How to Stop Guinea Pigs From Chewing Wires? Let’s Discover

Guinea pigs are very smart animals that can surprise us with their actions. They can eat and bite various things, and one of those things is chewing wires.

How to stop guinea pigs from chewing wires?

To stop guinea pigs from chewing the wires, you need to remove them or protect them with wire guards, and you can also use a bitter solution that will make them avoid the wires with their smell.

Guinea pigs always like to chew on anything within reach, but with a little effort, you can protect them from chewing on wires and unfortunate situations in which they can injure themselves.

In today’s article, we will share some tips on how to stop guinea pigs from chewing wires and the answer to the question of why they do it.

Why does my guinea pig chew wires?

Before you find out what the tips are on how to wean or stop your guinea pig from biting wires, let’s find out what is the reason for this habit of guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs chew the wires because they are very nature curious and like to explore everything in their environment.

Another reason guinea pigs chew on wires is that their teeth are constantly growing and your pet is constantly looking for something to chew on to reduce them.

Although most of the guinea pigs will chew the wires, some of them will not do this habit, it depends more on the individual of each guinea pig.

A third reason guinea pigs chew wires is availability, ie if they have wires on the floor in front of them, they will try to chew them.

How to stop guinea pigs from chewing wires?

To stop guinea pigs from chewing wires, you need to move them out of your guinea pig’s reach. Here are some tips on how to successfully stop guinea pigs from chewing wires.

Remove the wires

To stop guinea pigs from chewing wires you must move them out of their reach.

Any wires that are on the floor should be removed from the floor or any other place where guinea pigs can reach and chew on them.

Many guinea pig owners think that they will catch the guinea pig before it starts chewing the wires, but this is not always the case.

Guinea pigs are very smart and can unexpectedly come to the wires and chew them, although we think we will notice them in time.

That’s why it’s best to get the wires off the floor or put them somewhere higher where the guinea pigs won’t be able to reach for them to chew on.how to stop guinea pigs from chewing wires

Use wire guards

You can use wire guards in a situation where the wires must be on the floor.

With wire guards, you won’t completely protect the wires from being chewed by guinea pigs, but they will still have some protection.

There are several types of wires, from which you can choose some that will suit you best to prevent chewing or reduce the effect when guinea pigs chew them.

There are also such wires that cannot be placed in a wire protector, then as an alternative you can use heavy-duty electrical tape for protection.

Although this method may not look very attractive, it will successfully complete its work and provide another layer of protection for the wires themselves.

Read more: What To Do if Your Guinea Pig Breaks a Tooth?

White vinegar or a bittering spray can help

Another interesting way to protect the wires from chewing is by using bitter sprays.

These sprays are great because they create an unpleasant smell that will keep guinea pigs away from the wires.

When the guinea pig gets close to the wire and smells the spray, it will give up its intention to chew the wires. Instead of buying bitter spray, you can make one yourself at home.

You need to mix water and white vinegar in a 50-50 ratio and put this solution in a spray bottle. Spray the wires with the solution and your guinea pig will avoid the wires.

However, this is only a temporary solution, for which you will eventually have to find a permanent solution preventing them from chewing the wires.

This bitter solution can also help other places in your home or objects that you don’t want your pet to chew.

Read more: Guinea Pig Eating Pee Pad: How to Prevent It?

Distract them from the wires

Another good way to get your guinea pig to stop biting the wires is to distract them with other objects.

So that they do not chew the wires, put them:

  • wooden objects
  • put up hay racks
  • toilet paper
  • cardboard tubes

These and other items and props can help the guinea pig stop chewing the wires because there will be plenty of other things to nibble on.

Remember that guinea pigs always want to chew something, it’s their natural behavior that we can’t change, we can only be careful what we leave for them to chew.

Read more: Is It Safe For Guinea Pigs To Chew Wood? Let’s Discover

What will happen if guinea pigs chew wires?

if guinea pigs chew wires it can be dangerous for them, so you have to make sure they are away from them. Here’s what can happen when guinea pigs chew wires:

  • Electric shock – when guinea pigs chew on wires they can get an electric shock that can kill them.
  • Burns – When guinea pigs chew on wires, the wires themselves can heat up, causing injury and burns to your pet.
  • Digestive system problems – when guinea pigs chew on wires it can lead to problems and blockages in their digestive system and they will need to be taken to the vet immediately.
  • Damage to electronics – because when guinea pigs chew on wires it can cause them to stop working and you have to pay to have them repaired or replaced.

Therefore, the better you prevent guinea pigs from chewing the wires, the better you will protect them from endangering their health and protect the devices and appliances themselves from deterioration and damage.

Read more: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Plastic? (Complete Answer)

Conclusion

Guinea pigs like to chew the wires, so we have to try different ways to prevent them from doing so. You need to remove the wires so they are out of reach of the guinea pigs or protect them with wire guards.

You can also use bitter sprays that will distract them from their intention to chew the wires.

More toys and objects such as wooden blocks, cardboard tubes, and similar objects are useful because then guinea pigs will have more choices to chew on.

In any case, guinea pigs will always chew, it is their natural behavior that cannot be changed.

But with a little more effort, you can manage to keep your guinea pigs away from wires and the dangers of any unfortunate situations.

Read more: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Toilet Paper Rolls? (Let’s Discover)