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Chewing How much chewing/is hay enough?

HollyG

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So my guinea pig has access to unlimited hay but I'm wondering if that is enough. I know guinea pigs' teeth continuously grow and they need to chew to manage them; is just the unlimited hay enough? I've tried wooden chewing blocks but she just pees on them. She had a wooden hidey house but she was staying in it constantly and she peed on that too. I've also given her a piece of crumpled up paper she likes to occasionally chew on. If what I have isn't enough does anyone have any recommendations for chews that she may like?
 

bpatters

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Hay will work just fine. I've never had a pig that would seriously chew on anything else. Taste it, maybe, but that was it.
 

HollyG

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Thank you [MENTION=13820]bpatters[/MENTION], I was a little worried her teeth would get overgrown without something to chew but nothing I've tried has worked. I'm glad that you've had that experience as well!
 

bpatters

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The incisors almost NEVER overgrow unless there's something wrong with the molars. Problems with them can be caused by lack of hay, poor genetics, injury, abscessed teeth, and elongated roots. Vets who treat incisors without addressing the problems with the molars usually lack sufficient knowledge to adequately treat piggy dental problems.
 

HollyG

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@bpatters I haven't noticed any issues with her teeth at all, I just didn't want to wait until there was any issue. I took her to a vet last month who claimed to know about guinea pigs and she told me I needed to get something for her to chew on. The vet said that hay wasn't enough and told me to keep forcing the wood blocks on her. However other things that she has told me I have found to be untrue (via this site) like when she told me that my pig was somewhat chubby and to cut back on hay.
 

bpatters

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Yeah. Don't go back to that vet.
 

Cierra_95

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Small Pet Select has some good chew toys if you want to give them a try. They have a sampler pack that I?ve been getting for my guinea pigs and they love them all.
On another note, maybe she is just content with chewing on hay. I?ve noticed if my guinea pigs get bored with the hay they will sometimes start chewing on their pigloos and cage itself.
 
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