Perfect hideouts, houses and cozy places

Bowie in his strawberry

Join me for my tried and tested recommendations of the best guinea pig hideouts...

I've experimented with lots of piggy hideouts and i have my favourites amongst them. Some are more maintenance than others, but totally worth the extra work and cleaning. I love the strawberry beds, they come in lots of different colours, they're inexpensive, washable and the piggies love them! Drawbacks, they're in and out the wash frequently, because some pigs like to poop and pee in there. So they may or may not last for a long time. I recommend buying a few, so when one is in the wash, you have backups! Another drawback is the cushion that comes with them, its thin and wears out easily. Often misshapen and wonky by the time its come out of the washing machine. Well, after a few washes anyway! But this has an easy solution, our pet potty pads which fit perfectly in the strawberry beds, are much more comfortable than the cushions that come with the bed. And absorbent! for those little pee and poop accidents.

Good tip, literally tip the strawberry to get rid of the poops inside and wash regularly. You can find the strawberries on places like Temu or Shein. And there are more upmarket versions online that are very cute and well made.

Natural tunnels are the best! Love these. Our piggies adore their oxbow seagrass tunnels. They're not cheap, but well worth the investment. Great as a hideout, but also as enrichment. Piggies love to chew these. Easy to find too, in most good pet shops. The willow twig tunnels are another fave, we found these at our specialist rabbit and guinea pig vet clinic - the rabbit doctors, here in Melbourne. I'm wary of any natural houses/tunnels/toys from overseas, just in case they have been treated in anyway. But I am no expert to say whether this is founded or not! We also had a fabric tunnel, as shown. This was very popular amongst the pigs, and i liked it being a 3-way entry/exit. The size was perfect for piggies, and i found this on amazon for about $8-10. Unfortunately it recently went in the bin, an error on my part when washing it! Although it washed up well on cold machine washes many many times.

Temu is fantastic for the houses, I make an exception here because they're not real wood. So pose as little to no danger to chewing piggies. My pigs love their houses, again i use our pet potty pads inside for warmth, comfort and to collect any mess. It makes it easier to clean by just dusting off and placing back, or replacing with a clean pad. Because piggies aren't truly 100% toilet trained, they often pee and poop in these places. But great shelters for hiding in, and not too expensive. I believe they also do a version with a pitched roof, if you want some variety. I think i bought mine for under $30 each. Pro's, they're easy to clean, just wipe over with soapy water. And they look great.

Something i've experimented with here and there, are pet teepee's. They look adorable if you have the space for one. I tend to use them occasionally and then put them away again. Some i've bought have been perfect size and some too big for my piggy set up's. One good perk is they usually come with a decent cushion mat for inside, so even when you're not using the teepee, you have gained another piggy bed! The ones i mention are the tall tee pee's, there are piggy size shorter versions available too.

This is a funny one, i suggest if you're into up-cycling and wanting something different. The cardboard cat scratcher houses. I admit, i don't specifically buy these for the piggies, i get them for my rabbits. And when they are done with them, the piggies use them. They don't last a long period of time, but they love them! They get to chew on them, sleep inside like little piggy prince's and princesses. They're not expensive either, about $20 from the pet shop.

Hay houses are a treat every now and then in our house. You'll need the largest size. They come in small, medium and large sizes, and are found in pet shops. They're about $40-45 i think these days. The piggies love to chew on them, so they're great fun and a great addition to any piggy set up. Some piggies also like to climb so its a good platform if they have other smaller platforms to reach.

Snuggle sacks...My piggies adore their snuggle sacks! and i love to see them curled up inside and snuggly and warm. The fleece makes them cozy places to sleep. And in warmer weather i find the piggies just sleep on top of the sacks, they do this with the strawberry beds too. When the snuggle sacks have been in the wash, the piggies are always excited when i place them back in the pen, all fresh and clean :)

Sometimes it's a case of reusing other items that can serve as hideouts, my piggies love canopies, just draping fabric over the top of an area. Creating spaces that are cozy and comfortable.

These are just a small handful of some hideouts i like that have been piggy tested in our house.

What are some of your favourites?