While the cage is a good start for a guinea pig, your guinea pigs should also have shelter options. Guinea pigs are prey animals who live in burrows. The enclosed space helps them relax and feel safe. Therefore, supplying shelter options for guinea pigs in their cage is in everyone’s best interest.
Igloos/Other Shapes
Igloos are a commonly available choice in pet stores. These shelter options for your guinea pig are inexpensive. They’re also easy to clean, which is a good thing in a guinea pig cage. They also come in other shapes, such as barns.
The issue with this arrangement is the plastic. Guinea pigs chew on most aspects of their cage, which helps them keep their teeth a reasonable length. If they’re eating plastic, it goes through their digestive tract. That’s not a good thing, regardless of your species.
Wooden Houses
Wood is among the better options for guinea pig homes. There are wood homes available in pet stores and may be your guinea pig’s favorite toy. You can also build your own custom house. This shelter option choice lets you control what’s in your guinea pigs’ cage. For many, that’s a necessity.
It’s important to pick woods that are safe for guinea pigs. It’s also vital to choose woods that have not been treated with pesticides. Your guinea pig will chew the wood, so take care throughout the selection process.
Logs
Another possibility is logs. These are usually hollowed out to resemble a decaying log in nature. Shelter options for your guinea pigs should be chewable, and a log certainly fits the bill. You can even find these logs made of recycled materials. The trick is finding ones made without pesticides.
Boxes
Boxes are a cheap option for enrichment. They’re also a choice for shelter. If you choose boxes as your shelter, you’ll need to replace them with every cage cleaning. Also, you’ll need to make sure you choose the right size of the box if they’re your piggles’ only shelter.
When choosing boxes, food holding ones typically work better than shipping ones. These boxes tend to have fewer contaminants for your piggles to consume. These boxes tend to be thinner, though, so you may need to have more than one in the cage.
Custom Shelter Options for Guinea Pigs
Custom creations are also a possibility for building shelters for your guinea pigs. You simply need to ensure the materials are safe for your guinea pigs. You can build your guinea pigs’ fixtures directly into the cage or create freestanding structures.
