My pigs eat the plastic of the bottom of the cage

[Sverker&birger]

Hi! My pigs are eating the plastic of the bottom of the cage. I have a ferplast cage, and its made up of three smaller cage pieces that are put together. I do not really know how to explain it but where the pieces are put together there are small pieces of plastic sticking up so that you could separate the cage if necessary. And yesterday I heard them chewing on something but I did not know what, and then when I looked I saw that they had bitten it off almost completely. I do not know what to do! They are running around as usual, and I don't know if they have even swallowed it. What should I do?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! My pigs are eating the plastic of the bottom of the cage. I have a ferplast cage, and its made up of three smaller cage pieces that are put together. I do not really know how to explain it but where the pieces are put together there are small pieces of plastic sticking up so that you could separate the cage if necessary. And yesterday I heard them chewing on something but I did not know what, and then when I looked I saw that they had bitten it off almost completely. I do not know what to do! They are running around as usual, and I don't know if they have even swallowed it. What should I do?

Hi!

Please make sure that you put something underneath your bedding that covers the whole floor and that stops them gnawing; ideally something firm that you can have cut to size or something that you can clip to the cage sides to prevent them from getting underneath. Guinea pigs are like toddlers discovering the world with their mouths and they really have a knack at finding all the things and places you want them to notice least...

Unfortunately all you can do is wait and keep an eye on your piggies; rodents don't have a vomiting reflex, so what has gone down has to come out at the other end. See a vet asap if one of your piggies is looking ill ore stops eating.

All the best!

 

[Swissgreys]

One thing to consider - how big is their cage and how much enrichment does it have in it.
A bored piggy can be a very destructive piggy!

Make sure they have lots of space, hides, maybe some cardboard or loo rolls to chew, and of course unlimited piles of hay at all times.

 

[Sverker&birger]

Hi!

Please make sure that you put something underneath your bedding that covers the whole floor and that stops them gnawing; ideally something firm that you can have cut to size or something that you can clip to the cage sides to prevent them from getting underneath. Guinea pigs are like toddlers discovering the world with their mouths and they really have a knack at finding all the things and places you want them to notice least...

Unfortunately all you can do is wait and keep an eye on your piggies; rodents don't have a vomiting reflex, so what has gone down has to come out at the other end. See a vet asap if one of your piggies is looking ill ore stops eating.

All the best!

Okay, thank you for your advise I really appreciate it! I haven’t heard or seen them eat on that piece since yesterday, and they have been eating normally today. But I’ll keep an eye open for any changes.

 

[Sverker&birger]

One thing to consider - how big is their cage and how much enrichment does it have in it.
A bored piggy can be a very destructive piggy!

Make sure they have lots of space, hides, maybe some cardboard or loo rolls to chew, and of course unlimited piles of hay at all times.

I don’t think the cage’s size is a problem because it’s 2 meters long, but I put some branches in it a few hours ago, so hopefully they will chew on that instead!