Biting on the Bars

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Deleted member 126952

So I have had my guinea pig for a good 3 years now and from the start he has been biting on the bars of his cage to demand for food. He only does it when us humans are around and he is hungry. I’m not sure where he learned this as he was in like a glass cage why we bought him. Should I think much of this?
 
A couple of mine, in separate cages, chew the bars but only when I’m prepping their veg on an evening, and one if she thinks she’s missing out on something the others are having! It drives me crazy so I think I’ll have a read through @Wiebke’s post too!
 
My neautered male has always done this since i got him as a baby, he has 3 female companions and still chews the bars when I'm in the room! He does it for my attention, even comes out onto the floor and chews his pen cage when I'm sat there just to get some chin rubs
 
Please do not let your guinea chew on the bars—it can cause serious tooth/head damage. Are you able to block off the area he’s chewing in some way? How big is their cage?
 
There cage is a 2 tier hutch with a pen atm, equivalent to a 6 by 4 c&c , they have access to the pen 24 7 , tried blocking all bar areas and he just stands up and chews them or destroys whatever i use to block it of
 
Robin_ said:
Please do not let your guinea chew on the bars—it can cause serious tooth/head damage. Are you able to block off the area he’s chewing in some way? How big is their cage?
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This is the trouble maker
 

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walnutandpeanut said:
@Robin_ I don’t know how valid your point is because @Wiebke did not show concern
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I’m coming from a position of smaller animals who chew out of frustration/stress so that may be my mistake. If a hamster chews on the bars of their cages it’s often a sign of stress, and, I guess since their teeth are smaller than cavies’, they have a greater chance of chipping. So, in the smaller animal world, bar chewing is pretty much always a bad sign.

But, perhaps with cavies it’s more normalized if they’re just begging for attention/food. Cavies are a lot more social than hamsters and more in tune to what can get your attention. I’ve never lived with a guinea pig for more than a week or two of pig sitting so what do I know 🙃
 
Robin_ said:
I’m coming from a position of smaller animals who chew out of frustration/stress so that may be my mistake. If a hamster chews on the bars of their cages it’s often a sign of stress, and, I guess since their teeth are smaller than cavies’, they have a greater chance of chipping. So, in the smaller animal world, bar chewing is pretty much always a bad sign.

But, perhaps with cavies it’s more normalized if they’re just begging for attention/food. Cavies are a lot more social than hamsters and more in tune to what can get your attention. I’ve never lived with a guinea pig for more than a week or two of pig sitting so what do I know 🙃
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I've had that issue with hamsters too. Some would CLIMB UP the bars in the corner of their cage and hold on a foot on each cage wall and chew the bars like their life depended on it!

None of my piggies ever chew the bars in their hutch, or in their run, or the wood of their hutch. They sometimes chew cardboard boxes and definitely chew grass tunnels and log cabins, but never bars 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
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