Help with bar chewing

[JenniPigi]

I have two sows in a 10.5 sq f c&c cage. I've never really noticed them chewing on the bars in the five months I've had them, but recently they've been chewing them constantly. One of them chewed the correx base of their cage so much I had to take it out. They have lots of wooden chew toys and loads of hay around their cage, and usually popcorn a few times every day, I also gave them enrichment activities. I recently started letting them free roam and round the room they live in, for a couple of hours a day while I'm there. Could it be a way of them asking to come out? I would be so sad if it's because they're unhappy or bored. What is the most likely cause and how do I help?

 

[Ramia]

Mine chews the bars when he wants to come in his playpen. If he does I either give him forage to distract him for five minutes, a puzzle with pellets, or I simply leave the room or top off his hay to distract him. He is obsessed with his playpen so my guess is yours want to free roam!

 

[Truffolo]

I think piggies as unlikely to get bored in the way dogs, cats and birds get bored as they need to graze a great deal and then to sleep and digest. They tend to like their familiar cage and being with their herd. But I think they do need activity and probably look forward to a chance to run around, so might be focusing the extra energy on the bars. The free roaming is good for them. I got acrylic sheets 1mm thick and about 30cm x 15cm around the cage to keep in the wood shavings and to stop bar biting. They can chew the bars if they stand on their hind legs, but they get tired doing that before long.

 

[Truffolo]

I think piggies as unlikely to get bored in the way dogs, cats and birds get bored as they need to graze a great deal and then to sleep and digest. They tend to like their familiar cage and being with their herd. But I think they do need activity and probably look forward to a chance to run around, so might be focusing the extra energy on the bars. The free roaming is good for them. I got acrylic sheets 1mm thick and about 30cm x 15cm around the cage to keep in the wood shavings and to stop bar biting. They can chew the bars if they stand on their hind legs, but they get tired doing that before long.

The sheets are available in Amazon and don't cost much. They can be held on with fold back clips or hole punched and secured with cable ties or just stood against the bars.

 

[Truffolo]

I tried perspective panels which cost about £30 for four but found the sheets work better.

 

[hayethusiasts]

Good luck on the bar biting, mine only does it when i am about to give them pellets and wants it right there and then. He does not have any patience at all!

As mentioned above maybe they want to have a free roam. But at the same time have you tried those chews that hung on the grid? Mine love it! It may help