Why Does My Guinea Pig Eat My Hair? Here Is the Reason
Guinea pig owners often see that their pets are eating hair pretty happily. Most of the owners take it very normally and let them do it. However, that’s not the right characteristic of a responsible owner because it might make them sick.
Why does my guinea pig eat my hair? Guinea pigs eat hair for multiple reasons. The most common reason is that they love to groom. When they see hair or fur, they try to clean it. And they often cut it and chew it. That is quite normal. But sometimes they eat hair because they feel hungry. That’s bad. Additionally, when bored or ruminant, they consume hair.
Hair eating is bad, so here we’ve shared some ideas on how you can stop guinea pigs from eating this. Hope this will help you.
Why Does My Guinea Pig Eat My Hair?
Everyone knows that hair is not edible. However, you can see that guinea pigs will try to chew or bite your hair when they are close by. There are numerous causes for this behavior. The most common reason for this problem is barbering. It means they are actually not eating hair; they are chewing their own or other guinea pigs’ hair.
Another reason is that they try to eat it, perceiving it to be food. A crucial fact is that hair contains fiber. Because fiber is an important part of the guinea pig’s diet, they acquire the taste. That is the reason guinea pigs eat your hair. However, that’s not all. Guinea pigs are also little explorers. They sometimes eat hair just to figure out what this thing is.
The ruminant is another big reason for chewing hair. When they get bored or frustrated, they do this. Eating hair is obviously a bad habit for guinea pigs. This habit has some negative consequences. The fact that hair does not digest normally. Therefore, it might make them ill.
Do Guinea Pigs Love Eating Hair?
Although they seem to enjoy eating hair, they don’t like it. They do it either because they are too hungry or bored. If you see your pet guinea pig is still eating hair while they are not hungry and not bored.
It indicates that they are ruminating. Although they are not ruminants animals, they have this habit. This means they just love to chew things; they don’t need to be hungry for rumination. They have an extremely unusual digestive system that requires them to chew food twice. Many other animals have this habit of ruminating. Mostly those mammals who have four-chambered stomachs.
Frankly, they do not love eating hair. They just love to pass their time by chewing things.
Is Hair Bad For Guinea Pigs Health?
Guinea pigs are able to digest hair, but it’s pretty bad for their health. On top of that, it is also harmful to their digestive system. So it is a bit concerning.
Hair contains fiber, which is crucial for the Guinea pig diet. However, the problem is that it also contains certain extraneous components. For example zinc, selenium, chromium, manganese, cadmium, lead, and mercury. These elements of hair can make them sick in different ways. So they don’t like to have hair so ultimately, it’s pretty bad.
What Can You Do To Stop Your Pet Guinea Pig From Eating Hair?
Guinea pigs mostly love to play and groom your hair. But if you see that they are eating instead of grooming, It’ll be big trouble.
Additionally, who wants to waste their hair to feed an animal? So if it seems serious, your job is to stop it.
The following suggestions can help you get rid of this guinea pig hair eating problem.
Don’t Let Them Play With Your Hair
Guinea pigs are little playful animals, no doubt. They will try to play with your hair when they are with you. This situation makes the habits of chewing/eating hair.
Unwillingly they will start eating hair to check whether this is food or not. So though it seems a little cute, don’t let them play with your hair. If you don’t want to see your loving hair being eaten by your guinea pig, you have to take it seriously.
Keep Your Hair Tied Up
Always try to keep your hair tied up. This is a good approach because it is not possible to stop them from playing with your hair. Therefore, if you just tie your hair properly, it might help to handle the condition.
Also, don’t give guinea pigs any dolls or teddy bears which have fur or hair on them.
Don’t Let Them Stay Hungry
When guinea pigs are hungry, they act crazy. They try to eat everything that seems like food. Hair is also on that list. So always try to give them proper food. Make sure they are not hungry.
When they are hungry, they will eat hair, clothes, mat, or even wire.
FAQs
Here are some of the most asked questions that you need to know to have a clear idea about Guinea Pig’s hair-eating habit.
What should I do if my guinea pig has already eaten my hair?
You don’t have to do anything. Suppose they eat a small amount of hair that will not make them sick. What you must do is ensure that they no longer have the opportunity to eat hair.
However, if your pet guinea pig ate a lot of hair and felt sick, then you should take them to the veterinarian. They will tell you what you need to do by observing the situation.
Is it bad if my guinea pig eats my dog’s hair?
If they eat dog fur, that is concerning. But the question is, are they eating hair or just grooming? Because eating hair is bad, but grooming is completely fine. The reason is when they groom, they cut the hair, chew hair but don’t swallow.
So ultimately, it doesn’t make them ill if they groom. And grooming is completely fine.
Is this normal? My two guinea pigs eat each other’s hair.
Yes, it is normal. If they groom each other, it’s normal. In this situation, they are just cleaning themselves. But if they do it while fighting, that will be inappropriate. Eating hair while fighting is really bad. If you see something like that, stop them.
Final Words
Hope now you get the answer to your question, ‘why does my guinea pig eat my hair’. Eating hair is bad, no doubt but the problem is most of the owners don’t know if their guinea pigs are eating hair or grooming. When guinea pigs eat hair, that is completely bad for their health.
Also, some people say it is normal, and they don’t get sick. That’s not entirely true. We use different types of synthetic products in our hair. If they consume it, it will make them sick. However, if they only groom your hair, that’s not so bad. Simply observe properly before acting.