Best Guinea Pig Cage Accessories: Bottles,Bowls,Bedding & More
Do you own a cage for your guinea pig and you’re looking for some guinea pig cage accessories?
Then you’re at the right place!
Here you can find out all the important information that will help you in choosing the most important stuff you should buy for your guinea pig. You can read about the best accessories I’ve found on markets such as guinea pig cage ramp, stand, and bedding such as disposable guinea pig cage liners or guinea pig fleece cage liner. You can even buy a guinea pig pen that can be an addition to the cage. Read more in my article and find out which accessories are offered on the market that you should buy for your friend.
Things To Know When Buying Guinea Pig Cage Accessories
The Bedding Is Important Part Of The Cage
Bedding ensures comfortable and healthy living od your guinea pig. You can choose the more natural bedding such as paper bedding, grass or pine bedding. On the other hand, there are the fleece linings available which are the cotton fabric that can be easily cleaned, or disposable linings that you can throw away after they get dirty.
Cage Must Have Toys
The guinea pigs are active a lot, so they must have stuff that will keep them entertained. The best way to keep them active is to add some guinea pig ramps and tunnels so they have fun while investigating the cage. They will also like swings, balls made from wood or cardboard, etc.
The Additional Space
If you own a smaller cage, you should consider buying a guinea pig pen. The playpen is constructed from panels that can be connected in shape you want. In that way, you can enclose a certain part of the house just for the guinea pigs so they can run and be active more.
Should You Have More Food Dishes And Water Bottles?
Every cage of the guinea pig should have more than one dish for food. You can use one food crock for the regular food, and separated bowl for lettuce or other healthy snacks. Also, you can put more than one water bottle in the cage, especially if you own more than one guinea pig. Since they must be cleaned regularly, it’s smart to have some dishes and bottles in storage so you can replace it when it’s time to clean the ones from the cage.
The Enclosed Parts Of The Cage
The guinea pigs are very active animals that don’t sleep a lot during the night, but they rather take short naps throughout night and day. Therefore it’s very important they have some part of the cage where they can hide, snuggle and sleep. The sleeping bag would be perfect accessories for that.
The Best Guinea Pig Cage Accessories
The Ramps For Cages
The guinea pig cage ramps are a great addition to the cage, and they’re important if you want for your pet to have fun and be active during the night and day. The ramps are often used to connect different platforms within the cage.
However, if you don’t have a multi-level cage, you can still use them to connect different parts of the cage and add the tunnels to keep the living space of the cage interesting and fun. Ramps can be made from high-density plastic or metal, and it’s important that they aren’t slippery. In case you want to make them more comfortable, you can buy the covers for ramps.
They are available in different designs and they’re easy to clean in the washing machine. These covers make the ramps less slippery and more comfortable. Also, they prevent guinea pigs to chew the corners of the ramps. Often they’re available separately, so you can buy cover just for the side walls, or the cover just for the bottom.
Guinea Pig Cage Stand
If you want to keep the cage higher above the ground, you should buy the stand. Some cages already have the stand integrated with the construction. Anyhow, this is very practical if you already have other pets so you don’t want them to get too close to the guinea pig cages. And your guinea pigs will love to be elevated from the floor.
You should buy the stand that’s made from steel so it will last longer and be more durable. Consider that the tips of stand’s legs should have a soft cover to avoid floor damages or wheels so you can easily move the cage from one side of the house to another.
Bedding For The Bottom Of The Cage
As I already mentioned there are several types of beddings. The pine shavings are highly-absorbent, very easy to use and available in most pet shops. But they’re not recommended because of natural oils that can cause illness, irritation or get stuck on the cage and other accessories.
Other guinea pig cage bedding can be made from aspen which is soft, dry and free from any additives. Also, it’s great because it can stimulate natural behavior such as nesting. Recycled paper is also a great choice because is very absorbent and very good at controlling the odors.
These papers beddings come in different shapes such as granule bedding, pellets, conffeti, etc. You can also use the cotton cloth which is economical, reusable, soft and absorbent. However it’s not odor absorbent as other, and you would have to do daily maintenance.
Guinea Pig Cage Liners
The one type of bedding I didn’t mention earlier is the liners which are different because they aren’t made out of wood, paper or aspen. These are fabric made beddings which are available in different designs, they’re very soft and absorbent.The most favorite type is the guinea pig fleece cage liner. It’s made from the top and bottom layer of fleece, while in the middle is absorbent cotton.
It’s like the cotton cloth, but you have the additional waterproof layer. When guinea pig urinates, the fleece absorbs the liquid in the middle layer so the liner is always dry and comfortable for your pet. Also, your guinea pigs will be burrowing and nestling in it.
They’re easy to clean, and you save a lot of money because you’re reusing the lining. In case you don’t want to wash the lining, you can buy disposable guinea pig cage liners. They’re often made from high absorbing several layers that ensure quick drying and reduces odor. They have a protective plastic bottom layer which protects the floor.
The Water Bottles
You can choose different sizes of bottles. If you have more than one guinea pig, you can decide to buy the bigger water bottle that has 16 ounces water capacity. Or you can decide to buy smaller ones that have 8 ounces capacity. Anyhow, it’s best to always have at least two water bottles in case one isn’t working.
Therefore your pet will always have access to the fresh water.If you buy smaller types, you would have to check the water level more frequently. On the other hand, water doesn’t stand too long in the plastic which is better for your pet’s health. I would recommend water bottles made from food grade metal.
They will last much longer and they’re healthier for your pet. I will also recommend buying a bottle brusher, so you can clean the inside of the water bottle properly. In that way, you’ll avoid accumulating of the bacteria which isn’t good for your guinea pig’s health.
Double Diners, Lettuce Bowls And Corner Crocks
There are many types of food dishes on the market and you can buy more of them and place it in your cage. For example, you can buy double diner that serves pellets and snacks at the same time. They’re made from BPA-free plastic, so they’re healthy for your pet. However, I would recommend buying a metal or ceramic food dish, that’s healthier.
You can also choose to buy a corner crock that easily fits in your cage. This is a great choice if you want to maximize the space for running and playing since the corner design is very-space saving. You can also add a special bowl for lettuce or another healthy snack. It’s desirable that dishes are dishwasher safe so you can easily and frequently clean them.
The Bag With The Hay
This is a great addition to the food dishes in your cage. Hay is a part of the nutrition for the guinea pigs, and the bags allows them to pull out a certain amount that’s healthy for them. Also, you will reduce the mess in the cage. You can find it on the market in a variety of design. Unlike the hay racks, you can put them anywhere you want on the cage.
Also, the bags are exposing less hay which means there are less hay dust and pollen in the air. Therefore this is healthier for both people and guinea pigs and prevents any allergies. The bags are mostly made from fabric that can be washed in the washing machine, so it’s easy to clean and maintain them.
Beds For Sleep
There are a lot of designs and shapes, but the most common feature is that they’re made from soft material and the size is small enough that your guinea pig can feel safe and secure while snuggling and sleeping.
It’s important that the bed is removable, so it’s should have a zipper that removes the sleep and hide compartment so you can wash it in the washing machine. Most of them are made from soft plush and PP cotton filling.
Guinea Pig Pen
The playpens are mostly constructed from the wired metal mesh that comes in the package in a different number of the panel. These panels can be connected with the metal clips, in a variety of shapes which allows you to enclose one part of the house for your guinea pigs. Some people buy the playpen instead of the cage, so they add some ramps, tunnels, food dished and water bottles to provide them with living habitat.
Here I recommend the playpen as the extension of your guinea pig cage, especially if you have a smaller model. This will allow your guinea pigs to explore new parts of the house which will be very stimulating for their curiosity and entertain them. Since they’re mostly active animals, this will ensure that they’re healthy and happy.
Conclusion: Which Is The Most Important Guinea Pig Cage Accessories You Should Buy?
Of all the guinea pig cage accessories, the most important you should have, in my opinion, is the guinea pig cage liners and the ramps. Most of the other things such as guinea pig cage stand or guinea pig pen are optional, but these are very important for your pet so you should have them. The beddings such as guinea pig fleece cage liners or disposable guinea pig cage liners are ensuring the dry, odor free and healthy environment for your pet. On the other hand, the guinea pig cage ramps are making the living space fun and interesting, so your pet’s curiosity is always stimulated which keeps it active and happy.