Is Cotton String Safe For Piggies?

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Ruby Inferno

Ruby Inferno

Teenage Guinea Pig
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A couple of months ago I started using some cotton string to help hold together some DIY pigloos made from cereal boxes. However I read up about string being bad, so I ditched the string and just used the cereal boxes as they are.

Some people seem to use string to tie toys to piggy cages. Can I use my cotton string? If not, which string materials can I use?
 
Cotton string is essentially digestible, but there is always the risk that the string can get stuck in the guts and can cause problems. Unlike with larger animals, guinea pig guts are so thin that operating successfully is sadly not possible. If you can, I would avoid any situations where piggies can get at strings and ribbons at all and try to look for other solutions, like securing boxes with a slit/tongue system etc.
 
Okay thanks! Are strips of kitchen roll (not the tube, I already know that's safe) good to use as bedding and/or chew toy filling? I give kitchen roll to my gerbils to use as bedding, but I'm not sure about guinea pigs?

They mostly seem to push around their cardboard toys anyway, so pigloos are always tipped over. A few days ago I cut a long, thin strip of cardboard from a cereal box and tied it into a little cardboard bow, which Doughnut absolutely adores chewing and the bow looks really cute. Doughnut seems to be much more of a chewer than his brother.

I'll probably just use the cereal boxes for chew toys, not pigloos, it seems bigger delivery boxes are more suited for pigloos because they are not as easily knocked over. I might also use cereal boxes as little hay boxes or perhaps a veg-filled toy. :D
 
My Peanut Butter will chew on the kitchen roll itself as well as the inner cardboard tube, also computer paper, although I've seen shredded computer paper used as bedding for piggies at a local rescue..Plain paper without ink or glue is supposed to be safe but I would be afraid to give too much to a piggy who like my boy is so eager for it he will snatch it out of my hand. I've also stopped using plastic hideys because he chews those as well. Many members just use hay as a chew toy filling, stuffing it into loo & kitche roll inner tubes. Paper bags and cardboard boxes make great safe chewable hideys for piggies. I like your cardboard bow idea. Perhaps Doughnut loves it so much because it is small and easy fro him to get his teeth into
 
Thanks!

I was thinking of using paper bags to make a hay bag/hidey. I have never used plastic hideys either because they are not safe to chew. I'm a little sceptical about using plain paper because the corners etc. are a bit sharp and might poke them in the eye.

An idea: A cardboard litter tray. It would be a cereal box with one of its large sides removed to make a tray, filled with some kitchen paper strips, with a pile of hay on top. Safe to chew unlike plastic litter trays, easy to replace, and reduces mess throughout the hutch, hay mess included! :)

A few weeks ago I saw something very odd. Caramel (Doughnut's brother) grabbed a wooden twig that came with their hay and he actually ate it. He didn't just gnaw on it, he ate and swallowed it. It took him a while, it slowly disappeared into his mouth, but he did. Maybe it tasted of hay, due to it coming from a bag of hay, but it's still a little strange.

Doughnut loves chewing anything cardboard, whether it's a little bow or a larger pigloo. :))
 
The cardboard litter tray sounds like a great idea. When I do give in to Peanut Butter's demand for a bit of a paper chew I scrunch up the computer paper into a ball because I also worry about the sharp bits. Have had some nasty paper cuts from the stuff myself. I do know some types of wooden twigs are safe for piggies and most do like to chew on wood, but am surprised Caramel ate the whole thing. I've not seen that with my 2 boys although they both like to gnaw on wooden things.
 
Well I don't want my piggies begging for something that could potentially hurt them, so no paper for them! I'll be sure to give them kitchen roll though, as it is much softer.

Yeah I'm surprised he ate it too. Caramel surprises me all the time though, so what can I say? :))

Edit: Is shredded kitchen roll good bedding to use throughout the whole hutch? Not just in a litter tray?
 
Ruby Inferno said:
Thanks!

I was thinking of using paper bags to make a hay bag/hidey. I have never used plastic hideys either because they are not safe to chew. I'm a little sceptical about using plain paper because the corners etc. are a bit sharp and might poke them in the eye.

An idea: A cardboard litter tray. It would be a cereal box with one of its large sides removed to make a tray, filled with some kitchen paper strips, with a pile of hay on top. Safe to chew unlike plastic litter trays, easy to replace, and reduces mess throughout the hutch, hay mess included! :)

A few weeks ago I saw something very odd. Caramel (Doughnut's brother) grabbed a wooden twig that came with their hay and he actually ate it. He didn't just gnaw on it, he ate and swallowed it. It took him a while, it slowly disappeared into his mouth, but he did. Maybe it tasted of hay, due to it coming from a bag of hay, but it's still a little strange.

Doughnut loves chewing anything cardboard, whether it's a little bow or a larger pigloo. :))
Click to expand...

It's strange because I saw Coconut and Hazelnut (my pigs) eat their willow sticks, too! It's a bit odd to me, maybe it's just because I have never seen any animal eat a stick.
 
Ruby Inferno said:
Well I don't want my piggies begging for something that could potentially hurt them, so no paper for them! I'll be sure to give them kitchen roll though, as it is much softer.

Yeah I'm surprised he ate it too. Caramel surprises me all the time though, so what can I say? :))

Edit: Is shredded kitchen roll good bedding to use throughout the whole hutch? Not just in a litter tray?
Click to expand...
That is not suitable bedding as it will just get soaked with urine. Have you looked at vet bed? That is what I use and it is wonderful.
 
GuineaPigFan15: I'm not sure if it was willow, but Caramel sure enjoyed eating it. Maybe guinea pigs like the taste of certain wood? Doughnut randomly eats newspaper though, I'm not sure why that would taste good to him... :hmm:

piggyfan: Hmm, don't you have to wash vet bed? I don't want to have to wash the bedding, too lazy! :))

I was thinking of switching to Fitch bedding. I currently use a biodegradable cat litter that is also apparently suitable for piggies and other small animals, it's expensive which is one of the reasons why I want to switch. It kind of swells and breaks up when peed on though, wouldn't that cause intestinal blockage if consumed?
 
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