Constant wheeking

[luckyandsammy]

Constant wheeking!
How do I stop it?
My skinny pig constantly wheeks for food.
He got dinner around 9pm yesterday - a mix of fresh veg.
He woke me up around 1am because he was running around his cage very loudly and wheeking. He doesn’t stop doing this until he gets food. So I got up and gave him a handful of pellets.
7am - he starts doing the same again. Running laps around the cage and screaming at the top of his lungs. I try to ignore if for a while but he actually does not stop until he gets food. I gave him another handful of dry food.
And now, just before 9am he starts again. it’s so loud I can not sleep, it gets my other guinea pigs worked up and squeaking and his running around can be heard in the bathroom and downstairs, so other people in the house hear it too. How do I make him stop?
He always has tons of hay in his cage that I top up twice a day so it’s not like he’s going without food. HELP!

 

[Tigermoth]

He’s trained you well hasn’t he? If he yells for long enough then he gets his way so it is a 100% effective approach.

No idea how you stop it, it stops being cute when it’s inconvenient!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree - you have to ignore it if he is wheeking for food.
Please do not be tempted to keep throwing handfuls of pellets in - not only is this giving in to him, it is also unhealthy for him as pellets need to be kept strictly limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day.

Lots of enrichment and lots of large loose piles of hay (perhaps also try topping it up more often) may help.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

The only way to stop it is some rather sleepless nights for you in which you do not react until he realises that he can no longer manipulate you that way.

Or to move him out of the room to where he cannot wake you up for the night, which is very harsh.
Guinea pigs don't do the word 'no'.

 

[luckyandsammy]

I agree - you have to ignore it if he is wheeking for food.
Please do not be tempted to keep throwing handfuls of pellets in - not only is this giving in to him, it is also unhealthy for him as pellets need to be kept strictly limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day.

Lots of enrichment and lots of large loose piles of hay (perhaps also try topping it up more often) may help.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

Do you know how much he is actually supposed to be eating, as a skinny pig?
I haven’t had him long, he used to get the same as my other (normal) guinea pigs. They get a scoop of pellets (which I’ve measured out before according to forum guidelines, but I can’t remember how much is in it at the moment) per cage in the morning, about cup of veg each at night and have constant access to hay - a pile and some in a hay rack. Recently he’s been getting a lot more pellets, as he has been squeaking so much.
He only wheeks during the night though, so I don’t think he’s actually hungry as he’s fine during the day.

 

[luckyandsammy]

I agree - you have to ignore it if he is wheeking for food.
Please do not be tempted to keep throwing handfuls of pellets in - not only is this giving in to him, it is also unhealthy for him as pellets need to be kept strictly limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day.

Lots of enrichment and lots of large loose piles of hay (perhaps also try topping it up more often) may help.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

Do you know how much he is actually supposed to be eating, as a skinny pig?
I haven’t had him long, he used to get the same as my other (normal) guinea pigs. They get a scoop of dry food (which I’ve measured out before according to forum guidelines, but I can’t remember how much is in it at the moment) each in the morning, a cup of veg at night

 

[Piggies&buns]

Do you know how much he is actually supposed to be eating, as a skinny pig?
I haven’t had him long, he used to get the same as my other (normal) guinea pigs. They get a scoop of dry food (which I’ve measured out before according to forum guidelines, but I can’t remember how much is in it at the moment) each in the morning, a cup of veg at night

Skinny pigs do eat more than hairy piggies but that is that they need to eat more hay. Skinnies eat more, poop more and need to be kept warmer.

He still only needs one tablespoon of pellets per day, and one cup of veg per day (same as haired piggies). Definitely don’t overdo pellets.

The only way to know any piggy (skinny or haired) is eating enough hay is through the routine weekly weight checks.

Is he bonded and living with another piggy?