Bar chewing

[DizzyDinosaur]

Smudgy pig has this thing for chewing on the cage bars when he wants food. even though he has just been fed and has eaten it.

Is there someway I can stop him doing this?

 

[Shaz]

What time do you feed them? If for instance it's at night around bedtime you could maybe start putting something like a blanket across the cage indicating it's bedtime?

Luckily my pig's don't chew on the bars but I feed them at 10 on a night and then put a blanket on the end of the cage for bed. Then they're like that till morning and whizz round and round when I take it off

Also when you give him his food do you just put it in a bowl? You could make it more challenging for him, I have a metal hanging ball from wilkinsons and I put their favourite food inside so they have to work to get it out instead of going *chomp* then looking at me going "We're starving"

 

[piggie-power]

My bruce chews on the bars when he wants to come out for a cuddle, quick 2 min cuddle and he's done

 

[claremw92]

some of them just have the bad habbit unfortunatly....!
rocky one of my boars has the horrendous habbit of banging his water bottle and it drives me mad...!
i've stopped piggies chewwing on bars by wedging things like there fresh food inbetween the bars...
tends to keep them happy for a little while...
x

 

[DizzyDinosaur]

My mum feeds them around 6:30 in the morning when she gets up as smudgy starts bar chewing, mojo and rex start squeaking
then the cats come in meowing at her lol

When I get up about 8ish smudgy starts off again wanting food, I just dump a few handfuls of hay in there and he pop corns then shuts up and eats then I go for a shower then as soon as I come out hes at it again demanding more food. Its not cuddles as I get him out for a cuddle for a few mins.

Smudges food is just put in the cage on top of the hay and he forages away on that.

Rex and Mojo have there greens on a dish as they take there time with the food and like to nibble and its gone about 1ish instead of within 10 mins like smudgy.

the pigs are fed again around 5ish as when I am making dinner they all demand food.
so instead of giving them 1 big meal I give them 2 smaller meals a day. While hay is unlimited, nuggets are refilled when the dish is empty, Water is changed daily

Rex has a towel over the top of his cage at night time otherwise he will start squeaking and want cuddles.
I might do the same with Mojo and Smudgy as they demand attention when you go to the bath room in the middle of the night

 

[piggyfan]

Amelia Jane and Peronel do this. I think it is cute. They may just want attention. I usually pick them up. If you try it with him and he does not like being picked up he will associate biting bars with being picked up and stop.

 

[jenny-m]

I've had piggies do this too, to the extent where they have broken their teeth! I have new hutches now which make it harder for them to chew the bars as it's galvanised steel (like tough chicken wire) and not so easy for them to get at. I did hear a long time ago that rubbing a garlic clove along the bars can work as a deterrent.

Don't worry too much, I think it's just a nasty habit that they get into!

Jenny xx