Piggie struggles!

[hobbit5494]

Hi all, I’m new to this site! I’ve had two piggies, Mopsy and Tallulah for almost two years now, they’re gorgeous girls and completely inseparable. My partner recently built a new enclosure for them, as they got too big for their first hutch, and as we don’t have a garden or outside space, we had to build something custom to fit in our living room. The sides are made of plastic panels that slot together. The girls love all the room they have to run around in, but in the last week they’ve managed to chomp a big hole out of one of the panels! The plastic consumption is also worrying me.... but I don’t know how I can stop them from doing it! I’ve made sure they have plenty of water and kept an eye on their poop and checked them over regularly, they’re perfectly fine. They get lots of treats and toys to chew on, regular veggies and nuggets etc, so maybe it’s something more specific...? We are in the process of moving house so maybe they’ve picked up on that they’ll be moving soon? They do seem to chew on anything they can get their teeth into, even the towels and fleeces we have for floor time... I don’t know, any advice?

Thanks!
B

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all, I’m new to this site! I’ve had two piggies, Mopsy and Tallulah for almost two years now, they’re gorgeous girls and completely inseparable. My partner recently built a new enclosure for them, as they got too big for their first hutch, and as we don’t have a garden or outside space, we had to build something custom to fit in our living room. The sides are made of plastic panels that slot together. The girls love all the room they have to run around in, but in the last week they’ve managed to chomp a big hole out of one of the panels! The plastic consumption is also worrying me.... but I don’t know how I can stop them from doing it! I’ve made sure they have plenty of water and kept an eye on their poop and checked them over regularly, they’re perfectly fine. They get lots of treats and toys to chew on, regular veggies and nuggets etc, so maybe it’s something more specific...? We are in the process of moving house so maybe they’ve picked up on that they’ll be moving soon? They do seem to chew on anything they can get their teeth into, even the towels and fleeces we have for floor time... I don’t know, any advice?

Thanks!
B

Hi!

Some piggies can turn into real plastic addicts; something in it must give them a good feeling. The only thing you can do is block the access to it and opt for metal rather than plastic panels.

Investigating their world with their mouths is how young guinea pigs discover the world, and yours have obviously picked up where they have left off. While it can be an occasionally exasperating habit, seeing one's piggies so interested in the world and curious about their surroundings is wonderful; they really use all their senses to explore and experience their home. Because human sight is our strongest sense, but not the guinea pigs, we underestimate the amount of information they get from taste, touch, hearing and smell...
What they love is taking things apart and toys that appeal to more than one sense. Shop bought treats are often too one dimensional to be interesting for long or sometimes to appeal at all.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs