How to encourage a fussy pig to eat hay?

Rufus&Edward

Rufus&Edward

Junior Guinea Pig
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One of my pigs has got dental problems and is currently receiving treatment for this. We think this is caused by him not eating enough hay.

His brother Edward eats plenty, but for some reason Rufus just won't eat it- he'll either have very tiny amounts when I first introduce a new type, or just not touch it at all. He's always been like this, so I don't think it's as a result of his dental problems.

We've tried a LOT of different types of hay. Tried leaving it longer, and cutting it shorter. I've tried swishing some about in pureed veg to make it more appealing.
He loves pellets, so I've even mushed some of those up with water and mixed lots of hay in it. Still not interested.
We've also tried reducing the amount of pellets and fresh food he gets but then he just stops eating altogether.

Treating his dental problems long term is a tricky option for us as it means a 8 hour round trip with an overnight stay every month which unfortunately isn't really sustainable for us.
If we can encourage him to be grinding his teeth down more hopefully that can help him, or at least reduce how often he needs to go for treatment which can make it more practical.

Has anyone else had this problem, or can suggest something different for us to try?
 
Hello
Sorry to hear about this. Have you tried toilet paper rolls, wooden toys and balls, wood hideouts and etc?
I always find my boy Finn nibbling on his wooden bridges, hideouts, toilet paper rolls, and toy balls.
Both my Finn and Lara get endless Oxbow hay without interruption also. Lara will only eat hay and doesn’t care about her wood balls and toys.
 
Does he like fresh grass? Grass is as good as hay for keeping teeth worn down. I would try cutting him some but introduce it slowly so as not to upset his guts
 
It is a tricky situation you have with the hay, as even if his issues were caused by not eating enough of it, having dental issues will also be making it difficult to eat it now. @furryfriends (TEAS) should be able to advise you better
 
Seven7 said:
Hello
Sorry to hear about this. Have you tried toilet paper rolls, wooden toys and balls, wood hideouts and etc?
I always find my boy Finn nibbling on his wooden bridges, hideouts, toilet paper rolls, and toy balls.
Both my Finn and Lara get endless Oxbow hay without interruption also. Lara will only eat hay and doesn’t care about her wood balls and toys.
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They always have toilet roll tubes in their hutch- usually with hay stuffed in there too! He will have a little nibble of them, but I think it's only his front teeth he uses for that; it's his back teeth that have the problem. He isn't interested in wood or other chew toys. I make sure there's always eating hay in the hutch all the time and change round what type quite often to try and keep it interesting for them.
 
Pound Shilling & Pig said:
Does he like fresh grass? Grass is as good as hay for keeping teeth worn down. I would try cutting him some but introduce it slowly so as not to upset his guts
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Yes he seems to like fresh grass and is going out on our lawn for a little while each day now that the weather is getting nicer. I think it's similar to the hay though- he soon loses interest in grass and just sits there instead once he's had a few nibbles. I'm persevering with that though, if only for a change of scenery for him.
 
Does he have any problems eating is nuggets and veg? And is he maintaining his weight? Where do you take him for his treatment?
 
One of our dental piggies doesn't eat a huge amount of hay, but she does eat lots of grass. You take your guinea pig to Simon, don't you? How long has your piggy been having treatment? Can he eat veg okay? I find some dental piggies prefer to eat hard veg, such as a chunk of carrot or a broccoli stalk and others prefer leafy veg and salad leaves. For those who are only just learning to eat for themselves again, I will cut the veg into thin strips. I also cut grass into shorter pieces. I also feed the dental piggies porridge oats, as they help keep the weight up!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
One of our dental piggies doesn't eat a huge amount of hay, but she does eat lots of grass. You take your guinea pig to Simon, don't you? How long has your piggy been having treatment? Can he eat veg okay? I find some dental piggies prefer to eat hard veg, such as a chunk of carrot or a broccoli stalk and others prefer leafy veg and salad leaves. For those who are only just learning to eat for themselves again, I will cut the veg into thin strips. I also cut grass into shorter pieces. I also feed the dental piggies porridge oats, as they help keep the weight up!
Click to expand...

Yes he goes to Simon :) He first went in January, so it's quite a recent thing (he's 3 and a half years old). Currently on 4-5 weekly treatments with a hope to increase time between.

He's completely fine with all veg and salad (though not before he was having treatment). I'm giving him it in chunks now he's eating again to encourage more chewing. Currently also trying to get his weight up as he lost a lot of weight pre-dentals (he went down to 800g at his worst... currently at 920g). I've given him porridge oats also, mixed in with a tiny bit of b
 
Sounds like My Ted, he has never eaten much hay, he’s a dental piggie. It’s the chicken and the egg. does dental problems cause him to not eat much hay, or is not eating enough caused the dental problem? This has gone round and round in my head for a long, long time. “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink it” is another frustrating fact. We do the travel to Northampton every 6-8 weeks and overnight stay too!
I’ve tried every hay going, cut it up, left it long, mashed up, hand fed, the lot.
The thing I’ve found is Ted would live on grass completely if he had the choice, he’s not that keen on pellets either, he eats loads grass, some veggies and gets a nightly supplement of soaked oat bran which he likes.
If you find out the secret of hay eating, please, please let me know x
 
Bill & Ted said:
Sounds like My Ted, he has never eaten much hay, he’s a dental piggie. It’s the chicken and the egg. does dental problems cause him to not eat much hay, or is not eating enough caused the dental problem? This has gone round and round in my head for a long, long time. “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink it” is another frustrating fact. We do the travel to Northampton every 6-8 weeks and overnight stay too!
I’ve tried every hay going, cut it up, left it long, mashed up, hand fed, the lot.
The thing I’ve found is Ted would live on grass completely if he had the choice, he’s not that keen on pellets either, he eats loads grass, some veggies and gets a nightly supplement of soaked oat bran which he likes.
If you find out the secret of hay eating, please, please let me know x
Click to expand...

Rufus has recently had his dental and is back eating happily again. Have you tried Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay with Ted? https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/oxbow-orchard-grass-for-rabbits-and-guinea-pigs-11kg Whilst he's not eating copious amounts of it, Rufus is actually eating some of this on his own accord now all of a sudden. I've bought about 15 different types of hay in the past and this is the only one he's shown an interest in. It seems to be a bit softer which might be more tempting to dental piggies :) Could be worth a shot
 
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