Chewing Plastic Pigloo and Chewing

[CC Cookie Dough]

For the past week or so, my guinea pig has been chewing the entrance to her plastic igloo (she's only been chewing one side of it though). After doing some reading, I saw how bad this was for her and I tried to do things to help such as adding more toys (which she loved). She has plenty of food, so I doubt that is the issue. I suppose she could be trying to get more attention because she's bored.

Since she has still been chewing it after I added the toys, I have temporarily taken out her plastic igloo. Is there a way for me to get her to stop chewing her plastic igloo? Is it safe for her to chew the igloo?

Also, I have seen that some people recommend using edible igloos instead of plastic ones if the guinea pig has a problem with chewing the igloo. Is this a good idea? If so, which kinds of edible igloos do you recommend and where can I get them?

Here are some pictures of her chewed up plastic igloo:

 

[bpatters]

It won't hurt her. She's not getting the plastic off in large enough pieces to be a problem. But if you're worried about, take the pigloo out and make a fleece forest or drape fleece across the corner of the cage.

 

[Banshee]

My guinea and rat nibble the edges of their igloos too--I think its a small animal thing.
Just as long as she isn't like, eating large amounts, shes fine.
My pig has a snack shack house--some people think they're not the best though, as they are made out of honey, and pigs are naturally vegans.

 

[bpatters]

The snack shack houses are not good for guinea pigs. They are not engineered to process sugar, and it can badly upset the balance of bacteria in the digestive tract.

You're much better off feeding your pigs herbs for treats, with only occasional bits of fruit, than to let them eat all that sugar in a snack shack. Besides, it does nothing to keep their teeth ground down, so they're essentially useless.

 

[Banshee]

The snack shack houses are not good for guinea pigs. They are not engineered to process sugar, and it can badly upset the balance of bacteria in the digestive tract.

You're much better off feeding your pigs herbs for treats, with only occasional bits of fruit, than to let them eat all that sugar in a snack shack. Besides, it does nothing to keep their teeth ground down, so they're essentially useless.

Oh. Sorry.
(my pig barely chews on it-Is it ok with me watching how much he chews it? I thought it was ok because a lot of people use them....)

 

[WheekingPiggies]

My girls also chew on the entrances of their pigloos occasionally. If it's getting excessive, I'd recommend getting a wooden hidey house. I have one for my girls and they really like chewing at the corners and I know the wood is perfectly safe for them to chew. Another thing they really like to chew are the willow twig tunnels, which are an alternative for your piggies to chew and hide in.

 

[pinky]

My guinea pigs chew just about everything. I agree that it's not a problem. Mine even chew on the plastic foot stools I have in their cages.

 

[CC Cookie Dough]

Thanks everyone for your responses! I'm glad to hear that it's a normal thing and that it's not really a problem. I'll put her plastic pigloo back in her cage and monitor her chewing to make sure she doesn't chew off any big pieces.