Astroturf grass for guinea pigs  | |  I went shopping the other day and bought a 4 X 6 ft. roll of astroturf for my pet guinea-pig. I thought this would be a good idea for him to play on. It has a rubber backing to help protect the floor/carpet when he is let out of his cage to play in his enclosure. He doesn't seem to like it much but he doesn get on it. Then one day I saw him nibbling on it. Not sure if he ate any of it or just chewed it.
He seems fine but I have to ask here if anyone knows if astroturf grass mats are safe enough for guinea pigs to play on. Does anyone else use them for their pets?
Thanks for your advice!
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| | | | | | | | 1.  tcup345 (167) | 4 months ago |  I don't use astro-turf, haven't really thought of it. I think it's made of plastics, I really don't think that would be good for them to eat. Your piggie may just have been grooming on the run, I forget the actual term, they do this to each other, they actually chew the hair off each other. My GP does it to my dog if the dog stay still long enough. I don't encourage it because it appears that the pig is actually swallowing the fur.
I would be reluctant to use the astro-turf, plastic is not good for any living thing to eat. When I put my GP in the kitchen for floor time, I put newspaper down, she will go potty on it and not my floor, also, if she eats the paper, it won't hurt her. In fact, I use it for bedding in her cage.
Good luck.
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 leafygreens08 (154) | 4 months ago | Thanks for your response. I am still using the astro-turf and my guinea pig doesn't seem to be chewing on it, as far as I can tell. As for newspaper, doesn't harm guinea pigs? Can guinea pigs eat paper like that? Won't that clog him up somehow? | |
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| tcup345 (167) | 4 months ago | Newspaper doesn't clog my GP up at all and the ink is soy based, so there's no harm. Actually, she doesn't seem to chew at the paper much, she just rearranges it to line her nest.
Poppy is never clogged up, she is the pee and poop queen of the northeast! I swear she puts out more than she takes in hmmm, with all the greens, hay and newpaper she should be a gold mine as a producer of fertilizer. My houseplants would love it!lol | |
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| leafygreens08 (154) | 4 months ago | Mine seems to be pooping and peeing like no problem. I don't keep him there for a long time and he doesn't seem to like it anyway. | |
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| | | 2. Pigglies (5039) | 4 months ago |  I wouldn't use them. It might be safe if he doesn't eat it, but it seems like that would be hard to clean.
I just use towels over my tile flooring for floor time. If you only have carpeted areas, I would recommend buying some linoleum and then putting towels over that to prevent damage to your carpet.
Have you thought about adopting a friend for your guinea pig? They are very social animals and do best in pairs or groups. Then he will get more exercise too.
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| leafygreens08 (154) | 4 months ago | He has been using it for a couple of weeks now and so far so good. Cleaning IS a big reason for buying this fake grass rug. The back if coated with a rubbery material that makes this leak proof and then all I have to do it take it outside and spray it down with the hose & air dry. "Rambo" doesn't like the tile either. And no, one piggy is enough. My hubby would kill me if I were to him a friend.:P | |
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| Pigglies (5039) | 4 months ago | Oh ok, as long as the cleaning is simple and he's not ingesting it then I think it would be fine. My guinea pigs don't like tile either, that's why I use towels.
As far as friends go though, it really doesn't take that much more effort to care for two than one. You should at least think about it. They definitely benefit from having a friend. But if you're not in the position to get another currently, then wait awhile until you can care for 2. | |
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| leafygreens08 (154) | 4 months ago | Yes, thanks for your response! I make it a point to spend time with my guinea pig every day. He gets lap time for at least a half hour, while I watch TV. Then I put him down on his astro turf play area and he seems to be doing ok on it. I don't hear him chewing on it and don't see any chewed areas so far. I will keep an eye on him though. Thanks! | |
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| Pigglies (5039) | 4 months ago | Yeah, some will chew and others won't. So maybe you just don't have a chewer, which is good.:) | |
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