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Cage biting!

Tonisita

Tonisita

New Born Pup
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
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Location
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Hi!

Pickle has taken to chewing on the bars of his cage when he wants food. From the kitchen it sounds like someone knocking! Is he likely to damage his teeth and should I try and stop him? Smudge doesn't copy him. In fact, when they have floor time together Pickle stalks Smudge continually, even nudging him and running away, popcorning, like he's pleased to annoy his brother! He's definitely Wheeker in Chief and Cage Biter in Chief and too big for his boots!
 
I’ve got 2 cage biters - they know when it’s food time as they don’t do it any other time. They usually only bite one grid and I’ve tried putting things in front of it to stop them but they either move to another grid or try to destroy my barrier 🤣 haven’t found a way to stop them. Maybe someone else will have a better suggestion.
 
You're right about the one grid thing! If I tell Pickle 'No, you've had yours already. It's my turn to eat' he does get the message! Have your guineas ever damaged their teeth doing that? I think Pickle has a streak of endearing insanity!
 
I have 6 bar biters, (thanks Red). 6 year old Red has taught every guinea pig that has come into this house during his reign to bite the bars and it drives me mad as they get quite frenzied at times. I've tried all sorts including not feeding them at feeding times until they stop but nothing works for long. Now Red has got older he does it a lot, all the time he's awake even when he's just got fed which starts the other's off and gets them all over excited. Red ground his teeth down once to little stubs and I covered all his grids with perspex so he couldn't get at them but I don't like that as it restricts air flow round the cage. When I took the perspex away he didn't bite the bars for sometime but then he got bad again. If anyone comes up with an answer to this I'd really like to know!
 
I absolutely love my guinea pigs and spend more time caring for them than pretty much anything else I do, but this and correx biting are the two things that I absolutely hate about them!

The only thing I have found that works is totally ignoring them when they do it. One of mine will bite the bars so violently that I fear he will seriously hurt himself (and I’ve seen him get his teeth caught), he specifically does it as I put the pellets in their bowls. I am slowly training him out of it (last week there were three feeding times with no bar biting!) by freezing on the spot when he chews the bars so that he does not see the feeding is progressing. I will also gently touch his chin while he does it because he hates being touched so I get to stroke a very soft guinea pig chin and he gets a very gentle telling off!
Sometimes it doesn’t work and he will be very very persistent, I will tap my fingernails or knuckles once against the top of the bars, it makes a loud noise and he feels the vibration and stops for a moment.

Having had them for seven years, I think that only finding one thing I greatly dislike about keeping them is not so bad.
 
A guinea pig belonging to someone I know lost his front teeth when the bars collapsed when he was biting them. They grew back but he needed syringe feeding for quite a while.
If I ignore Red when he is biting the bars he does it louder and more. My chair is opposite his cage and he gives me death stares if I tell him to be quiet, he will then start again even louder. Sometimes if I whistle he will stop but it's only for moments. Tonight I have taken him out of the cage in his fleece hidey and put him on the sofa next to me, he's curled up asleep as he can't get to the bars.
I cured the corex biting by edging it with paper binders.
 
One of my foster boys, Jet, was a terrible cage biter. I would tell him that he had already eaten and all he is getting is a few pats on the head. He started to realize I would pet him every time he would chew the bars and that helped slow it down a bit.
 
We have gone through a few bar biting moments. The first time we managed to break the habit by no food coming and waiting until the biting had stopped before feeding.
Then Billy started biting the bars & re- taught Hamish & Billy promptly stopped!
Hamish has continued biting the bars. Drives me scatty. To begin with I sang(badly) a nursery rhyme which distracted long enough to stop him. Now I cover over the outside of the bars with fleece, and he can’t see us. We are slowly trying to break the bar chew/feed cycle again, I slowly feel like the humans are winning.
 
I broke Red's demand for attention a few years ago by taking him out for lap time when he bit the bars. It worked for a while but sadly not for long enough!
 
Mine do it when they are in their carry box, it has solid metal bars so they can get a good noise going there. They only do it when I'm putting in their new hay after a cleanout and they desperately want to get in it (I don't go fast enough for them!).
Their living place has weld mesh rather than bars, mainly so the cats can't get a paw in there, but it also means the piggies can't really chew on it.
 
Does anyone have any new ideas for the bar biting crew?
I feel like we have tried everything.

I am concerned Wally is going to damage his teeth soon.
He’s definitely biting the bars less, but when he does bite the bars it’s ferocious.

Seriously considering Perspex, but suspect he’s going to turn into a werepig again! He is highly likely to bounce off them or try to get over the top.

(& I just looked at the price of the clear kavee grids and nearly fainted!)
 
You can get the solid grids on Amazon, ebay etc. They are storage unit ones like the grid grids but a lot cheaper. I've managed to break the cycle with most of my boys and they don't do it all the time now (just when foods coming) so I don't get so worried. Except Red! :luv: :hb:
 
Dear Cage Biting Piggies

Don't believe your Slaves when they tell you that bar biting is annoying! It can be quite detrimental to your teeth if you do it all the time so maybe cut down on the amount of bar chewing you do. Slaves find the noise strangely satisfying and it helps them to concentrate on things. If they tell you to stop, do so for a little while then just carry on! Slaves like it most of all when they are watching the thing in the corner with lights and sounds or when having a conversation with friends and family.

Your friend who is always around for advice

Miss Bramble
Shop Steward
 
Betsy said:
Dear Cage Biting Piggies

Don't believe your Slaves when they tell you that bar biting is annoying! It can be quite detrimental to your teeth if you do it all the time so maybe cut down on the amount of bar chewing you do. Slaves find the noise strangely satisfying and it helps them to concentrate on things. If they tell you to stop, do so for a little while then just carry on! Slaves like it most of all when they are watching the thing in the corner with lights and sounds or when having a conversation with friends and family.

Your friend who is always around for advice

Miss Bramble
Shop Steward
Click to expand...
I would like you all to know that I have just told Miss Bramble off for making the above post. I said to her that this was a serious thread about bar biting piggies and how to stop them biting the bars with lots of helpful answers but she didn't believe me! Well at least I tried. I don't usually get involved in her GPU business but felt I needed to explain on this occasion but all she did was threaten me with an Emergency Meeting of the GPU! :oops::help:
 
Betsy said:
Dear Cage Biting Piggies

Don't believe your Slaves when they tell you that bar biting is annoying! It can be quite detrimental to your teeth if you do it all the time so maybe cut down on the amount of bar chewing you do. Slaves find the noise strangely satisfying and it helps them to concentrate on things. If they tell you to stop, do so for a little while then just carry on! Slaves like it most of all when they are watching the thing in the corner with lights and sounds or when having a conversation with friends and family.

Your friend who is always around for advice

Miss Bramble
Shop Steward
Click to expand...
Dear Miss Bramble,
Thank you for your support. Unfortunately on this occasion I won’t be passing on your ideas to the boys.
I think, I suggested in the past a questionnaire would be most helpful for you in deciding what advice to give regarding bar chewing, & an updated advice sheet for the GPU might also be advisable.

As your Slave has pointed out this is a very serious conversation thread, trying to prevent any injuries.
Kind regards
A
 
piggieminder said:
You can get the solid grids on Amazon, ebay etc. They are storage unit ones like the grid grids but a lot cheaper. I've managed to break the cycle with most of my boys and they don't do it all the time now (just when foods coming) so I don't get so worried. Except Red! :luv: :hb:
Click to expand...
I shall take a look, thank you.
 
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