Is it a ghost? A jellyfish? An upside down pineapple? Regardless, your guinea pig will love this woollen toy that dangles from the roof and is easy to make. No knitting required!
Step 1
Wrap the wool around your box once and tie tightly. Don't worry if it's not an extremely tight knot, it will still work.
Step 2
Wrap the wool around, with each loop approximately on top of the last.
Step 3
Stop wrapping when it's thick enough. As a guide, the thickness of the wool loops at this stage is about half the fatness of the finished ghost/ jellyfish /pineapple.
Step 4
Cut the wool from the ball. The end doesn't need to be tied off in any way.
Step 5
Tie a piece of wool around the middle of the loops. Use a double knot, and tie as tightly as you can, but it doesn't matter if it loosens a bit. This is where using a box comes in handy, as it's easy to slide the wool under. If you wrapped the wool around another object, use your fingers to push the tie under the loops.
Step 6
Turn the box over and cut the loops. Try to cut exactly opposite where your tie was, or the jellyfish will have uneven tentacles. Your scissors probably won't cut through all the wool at once, so do it in sections, but make the cuts as straight as you can.
Step 7
Remove the loops from the box. You should now have a thick chunk of straight, even strands of wool, tied in the middle.
Step 8
Fold the wool over so the tie is at the top.
Step 9
Use another strand of wool to tie the pieces together at the bottom. Ensure it's close to the bottom, but too close and pieces will fall out. Too far, and the long tentacles could attract the eye of nibbling guinea pigs!
Step 10
Tie a longer strand of wool through the middle of the tentacles. Turn the jellyfish on its side to see where the hole is. Make one end of this longer than the other, about 5cm/2 inches longer than you want it to dangle (better to make it too long and trim later).
Step 11
Tie to the roof of your guinea pig cage. This is easiest if your cage has a grid roof. If there's no roof, or a solid roof, string a piece of wool between the walls across the cage (like a washing line) and tie the toy to it.You can also tie the toy straight to the edge of the cage, but this kind of defeats the "dangling" aspect.
Step 12
Watch your guinea pigs enjoy their toy.
Tips
- If guinea pigs seem frightened of their new toy, scatter some of their favourite vegetables around underneath it. Guinea pigs are naturally nervous of new things, but after a nice meal near it, most will stop being scared and enjoy the stimulation in their environment.
Warnings
- Watch for signs that the guinea pigs are eating it. A little nibbling is normal and not dangerous, but if they're biting off chunks, the toy should be removed to prevent ingesting wool. However, guinea pigs who have a balanced diet and hay to gnaw should not feel the urge to eat their toys.
- If making a "washing line" to dangle toys or treats on, be careful that it is strong enough to stay up. Guinea pigs could get tangled in long, fallen pieces of wool.
- If you have very nervous or shy guinea pigs, make sure they aren't frightened by the toy. If they seem excessively frightened and don't get used to it, remove the toy.
- Guinea pigs need a lot more than just toys. Make sure you take proper care of your guinea pig.
- Toys cannot compensate for companionship. If possible, get your guinea pig a cagemate of the same gender, or spend a lot of time playing with him/her.
Things You'll Need
- scissors
- wool
- object to wrap wool around (a small, fairly rigid box is best
