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Why does my guinea pig chew its nails2007-11-24 22:19:53

Also see that she has plenty of fresh Timothy hay available to keep her teeth worn down.

Good luck!

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I don't know. My boyfriend does that too. If you figure anything out, let me know..lol..

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First, try to see if the guinea pig will chew on other things. You could get it some chew sticks, cardboard, or some treats. Maybe that will keep the pig from chewing its nails.

If it has been chewing its nails since birth, the chewing is probaly just a habit. And if the guinea pig isn't bleeding, I don't think it's anything major to worry about.

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There could be any number of reasons why she's chewing on her nails, and without any other clues, the best we could offer is speculation...which other people above me have given.

As long as she isn't damaging the toe, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Do try to keep an eye out to see how close she's coming to the quick; you don't want her to inadvertantly cause herself pain.

If she breaks the quick regularly, take her to a vet specializing in small rodents. Even if he can't figure out the problem immediately, he can teach you how to properly wrap her foot to prevent serious damage while the ultimate cause is investigated.

One idea that might reduce her "need" to chew on her nails is to buy a few bricks (you can get them at a garden or hardware store for less than $1 each) and place them around the cage, especially right under the water bottle. As she walks across or stands on them, she'll naturally wear down her nails a bit...which also saves you on trimming time a little bit as a bonus. Plus, with the summer ahead of us, you can pour cold water over the bricks to give her a nice, cool pad to relax on/against when the days get really hot.

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my piggy does this occasionally too-- but the vet checked him and said that he was as happy as could be. piggies have a constant need to chew and grind down their teeth on something, so maybe thats it. but the most likely possiblilty is that SHE IS BORED.