed to new items helps keep your guinea pigs happy, healthy and engaged plus it stops them from getting bored. A bored guinea pig suffers from some serious health problems such as depression.
Keep Boredom At Bay
Guinea pigs love to be active and explore. They are constantly looking for new things to investigate and play with. Christmas is a great way to liven up their living space! We like to start by reviewing what their cage currently looks like and then introducing new items gradually over the festive period as opposed to giving them to them all in one day.
Providing plenty of places to hide is essential in every guinea pig cage. Tunnels and plush hideouts are ideal as they can be travelled through, and hidden in and are perfect for the occasional nap or two!
Did you know that guinea pigs can actually see colours? Mixing up the colours in your guinea pig’s home is a great way to provide visual stimulation.
Remember to never suspend tunnels from the cage bars. A fall can seriously injure your guinea pig or worse still can be fatal. All items shown by us that can be hung should never be hung. Simply lie them on the ground – they will be more fun that way and more importantly safe!
Fluffly tunnels and beds also help to keep your guinea pigs warm during the winter months. It can be easy to underestimate the effect the change in temperature can have on your guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs have an ideal temperature of between 18 – 23 degrees. However, any temperature below 15 degrees can spell trouble for your guinea pigs.
There are plenty of ways to keep your guinea pigs warm during the colder, winter months. From adding extra hay, insulating an outside hutch and even bringing them inside. We recommend reading our guide to keeping your guinea pigs warm in the winter. We have plenty of advice and practical solutions.
Fun Can Be Free
Keeping your guinea pigs stimulated doesn’t have to cost a penny either. Empty toilet rolls, thick cardboard tubes, and even crumpled-up newspapers are also great gift ideas for your guinea pig. Plus you may already have these items lying around the house. Remember if you are going to paint them or use glue, be sure to check it is suitable for pets.
Food For Thought
Probably our guinea pigs favourite part of our Guinea pig Christmas gift guide! One of our guinea pigs’ favourite pastimes is searching out tasty treats! We love to mix it up at Christmas and take advantage of the new festival items that become available.
Treats aren’t just fun for your piggie they also help to wear down their ever-growing teeth and prevent dental issues from arising.
We also treat them (pardon the pun) to some new edible toys that include hay. Hay is an important part of a guinea pig’s diet and it forms up to 80% of their overall food intake! Guinea pigs don’t need much encouragement to nibble away at the stuff but introducing things such as a forage cube or a tunnel made of hay is a great way to keep them entertained whilst also providing them alternative ways to enjoy hay.
Lots of guinea pig treats out there are marketed as being safe but are actually full of sugar which is bad for your guinea pig’s teeth and overall digestive system. Ensure you are checking what is actually going into these treats before purchasing them. We stick to hay-based treats or those made from natural ingredients such as pea flakes and chew sticks.
Be Festive And Keep Safe!
Please be aware of guinea pig hats as they always make an appearance this time of year. Whilst it’s very cute placing a Santa hat on your guinea pig and indeed some of them do like it, ensure that there are no tight fastenings around their neck and that the hat can be easily removed by you if and when needed.
We have seen unfortunate cases of guinea pigs having their hats dug into their fur and causing them harm. Of course, the hats can be enjoyed over the festive period but remember never to leave your guinea pig unattended if it is wearing a festive hat. We have always opted out of placing fixed clothing on our guinea pigs.
