Guinea pigs love to play with toys, and good pet parents will offer the best variety of toys to keep them occupied and provide hours of enjoyment.
Unfortunately, not every toy marketed for cavies is a good idea, and from the nut- and seed-packed chew treats to dangerous glues and paints, it pays to know the difference between something that’s fun and something that’s potentially dangerous.
Which toys will your guinea pig love best?
We’re excited to help you answer this question, and below, you’ll find a few of our favorite recommendations:
Quick glance at the safest and best guinea pig toys:
- Living World Hagen Pet Tunnel – Best Tunnel for Guinea Pigs
- Trixie Guinea Pigs Wicker Bridge
- Ware Manufacturing Willow Branch Ball – Best Chew Toy for Guinea Pigs
- Piggies Choice The Space House – Best Hidey House for Guinea Pigs
- Homeya Pet Small Animal Hanging Hammock – Best Hammock for Guinea Pigs
- Kaytee Igloo Hideaway
Guinea Pig Toys Reviewed
Living World Hagen Pet Tunnel – Best Tunnel for Guinea Pigs
Living World’s Hagen Pet Tunnel is one of our favorite toys.
This 7.9-inch diameter by 35.4-inch length fabric tunnel relies on a metal frame to keep it open, and though it can get dirty–what can’t?–it’s easy to clean with soap and water.
You’ll find a side hole and Velcro attachments to allow you to join more than one tunnel, and a few minutes of piggie play will quickly convince you that this is a great idea!
Guinea pigs have an innate desire to scurry through tight spaces, and this tunnel provides hours of fun. Many pet parents find that their piggies squeal with delight and popcorn when they begin to explore this toy, and longer lengths made by joining two or more together are just the thing to keep your cavies occupied.
Whether you place this in their environment or reserve it for floor time, we guarantee your cavie will love it!
Pros:
- Perhaps the most fun of all the toys on our list!
- Inexpensive!
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- With repeated washing, the inner wires can rust.
Trixie Guinea Pigs Wicker Bridge
Trixie’s Guinea Pig Wicker Bridge is a short tunnel that cavies love to hide in. 9.4 x 5 x 9.8 inches, you’ll find that this woven wicker arch is big enough for lots of fun and cozy enough for a quick nap, too.
Effectively a combination of chew-toy and hidey home, most piggies find this toy irresistible.
Made from all-natural materials–no finishes, paints, or glues–you can be sure that this toy is safe for chewing–and it will get chewed! In fact, don’t count on this toy lasting a long time, as most guinea pigs will enjoy nibbling on it as much as they do snuggling inside or running through it.
Pros:
- Great for nibbling–and wearing-down teeth!
- All-natural–no finish, no glue, and no paint.
Cons:
- Expensive, given that they don’t last forever
Ware Manufacturing Willow Branch Ball – Best Chew Toy for Guinea Pigs
Know a cavie that likes to chew? Just kidding–of course, you do!
Ware Manufacturing has just the thing they’ll love: a 4-inch ball of a natural, untreated willow branch. Tough enough to give their teeth a workout and small enough to allow them to roll this ball with their nose, most guinea pigs adore this toy, tearing it to shreds in a matter of days.
The good news? They’re available in packs of three and five, as well!
Some pet parents have been disappointed that as the willow ball gets gnawed through, their piggies manage to get a twig wrapped around them. While this might be a danger, we haven’t actually heard of an actual problem attributed to this toy.
Pros:
- Great for nibbling–and wearing-down teeth!
- All-natural–no finish, no glue, and no paint.
- Inexpensive!
Cons:
- Some parents have reported that their piggies have gotten tangled in the twigs.
Piggies Choice The Space House – Best Hidey House for Guinea Pigs
If you’re looking for a hidey house your cavies will adore, we’ve got the one for you!
The Piggies’ Choice Space House is designed by a cavie expert to provide a cozy, fun hide-out for your furry friends. Made from untreated Paulownia wood and non-toxic paint, it’s completely piggie-safe. It’s also designed to fit in the corner of their cage, maximizing their fun while minimizing the space it takes up.
That’s a win-win!
Cavies love to retreat to this house when they want to hide, and it provides cozy space for as many as three at a time. Some guinea pigs also enjoy hopping on the roof for a quick lay-down.
The only downside? That Paulownia wood will absorb liquids like urine, and that can get stinky or cause a tad of warpage.
We still recommend this product for its careful, piggie-friendly design–but most especially because so many of them prefer this hide-out to any other!
Pros:
- Designed to save cage space!
- All-natural–no finish, no glue, and non-toxic paint
- Piggies really, really love this hidey house!
Cons:
- It will absorb urine and can get a little stinky
Homeya Pet Small Animal Hanging Hammock – Best Hammock for Guinea Pigs
Homeya’s hammock is an ideal place for your guinea pig to cozy up for a nap or just hang out.
Because it features a roof–with holes at the corners as entrances and exits–it offers the tight space and warm, soft bedding that cavies adore. In fact, we think most guinea pigs prefer this design to a standard hammock, and plenty of pet parents agree!
Attached to the cage roof with high-quality hardware, this canvas and fleece hammock is machine washable–always a plus!
It’s also surprisingly inexpensive.
Pros:
- Designed to save cage space!
- Machine washable
- Very cozy fleece interior
- Piggies love this hammock!
- Inexpensive!
Cons:
- It will require regular machine washing
Kaytee Igloo Hideaway
A hide-out is a necessity for a guinea pig, as their natural instinct is to take cover when scared or nervous. They love a cozy, tight space with a small entrance, and that’s just what Kaytee’s Igloo Hideaway provides.
Made from strong, easy to clean plastic, most guinea pigs skip nibbling on this hidey home. But it’s light enough that they can push it around, moving it as they like before retreating inside for a nap or to hide.
And while you can see through the hide-out–it’s transparent–your piggies won’t mind, and they feel just as safe and cozy as if they were invisible!
If your guinea pigs do begin to chew on this plastic home, we recommend taking it out of their cage.
Pros:
- Easy to clean!
- Piggies love this hide-out!
- Inexpensive!
Cons:
- If your piggie chews on it, we’d recommend removing it from their habitat
What We Consider When Selecting the Best Guinea Pig Toys
Fun factor
Guinea pigs may not be the intellectual equals of dogs or cats, but they’re plenty smart enough to feel bored. And while chewing fresh hay helps to keep them entertained, they have natural instincts that drive them to scurry, squeeze into tight spots, nibble, and play.
The best toys reflect this, providing the kinds of fun that piggies like best.
Some of the toys your cavies will find most fun include tunnels, hidey houses, and chew toys that are small enough to be nosed around their habitat.
But plenty of piggies simply won’t play with chew toys, though we’ve yet to see one that didn’t love a good tunnel or hidey house!
Safe materials
If there’s one thing that guinea pigs love to do, it’s chew!
Any toy that you provide your furry friend needs to be safe for chewing, and that means taking a close look at things like paints, glues, and basic materials.
For instance, a willow chew toy that’s coated in paint isn’t a good idea, but the same toy in bare wood will make a great addition to your cavie’s home.
The toys we’ve selected are generally safe to chew, but we recommend that the Kaytee Igloo Hideaway come out of the cage if your guinea pig begins to nibble on it!
Cleanability
This is a big one!
Anything you put in your guinea pig’s habitat will either get consumed or dirty (or sometimes both!). And it’s important that you can clean the larger non-edible items like tunnels and hidey houses.
We especially like toys that are either very easy to clean with plain soap and water or fabrics that are machine washable. Metal frames or skeletons holding fabric can be trouble if the tunnel or hidey home gets really nasty, but we generally find that the best of the bunch still come clean with good hand washing.
But wooden houses like the awesome Piggies’ Choice Space House are going to get a little grimy over time, especially as they absorb urine. That’s a trade-off, and some pet parents will be happy with them, while others will just find them gross.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to keep your guinea pigs occupied to keep them from getting bored, and a few carefully selected toys go a long way toward this goal.
Remember: Always pick your pet’s toys based on what’s fun for them–not cute to you!–and be sure to give them plenty of affectionate outside-the-cage time!
We hope that these reviews have pointed you in the right direction, and we’re sure that any of the products on our list will provide hours of fun for your piggie.