One piggie is an angel, the other.. not so much

[DylanN5152]

So my piggies are about a year old now and since getting them as pups they’ve been absolutely brilliant, no fighting, no biting, no aggression towards anyone or each other. Angels. But recently it’s all started going down hill :/ one of the little guys has started to chew the bars on the cage. He’s always been the quiet pig of the two (his brothers a noisy ) he’s never really squeaked or screamed for food or anything else for that matter. But seems now he knows how to get exactly what he wants and will chew relentlessly and won’t stop until given veg! He loves his lettuce and adores his hay (only time he’ll popcorn is when he gets a refill) They spend most days in the garden in a run/hutch setup but have a cage indoors for when the weathers bad and as it’s too cold at night to stay outside. But I dread going to sleep at night now as once he starts he doesn’t stop! And this is happening between midnight and 4 in the morning! Feeding him isn’t always an option as he already gets food regularly and I’ve already tried upping their portions and are scared of them becoming overweight. They are fed in the cage so maybe that’s where I’m going wrong? Should I feed them outside? I just don’t know why he’s started it now as nothing’s changed. But other than that little niggle I love them to bits and would just like some ideas as to what the issue may be and if I can somehow help? Much appreciated thank you!

 

[Siikibam]

Do they have something they could chew on in the cage? A cardboard box is a cheap favourite for all piggies. Or maybe they want more hay when he's doing it. Otherwise I'm not sure. My boys only do it at feeding time if I'm taking too long, and wanting food even though they were fed!

Have you tried to ignore it? Does he not stop? I'd just try topping up the hay next time he does it, and see if he stops. Or maybe he wants attention

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

How big is their cage? It might be worth upgrading it to give them some more space

Enrichment would also help like hay in clean egg boxes or a paper bag without handles, stuff to keep him mentally stimulated. Both that and a larger cage should keep him busy

 

[PigglePuggle]

My skinny pig girl is a bit of a bar-biter, she's a bit hyperactive and hardly ever sleeps and when her friend is sleeping she gets a bit bored. Cardboard boxes, hay cubes, and some apple tree branches seem to have helped a lot! They arent any quieter but at least they are healthy and interesting things to chew

 

[alpacasqueak]

My skinny pig girl is a bit of a bar-biter, she's a bit hyperactive and hardly ever sleeps and when her friend is sleeping she gets a bit bored. Cardboard boxes, hay cubes, and some apple tree branches seem to have helped a lot! They arent any quieter but at least they are healthy and interesting things to chew

Jess is the same as Rupert’s slowed down the last couple of years, she chooses to trash the cage and be as loud as possible too! Could never get them interested in apple branches like Ped has so pretty much cardboard toys all the way here! Means Rupert gets a bit of peace too!

 

[DylanN5152]

How big is their cage? It might be worth upgrading it to give them some more space

Enrichment would also help like hay in clean egg boxes or a paper bag without handles, stuff to keep him mentally stimulated. Both that and a larger cage should keep him busy

The cage is a ferplast 120 so yeah, it is a little on the small side but we are planning on (and have started) building a large enclosure for them to be outodoors permanently so the bar chewing shouldn’t be an issue for much longer. Thank you everyone for the suggestions, I’ve been giving him extra hay to keep him at bay and have added some natural toys, paper bags and such to keep him distracted I hate keeping them in the cage and try to have them out for cuddles and attention as much as possible, he’s one stubborn piggy, the complete opposite of his brother who’s a happy go lucky squeaky pig who’d gladly be anyone’s best friend

 

[Black piggies]

Happy Pet Grassy Small Animal Hideaway Large

Amazon'sChoicefor "straw house"

1. 

Size Name:
Large

You need this! My piggies chew their cage if they don't have this to keep their teeth down. It's held together by string which I cut off and I just put one wall in at a time so it lasts a good while.

 

[5StarPigs]

Maybe you could but a-few guinea pig chews in their cage.