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My guinea pig's chewing on his cage and it's causing his mouth to bleed.
- Thread starter jacobegreysenismypiggy
- Start date
Tigermoth
Adult Guinea Pig
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2016
- Messages
- 2,131
- Reaction score
- 4,549
- Points
- 1,175
- Location
- Suffolk, United Kingdom
I think going to your mum and saying “a stranger on the internet said...” is probably never going to be a winning formula. May I suggest that you look at each section of the forum and read the green “sticky” threads and treat those as care guides. And if you can get your mum to read them then so much the better. It will take opinion out of the equation and she might consider it as factual information instead.
Upgrading to a C&C would be great as his cage is definitely too small.
I would suggest he is chewing becasue he is bored, and there is very little space for him to exhibit normal guinea pig behavior.
The first thing to do would be remove the log in the middle and give him a more appropriate hide. A cardboard box with a doorway cut in and stuffed with hay would be a huge improvement and can just be replaced when it gets wet and dirty.
You culd also help make him feel safer by covering part of the area with a blanket clipped across the play pen at one end of the cage.
I would suggest he is chewing becasue he is bored, and there is very little space for him to exhibit normal guinea pig behavior.
The first thing to do would be remove the log in the middle and give him a more appropriate hide. A cardboard box with a doorway cut in and stuffed with hay would be a huge improvement and can just be replaced when it gets wet and dirty.
You culd also help make him feel safer by covering part of the area with a blanket clipped across the play pen at one end of the cage.
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Hi chunky Jacobe and owner - I'm so sorry this has been stressful for you. I am a mom and I work at a school too, and I thought you were so brave and showed so much initiative to come onto a forum and ask for advice... I was a bit concerned when I saw all the responses for you, but not everybody will have realised you were a young person as we all stay anonymous for on-line safety reasons. You have been so polite in your responses too! Even for adults it is hard when people are saying lots of new things at the same time. Us grown-ups also have to work out the balance between what is recommended and what we can manage! But it is much more stressful when you are young and love your piggy so much. Don't worry - you are doing OK 
Here is my set-up. I personally started with C&C caging and it didn't work for me so I will show you what I have. Sorry it's so messy! I find the tray system is easier to clean out as the hay goes everywhere! I tidy it every morning then for the big weekly clean-up I sweep it all out, then wash it in the shower upstairs. This cage is years old now and has lasted very well. I cut the door in myself. I also saved the piece in case I ever had to block it back up again!
My old or fat pigs can waddle in and out easily. There is a cheap cotton mat in front they like to sit on and eat grass (it also soaks up the pee). I have 2 mats so one can be washed and drying while I use the other one. George's favourite place to sit is just under the towel, peeping out of the door (he is black so it is hard to see him!) I actually have another cage the same so when I have more than 2 pigs we use both and they can move between the cages. Because I keep them on the floor in the kitchen I like to have the wire top on to protect them in case somebody comes through and accidentally trips or drops something. The cushion is a step so George can get up to his second food bowl. He can jump, but since Ivy died he is not so active - she used to chase him about. I give lots of hay but also put out a lot more pellets than recommended and let George sort it out himself - he usually just eats a few pellets and he's doing fine. I've used the front bit of the cage to block off the area of the kitchen they are not allowed to go - this protects them from trying to chew electric cables or anything. Show this to your mom and see what she thinks - you might be able to try something similar with your wired sections to give more floor space without costing anything at all.
It can be fun to move things around a bit too, to see how the piggies like it. I have a little plastic stool that I put on the mat sometimes (George likes to sit under it) and sometimes I make a tunnel with a cardboard box for him to go through. I change things about - not too much - but it gives him a bit of variety! One of my first pigs, Casper, used to love an empty paper bag... like a big brown grocery bag... he would rush straight in and the bag would roll itself all over the floor!
In the past when I had one pig and was waiting for a friend I tried to fix piggy 'playdates'. I know a few local ladies with guinea-pigs and I would take my lone pig to their house for coffee (in an old cat-carrier with wire at the front) and put it where the pigs could see each other. But we didn't put them in together as the piggies were strangers! Sometimes it was lovely - they sniffed through the bars and 'talked' to each other but sometimes it was a bit more troublesome so we had to turn the cat-carrier round to stop the arguing! My mom suggested a mirror because she had a budgie bird that used to 'talk' to his mirror all the time for company, but that pig didn't know what to make of her reflection - I wasn't even sure she could see it! One lady said I could come and visit her rabbits but we didn't - guinea-pigs and rabbits speak different languages and rabbits can frighten the piggies. But we did enough different things to add variety to her day and give her something to think about when she was on her own at night, and I'm trying to do the same for George. He quite likes to sit in my lap when I watch a tv program as long as the sound is low and I give him some veggies to nibble! He hides under my apron!
I understand that you might not post on the forum anymore and that you might not even read this post (why do I always write so much!) but it's reassuring to know that there are people out there with a lot of knowledge if we have trouble, and also the Guinea-pig Guides are so useful to tell us about what our piggies might like best. I wish you lots of luck and happiness in the future for you and Jacobe-pig. He looks lovely - I wish I could meet him! Please give him a stroke from me and tell him, "it's from the English mom!" x
Here is my set-up. I personally started with C&C caging and it didn't work for me so I will show you what I have. Sorry it's so messy! I find the tray system is easier to clean out as the hay goes everywhere! I tidy it every morning then for the big weekly clean-up I sweep it all out, then wash it in the shower upstairs. This cage is years old now and has lasted very well. I cut the door in myself. I also saved the piece in case I ever had to block it back up again!
My old or fat pigs can waddle in and out easily. There is a cheap cotton mat in front they like to sit on and eat grass (it also soaks up the pee). I have 2 mats so one can be washed and drying while I use the other one. George's favourite place to sit is just under the towel, peeping out of the door (he is black so it is hard to see him!) I actually have another cage the same so when I have more than 2 pigs we use both and they can move between the cages. Because I keep them on the floor in the kitchen I like to have the wire top on to protect them in case somebody comes through and accidentally trips or drops something. The cushion is a step so George can get up to his second food bowl. He can jump, but since Ivy died he is not so active - she used to chase him about. I give lots of hay but also put out a lot more pellets than recommended and let George sort it out himself - he usually just eats a few pellets and he's doing fine. I've used the front bit of the cage to block off the area of the kitchen they are not allowed to go - this protects them from trying to chew electric cables or anything. Show this to your mom and see what she thinks - you might be able to try something similar with your wired sections to give more floor space without costing anything at all.
It can be fun to move things around a bit too, to see how the piggies like it. I have a little plastic stool that I put on the mat sometimes (George likes to sit under it) and sometimes I make a tunnel with a cardboard box for him to go through. I change things about - not too much - but it gives him a bit of variety! One of my first pigs, Casper, used to love an empty paper bag... like a big brown grocery bag... he would rush straight in and the bag would roll itself all over the floor!
In the past when I had one pig and was waiting for a friend I tried to fix piggy 'playdates'. I know a few local ladies with guinea-pigs and I would take my lone pig to their house for coffee (in an old cat-carrier with wire at the front) and put it where the pigs could see each other. But we didn't put them in together as the piggies were strangers! Sometimes it was lovely - they sniffed through the bars and 'talked' to each other but sometimes it was a bit more troublesome so we had to turn the cat-carrier round to stop the arguing! My mom suggested a mirror because she had a budgie bird that used to 'talk' to his mirror all the time for company, but that pig didn't know what to make of her reflection - I wasn't even sure she could see it! One lady said I could come and visit her rabbits but we didn't - guinea-pigs and rabbits speak different languages and rabbits can frighten the piggies. But we did enough different things to add variety to her day and give her something to think about when she was on her own at night, and I'm trying to do the same for George. He quite likes to sit in my lap when I watch a tv program as long as the sound is low and I give him some veggies to nibble! He hides under my apron!
I understand that you might not post on the forum anymore and that you might not even read this post (why do I always write so much!) but it's reassuring to know that there are people out there with a lot of knowledge if we have trouble, and also the Guinea-pig Guides are so useful to tell us about what our piggies might like best. I wish you lots of luck and happiness in the future for you and Jacobe-pig. He looks lovely - I wish I could meet him! Please give him a stroke from me and tell him, "it's from the English mom!" x
I do not know who'll see this or reply but great news! I got Jacobe a friend! His name's Anakin and we got him from a local pet store. They get along so well. My Buddha boys. Jacobe is HUGE compared to the little guy we just got who's only a few months old! I love them so much and I did get a more appropriate cage set up for jacobe which we will be expanding due to the little guy coming into our family!
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
I’m glad you got him a friend. Have you bonded them and they’re now living in the same cage? If new boy is under four months then that’s fine. If he’s older he should have been quarantined. What’s done is done. I hope (I’m sure) your older boy is much happier now.
When expanding the cage, make sure you use soiled bedding so they don’t get stirred up. Also bear in mind that dominance behaviour can continue for up to two weeks after they’ve had the initial bonding.
When expanding the cage, make sure you use soiled bedding so they don’t get stirred up. Also bear in mind that dominance behaviour can continue for up to two weeks after they’ve had the initial bonding.
I’m so glad you’ve got him a friend. He will be so much happier to live with another piggy!
as he is a pet shop piggy, have you checked he is definitely a boar? Sadly pet shop missexing happens.
two boars need a cage of 180cm x 60cm/6ft x 2ft.
ensure if anakin is under four months of age that you bond them immediately following the correct bonding procedure (introducing on neutral territory etc). Young piggies need immediate companionship so you need to forego quarantine of young piggies and just accept that if anakin brings in an illness/parasites, that you will possibly have to treat them both.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
as he is a pet shop piggy, have you checked he is definitely a boar? Sadly pet shop missexing happens.
two boars need a cage of 180cm x 60cm/6ft x 2ft.
ensure if anakin is under four months of age that you bond them immediately following the correct bonding procedure (introducing on neutral territory etc). Young piggies need immediate companionship so you need to forego quarantine of young piggies and just accept that if anakin brings in an illness/parasites, that you will possibly have to treat them both.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Oh Anakin looks so sweet! I'm so happy for you. Good luck with making your introductions - and make sure your mom is there too so she can sort out these boys if she needs to. It will be so good for them to be friends with each other... we are still struggling to find my timid George some new friends because he is a bit unusual. We found out he is scared of young piggies and we are having to look for really old Grandmas that move slow and don't startle him!
Thank you so much and they get along so well! Jacobe rumble struts so we're still going through the process of introductions! We have ensured he is a little boy! He's such a cutie pie and thank you all for the luck and wishes! I will be asking for advice as this is my first time with a baby baby. I want any suggestions or recommendations you have! I also did try giving him veggies and he didn't even sniff them! Can someone give me suggestions with veggies for my new pup.
are they living together? I’m just curious as to what you mean by ‘going through introductions‘. Once you put them in the same space together, they need to stay together - you can’t separate them again once they have physically met
if can take a while for a young piggy to try new veggies . They learn what is safe from other piggies so he will get there in time. As long as he is eating lots of hay of then it’s fine
They stay together but Jacobe isn't fully used to Anakin yet ! He cuddles with him but there's still things like sharing water bottles and food we're going through He loves hay so much! He was eating some in my lap earlier.
Also I looked at the pictures of how to determine the sex of a baby piggy and I'm still super unsure so if I take a picture and post it here can someone help me figure it out? Jacobe's genitals don't look like those in the pictures but he's a boy for sure
With boars you need two of every item as they may never share things which is why you need to have two bowls, two bottles and at least two hideys in the cage at all times.
it can be best to scatter feed veg and pellets as it encourages foraging but also means the dominant cannot food hog.
yes do post a picture if you are unsure but do be aware that sexing needs to be a hands on thing - you need to feel for a penis ridge and look inside the slit - those aren’t things we can do for you
it can be best to scatter feed veg and pellets as it encourages foraging but also means the dominant cannot food hog.
yes do post a picture if you are unsure but do be aware that sexing needs to be a hands on thing - you need to feel for a penis ridge and look inside the slit - those aren’t things we can do for you
They have their own water bottles,I'm getting them their own bowls for food and I will start to scatter their veggies during feeding times so when little man does eat veggies he'll be able to get to them without big boy in the way. They have their own hideys and they love sticking together which is a sign of things are going well! I will include those pictures for you! As for the touching and feeling around in his genitals I'm going to have to have my mom do that as I'm not too comfortable
with touching those areas
with touching those areas
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
Looks like a boy but you (or mum) should do hands-on. Check (gently) for a penis ridge above the slit. And check for the presence or absence of a fleshy seal just inside the slit. On boars it goes straight down while with sows you can see a...meaty bit. You are better off doing it as it’s always a good thing to know how to check the gender.
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
Isn't that great? It's so nice that they are there for each other.
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
I forgot to ask - is Jacobe still chewing the cage? Or can you get some sleep now!
Jacobe has stopped the cage chewing but there are times at night in which he does so I go over and pet him until he stops and then he's asleep the rest of the night but thank you for checking on me!