Encourage Him To Wear His Teeth Down

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chesca_27

chesca_27

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Hi

Oreo hasn't been gnawing his toys nearly as much as he used to meaning he has to have dentals to wear his teeth down. How can I encourage him to chew? What are the best hays for dental pigs? What toys do guinea pigs normally go crazy for? Cost isn't an issue as I can ask for it as early Christmas presents.

He isn't in any way a serious dental pig, but I'd rather prevent it in future than have to cure it regularly. His incisors are the main problem.

Thanks
 
I give stalky meadow hay, oat hay and mosty Timothy hay, the seed heads especially are great for wearing their teeth down. I also give a lot of cardboard, I get the carrot cottage from P@H that's covered in hay and they both demolish it.

I've never had any luck getting them to chew on toys as such, just cardboard and a good quality hay should do, as well as pellets if you give them.
 
I have never had much luck with toys either, I use cardboard boxes and loo rolls stuffed with hay to enrich them and they love to eat the cardboard as well. I use stalky meadow hay and timothy hay as well and my pigs seem to love it.
You could try readigrass or something similar as they really do love it and it encourages them to eat a ton of forage (just not supposed to feed it every day. Have you tried something like a willow or seagrass or even hyacinth tunnel? My piggies quite like chewing them and my friend says her pigs destroy the willow tunnels in a week sometimes.
 
He has Oxbow oat hay, Oxbow timothy hay and the Burgess Dandelion and Marigold Herbage.

He loves the carrot cottages, as well :). I have a rabbit sized one at my dad's (from when he had his cagemate) and he's eaten the WHOLE front panel. He did that to two guinea pig sized ones as well. I had to bin them because he kept pushing them over, sitting on the sides and weeing on them. So I had nice soggy sides. This was when I had Toffee. Oreo is a cold blooded carrot cottage killer ;).

My dad has ordered him another guinea pig sized one, so fingers crossed he forgot how to push it over.

Oreo normally loves chewing wooden toys, that's the funny thing. I put all his favourite toys in and he ignored most of them (he normally pop corns for them).

He has willow, sea grass and hyacinth balls, which are his absolute favourite (he demolishes them) but hasn't been too interested in the ones I bought the day after Toffee died.
 
My girlies are currently obsessed with hay cookies. As they are simply compressed hay, they still help to wear down the teeth. They have started chewing the willow ball and they love demolishing the trio of balls I often get them. They have almost chewed through their second Seagrass tunnel and they are on their fourth grassy mat. In their pen they chew their grassy tunnel (cardboard chub covered with grass, similar to the carrot cottage but with grass only) and they have a grass bed and a huge pile of hay.

They do try to chew their bendy logs but to no avail because I get the largest ones for rabbits.

Snowy chews hay and hay cookies. He adores chewing his Seagrass tunnel.
 
None of my pigs have been much interested in chewing on toys, with the exception of Linney, who used to devour those little balls made out of wicker. Hay is really the best way to wear their teeth down... mine get unlimited timothy hay. That said, I have had two guinea pigs with dental problems, but both had an underlying abscess issue rather than just not wearing their teeth from not chewing enough. They also do make hay mats, hay houses, hay tunnels, etc. I would imagine if all the cage furniture was edible it might help to spur more chewing behaviors so that might be a thought!
 
My two haven't (so far) touched wooden cage furniture, but they're really enjoying chewing natural twigs (of safe species of course).
 
Oreo is still not impressed by his new toys. He sleeps in the Carrot Cottage and loves it, but enjoys being an annoying blob who will only chew on it if I rip pieces off and give it to him. Who said guinea pigs were low maintenance?

He is having unlimited hay and forage mixed in to encourage him. Might go to P@H tomorrow to get some more toys and forage.
 
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