Exercise and a good diet alone aren't enough to keep your guinea pig in excellent condition. Like other animals, guinea pigs get bored if there's nothing to do except watch you from their cages.
There are many items you can give your pet to chew to keep them occupied. But can guinea pigs chew on toilet paper rolls?
You can give your guinea pig a toilet paper roll to chew on and even decorate it. To go about this, you make cardboard toys for guinea pigs by cutting out shapes and then gluing them together. Also, you can use many kinds of decorations on your guinea pig toys, like paintings and drawings.
Can Guinea Pigs Chew on Toilet Paper Rolls?
While toilet paper rolls won't serve as food, they don't pose any health risk of concern to your pet. Therefore, it is safe to give your guinea pig these rolls to munch away.
Moreover, toilet paper provides your guinea pig with a superb toy to kill boredom with.
In fact, you can give your furry buddy a toilet paper roll if you don't mind cleaning a messy cage.
How Do You Make Cardboard Toys for Guinea Pigs?
Toilet paper rolls come from cardboard. So, by making toys from toilet paper rolls, you are simply making cardboard toys for your guinea pig.
Creating DIY guinea pig toys with toilet paper rolls is quite simple. In fact, there are many ways you can make your guinea pig's toys using toilet paper rolls.
The first thing that comes into mind is the obvious, but it's not always easy to find toilet paper rolls in stores or online. So, if you want to give your pet something other than just food and water, then this DIY project is perfect for you.
If you have never provided your guinea pig with anything other than food and water before, then you might wonder what kind of things they like best.
Well, there are lots of different kinds of treats and toys out there, so you should check them all out.
Advantages of Using Toilet Paper Rolls to Make Guinea Pig Toys
Toilet paper rolls come with no mess at all, and they don't require any preparation time either. And since these tubes are made of cardboard, they're also very durable. This means that even after months of use, they'll still look good as new.
So how do you get started making your own homemade cardboard tube toys for your guinea pigs?
It's pretty straightforward: All you need is some toilet paper roll tubes, scissors, glue, tape, string, and maybe some small pieces of wood too.
Dive into the process below.
Cut Off the Ends of the Toilet Paper Roll Tubes
The easiest way to cut off the end of a toilet paper roll tube is to take a pair of scissors and start cutting straight down along the length of the tube until you reach its bottom edge.
Then continue cutting around the tube's circumference until you completely remove the top part of the tube.
Alternatively, wrap an old towel around the tube and carefully pull it apart while holding onto both sides of the tube. Either method works fine, though.
After removing the top section of the tube, you now have two halves of a toilet paper roll. Now you can easily remove the remaining material inside the tube by pulling it up on each side of the tube.
Once done, you'll notice that the innermost layer of the tube has become loose. That's because when you were trying to separate the tube into two parts, you accidentally tore away most of the outer layers of the tube.
Don't worry; those extra bits aren't going anywhere. Just leave them where they lie.
Now that we've got our toilet paper roll tubes ready, it's time to attach them.
Glue the Tops Together
To keep the tops glued together, lay them flat against each other and apply some hot glue between their edges. Be careful not to overdo it here. Otherwise, you risk having the whole thing fall apart later on.
After applying enough glue, press the tops firmly together again. You may need to repeat this process several times until the glue sets properly.
With your glue set, you can safely put the tops back into the original shape of the tube. To help prevent the tops from falling apart during transport, wrap them tightly in plastic bags.
Make Holes
Next, you'll need to drill some holes through the tops of the tubes. The number of holes depends entirely upon which type of toy you want to make.
For example, if you plan to give your guinea pigs something soft such as cotton balls or shredded newspaper, then you only need three holes.
However, if you plan to provide your pet with something harder such as wooden blocks or marbles, then you probably need more holes.
In general, four holes per tube seems to be plenty. So just pick whatever hole size feels right to you.
If you're using a regular household drill, you should use a bit slightly smaller than what you would normally use for drilling holes in wood. This ensures that the holes are large enough so that the tops don't split open after being drilled.
Add Decorations
After you finish drilling all the necessary holes, you can add any decorative elements you like.
Some people prefer to paint the entire outside surface of the tube before adding anything else. Others choose to decorate the interior first and then cover the exterior afterward.
Whichever approach you decide to follow, remember always to work slowly and steadily. Otherwise, you might find yourself spending hours doing things that you didn't intend to do.
You can also try painting different colors on either side of the tube. Or perhaps you'd like to create a patterned look by alternating between red and blue.
Irrespective of what you come up with, there's no limit to how creative you can get with these types of projects.
Attach the Bottoms
Finally, attach the bottoms of the tubes to the base. If you have trouble finding suitable bases, you could cut off an old piece of cardboard and stick it onto the bottom of the tube.
Alternatively, use a piece of plywood instead. Just make sure that the base is sturdy enough to support the weight of the top without breaking.
The best way to ensure that everything stays securely attached is to wrap the tape around both sides of the tube. Then carefully place the tube inside its new home. Once you've done that, remove the tape and let the glue dry completely.
Now that you know how to build a DIY guinea pig tube toy, you can start making lots of fun toys for your pets. And who knows? Maybe someday soon, they'll enjoy playing with them too.
What Kinds Of Decorations Can You Use On Your Guinea Pig Toys?
There are many ways to structure your cardboard toys.
Here are just a couple of examples:
- Paint the whole thing in bright colors such as yellow, orange, green, purple, pink, etc.
- Add some cute stickers along the edges
- Cut out shapes using scissors and paste them into various places
- Draw designs directly onto the cardboard
- Glue pieces together to form interesting patterns
- Make your decorations by cutting out circles, squares, triangles, stars, hearts, flowers, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Safe for Guinea Pigs to Chew on Cardboard?
It is safe for guinea pigs to chew on cardboard. The material doesn't contain any harmful chemicals or other substances that may cause harm to their health. Plus, since it comes from recycled materials, it won't contribute to environmental pollution.
How Long Does My Guinea Pig Cardboard Toy Last?
This kind of toy lasts about six months under normal conditions. But because it's made out of cardboard, it tends to deteriorate faster when exposed to extreme temperatures and weather.
Therefore, we recommend storing your homemade cardboard toys somewhere cool and dark until springtime arrives.
What is the Best Toy For A Guinea Pig?
The best toy for your pet guinea pig depends upon what you want it to do, how much time you have available to play with them, and whether they have any special needs that need attention.
For instance, if you have little time to play with your guinea pig, perhaps something like a ball would be more appropriate than an elaborate puzzle box. However, if you are willing to spend some extra time playing with your guinea pig each day, a puzzle box might be just right.
Wrap-Up: Can Guinea Pigs Chew on Toilet Paper Rolls?
Guinea pig toys aren't only great for entertaining your pet; they're also very useful items for keeping them occupied when they need something to do but aren't allowed access to their usual playthings.
So if you want to give your little guy a special treat, why not consider building yourself a DIY Guinea Pig Tube toy today?
