Chewing My piglets are chewing on EVERYTHING

[sweetice58]

How do you keep up with guinea pigs that like to chew on everything??? I have two 1 year old female guinea pigs that chew on EVERYTHING. And when I mean everything I mean their litter box, food bowls, and their coroplast cage. I can't seem to keep up. I removed their plastic food bowl, their pigloo, I covered as much of the coroplast that I could and I even removed their litter box. I figured that was the problem but no. Now, they are chewing on the ceramic bowl I got them and the wire of the C&C cage. It's horrible!!! I just don't know what else to do. They get PLENTY of chewing toys and they like every single one of them but yet they can't stop chewing on everything else. Any suggestions??? I know all this plastic is not good for them but I don't know how to make them stop.

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[CavyMama]

Do they have hay?

 

[sweetice58]

Yes, they do. I always make sure they get plenty of hay.

 

[CavyMama]

Sometimes chewing can be a sign of boredom but pigs also learn about their environment by mouthing and chewing. They learn whether something is food, if it's soft, if it's tasty, etc.

What size cage are they in?

 

[pinky]

Can you upload some photos of your cage?

 

[sweetice58]

I have a 3 x 2 C&C cage. I was told the size would be enough for my girls and honestly, I can't get a bigger cage for them.

 

[sweetice58]

I'm not sure if you'll able to see this picture but this is their cage.

They have plenty of room to run around and the popcorn like crazy! They really are happy piggies and I spoil them all the time but this chewing behavior is new and I don't know whats making them do that. I know they need to chew because of their teeth but could it because they are growing faster now that they are older? I got one of them when she was only a couple of weeks old and the second when she was 4 months old.

 

[chas25]

Maybe you could try some chew sticks like from an apple tree? or another cavy approved chew treat to encourage them to chew on that instead of everything else

 

[MrWhistles]

Some chewing is okay. It happens from time to time. The only time I'd worry about it is if she is ingesting pieces of the object she is chewing on. Fabric is a no no period with me. When my boar had this issue, I soaked(or poured a bit on) the piece he was chewing on with some straight white vinegar. The smell was enough to fend him off.

 

[MrWhistles]

There also doesn't appear to be alot in your cage. Add back in the hidys and what not. Maybe get some little cat balls. The 99 cent plastic ones that have a bell in them. They are a hit with my pigs and I'm having to put 1 back into the cage atleast twice a day. If you're like me and have ALOT of hay to spare, make a hay bin. They can hop in, potty in, play in, hide, eat etc there. Just clean the bin and refresh hay daily.

 

[Rayen]

How much time do they get outside of their cage? I know my rabbits/guinea pig will chew obnoxiously on just about anything I don't want them chewing on if they haven't managed to get enough out-of-cage time for the day. Maybe they're feeling restless and want to come out for longer?

 

[Shelbz]

My two boars are terrible for chewing as well. I would replace their plastic bowl with a ceramic one- I have yet to see either of my pair chew the ceramic bowl- and buy a wooden hidey house or something similar. I find covering things I don't want them to chew (like the bottom of the coroplast ramp in my cage, for example) in fleece works too. Having said that, they will chew whatever they can find if there isn't enough legitimate things for them to chew, like wooden hiding houses, fiddlestix, willow balls, toilet paper tubes cut in half, etc.

 

[shc1192]

How do you keep up with guinea pigs that like to chew on everything??? I have two 1 year old female guinea pigs that chew on EVERYTHING. And when I mean everything I mean their litter box, food bowls, and their coroplast cage. I can't seem to keep up. I removed their plastic food bowl, their pigloo, I covered as much of the coroplast that I could and I even removed their litter box. I figured that was the problem but no. Now, they are chewing on the ceramic bowl I got them and the wire of the C&C cage. It's horrible!!! I just don't know what else to do. They get PLENTY of chewing toys and they like every single one of them but yet they can't stop chewing on everything else. Any suggestions??? I know all this plastic is not good for them but I don't know how to make them stop.

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Is their cage more than big enough? My Brego chewed on EVERYTHING and both guinea pigs chewed on the bars and coroplast of their 8 square foot cage before we expanded their cage a few days ago to over 12 square feet and added a loft. Since then, they haven't chewed their cage wire at all! Now they only really chew on their willow sticks, and occasionally Brego will chew on their ceramic bowl or their igloos but it's been rare. I think they were cooped up and bored and just really needed more space. I live in a small apartment and they stay in my room, but I was able to move the furniture around and get a smaller computer desk and a smaller TV stand to make space for a bigger cage.
If you really can't make their cage bigger, you could try giving them plenty of floor time outside their cage.
Edit: Just saw your cage pictures. Space may be the issue. Definitely try giving them more floor time though and see if it helps!

 

[sweetice58]

They get plenty of floor time and time outside of their cage. I try to keep them as active as I can. I buy them WARE Willow Branch Ball Chew Toys, WARE Small Willow Barbell Chew Toy and also other apply/willow branch twigs they enjoy to munch on very much.

I haven't gotten the chance to go to the store but I will be buying them a wooden tunnel. I think they will like that and even if they chew on it, it's not bad for them.

Any idea if the Seagrass Twists (here) are good for them?

 

[pinky]

I think that space is too tight for two. The bed takes up a big section which leaves little free running space so they're probably feeling confined and stressed out.

 

[sweetice58]

Is their cage more than big enough? My Brego chewed on EVERYTHING and both guinea pigs chewed on the bars and coroplast of their 8 square foot cage before we expanded their cage a few days ago to over 12 square feet and added a loft. Since then, they haven't chewed their cage wire at all! Now they only really chew on their willow sticks, and occasionally Brego will chew on their ceramic bowl or their igloos but it's been rare. I think they were cooped up and bored and just really needed more space. I live in a small apartment and they stay in my room, but I was able to move the furniture around and get a smaller computer desk and a smaller TV stand to make space for a bigger cage.
If you really can't make their cage bigger, you could try giving them plenty of floor time outside their cage.
Edit: Just saw your cage pictures. Space may be the issue. Definitely try giving them more floor time though and see if it helps!

That has been my worry that they need a bigger cage and as much as I can try to rearrange things at home, it won't work. I feel completely awful about it but like I said on my previous response, I try to give them as much floor time as I can outside of their cage. And I was convinced that the 3 x 2 C&C cage was more than enough space for them.

The other thing about it, if it was the space issue, why weren't they like this before? They only started acting like this a couple of weeks ago.

 

[sweetice58]

I think that space is too tight for two. The bed takes up a big section which leaves little free running space so they're probably feeling confined and stressed out.

I have a couple of those cute comfy cozies I purchased and made for them but I wasn't able to find some right away last night so I had to put that in for them so they can cuddle since they like that.

I'm also wondering if the weather change affects them? I'm not able to take them outside anymore because we've began to dropped down to the 60's with a really cold breeze. They must miss it because they would much on grass/dandelions all the time. The could be the stress that's making them act this way.

 

[sweetice58]

Some chewing is okay. It happens from time to time. The only time I'd worry about it is if she is ingesting pieces of the object she is chewing on. Fabric is a no no period with me. When my boar had this issue, I soaked(or poured a bit on) the piece he was chewing on with some straight white vinegar. The smell was enough to fend him off.

I'm willing to try the vinegar on the sections they like to chew on. I'm thankful they don't chew on the fleece.