My Piggy Eats Everything!

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Bliss

Bliss

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey guys,

I'm having trouble finding things to give my piggy to play with because he seems to not only chew things like toilet rolls and cardboard boxes, but eats it as well. I've watched very carefully and he happily nibbles away and it does hit the floor. I'm worried about giving him anything because I don't want him to get a blockage from too much non edible stuff! I've just ordered him one of the tubes made from vegetable matter so at least I can let him chomp away on that. I've even had to stop using newspaper as a bottom layer in his house.

Anyone else got piggies that do this? What other toys can I give him that are safe?
 
Bliss said:
Hey guys,

I'm having trouble finding things to give my piggy to play with because he seems to not only chew things like toilet rolls and cardboard boxes, but eats it as well. I've watched very carefully and he happily nibbles away and it does hit the floor. I'm worried about giving him anything because I don't want him to get a blockage from too much non edible stuff! I've just ordered him one of the tubes made from vegetable matter so at least I can let him chomp away on that. I've even had to stop using newspaper as a bottom layer in his house.

Anyone else got piggies that do this? What other toys can I give him that are safe?
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Brown cardboard, toilet and kitchen rolls, brown paper bags (with any handles cut through) are perfectly fine to eat. Many piggies on recovery from an operation or a tummy upset actually crave this nutrionally poor and rough fibre to help re-balance their guts. I usually have always one of these for the piggies to nibble on in the cage. Newspaper is not quite as great, but the ink they use is not toxic, so you do not need to worry if they eat some. Guinea pigs have developed on a nutrionally rather poor diet of grass/hay fibres and that is how they work best.
 
Oh brilliant, thank you. I thought I read somewhere that too much cardboard would cause blockages. Very pleased to hear he can nibble away!
 
that's good to hear about newspaper being non toxic, 2 of mine do tend to eat quite a lot of it even though I cover it up with bedding and hay. What about them chewing puppy pads? I switched to those recently but they ate so much of them I switched back to newspaper. Is it safe if they eat the corners of puppy pads?
 
Bliss said:
Oh brilliant, thank you. I thought I read somewhere that too much cardboard would cause blockages. Very pleased to hear he can nibble away!
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You can stuff the rolls and bags with hay, so they don't eat all the cardboard at once. Mine usually just nibble their way through a kitchen roll in several days.
 
Hank288 said:
that's good to hear about newspaper being non toxic, 2 of mine do tend to eat quite a lot of it even though I cover it up with bedding and hay. What about them chewing puppy pads? I switched to those recently but they ate so much of them I switched back to newspaper. Is it safe if they eat the corners of puppy pads?
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Look up what puppy pads are made of - any plasticised bits would not be so good.
 
I did wonder if I were to change to using fleece bedding or vetbed whether he would just munch his way through those as well. Is there something specific in fleece that they don't like to chew? He tried to chew the towel and pull threads when I used one in floor time. I'd be worried about fluff and fibers going into his system.
 
Wiebke said:
Look up what puppy pads are made of - any plasticised bits would not be so good.
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It was the deodorising layer that I was worried about, I am pretty sure that mine do not have plastic in them but I will check. thank you
 
This is the same with my two younger boars, they have the cardboard tubes and you should see one of them lol, they've had fun with it!

Are the paper bags from Tesco ok? they have print on which is why I'm asking.
 
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