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I've owned guinea pigs for over 10 years and I've never had one as challenging as Bijou. I gave him the French name for "gem" not knowing how sophisticated he'd turn out to be!

Jou Jou (zhu zhu) obsessively bites anything and everything he can get his teeth onto. Yes I know its natural to bite, but he just doesn't stop. I am becoming convinced that he's bored and I haven't found a way to help him out. He's the fussiest pig I've ever had to feed. He will not accept a carrot twice in a row, such as breakfast & supper, and he will not eat a carrot within 2 days of eating one. I swear he knows! The same goes with any type of green I give him; I can give him romaine for breakfast but carrot for supper then cilantro (his fave) for breakfast and then green beans for supper before he'll consider sniffing another leaf of lettuce or carrot.

My contention with him is that he obsessively chews his C&C foundation. At the rate he's going he's going to scallop it all the way to the base! I finally sprayed bitter apple stuff on his favorite chewing spot and it stopped him... for now. (The vet says he can't gain anymore weight; he's 3.4 pounds!) I'm looking for suggestions on how else to entertain him!

So far, this is what I've done for him:

• he lives in a 2x4 C&C cage all his own and gets at least 30 minutes of floor time every other day, all by himself (meaning without his brother; they don't get along at all). I give him piles of baled hay every day and paper bags with Oxbow hay as a toy. He will sit and eat until everything is gone; he doesn't graze.
  
• he will not touch fancy chew blocks and, depending on his mood, apple sticks might be acceptable.
• He has a wooden hidey house which he refuses to hide in. He tips it to its side, the opening facing up, and lays in it. He won't have it any other way, and he won't chew it.
• the C&C cages are stacked; I call them "the condos". I rotate the pigs so they get a change of scenery. When he's on the top level with nothing on top, he gets an extra wooden hidey bridge type thing that worked for my previous pigs; he will chew on this this.
• I've given him wooden blocks with bells; toys to toss; balls to roll; tubes to climb in, and he's not interested in any of this stuff.

He loves being held and having chin rubs and doesn't fuss as much when I reach into the condo to pet him. He also doesn't purr that much. His vet says he's healthy; I've not had any bloodwork done on him.

Any suggestions?