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How To Encourage Chewing On Chewsticks?

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Sterra

Sterra

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Hi everyone,

I'm new to the piggie world, after years of smaller rodentia, and I am finding that my pair love chewing on cardboard and coroplast, but don't have any interest in chewing on the wood sticks I've bought them to encourage safer chewing.

Are there any tips or tricks to encouraging wood chewing, such as soaking the wood in something pleasant?

I'm redoing their C&C cage soon after all the chewing, but want to make sure they're safely enjoying the wood before I make a brand new base. They appear to have stopped chewing the plastic, but I'm still concerned they are eating the cardboard boxes as I don't find much litter. They have plenty of hay, so I am wondering if the chewing is architectural expression, rather than necessary tooth wearing.

Any advice would be extremely appreciated :)
 
In all honesty, I think it is just dependent upon the pigs. One of my girls loves to chew on the log bridges we had in the cage. Mine don't tend to touch willow sticks etc put in for them.
Cardboard chewing isn't a problem, I know @Wiebke posted a picture some time ago of the cardboard carrier that some of her pigs cam home in which had been chewed to the point it was hardly standing any more.

One of my girls used to love eating newspaper, which is also not a problem. In fact it was the only thing she wanted to eat at one point when she was poorly.

Do your pigs get veg as well? A variety of veg keeps them interested, as well as different brands of hay mixed in with their usual. Some particular favourites of my girls include: vitaverde with dandelion/ rose, excel with camomile, excel with marigold and dandelion. They also love the burgess excell herb treats such as: country garden and mountain meadow, a little bit of this sprinkled around encourages foraging behaviour.
Hope that helps
 
Thanks for you reply! Yes my pigs get loads of veg (may actually need to cut down!) and they enjoy their hard feed as well.
Good to know about the newspaper and cardboard, I have been worried about impaction from ingesting too much of it, as they are industrial about their renovation.

Thanks much!
 
I bought my girls loads of wooden things to chew on and it was a complete waste of money! They completely ignored them and showed absolutely no interest. They do however like those treat sticks they go down well, I bought them a parsley shaped bell thingy and slowly munching on that, they tend to like things hanging.
I have been successful in picking out a treat bowl which is edible too :D Result!

I have found they like to chew on anything wood when having floor time. One of my girls started biting at the skirting board and door. Plus I haven't told the OH but when upstairs they nibbled at his closet... Oopsey?!

They have a cardboard box which they love and also paper bags stuffed with hay :D I also got them a house and that tends to get munched on too.
 
My two like chewing their hutch - we will be down to 3 legs soon if they aren't careful, and Toby loves shredding and eating newspaper - particularly if it is all over the lounge floor. Chew toys are deliberately ignored!
 
My boys only seem to chew hay and coroplast. Most of the wooden toys that I bought them have been given to The Gerbils since they actually appreciate them.
 
jesss said:
I have found they like to chew on anything wood when having floor time. One of my girls started biting at the skirting board and door. Plus I haven't told the OH but when upstairs they nibbled at his closet... Oopsey?!
Click to expand...

I agree, just buy a piece of large, expensive wooden furniture and it'll go down a treat.
 
jesss said:
I have found they like to chew on anything wood when having floor time. One of my girls started biting at the skirting board and door. Plus I haven't told the OH but when upstairs they nibbled at his closet... Oopsey?!
Click to expand...

I forgot to say that Quinn enjoys chewing the corner of the living room door ¬_¬
 
With regards to chewing chloroplast I used some plastic edging from DIY store secured with drill holes and cable tied on. quote="Sterra, post: 1485432, member: 114573"]Hi everyone,

I'm new to the piggie world, after years of smaller rodentia, and I am finding that my pair love chewing on cardboard and coroplast, but don't have any interest in chewing on the wood sticks I've bought them to encourage safer chewing.

Are there any tips or tricks to encouraging wood chewing, such as soaking the wood in something pleasant?

I'm redoing their C&C cage soon after all the chewing, but want to make sure they're safely enjoying the wood before I make a brand new base. They appear to have stopped chewing the plastic, but I'm still concerned they are eating the cardboard boxes as I don't find much litter. They have plenty of hay, so I am wondering if the chewing is architectural expression, rather than necessary tooth wearing.

Any advice would be extremely appreciated :)[/quote]
X
 
My boys are contrary little fellas as well - they'll chew on anything they shouldn't :mal: (I discovered the other day that they'd somehow managed to get to duct tape that was on the outside of the correx! :yikes::hb:) I've had to cover pretty much every ramp edge with fleece to stop them chewing on them, thankfully they don't go for the edges of the cage (or at least not yet any way). The only thing I've managed to get them to chew on that is allowed is their willow tunnels. They're not in the least bit interested in cardboard (not even tubes stuffed with hay!).
 
Me and other people notice that their piggies don't take notice of their piggies making use of those sticks at all! They don't seem to be attracted to them, I don't know if coating them in some veg/fav food would make them interested! I have 2 chews in my hutch and they don't seem to do anything with them, even the loofah chew! *How could they resist* :mal:
 
I bought a wooden log thing with holes in and I put food inside it to encourage they chew the log and it worked because they want the food inside it. Almost like a wooden version of a dogs kong toy which you also full with food. Works a treat!
 
Excellent, thank you!
I will stop worrying about the newspaper and cardboard, they have seemed fine, but I don't trust them to tell me when they're unwell! They've taken to rumbling to each other today, which worried me until I spent a few hours making sure it's normal! We've had them just over two months now and are still getting used to their quirks! Thanks much for all of your help! These forums save my life, be it for feeding recommendations or behaviour/training issues!
 
klee said:
One of my girls used to love eating newspaper, which is also not a problem. In fact it was the only thing she wanted to eat at one point when she was poorly.
Click to expand...
That's interesting, when one of my girls was poorly she kept eating tissues. I was unwell at the same time and had a few used tissues lying about, she'd keep running off and trying to eat them.

I bought my girls a ball of woven willow sticks, they didn't know what to do with it at first. So I stuck bits of grain and veg in all the gaps between the willow twigs and in a few days the whole thing was devoured.
 
Sterra said:
Excellent, thank you!
I will stop worrying about the newspaper and cardboard, they have seemed fine, but I don't trust them to tell me when they're unwell! They've taken to rumbling to each other today, which worried me until I spent a few hours making sure it's normal! We've had them just over two months now and are still getting used to their quirks! Thanks much for all of your help! These forums save my life, be it for feeding recommendations or behaviour/training issues!
Click to expand...

Rumbling is normal mild dominance behaviour; if you have got sows, you will see it when they are in season.
We have got helpful information threads at the top of each section in our Care section; have a look through them! they include behaviour guides and how to spot early signs of illness.
 
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