Eating and flipping bowls.

Guineaspot

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:58 pm


So I've been seeing my guinea pig, Patches, flipping her food bowas over ever since I got her. She is only 11 months old, is there a way I can get her to stop? Whenever she is out she makes a mess and it's hard to clean. She has a small yellow bowl around an inch and a half high. Is it because the food bowl is too big?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 2:45 pm


It's because guinea pigs are wired to flip food bowls.

Your only hope of that not happening in in the choice of bowl you use. I use a soap dish with the sides flared out at the bottom, and in many years of owning guinea pigs, it's only been flipped once. There's also a thing called a StayBowl a lot of people have had good luck with -- you can get them on Amazon. Chewy.com also has some flared bowls.

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RavenShade
Thanks for the Memories

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:15 pm


I have three pigs currently. One of them will deliberately put a foot on the lip of the bowl and cause it to spill. I think he's lazy. Doesn't seem to matter how full or what kind of bowl. He's big enough to tip them all. You could try a bowl affixed to the side of the cage.

Guineaspot

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:25 pm


I do, and she wants nothing to do with it, cause the ones on the side of the cages are taller, but my rabbit uses one. Also, she grabs it from the far end of the bowl, and twists her head so it's flipped and all the food flies out.

WICharlie

Post   » Mon Sep 24, 2018 10:12 am


Get a stainless steel bowl. Drive a nail through the middle to make a hole. Screw it to a flat block of wood. You will have to unscrew it each time to wash it, but there will be no more food all over. Then I would put a few bowls in just to let them be flipped if the pig enjoys it.

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:04 am


I had one little girl who absolutely refused to NOT flip her bowls. Not only that, she would pull them into a corner so her cagemate couldn't get to any of the food. After a few months, I let her win.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:22 pm


I hear flared bottom bowls made of solid gold are mighty tough to flip :-)

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:37 pm


I picked up a couple of the stamped steel bowls that look like this. One big one for veggies and one small one for pellets or treats

Image

The Pellets are in small but hefty ramekins/mini casserole dishes which only Chunkita seems to be able to tip over

You can see them and the other bowls in this picture

Image

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:50 pm


I have some of those metal bowls. I think they work pretty well.

autumn

Post   » Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:46 pm


rjespicer I love the fabric you have over the hidey section of your cage! Did you make those?

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Tue Sep 25, 2018 2:25 am


When I have a bowl flipper in the cage, I surround the bowl with concrete tiles. Keeps the nails trimmed as well and reduces clipping sessions. The tiles clean well in in a dishwasher, or by hand after a soak in soapy water with disinfectant.

I am sure they do it to make looking for that perfect pellet easier, lol.

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:03 am


That, or they just can't stand to have that tiniest bit of pressure against their throats. ;o) Or even that it makes them feel vulnerable because they can't see any house eagles sneaking up on them.

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