Why no on wood toys/chews?

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babs_me72

Post   » Sun Aug 13, 2017 11:38 pm


Hello. I have been reading through some of the posts and have seen Lynx and a few others say something about no wooden toys or chews. Snickers loves his newest wooden toys. He chews on them, tosses and pushes them around. So I am curious as to why others on here have said no wooden toys/chews. Thanks. Babs

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Aug 13, 2017 11:52 pm


It depends on the wood. Some of it will splinter, so isn't any good. Other wood is ok.

But I've never had a guinea pig that chewed wood.

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 3:36 am


I never had a pig who liked to chew on any type of wood, tried all the edible ones.

WICharlie

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:44 am


Guinea pigs chew with their back teeth. Those are the teeth that constantly grow and need to be used to keep them pared down. They can't get the wooden chew into the rear portion of their mouth to chew it, so it is really worthless in keeping the teeth pared down. Splinters that may come off the wood chew can lodge between teeth or get stuck in the soft tissue of the mouth or throat. If they happen to swallow pieces, it can cause stomach problems or a blockage in the gut.

kailaeve1271

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:12 am


My guinea pigs pig up and run around with/throw their wood chews instead of actually chewing on them. If there is a sign of chewing other than small bite marks I take it out and replace it. I keep wooden toys because I'd rather them chew something natural than plastic (which, if chewed on, can also risk giving splinters). I think it is a general rule of thumb to check all the guinea pig toys daily for signs of danger.

babs_me72

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:23 pm


"Guinea pigs chew with their back teeth. Those are the teeth that constantly grow and need to be used to keep them pared down."

That's an interesting theory. So you are saying that their front incisors don't constantly grow? I know that isn't true as one of my past cavy's front teeth had over grown which caused him to stop eating. Once they were cut back he was good.
Snickers and (Teddy, when he was here,) have always been chewers and have no problems with his teeth.

I agree with kailaeve1271, I would rather have him chew on something natural like wood vs his plastic igloo. And he has constant access to hay for keeping the back teeth down.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:39 pm


It's the grinding motion of the back teeth that keep the front teeth at the right length. They don't need anything to chew on with the front teeth to keep them from over-growing.

I've had several guinea pigs to reach five years of age or older, and not one them has ever chewed anything other than food and hay, and not one has ever needed a tooth trimming.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:08 pm


Yes, all the teeth grow (including incisors). Hay help keep the incisors the right length. If you watch them take the hay into their mouths, there is a side to side motion which is the grinding of the molars and abrasion/wear of the incisors.

babs_me72

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:34 pm


bpatters said, "I've had several guinea pigs to reach five years of age or older, and not one them has ever chewed anything other than food and hay..."

So they never chewed on anything else in their cage? I kind of find that hard to believe as every cavy I ever had chewed on their houses, food bowls, and wooden chews and toys. But anyway, everyone has had different experiences and not all cavy's are the same. Some chew some do not.

This has become an interesting thread with everyone's own opinions about wooden toys, chews and their teeth just in general. Thanks for all the different opinions and experiences. Babs

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:41 pm


They've never bothered to chew the coroplast except to taste it. I had fiddlesticks in there for years, and they never even got the paint off. I do hear them chewing a bit on their plastic hideys, but they haven't been able to make any inroads on them.

The only thing they've every chewed is anything cardboard I've ever put in there.

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Tue Aug 15, 2017 3:43 am


The only time that I saw a pig chew plastic, was when they were in pain, or from boredom in a far too small cage.

WICharlie

Post   » Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:16 am


Mine did seem to be attracted to chewing on duck tape. I often used it to connect two pieces of coroplast in the cage when one piece was not big enough. I don't know what it is about duct tape that interested them. But there never was any lasting effects from it. My pigs lived to be 9 and 8 years old.

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