Guinea Pig suddenly eating bowl

[TotallyBoarsome]

Hi, Sorry if this is in the wrong place as never started a thread before. This moring when I was feeding my boys their breakfast pellets, one of my guinea pigs just started biting the bowl non-stop and wouldn't stop. I was worried he would hurt his teeth so I took it away and scaterred their pellets instead. Has anyone else ever had this happen to their piggies before? He has never done this before, should I be concerned? Thanks

 

[fluffysal]

I've never had it happen but scatter feeding and letting them play "hunt the pellet" is better for them anyway.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I think probably like a lot of things they decide they want to try something and bowl biting was today’s activity!

I haven’t used food bowls in years as scatter feeding is best for their mental stimulation

 

[Wiebke]

He's discovered the food bowl as a new toy with all the attendant excitement. Nothing to worry in itself; it is not unusual behaviour when piggies hit upon a new activity.

But I would also recommend sprinkle-feeding around the cage, both the up of preferably green veg and herb plus a slice of pepper and the tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day. It has the additional advantage of counting as an enrichment activitybecause it stimulates their foraging behaviour.

Hay makes over three quarters of what piggies eat in a day, and the more you encourage your piggies to eat hay instead of pellets and veg, the better for their long term health.

 

[Kay701]

My girls both nibble the water bowl before drinking! It's very strange

 

[TotallyBoarsome]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm glad it's nothing to worry about, I will keep scatter feeding their pellets for extra enrichment as it seems to encourage them to be a bit more adventerous (as they tend to be quite lazy in the moring)