[Gpdd] CARE: toys!!!

[Susan Eastin]

Michelle-
You sure have some good ideas for toys! Like you said,
different pigs have different styles, and I think toys
are like new foods - sometimes it takes a while for them
to decide they like it! I think by far the tp tubes and
paper bags and boxes have to be best. The OP's are also 
fond of the pizza boxes, turned on end to form tents, also
one side propped up on something like a box, etc, to create 
a little shelter, or 'carport'.(would this be a piggie-port?)
They love when I get creative with the tp tubes, seems to
make them more interesting to nibble on! I just use scissors
and cut round and round, spiraling toward one end. Or cut
slits to form little strips, end to end, but leaving an inch
or so at each end. (LW has that final inch that he has been
carrying around now for a couple months) The other day I cut
one to resemble a little man with a spike hairdo, and one
like a little piggie (flaps for legs and ears, the butt-end
cut and bent in). Those storage baskets are great. I got the
coated wire ones that stack, and turned two upside down. Then
a piece of cardboard covered the floor of the top one, and I
use a large (rug covered) board for a ramp to the upstairs.
This also creates a great place to hide under. Another one
of these baskets I put a piece of towel-wrapped foam in for
a soft bed, then attach a towel to the back and across to the
side fencing to make a kind of canopy. They think they are
very clever to have discovered this!
The latest addition isn't exactly cheap, but I couldn't resist.
At Harbor Freight (supposedly tools, but they have all kinds of
neat things), I found a miniature garden swing of wrought iron
and wood. After helping me assemble it, CP enjoyed relaxing in
it, but I insisted he let Snowy have a turn. I covered the wood
slats with a folded towel for safety, and she thought it was
just ducky. LW didn't want to spend too much time in it in case
it was a trick, but he was interested in it. 
I've discovered bird toys are good, too. And I got one of those
cheap clip-on mirrors designed for the car's visors. I put it in
their cage near the hay rack, and have found them gazing at the
beautiful piggies more than once.
Another 'accidental' favorite - the little basket I got to carry
piggies around the house in got tipped over. The handles on each
side were enough to keep one side raised just high enough for 
a piggie to slip under. (note: when only nose-tip or back end and
a leg are sticking out, the pig is invisible!) Snowy especially
likes to play peekaboo - after asking CP 'where's Snowy' for a
time, she will peek out until you notice here, then duck back
'out of sight'. CP just looks worried if he thinks she's lost.
They are so comical, partly because they are so serious!
Anyone else have some good ideas? I'm planning an addition to the 
Condo for LW, so will need to stock it for him.
Susi and the Okie Piggies
Snowy, CocoPuff and Lil' Whistle