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Behavior Cage Biting

jamielk92

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One of my pigs bites the bars like crazy when she knows I'm about to give her food. I have a C&C and she's starting chewing them so much that she's actually chewed the coating completely off parts so that the metal bar is showing. I'm a little worried about her eating the pieces she chews off, but there's a pile of the plastic coating pieces laying outside the cage all the time so I don't think she is..

First question, why the heck would they even make the cages with the coating for guinea pigs?

Next, when she bites the bars it's when I'm about to give her the food (when I'm putting it in her dish, hay thing etc.). I've been trying to give it to her as quick as possible so that she stops biting them, but as someone said in another post that's only reenforcing the habit. Will it really teach her not to bite them if I only give it to her when she stops? I feel like she'll just continue to do it until I give it to her.

 

jamielk92

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I also have a question about litter boxes/cuddle cups. I don't want to start a completely new thread for this, but feel free to yell at me if it's not allowed!

My piggies are about 90% litter trained. However, I recently got them a cuddle cup and now they think it's a litter box and they just go to the bathroom in it! I got it for them because it gets chilly in my house at night and I wanted them to have something warm to cuddle with. Now I'm just frustrated because they just use it as a bathroom :( Anyone have any ideas on how I could get them to use it as a bed and not a litter box?
 

Hhbean

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Maybe if you pick her up before you go to feed her it will help? My Sheldon was always bitting and tugging on the grids when I had to put up a divider due to bloodshed. I was always worring about him breaking his tooth. The grids aren't made specificaly for piggie cages, they are sold as storage cubes in stores, hence the plastic coating.
Most piggies will poop where they sleep so if they are sleeping in the cuddle cups there will be poop. Your lucky if that's the only places they are going. I just introduced my neutered boys to their respective girls and now I have 2 cages that have "beans" covering every inch of the cage. I hope after they finish marking and figure out who is boss pig they will start using the corners again.
 

madelineelaine

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I never thought about it, but I guess it does reinforce the habit. Izzy bites the bars habitually before it's veggie time. Only when I've got veggies mind you.

I know there really isn't a way to stop it, but I don't want to reinforce it.

And well, they are manufactured for cube storage :p Not gp cages.

I understand what you mean about the litter box thing. Felix pees in every hidy. There's a reason I have so many. I have to switch them out constantly.
 

MrWhistles

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Mr Whistles used to chew his cage bars alot. I wouldn't worry about it.
 

jamielk92

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I'll try picking her up or not giving her the food when she's biting. @Hhbean that's the thing! They're not sleeping in the cuddle cup at all :( My piggies specifically go into their litter box to go to the bathroom, the poop just piles up in there! Haha! And I actually see them walk all the way to the litter box, jump in, pee, and then jump out! It's really amazing, I just wish they didn't think the cuddle cup was another litter box! It seems they do the same thing since I never see them in it :(
 
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