Bar biting – is it normal?

Q:

I have a male piggy who lives in a C&C on his own because he has failed to bond with anyone, but he has company either side of him. He is always biting and chewing on the bars! He has other things to chew (cardboard, hay etc) but he still nibbles his bars, almost obsessively. How can I stop him and will he break his teeth?

A: Katharine Frayling

From your question, I am gathering that they are males on either side of him in the C&C cages? If there are females in the room, it would be tough for him to stop biting as he will have a strong drive to persist. If they are all boys, it can be a worry that they can break their teeth or at least wear the front ones down as they can be very persistent with the chewing.

 If you notice that he chews the bars less at the end with a particular pair of guineas, then perhaps move him to the end of the C&C set up with those ones next door. This may calm him down a bit as he will have less stimulation from all the guineas around him, as he will only see one pair of guinea pigs.

Some people who have had the same issue put a piece of thick perspex so that it keeps them away from the bars, but they can still see one another. This is a difficult issue to solve sometimes, but if they have been put next door to one another fairly recently, it may all calm down over time.

A: Abi Eddis

If your boar is constantly and obsessively biting the bars, I would say he is feeling very lonely and frustrated at not being with other piggies next door. Some lone piggies do live happily as piggy ‘neighbours’, but your little chap sounds very upset and stressed. I would contact a local rescue to help you here as many will do boar dating.

Very few piggies cannot be bonded, boars sometimes need to pick their friends though. Or another excellent solution is to have him neutered and give him a sow as a companion, these bonds are often solid pairings. Good luck

A: Dr Alison Wills

Bar chewing tends to be a sign of frustration in guinea pigs. If he is chewing the bars to try and get to the other guinea pigs, then perhaps he is wanting some companionship. You could try giving him more forms of enrichment to try and occupy him and distract him from the bar gnawing. Maybe place something where he usually likes to gnaw (like a hidey). This might limit interaction with the other guinea pigs but might prevent the chewing as a short term solution. Perhaps you could offer more floor time to tire him out as he also seems like he has a lot of energy if he is doing this constantly. And he might require increased mental stimulation