Can he hurt his teeth?

[piggyqueen]

Can he hurt or lose a tooth by gnawing on his bars?

What would be a good way to stop him gnawing if it will result in him hurting himself?

 

[Laura-CCC4]

The short answer is that they can break their teeth. The good answer is that any breaks are usually very minor and barely noticeable.

I've heard of some people using bitter-tasting things on the bars to discourage bar-gnawing - you could try spreading some lemon juice on the bars, although you would have to wipe it clean daily before reapplying!

Make sure the pig has lots of hay and a nice variety of toys to interest him; it doesn't stop the most resolute of bar-chewers, but it can help if the chewing is down to boredom. And try not to give in to feeding him when he does this, you don't want him to learn that every time he chews the bars he'll get food - he'll never stop otherwise! |)

 

[sqeeker]

Bradders lost one of his front teeth by knawing the bars but it grew back in a few days, he was fine didnt stop him eating or drinking

 

[fi.cantillon]

CCC4 has hit the nail on the head so to speak. Bar chewing is a behaviour. All behaviours happen for a reason we just need to try and understand why this is happening. No easy task but is often down to boredom or learned behaviour that he gets what he wants when he does this whether it be food or cuddles etc. Bear in mind that any behaviour will increase before it decreases so dont panic if you don't see a result straight away.