Did you know hay is an essential part of a Guinea pig’s diet? They are herbivores and need roughage like hay to aid their digestion. And, like other animals such as rabbits and hamsters, Guinea pigs’ teeth grow continuously, so chewing hay helps keep the growth in check. So, here is a free way to make a hay box for your Guinea pig, so they stay healthy and happy.

As I have written before, we have had Guinea pigs for a long time. Our current pig is Larry.  I’ll introduce you to him later.

Guinea pigs make such great pets for kids. They have a lot of personality and because they are larger and less delicate than hamsters or gerbils, they are easier for smaller kids to handle and care for.   And feeding and watering their piggy is a great way to learn the responsibilities of pet ownership at an early age.

So, here’s how to create a Guinea pig hay box.

Take an empty tissue box.

Carefully remove the glued-down plastic from the inside of the top opening of the box.

You definitely don’t want to let your pig eat plastic!

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Stuff the box with hay.

Here is what we use: Kaytee all natural Timothy hay.   It was recommended by our vet.

That’s it! Super easy to do and a great way to recycle a cardboard box!

Toss it in your pig’s cage and let them have fun!

Larry loves his hay box.  I wondered if he would also eat the box, but he really hasn’t.

By the way, we also save toilet paper and paper towel tubes for Larry to chew on.  You can also see his edible house (called a snak shak) in the picture, too.  He enjoys them all and it’s another great way to keep his teeth at a manageable length.

Here are a couple of other ways to create a hay holder for your piggies.

This one is an empty oatmeal box with slits cut into it. I do like that they removed the wrapper, so no worries about ingesting the inks.

This one uses a bin from the dollar store, tipped on its side and attached to the outside of the guinea pig cage. Here’s one from Amazon. 

Here is another version where they cut apart a dollar store basket.

So, now to properly meet our Guinea pig.

This is Larry.  We have had him for 5 years now.

He’s such a fun little piggy! Look at that face! How can you not love a face like that?

And here’s Larry in action trying out his new Guinea pig hay box. 🙂

Read more of my Guinea pig tips.

Here is a post I wrote with all kinds of great information to help you keep your piggies happy and healthy, including housing, how to trim their nails, and what else they like to eat: Guinea pigs: the perfect pet!

And mark your calendars! August 27th is National Guinea Pig Day! Here’s a post I wrote about how to celebrate National Guinea Pig Day!

So, now that you have some great new tips and ideas, go make your piggy’s day with a new hay box!

You’ve seen Larry, now I’d love to see your Guinea pig!

Leave me a picture in the comments below or send it to my email: pam@lifecreativelyorganized.com 🙂

Have fun!

~ Pam