Chronic bar biter. What treats can I give often?

AbraCassandra

AbraCassandra

Junior Guinea Pig
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Is there anything healthy that he can have unlimited amounts of besides hay? I need to trick him into thinking he's getting a treat because he is a super addict and has already lost a tooth from biting the bars for treats...I've tried many things to stop him. And I don't want to make him unhealthy by giving him not great treats. I've been giving him a mix of organic pea flakes and snackers from Etsy.

Chloes Organic Pea Flakes Made in House in USA TNC BRAND | Etsy

Snackers Thin and Crispy Treats for Rabbits & Bunnies Guinea | Etsy

But both of those cannot be fed to excess so...What can I trick him with to make him think he's getting a treat? No is not an option lol help me keep him from getting obese >>
 
I had the exact same problem with my guinea pig, Zorro. And he chipped most of his tooth off as a result, and was still trying to bite the cage! I stopped his bad behavior by lining the inside of the cage with fine mesh, using tacks to secure the mesh. As for his tooth, I think it will regrow without a problem. But if you notice the tooth starting to grow back in an obscure direction you'll defiantly have to bring him to a vet.
zorro m.webp
 
Honestly, giving in and giving treats every time he bar bites will make a rod for your own back - he will come to expect it and might bar bite more as a learned behaviour for how to get you to give in and feed him

Ignoring it or throwing in more fresh hay would be the best thing.

Healthy treats - fresh herbs.
To ensure you don’t give too many treats or overfeed veg and ensure his hay intake doesn’t suffer, if you prepare his veg portion for the day and then each time you want to give him a treat, then just throw in a piece of his daily veg allowance. That way he isnt over eating commercial treats and is instead just getting what he is allowed to have without it affecting hay intake.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Honestly, giving in and giving treats every time he bar bites will make a rod for your own back - he will come to expect it and might bar bite more as a learned behaviour for how to get you to give in and feed him

Ignoring it or throwing in more fresh hay would be the best thing.

Healthy treats - fresh herbs.
To ensure you don’t give too many treats or overfeed veg and ensure his hay intake doesn’t suffer, if you prepare his veg portion for the day and then each time you want to give him a treat, then just throw in a piece of his daily veg allowance. That way he isnt over eating commercial treats and is instead just getting what he is allowed to have without it affecting hay intake.
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It's a behavior he was taught before he was surrendered to me and idk how to teach him how not to do it : ( I think originally it's because they had him in a micro cage (like 2x2 foot...) and he was miserable and now he does it for treats because I give him plenty of floor time and he's got a good sized cage for a single piggy but I like your suggestion and the suggestion above. I've placed his parsley to the side and will give him bits of that. Along with his daily allowance of treats. Are there any safe herbs I can serve him on a daily basis? I know parsley has a lot of calcium and I don't want him getting stones.
 
AbraCassandra said:
Oh he adores cilantro. And that's OK for a treat throughout the day every day? Like maybe a sprig every hour or so? lol he is persistent...
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My pair are shriekers rather than bar biters, but I tend to just chuck a handful of hay in every time they start. It's easier than walking downstairs to the fridge to walk back up with food and 95% of the time, it works. Sometimes I get sneaky about it and pick up the pile of hay they already have and when they come running, put it down again. They fall for that one every time.

How is he with seed heads in the hay? If they're being particularly persistent I sometimes ferret out the seed heads because they love those, and as it's already part of their hay ration I don't feel bad about it.
 
Lorcan said:
My pair are shriekers rather than bar biters, but I tend to just chuck a handful of hay in every time they start. It's easier than walking downstairs to the fridge to walk back up with food and 95% of the time, it works. Sometimes I get sneaky about it and pick up the pile of hay they already have and when they come running, put it down again. They fall for that one every time.

How is he with seed heads in the hay? If they're being particularly persistent I sometimes ferret out the seed heads because they love those, and as it's already part of their hay ration I don't feel bad about it.
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He's kind of indifferent about the seed heads. He's only a decent hay eater. It takes him a few days to go through a few handfuls of hay. I've had him for about 3 years now but his old owners fed him nothing but pellets (and the bad kind too with dried fruits and grains...), fruits every week, no hay and NO veggies. It was quite a hardship changing his diet to a proper one. He is a pellet and treat addict and it took a whole year to get him to enjoy his veggies. He's older now and has a big mystery mass near his heart and lungs which is too dangerous to aspirate for multiple reasons and he could randomly pass on at any time from that if it gets bigger (praying we get more years with him) so I'm a bit more slack with him but still want him to be healthy WHILE spoiling him because he deserves it lol hence my dilemma.
 
What hay do you feed him? I know some hays aren't suitable for all day/every day but if he does like one of those it might be worth trying to mix some in with his usual hay to see if that encourages him. Something maybe like oat hay for example? My two don't like the soft hays. If it's not stalky timothy they think they're being shortchanged, heh.

If he'll eat cucumber would that be an option too? Just quarter a few slices and every so often, pass him one or two more?
 
Lorcan said:
What hay do you feed him? I know some hays aren't suitable for all day/every day but if he does like one of those it might be worth trying to mix some in with his usual hay to see if that encourages him. Something maybe like oat hay for example? My two don't like the soft hays. If it's not stalky timothy they think they're being shortchanged, heh.

If he'll eat cucumber would that be an option too? Just quarter a few slices and every so often, pass him one or two more?
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He likes cucumber but rarely finishes. His hay is a mix of this 2nd Cutting Timothy Hay sorry for the long link and this 3rd Cutting green Supreme Hay Timothy/orchard | Etsy which is softer timothy hay and some clover and orchard grass.
 
Someone else will know for definite, but I think the first cut timothy is the coarsest? It might be worth trying to source a sampler of it to see if that's what he might prefer, especially if he's not so keen on the softer hays. But a sampler would be much cheaper than ending up with another box of hay he isn't fussed on.
 
Nothing stopped Eevee my bar chewer.… even food. She didn’t notice it was in there until I poked her a few times as she was so zoned out bar biting she hasn’t realised…

I just grew to accept it would always happen in the end.
 
Julesie said:
Nothing stopped Eevee my bar chewer.… even food. She didn’t notice it was in there until I poked her a few times as she was so zoned out bar biting she hasn’t realised…

I just grew to accept it would always happen in the end.
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Lol luckily he only lost an upper tooth from it...The vet said as long as his molars are OK and he doesn't start drooling it's OK. Just something I need to keep my eye on BUT I'm gonna look for the mesh that Natalie Clancy recommended. There must be something I can attach to the C&C cage bars to deter him but not cut off his view of us. We're all he has.
 
AbraCassandra said:
Lol luckily he only lost an upper tooth from it...The vet said as long as his molars are OK and he doesn't start drooling it's OK. Just something I need to keep my eye on BUT I'm gonna look for the mesh that Natalie Clancy recommended. There must be something I can attach to the C&C cage bars to deter him but not cut off his view of us. We're all he has.
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The only thing I can think of and what I plan to do (as Eevee passed away recently and since she passed the 3 boys have now picked up her habit… at a less insane pace thankfully) is change the grids for a glass sheet instead. They can see out but have nothing to chew :)
 
I've just gone outside and foraged some dandelions and miner's lettuce for him lol I live in the mountains and this stuff grows wild on my property and we don't use any pesticides because lots of lil animals outside need these plants to survive. We also have a ground squirrel who lives in the backyard but he didn't mind sparing some forage goodies for my boy lol (yes I rinsed it all off)
 

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