Can Guinea Pigs Chew on Cardboard?

If you own a guinea pig, you are probably pretty familiar with some of their most frequent behaviors. For example, you probably know they love to put anything and everything in their mouth. This is because guinea pigs are big chewers.

Guinea pigs will search everywhere to find something to chew on, and sometimes in desperation they will even nibble on the metal cage. If your guinea pig has chewed through all the clippings and hay, you might be looking for something else for your guinea pig to nibble on.

It is very important that you always look online before putting something inside your guinea pig cage. In today’s article, we are going to discuss whether it is okay to allow a guinea pig to chew on cardboard.

Can guinea pigs chew on cardboard?

Yes, it is perfectly ok for guinea pigs to chew and eat cardboard.

It is important to remember that cardboard is made out of wood and is thus a plant product. Since a guinea pig’s digestive system is used to things such as wood chips and paper passing through the body, it is perfectly safe to put cardboard inside your cage. While cardboard is safe for guinea pigs to chew and eat, you should be cautious.

Problems could certainly arise if your guinea pig starts eating a lot of cardboard. While there are no toxins in cardboard, its is very low in valuable nutrients in vitamins. Therefore, your guinea pig might experience a vitamin deficiency if they start eating more cardboard than hay.

Before you put any cardboard inside your guinea pig cage, you should make sure there are no other substances on it. Make sure to remove any tape that might be attached to the cardboard. This is very important as tape can cause choking and digestive issues.

Why do guinea pigs like chewing cardboard?

Now you might be wondering why guinea pigs like to chew cardboard in the first place. The reason is because a guinea pig’s teeth are constantly growing. If a guinea pig doesn’t chew on things to help file down the teeth, it can cause serious medical problems.

Chewing also helps keep guinea pig’s teeth clean. It helps remove tart and other objects that can get stuck in between their teeth.

While guinea pigs do enjoy chewing on hard objects such as wood chips or even metal, there is a downside. These hard objects can sometimes cause cuts in their gums which can cause them to bleed. This can also cause respiratory issues such as a runny nose.

Why do guinea pigs like cardboard?

Guinea pigs like to chew cardboard because it is the best of both worlds. It provides something for their teeth to file down on, but it also isn’t hard enough to hurt their gums. Some people also believe that guinea pigs are attracted to the crunching sound of chewing cardboard.

What else can my guinea pig chew on?

Aside from cardboard, there are plenty of other things you can give your guinea pig to chew on. For instance, you can give them some paper. Similar to cardboard, you should not let your guinea pig consume a large amount of paper, as it can cause digestive issues.

Guinea pigs also love to chew on sticks, toys, hays sticks, and wooden blocks.