Advice please?

[koolkathan]

Hi there, sorry for making her another thread I keep feeling bad about this.

I might just be overly concerned about stan, but he doesn't touch his hay, he literally prefers laying on the hay rather than eating it, I've tried many different hays, Timothy and other hays. He literally just lays in it and eats about one piece, on that record he doesn't touch his water at all. I change it every day for him and he doesn't touch it. I've even gone to buying a bowl to put in his cage which he just tips up on himself haha silly monkey. But also another thing he's now started chewing around his food bowl? Is this okay? I mean I've gave him hay, he's got toys and chewing toys. He's got a salt lick and everything. Sorry for the worrying.

 

[sport_billy]

Some Guinea Pigs like sleeping and lying in hay. Widget likes to nest in it while she eats it and can often be found burrowed in it.

Please remove the salt lick they are not needed for Guinea Pigs at all. Piggies will often get lots of water intake from wet veggies, they tend to drink more when it is hot compared to when the weather is colder

 

[fanniephina]

You can also get a heavier bowl made of ceramic that they can't tip over-a little larger then the 1/8 cup per seems to be pretty stable. Ditto on the salt lick. I stay away from manufactured treats at all and just stick with their salad. I would just watch his drinking more then anything from the concerns you have. Is he eating his pellets ok and taking in his salad?

They love to lay on their hay and chew it on and off all day. You can opt to add a hay holder to the cage. I have had both the bag and the metal rack that hangs from the top with four hooks. I have to say that they love pulling out the hay from the upper rack over anything else. A lot of the hay still lands on the ground and they pull it to lay in but I would say they are there pulling it out all together a lot during the day and this corner of the four that they can choose from is the popular one.

It's not necessary but you can try it if it is a concern for you. I think they cost around $5 here. I added an upper grid with a door opening over that corner and hang it from the door opening in the 'roof' so I can add it and clean through the opening. I had to pull the hooks a bit further but it was simple and it really works well. I wouldn't worry so much about this-they have an instinct to eat their hay; it's the number one priority for these little 'piggies' :-)

 

[Merab]

Don’t apologise for worrying about your piggy.
This is one place where you can be sure there are people who understand what it’s like to worry about our piggies.
He may be eating more hay than you realise.
Is he wearing and pooing normally?
Mine like to lay on top of their hay or bury themselves in it too.
Good advice has already been given but I always work on the basis that if I ‘m really concerned I go to the vet.

 

[koolkathan]

You can also get a heavier bowl made of ceramic that they can't tip over-a little larger then the 1/8 cup per seems to be pretty stable. Ditto on the salt lick. I stay away from manufactured treats at all and just stick with their salad. I would just watch his drinking more then anything from the concerns you have. Is he eating his pellets ok and taking in his salad?

They love to lay on their hay and chew it on and off all day. You can opt to add a hay holder to the cage. I have had both the bag and the metal rack that hangs from the top with four hooks. I have to say that they love pulling out the hay from the upper rack over anything else. A lot of the hay still lands on the ground and they pull it to lay in but I would say they are there pulling it out all together a lot during the day and this corner of the four that they can choose from is the popular one.

It's not necessary but you can try it if it is a concern for you. I think they cost around $5 here. I added an upper grid with a door opening over that corner and hang it from the door opening in the 'roof' so I can add it and clean through the opening. I had to pull the hooks a bit further but it was simple and it really works well. I wouldn't worry so much about this-they have an instinct to eat their hay; it's the number one priority for these little 'piggies' :-)

thank you all for the reply, honestly I have tried doing the hay racks, and he doesn't touch it if it's in a hay rack, and he leaves it no matter how many times I replace and change the hay, which is of course every day. But yes he loves snuggling into his hay but thank you, I don't give him no manufactured treats, he's never really had anything apart from his pellets which he loves and is eating them fine, and his salad which he loves. But thank you!

 

[Betsy]

My lot have hay in hay racks and a they have hay as bedding in the hutch as well as a hay tray. They don't touch the clean hay in the racks or the hay tray as they prefer to munch on the bedding that has been pooed and wee'd on . They always have the choice of which hay to eat. They clearly prefer the taste of pooed and wee'd on hay Maybe Stan is the same?

 

[fanniephina]

My lot have hay in hay racks and a they have hay as bedding in the hutch as well as a hay tray. They don't touch the clean hay in the racks or the hay tray as they prefer to munch on the bedding that has been pooed and wee'd on . They always have the choice of which hay to eat. They clearly prefer the taste of pooed and wee'd on hay Maybe Stan is the same?

Lol-they are getting their nutrients that way at least! The boys upstairs with my daughter really prefer the same- full of their own bodily nutrients and rubbed all over their bodies lol. Won't touch the hay rack-it was 'donated' to my cage downstairs by my daughter just as a test so as not to add to the pile of pet cages we bought and never used in the storage area :-). My daughter accidentally dropped a ton of hay over the cage from a new bag and her first boy ran under it and fluffed, rolled and ran in it like he was taking a shower! She showed me-sooo funny. Really really love these babies :-).

 

[Betsy]

Ha ha I would have loved to have seen that!