What, if anything here could I give my boys as a new enrichment or treat? Theyre tired of the usual and id like to switch it up for them if possible

EDIT AFTER READING COMMENTS: You guys rock! Thank you everyone for your time and input, we're sticking to our usual schedule with fresh veg and oxbow products :) going to pick up the foraging mat and some freeze dried strawbs tomorrow. Thanks again everyone!

Theyre tired of the usual and id like to switch it up for them if possible

Thanks in advance!

Ps: im aware pet shops will sell anything, just making sure it's safe before i buy !

43 comments · 89% upvoted · source · other discussions

comments

i_am_ms_greenjeans

Anything with yogurt is not safe for pigs. I would not purchase anything dyed just because I don't know what was used. My girls like the Oxbow treats featured on the last pigture (they like the Cranberry flavor).

Forage mixes are great, and a forage mat, too.

N0FAC323 [OP]

Great! Typically oxbow is all i use. Their hay, vitamins and food are all oxbow!

Lovealltigers

My pigs love anything oxbow, they’re usually a pretty safe brand

N0FAC323 [OP]

Great! Typically oxbow is all i use. Their hay, vitamins and food are all oxbow!

FezzesnPonds

Avoid anything dyed, vitacraft, or with seeds, those are terrible for pigs and frankly should not be sold at all.

Like another commenter said, oxbow is generally safe and has good chew toy options.

kinetic_mallow

Stick to Oxbow. My boys LOVE that cupcake in the top left corner of the last picture. A willow ball is always a favorite too, if you can find one that’s not dyed. You can also go get a Snuffle Mat from the dog or cat section, scatter some pellets and break up a couple biscuits and one of those Oxbow hay toppers all over it. Both my boys enjoy a good snuffle mat 🤣 I don’t know if they have it at your store, but Oxbow also has a Play n Chew mat that attaches to a cage wall with adorable wooden screws. That has long been a favorite in our house. I know you can replace the dangles with different Oxbow options, but Falco and Jack usually chew through the mat before the finish off the hanging bits 🤣

Delicious-Valuable96

There’s this awesome online store called “The Bun Bun Family” that makes great healthy toys for small animals!

https://www.thebunbunfamily.com

MidWildAnubis

Seeing that the site is Canadian has me VERY excited!
If you’re also Canadian I find zoey and lilos toybox to be a great online store to buy pig stuff!

https://www.zoeyandlilostoybox.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqxZDaV4\_wyna-6w9WpkbVTzL4GMzMswZpD\_00gET4fQsBcv8tr

DollyAnna007

There is a channel that recently uploaded videos on YouTube talking about safe treats for piggies and how to know what is or isn't safe. Gonna send it here in case that helps! But generally speaking, anything with dairy and grains should be avoided, but things with like timothy hay as the main ingredient should be okay. https://youtu.be/-JITlGuFcgc?si=ZCtElHBwyCA8hMTc https://youtu.be/M2SAdRJcqFs?si=SAHie1A2m4sOXeiS

kasigiomi1600

My personal favorite alternative treat is freeze-dried strawberry pieces. The pigs love them and it's actually people-food (so we can share the treats).

The yogurt stuff isn't safe as has been mentioned.

hisemforever

My pigs go crazy over them. We do share those since their safe. Same if i have some fruit they get that too

green-Bad2099

I trust oxbow. Don’t get the vitacraft products. The vitaburger murdered my baby Gordon Ramsay the Guinea Pig.

No_Pomegranate_8358

The drops aren't safe

N0FAC323 [OP]

Thank you! I was dubious of those

redelise

For enrichment and treats (since you said you already give oxbow): little pieces of apple or carrots in moderation, their pellets sprinkled over a snuffle mat (they have a lot of options for dogs and bunnies that work just fine for pigs too), and you can also make stuff for free. I get paper bags with my groceries and turn those into hides with holes cut into them for extra doors. I'll also cut off the handles on the bag and tie them together for a tangled looking chew toy. You can cut off strips of the paper to ball up or hang over their houses for doors that they chew on. My pigs love brown paper bags more than any store bought item lol.

Megaman_90

Stick to Oxbow stuff or buy fresh veggies for them to enjoy. Almost everything else "made for guinea pigs" is trash.

Smooth-Cicada-4865

Timothy biscuits.

RedTuna7

Like a lot of other commenters have said, yogurt and seed treats are not safe for piggys. I love oxbow treats and toys. They're safe and not too expensive. My guinea pigs love the bell pepper biscuits! Just make sure they're fed in moderation (despite how much guinea pigs try and guilt trip you for more treats lol) Also, in the last slide theres a wobble feeder from oxbow which my boys love. You can put their pellets in it for extra enrichment!

Also, there are so many DIY enrichments you can do! You could make dangly toys with twine and vegetables, stuff hay and pellets into toilet paper rolls (make sure you cut the ends so they dont get stuck!). You can also get put their pellets or vegetables into their hay and they forage for it. Pigs are pretty simple creatures. Forage = fun.

Some other enrichment my pigs love too is snuffle mats and stacking cups, which you get pretty much anywhere. I hope this helps!

AdProud5950

I’m not sure if you’ve tried them but my boys love these hay sticks! https://shop.smallpetselect.com/products/selective-naturals-garden-sticks

Cultural_Yard454

I love this company! I buy an assortment at a time & then I can switch their preferences around when they start to turn their nose up at a certain kind.

AdProud5950

Yes I love small pet select! That’s so sweet lol those sound like some (rightfully) spoiled Guinea’s!! 🥰

Cultural_Yard454

Oh yah thats the name! They’re such funny & finicky creatures 😀

RiverArmada

My girls like the hide and find timothy hay mat. I like to hide their bell pepper in there for them to find. It also has the benefit of slowing down my really speedy food-motivated pig, so that everyone has a fairer shot.

According-Mark6391

Do not get dyed ones

VanquichedUncle

Wild Harvest, Sunburst, Higgins, and Vitakraft are all brands to avoid. Rule of thumb is if it's bright and colorful it's not healthy. Those products are advertising towards you not your pets by being flashy to get your attention.

I get my treats and toys from Small Pet Select

International-Bug983

I buy them biscuits and treats from small pet select

Sad_Practice_1951

My babies eat the Kaytee Timothy biscuits on the first slide. I give 1 biscuit to each piggy twice a week.

nodaybuttoday__

Toss anything except the Timothy biscuits. Those treats are marketed junk, not nutritious at all and actually bad for piggies.

seficarnifex

Hay stuffed into an empty toilet paper roll

tyedyeTHESKY

I’ve tried a few of the oxbow toys from your pic and the only ones my dudes liked was the cardboard box thing in the bottom left corner.
What I love to do instead is invest in different types and brands of hay and do the ol’ hay in the paper towel cardboard thing. I like to switch up what hay I put in there for them to keep it exciting.

Another thing my boys like is SPS’s hanging “hay and twig mobiles.” You can hang it from the enclosure OR you can get a special platform they make for them which helps push the mobile out.

I don’t see it in your pic but they also like oxbows foraging box. I cut their veggies up small and hide the veggies in there sometimes. They like the oxbow wooden twig cube too, but they haven’t been interested in any other twigs.

Cultural_Yard454

I’ve been buying these;

https://preview.redd.it/87og6vxbra9h1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a5070868ec58a2d66ad22a0dde5c0a7cb6fb69d4

Selective Naturals, they have lots of varieties & are a big hit with my peegs. They’re made in the UK and are available online or ask your local retailer to bring them in. They’re an excellent price too!

hisemforever

The biscuits

Robin_feathers

Echoing that the only brands I trust there are Oxbow

Man-idek

This requires supervision, but Fudge loved playing with this cat treat dispenser. She would roll it around and get mad at me when it was empty

https://preview.redd.it/6of1cxi8lc9h1.jpeg?width=1206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44416c99c7ddfc3f0aeba9edbd9a1d9dc80ff888

Man-idek

I say to supervise because it’s plastic, if it breaks they could get hurt, but I never had that issue.

https://reddit.com/link/otnpo5m/video/d2ejmz11mc9h1/player

She also had a love hate relationship with stacking cups.

BobLoblaw_LLC
Audreaya

Do you have spray free dandelions growing in your property, as a treat or add some to their hay for foraging fun. I used my herbs and spices but sometimes I get the bottle of thyme or rosemary anf just a sprinkle to "season" their hay 😅

Zealousideal_Key_213

I didn’t see these as options but if you have Amazon, I recently purchased the Small Pet Select Healthy Snackers for my girls and they were a hit! They are only 4 ingredients all of which they can have so I am a happy owner. We also LOVEEEE the Sherwood Snackies as they are grain free and low sugar so great for our girls who struggle with higher calcium and stones ☺️
ETA: we were doing oxbow tablets for a while but they are not grain free and so are only offered as very infrequent treats now.

Cornflake6irl

I would just stick to fresh veggies, fruit, and forage to be safe. I've only had my girls for a week, but have already started them on a daily and occasional veggie/fruit regimen. They get romaine and bell pepper daily with one other vegetable or fruit as a treat. So far they love carrots and cucumber, they hate tomatoes, and they love apples. For chews I just give them those flower infused with timothy hay sticks.

Prestigious_Shape888

I usually say that the more colorful the packaging the more likely it's not good for them it's not always true but I usually is

bristleboar

None of that crap! Ever heard of a blueberry