Girls are chewing on new coro base! Is there any safe piggy deterrents? Please help!

Luna8 · Apr 17, 2012

Hiya Cavy lovers!
I've got a little probelm here....
I finally got my little girls (Coffy and LordBrocktree), a nice new green XLarge coro base, but their constantly chewing on the sides!
Personally I don't think they should sell them if the guinea pigs can chew on them SO easily, at least without a warning.
But then, the manual thing did recommend a few different kinds of tapes to use for securing the flaps, one of them being packing tape which I did not have, so I used green duct tape temporarilly, so I feel a little guilty about my comment above....:guilty:.
Last night the girls's chewing kept me sleep from for a while, and I was so tired of it that I called my mom to see if she could think of a way to make them hush, at least for a while.
The only things she could think of was scraping the scent of fresh lemon or garlic or ginger on the places the were chewing. I asked her if she was compltely sure the would be okay, and she said yes and that garlic would calm any body and do nothing but good for it. I told her maybe it was different with guinea pigs but for her to go ahead and try it this one time.
And it actually worked for a while.
The stopped chewing in the places where she had put it, but the next morning.......
Nibble nibble nibble.....Reeeek! Wheeek! Reeek!
Back to their chewing. *Sigh*
So I was wondering if anyone else has done this and if it's completly safe to do what I did, and if it is how long does is usually last before it wears off?

So I've found some masking tape and we're going to do that instead of the duct tape to secure the flaps, but that's not the only problem. The main probelm is that their chewing the plastic sides or the coro base!

Please help this is my first time with coro and I have absolutely no experience with it!
Thanks ALL in advance,
@Luna8

bpatters · Apr 18, 2012

Absolutely DO NOT put garlic on anything that guinea pigs can chew or lick! They cannot have anything in the garlic/onion family. See https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...y-nutrition-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html for a list of dangerous items for guinea pigs.

When you tape your coroplast together, put the tape on the outside, not the inside. They'll eat every scrap of it if you tape on the inside.

You can get a bitter apple spray for the coroplast, but mine loved it, so that may not work.

Usually pigs will sample coroplast and then let it alone. Do you have other chewy things in their cage ? Like willow balls or fiddlesticks? And do they have unlimited access to hay?

And how are they getting to the base of the coroplast to chew?

One possible solution is to go to a craft store and get the plastic edging that's used for cheap framing material -- it usually just clips over the backing and mat around a picture. A shorter, more expensive version is available at office supply stores (called a "binding bar"), and is used to hold term papers and reports together. Just slip it over the edges of the coroplast. Here's a link to a picture of what I'm talking about: (broken link removed).

Luna8 · Apr 18, 2012

Thanks so much!!!

Ugh, I told mom NOT to do that! But it was OK that one time because Brocktree just sniffed it and went away, she didn't lick it.

But I won't do it again.
The thing is, they aren't chewing on the bottum of the coro, it's the sides they like. SO from now on, I'm going to make sure that BOTH cages, (even though Aslan isn't really chewing on his coro), will have lots of chewies and unlimited amounts of hay.

Thanks you so much, @bpatters !

P.S, I know how to spell 'Coffee,' but I like to spell it 'Coffy,' when I'm talking about the pig Coffy, LOL!

@Luna8

cavyluvr · Apr 18, 2012

I tried the bitter apple spray when my girls were chewing on the one of their grids but it didn't seem to do me any good. also oxbow puts a small amount of garlic powder in their veggie treats so it's probably good for them in very small amounts. I feed my girls the veggie treats and haven't had any problems.

kananaka · Apr 18, 2012

cavyluvr said:
I tried the bitter apple spray when my girls were chewing on the one of their grids but it didn't seem to do me any good. also oxbow puts a small amount of garlic powder in their veggie treats so it's probably good for them in very small amounts. I feed my girls the veggie treats and haven't had any problems.

Yeah reading the list of ingredients of that I wouldn't let it anywhere near my piggies. It also has Dried Potatoes (which are a no no) and Canola Oil; why do pigs need this?

Fresh herbs (parsley, basil, thyme) seem like way better treat options to me.

bpatters · Apr 18, 2012

@cavyluvr, the fact that Oxbow puts garlic in their treats has nothing to do with whether it's good for them in small amounts. They also put a lot of other things in there that aren't recommended for pigs.

When you're dealing with a large company, it's all about what they can sell, not how they can protect the animals their products are made for.

Luna8 · Apr 18, 2012

bpatters said:
@cavyluvr , the fact that Oxbow puts garlic in their treats has nothing to do with whether it's good for them in small amounts. They also put a lot of other things in there that aren't recommended for pigs.

When you're dealing with a large company, it's all about what they can sell, not how they can protect the animals their products are made for.

Very true, and very unfortunate.

@bpatters do you think, as @kananaka merntioned, that fresh parsley, basil, and thyme would be safe treat for guinea pigs? Have you ever used that? I haven't but you seem to have a point there, kananaka.

kananaka · Apr 18, 2012

All of those are on the food chart posted on this web site by Ly&Pigs https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html#post254730 . I use parsley and basil 1-2 times a week and Cilantro every day. I actually started growing parsley and cilantro but they are still seedlings

Luna8 · Apr 18, 2012

Ohh, I've looked briefly at that link before it's great!!! Thanks!
So I have a question, to anyone who sees this thread and decides to post and know the ansere, of course:
So you know when you get a new CXC coroplanst base, and you have to secure the flaps? Well do you put the flap things on the inside or the outside? I don't know hwo much sense that mad, tell me if you didn't and you can ask for mroe deatails, LOL.
I have mine on the ousdie.

cavyluvr · Apr 18, 2012

@bpatters I do know for a fact that garlic is very healthy for humans so I would think that in small amounts it would at least not do any harm to piggies and I have been feeding them the veggie treats for a good while now and my girls are fine. All the other ingredients are fine for piggies as long as you don't feed them more than one a day preferably one every 3 or so days. I also believe that being oxbow is a family owned company and seems to really know what they are doing when it come to small animals I would trust whatever they put in their treats and I like that they have organic options for guinea pig food I am currently switching over from cavy cuisine to their organic guinea pig and my girls love their organic meadow hay. It's reall just a matter of opinion and this is mine.

Luna8 · Apr 26, 2012

Thank you, @cavyluvr.
I've never gotten them any kind of that treat before, because I really don't trust pet-stores often, especially large companies, I would feel almost completely safe if I knew it was a family-run business. I'd just want to get to know them and look at ALL of the thing's ingredients before feeding them.
Not that I'm saying pet-stores can't be trusted. I've seen some really GREAT pet-shops! But there are so many different kinds of pet-shops. Some just want money and don't care about animals, some only care about the animals, some care about both, but the ones I really appreciate but often feel sorry for is the ones that want to do the right things and really care about them, but don't know a thing about them.....
So what kind of treat is this again? Are we talking about those little yogurt blobs?

MariaSonic · Apr 26, 2012

Both my piggies chewed very enthusiastically on the sides of the coroplast when i first built my c &c cage. What bedding do you use? All i do is tuck my fleece over the edges of the coroplast and they've never tried to chew the cage since. I also give my pigs fresh untreated willow or apple branches to chew on and they love it!!

Raine59 · Apr 26, 2012

One of my girls love to chew on the edge of the coroplast so I got some of those "binding bars" that bpatters recommended above and they seem to be working quite well so far.

Luna8 · Apr 26, 2012

@MariaSonic I don't use fleece although I've considered it, and tried it, as a matter of fact and it didn't work out for me, but that was before we got the coro base. Maybe I'll try using some again. I use White Gem Shavings from Lyles (and I know, it's NOT a very top-quaility brand, but I'm workin' on it).

@Rain59 I've never used blinders, but I've heard they work quite well and I might be able to get some soon.

Ugh, it's just that my girls chew on EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!

BUT!
I DO have SOME good news!
Here:
In the first reply of this thread, @bpatters asked me if they have unlimeted hay in their cage, and they didn't. So, I started making sure they always have hay, and.....BING! No more chewing!!!

cavyluvr · Apr 26, 2012

@Luna8 oxbow is not a pet shop they are just a family owned company. The treats contain no dairy which is bad for guinea pigs. They are baked like piggie cookies or biscuts.

cavyluvr · Apr 26, 2012

@Luna8 here is a link for oxbow's website :Oxbow Animal Health | Home. Here you can see all of their products and look at the ingredients in them.

Luna8 · Apr 27, 2012

Thank you, @cavyluvr!

cavyluvr · Apr 27, 2012

@Luna8 Your welcome

biazu17 · May 13, 2012

I am not an expert. However, I will tell you my story.

One month ago, I made C&C cage. Black color cube & White color coroplast. There was no problem. Later I thought the white color coroplast was not attractive, so I wanted to change it. I searched the internet to find a favorite color for guinea pigs. I found that guinea pig can see few colors, (White, Black, Green, blue, red) and they usually prefer green color. I thought it would be nice color for my guinea pigs that easily panic. I went to the shop and bought the green color coroplast. I made the new one. Now they are chewing or eating(?) the edge of the coroplast.
I think the problem is the color of the coroplast. The hey is green color. Do they think the green color cage is the hey? ... I don't know. As I know, people usually make the C&C cage with white color coroplast, and they don't have the problem.

kananaka · May 13, 2012

biazu17 said:
I am not an expert. However, I will tell you my story.

One month ago, I made C&C cage. Black color cube & White color coroplast. There was no problem. Later I thought the white color coroplast was not attractive, so I wanted to change it. I searched the internet to find a favorite color for guinea pigs. I found that guinea pig can see few colors, (White, Black, Green, blue, red) and they usually prefer green color. I thought it would be nice color for my guinea pigs that easily panic. I went to the shop and bought the green color coroplast. I made the new one. Now they are chewing or eating(?) the edge of the coroplast.
I think the problem is the color of the coroplast. The hey is green color. Do they think the green color cage is the hey? ... I don't know. As I know, people usually make the C&C cage with white color coroplast, and they don't have the problem.

That is really intresting. Never would have thought that the color could effect them chewing on it....

Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Girls are chewing on new coro base! Is there any safe piggy deterrents? Please help!

Luna8

Well-known Member

bpatters

Moderator

Luna8

Well-known Member

cavyluvr

Well-known Member

kananaka

Well-known Member

bpatters

Moderator

Luna8

Well-known Member

kananaka

Well-known Member

Luna8

Well-known Member

cavyluvr

Well-known Member

Luna8

Well-known Member

MariaSonic

Member

Raine59

Well-known Member

Luna8

Well-known Member

cavyluvr

Well-known Member

cavyluvr

Well-known Member

Luna8

Well-known Member

cavyluvr

Well-known Member

biazu17

New Member

kananaka

Well-known Member

Similar threads

Share this Page

Newest members

Online statistics

Key Resources

Members online