Natural?

[LuLu431]

I would like to make my guinea pigs cage natural and I have a few questions

Is eco earth safe?
Can I use dirt in their cage?
Are cherry branches safe?
Where did guinea pigs originate?
Can I use live plants in their cage?
How deep does their substrate need to be?
Is cork safe?

sorry there are so many questions…

 

[Piggies&buns]

I didn’t know what eco earth was so I looked it up. It seems it’s for reptiles or burrowing animals, so I wouldn’t think it’s something that is easily used for piggies. Can’t say it’s anything I’ve heard of for small animal keeping .

using dirt would not be a good idea - piggies need to be kept clean and dry and using soil as bedding would mean they are damp and dirty

Generally, if the fruit from a tree has a stone, then the wood and leaves are not safe. So cherry would not be safe

What exactly do you mean by plants? If you put herbs in, they would be eaten with minutes and of course there are a wide variety of other plants which would be toxic

This thread below seems to have been on a similar type of discussion

Bioactive Guinea Pig Enclosure

 

[PigglePuggle]

I cant see eco earth being appropriate for piggies as it would soak up the wee and become sludgy and unpleasant causing foot problems. Natural, for piggies, would be living in dry South American grasslands with at least 10 metre x10 metre territory per pair, larger for a bigger group, with a shared grazing area for various related family group neighbours of at least an acre.
But, piggies are not wild, and have been domesticated for thousands of years- they are no longer adapted to the wild habitats of their closest wild relatives, their feet are too soft, their claws too uneven, their fur no longer appropriate for long periods outdoors, their prey instincts very much impaired. Domestic animals do not really benefit from a "wild" habitat, anymore than a modern human would from being placed in a neolithic landscape with no shoes or heating or cutlery! Domestication brings evolutionary change, and a "natural" habitat for the domesticated guinea pig species really stops at being allowed to play in the grass in a protected run outdoors when the weather is nice

 

[Eriathwen]

Unfortunately due to the huge amount of waste produced by guinea pigs, they don't lend themselves well to naturalistic or bioactive housing.
Eco earth is too dusty to be used dry, and used moist would cause URI and foot issues. Plants could be used, true bamboos, grasses, herbs, safe wild plants and weeds, however these will be very quickly eaten and needing replaced on a near daily basis and may end up over doing their quota of fresh food.
I'm not sure about cherry branches but cork rounds can be used as tunnels for them, however they'll quickly become soiled if not frequently cleaned which can cause ammonia build ups and again, respiratory issues.

I know of people who keep exotic/wild species of cavy and even they do not use completely natural set ups, we just cannot provide the kind of space for these animals to make it work with how much waste they produce, even for their smaller exotic cousins.
The most natural we can provide is a deep layer of woodshavings (at least 5cm) and a good, deep layer of hay (I do at least 30cm) to allow for burrow creation, tunnels, hides etc can be wooden, which appear more natural, you can, as said, offer them areas of grass in the cage however this won't last long at all

 

[PigglePuggle]

There is plenty you can do to encourage "natural" behaviour however, such as giving huge piles of hay, feeding grass, scatterfeeding their veggies chopped into tiny pieces mixed in the hay so they have to forage- providing tunnels to run through, things to chew on- apple branches, plain brown cardboard, woven grass tunnels- and by keeping a natural social group with 1 neutered male plus several ladies in a large space.
But, they like to keep their feet dry, and they do like a comfy bed and someone to pick up their poops

 

[Free Ranger]

Mine have a choice between bedding with hay and fleece snuggles/tunnels and I'm telling you they just love the soft furnishings! Modern piggies it seems are very civilised. They can also choose whether to be inside the house or outside (it's a safe set-up, don't worry) and they base themselves inside every time - one has to be 'put' out, one goes out occasionally and one is a bit more adventurous but they all come back in to rest and relax when they've had enough nosing around. If I put a fluffy snuggle tunnel on the grass they go for that straight away! You won't be depriving them by not recreating the wilderness, don't worry

PS The first time I heard the American expression "a crap ton" was on this forum - and there's likely a very good reason for that. Get a good brush and dustpan!

 

[Black piggies]

Mine have a choice between bedding with hay and fleece snuggles/tunnels and I'm telling you they just love the soft furnishings! Modern piggies it seems are very civilised. They can also choose whether to be inside the house or outside (it's a safe set-up, don't worry) and they base themselves inside every time - one has to be 'put' out, one goes out occasionally and one is a bit more adventurous but they all come back in to rest and relax when they've had enough nosing around. If I put a fluffy snuggle tunnel on the grass they go for that straight away! You won't be depriving them by not recreating the wilderness, don't worry

PS The first time I heard the American expression "a crap ton" was on this forum - and there's likely a very good reason for that. Get a good brush and dustpan!

That's reassuring to hear. I feel a bit bad my piggies don't have a garden, but then they can even get a bit sulky with floor time, so it makes sense.

 

[Free Ranger]

We have a small lawn but the area is very shady so there's slim pickings for some of the year which is why we bring meadow grass in from a field nearby. Sometimes I see photos of other piggies popcorning over their lawn and feel a bit sad but mine popcorn round their grass pile in the morning instead. They enjoy running round outside and trying to demolish my raspberry plants - the young leaves are delicious. We all just do our best and not everyone has a garden. You could try growing a few grass pots on the windowsill for a treat (they'll last about 5 minutes but what a 5 minutes!) and after they'd eaten them just re water and put back on the sill. I think it's useful to have a solid wooden thing like a tunnel as they are useful for chewing at if they have any issues with those long front teeth. Cardboard boxes are always popular and we get things over here with hay stuck onto the cardboard which generate a lot of piggy interest - here's pics:

The fact that you're thinking about it is because you love them so much! And I'm sure they know it

 

[LuLu431]

What are some thing I can do to give them more enrichment? They have a 16 sq. ft. cage with two tunnels, a bendy bridge, a fabric bed, and many toy balls (plastic and hay/chewable) but they will still chew on the plastic tunnel I have in there. Should I take it out? Is it a stress behavior/ need of more enrichment?

 

[Black piggies]

What are some thing I can do to give them more enrichment? They have a 16 sq. ft. cage with two tunnels, a bendy bridge, a fabric bed, and many toy balls (plastic and hay/chewable) but they will still chew on the plastic tunnel I have in there. Should I take it out? Is it a stress behavior/ need of more enrichment?

When my piggies really want to get their teeth into something they love these. I usually just give a panel at a time to make it last longer. But some piggies enjoy chewing plastic hideys and moving them around. I wouldn't remove them.

 

[Piggies&buns]

The things which keep my boys most entertained are big piles of loose hay with forage mixed in, cardboard boxes with multiple holes cut in and then stuffed with hay, carrot cottages and hay cubes

Its not stress, piggies will chew anything it’s normal but you don’t want anything in there which could be a risk to them.

this guide will also give more ideas
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

 

[LuLu431]

How does my cage look? I will refill the hay in a second I just ran out and will have to go to the store and get more

 

[My Piggies]

Your cage looks pretty good to me (although I can only see part of the cage from the picture). The only thing I would suggest is to actually remove some of the toys, or move them out of the way a bit so they have more undisrupted running space

 

[Siikibam]

I would fill that entire area (where the plastic see-through container is). That would become their feeding area - hay and veg. I’d also remove the stones, the green thing and the bendy tunnel. Are they big enough to fit in it? How far does the cage go to the left?