Hello. Captain Cuddles here. My mama asked me to introduce this post today because she made something sweet and cuddly for me! Mollie calls it a piggy pouch, and she put me inside, so I guess that makes me the piggy.
When my adopted sister Lieutenant Nibbles or I are inside this snuggly spot, we feel so secure. We also like to poke around inside. I don't want to brag or anything, but I think it makes me extra cute. Way cuter than Nibbles. But don't tell her I said that. She scares me sometimes.
Thanks for my new pouch mama Mollie! And thanks for letting me write a little something for your blog!
Thanks, Captain!
You know, it's a risk asking a guinea pig to write for your blog, but I think she did a great job. Am I right?
This soft pouch is basically a fabric bag with a flat bottom where the guinea pigs can hang out. It's part blankie and part cave. I just made this and it's still new to them, but both of the piggies really seem to like it. The humans like it because it's easy to hold them without having them squirm away.
And yeah, they look super cute inside.
I found similar things online to order, but I knew it would be simple to make and I was right. There are easily a dozen ways to make a lined bag. I referenced the 1-Hour Basket for the basics and made adjustments from there. Read on for those customizations.
The piggy pouch is super soft and can be scrunched down around them (or pulled up tall for them to scrunch down themselves). If you fold the sides down a couple times it can be more structured and like a basket.
I just love how Captain Cuddles peeks out over the top!
We've been folding it down one time, making it easier for the piggies to see, but still keeping the sides moveable. This is where it becomes like a hide or a cave. We can also carry them without having them wiggle away, although they do like to poke their noses out to see where they're going.
What's funny though is that once you set them down in the pouch, they haven't really tried to climb out. I guess that means they like it!
Again, this is very new to them. So far, they haven't had any accidents inside, but it's totally washable for when it does happen. I folded a hand towel in the bottom for extra absorbency just in case.
To make your own piggy pouch (which could work for other small pets too), use this as a guide:
Start with the free 1-Hour Basket tutorial.
Supplies:
(skip the other items on the original list)
Two 15x15 pieces of outer fabric
Two 15x15 pieces of anti-pill fleece
1. Follow steps 3-9 in the tutorial, using the fleece as the lining piece. In steps 5-6 I measured the 3" from the seam, not the edge of the fabric.
2. Skip step 10 because you aren't adding handles. Follow steps 11-13. You can top stitch the edge as in step 14, but it's not necessary.
3. Finally, sew the opening closed as in step 15.
Because of skipping a few things, this will take a lot less than an hour to make. Right now I just have this one made, but I'll probably make a couple more so we have at least one for each of the guinea pigs.
I'm pretty sure that both of them will fit in this one bag and they'll most likely snuggle with each other. But if it's too small, I can always sew up a pouch that's a little wider.
Yay for guinea pig stitching!
