Biting The Bars!

[Pippy & Daisy]

Recently (in the last few weeks) my girl Pippy has taken to biting the bars of her cage. At first I assumed she was either bored or hungry when she did it but now she does it all the time and she's doing it for attention! She only bites the wooden parts of the cage when she's bored (both of them do) so I'll top up their hay or put some toys in or something, so I know the bar biting is just about food. Since I initially thought she was hungry and did give her food when she bit the bars, she's learnt very quickly that biting them gets her food - but now she just won't stop. I know it's now not because she's hungry or bored because she only ever does it when she knows there's someone around her who'll feed her. And she's definitely not underfed, so I know she's not actually hungry (there's always hay and pellets and they get more than enough veggies every day). She'll even do it when she knows I'm getting her food but I'm taking too long! I want to try and teach her that biting the bars isn't the way to get food but I always give in because I'm so worried she'll pull her teeth out or something! Help?

 

[hattie.r]

honestly it won't physically hurt her to bite the bars. One of mine started to do it but I gave them some apple branches which they go nuts for, and nibble those instead. They also prefer gnawing on wooden things now, like their ramp! You could try feeding her only once a day or at a set time/times during the day with nothing else in between, so she knows exactly when she will and won't be getting any food.

 

[Wiebke]

Pippy has obviously learned that biting the bars is getting her the attention she wants.

You may not be able to wean her off completely, but the only successful way to minimise her behaviour is by ignoring her, so she eventually realises that it won't work anymore. Piggies are not stupid - but you have to be tough with yourself!

Make sure that she gets fed and is being given treats only at a set time and in specific circumstances, and that the treats are included in how much she gets fed overall.

 

[7squeakers.]

My little girl Crow Feather bites the bars of her C and C cage, mainly at night when I'm about to go to sleep! But she usually stops soon after I have switched out the light. Last night, though, she wouldn't stop for quite a while. I managed to get to sleep, only to be woken up at about 4am by Feather biting the bars again! I got up and put some Correx across the bars so she couldn't reach them. It is significant that she only bites the bars between her cage and the two pigs next door, Beano and Dandy. I'm sure she wouldn't like it, though, if I let her in with them as they don' like each other and Beano is quite dominant.

 

[Pippy & Daisy]

She's been a bit better since I've been ignoring when she does it! It's so hard not to give in as I'm so worried about her teeth, but she chews for less time every time she does it now. Last night I was so exhausted I was ready to just give in to her, but as I was bringing their dinner she bit the bars once or twice and then stopped and decided to stand up like she used to (and like Daisy still does)! I've been giving her treats whenever she does something other than bite the bars for attention (too many treats, I know, but they're only small) and she seems to be responding well to that. Every time she's gone to bite them today it's like she's re-evaluated and decided to wheek instead - clever girl!