Antlers?

[Patunia the guinea pig]

So I have some antlers that I got for my pet squirrel... Yes I have a pet squirrel she's a rescue, anyways I have some antlers that my squirrel chews on and my guinea pig doesn't like to chew on the stuff I put in there like, cardboard tubes (with no glue or ink), and a bunch of chew toys.
She does chew on the bars of her cage which I believe means that she needs to chew on stuff sooo anyway, yeah I was just wondering if she can chew on antlers, I've heard that they have lots of calcium and that it may be too much for piggies.
Thank youuuu

 

[Wiebke]

So I have some antlers that I got for my pet squirrel... Yes I have a pet squirrel she's a rescue, anyways I have some antlers that my squirrel chews on and my guinea pig doesn't like to chew on the stuff I put in there like, cardboard tubes (with no glue or ink), and a bunch of chew toys.
She does chew on the bars of her cage which I believe means that she needs to chew on stuff sooo anyway, yeah I was just wondering if she can chew on antlers, I've heard that they have lots of calcium and that it may be too much for piggies.
Thank youuuu

Hi

Woods like apple and pear branches or willow would be much more suitable for gnawing on for guinea pigs; they do not eat bone. Guinea pigs and squirrels are only very, very distantly related and have very different dietary requirements.

Please be aware that the guinea pig dental system is very finely balanced and hinges on the grow rate of the grinding back teeth against the highly abrasive silica rich grass/hay fibre as their main food source (it should make over three quarters of the daily food intake); the front teeth are self-sharpening against each other and together with the tongue are used for picking up and cutting. As rule of thumb, if the incisors at the front have an even, clean edge, the dental system is working just fine. If the edge is slanted, jagged or the teeth no longer meet and are inward pointing, then this points to uneven chewing or overgrown back teeth.

If you offer your piggy unlimited hay and dog pee free grass with a modicum of preferably green and leafy veg and just a tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day (veg, pellet and any dry forage together replace the supplementary role of wild forage in the original diet that guinea pigs have evolved on), then you you can majorly boost your piggies' health and longevity because the gut is totally laid out for the processing of the tough but highly nutritous grass/hay fibre in two runs through the gut and not for processing lots of rich veg and fruit. Pellets instantly soften when in contact with saliva and are also very low in fibre when you look closely, so they take away from the hay fibre without providing enough silica for the all important grinding process.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Bar gnawing is very much an attention seeking behaviour. Guinea pigs are group animals and are wired for round the clock companionship and stimulation from their own kind. Lacking that, they will transfer their social needs onto you and grap your attention (even if it is negative) any way and as often as they can. If you react to bar biting, then bar biting is what gets your piggy the attention they lack and crave.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities (includes a chapter on how you can work out whether a guinea pig is transferring their social needs onto you)
Who is the Boss - Your Guinea Pig or You?

 

[Cheekypigs]

I agree that antlers aren't suitable. If she's not chewing on the cardboard tube then she probably doesn't really have a need to chew, because that would be the number 1 choice for chewing. So I also feel it's more likely that the bar biting is attention seeking behaviour, or possibly begging for food.

Is she in a cage with an open or closed top? Ours are in an open top cage and I've found that only ever putting food in over the top discourages bar biting; putting food in through the bars encourages it. If the cage has a closed top you don't have that option, unfortunately.

 

[Patunia the guinea pig]

I agree that antlers aren't suitable. If she's not chewing on the cardboard tube then she probably doesn't really have a need to chew, because that would be the number 1 choice for chewing. So I also feel it's more likely that the bar biting is attention seeking behaviour, or possibly begging for food.

Is she in a cage with an open or closed top? Ours are in an open top cage and I've found that only ever putting food in over the top discourages bar biting; putting food in through the bars encourages it. If the cage has a closed top you don't have that option, unfortunately.

It's a closed top and I open the door when I feed her

 

[Cheekypigs]

Really tricky habit to break then. There may not be much you can do. They just get the idea in their heads that biting the bars will get them attention and/or food, and then it's pretty much impossible to break the link, because any time you give them attention or food they assume it was because they bit the bars. We've had some limited success painting lemon juice on the bars, you could try that.

The only other thing I think is worth mentioning is that guinea pigs can start bar biting because they're in pain. I had a pig who never bit the bars but started doing it after surgery and stopped once he had recovered. So that is possible. But if it's a sustained thing then it's more likely that it's just food/attention.

 

[Piggies&buns]

One of my four boys is a chewer. He chews the very top of the metal spout of his water bottle where it joins the plastic part of the spout and chews there (not the end they drink from). For him its anticipation of being let out and getting his breakfast. He starts the moment I enter the shed every morning so I deliberately do not feed him first. It doesn’t make any difference, he won’t stop chewing it until I open his hutch door!

 

[Princess Dustmop]

I find that if piggies are chewing on their bars a lot, try not to pay much attention when their chewing, wait until they stop before giving anything, and give lots of hay and attention if you notice them not chewing. If that's still not working, try to keep them on a schedule, so they have times to expect something and will be less motivated to chew the bars at other times. If it is time to dole hay and they're chewing, sometimes putting the palm of your hand flat on the outside of the bars can discourage the bar chewing for them to stop long enough for you to dole what's needed.
It's a lot like training a puppy: try not to give it attention when its being an imp; praise lavishly to encourage preferred behaviors.