Eating their hidey tubes...

[Rocketpunk]

Hey, all. My guinea pigs, Sasha and Penelope, won't stop ripping, tearing apart, and chewing up their thick cardboard hidey tubes. Is this normal behavior, and will ingesting the cardboard hurt them? I'm thinking about replacing them with PVC. If they gnawed on that, too, would it hurt them more than cardboard? Need help!

 

[Rocketpunk]

Also, they have copious amounts of timothy hay and guinea pig food pellets and plenty of water. I give them fresh veggies three times a day. Yet they still gnaw, chew, and possibly eat their cardboard hidey tubes. I already have several chewsticks and an empty toilet paper roll. So why the incessant chewing, gnawing, and possible ingesting of their hidey tubes?

 

[twiams]

All piggy products are safe for piggies, and the chewing and ripping is great for keeping there teeth trimmed as they constantly grow by the sounds of things you have one of the cardboard tubes which are made to be eating so don't worry (:

 

[FrankieandGeorgie]

My boys eat cardboard too, but the tubes I have are from a delivery of flooring bits - its plain brown cardboard, no print - now I'm wondering if its ok for them.
They too are well fed!

Helen

 

[Wiebke]

Totally normal behaviour! Piggies love to chew on fibrous stuff. Cardboard and plain brown paper bags (with any handles cut through and filled with hay or veg) are ideal. You can also stuff toilet roll inners with hay for more fun!

 

[bessiehen]

Yes normal, mine do it too. I imagine PVC would not be good for them - stick with the cardboard. As I type this I am watching Burt chew through the bottom of his wooden hay basket I keep telling him the hay won't stay in it now, but he doesn't care