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8 Week Old Guinea Pig Eating Weird - Strange Noises And Chewing

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xkatxrinax

xkatxrinax

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Hi everyone,

So yesterday I got an 8 week old guinea pig to be a friend for a guinea pig who had to be put on her own. I have noticed the baby guinea pig eats very strangely. When eating, especially vegetables, she makes a very weird wet noise like there's a lot of saliva and she seems to have a hard time swallowing or something. This happens a little with pellets but she seems to have an easier time eating them. She is especially bad with carrot she just chews it and spits it out again with a lot of strange wet noises. She doesn't have much interest in hay although she does seem to eat a little and she drinks a lot.
Aside from this she seems healthy, her coat is good, no runny eyes, no wet chin. I checked her front teeth and they're fine and I had a feel along her jaw to see if I could feel anything weird and it seems normal and she doesn't feel too thin, as i've only had her for a day I can't track her weight properly.

She still has a fine appetite for pellets and is bouncy and lively and not down at all. Any idea what this could be? Can baby guinea pigs have teeth problems or can it be something else?
 
There was a case on here a while ago of a baby pig that had dental issues and was treated by Simon Maddock in Northampton but I don't think it is that common. I may be wrong on that though. I am wondering about an upper respiratory infection which is making her a big gunky. I would get her checked out by a vet and weigh her daily to check she is gaining weight. Oral fungal is also a possibility, does her breath smell of damp dishcloths at all?
 
Her breath smells fine and she isn't coughing or wheezing at all and there's no nasal discharge. She seems perfectly healthy apart from the weird eating. Her poo is also normal just as some added info no diarrhea or constipation.
 
A video would be great, it may even just be a quirk that is unique to her. It's good that everything else is ok.
 
I just weighed her and she's only 230g which seems light to me but she is very small, i'm kind of thinking she might be younger than 8 weeks. I'll keep tracking her weight and hope she gains it well. I'll try get that video this evening. should I be worried about her being so light?
 
My little Robyn is 475g and is just coming up to 12 weeks old. Not sure if that is a normal weight for her age but you can maybe use it as a guide.
 
Well I just noticed she's wet under her chin today, and having a better feel of her she feels very thin so i'm going to take her to the vet as soon as possible, she definitely seems to have something wrong with her mouth, tried her with kale just now and she's still having a lot of trouble eating :(
 
hope the vets can find out the problem. she may have a piece of food or hay stuck somewhere. x
 
I hope it's something as simple as that! It does seem to be the swallowing part she's having trouble with
 
So she got a lot worse over night :( under her chin is very wet and her eyes are running a bit now and she has soft stools. Her vet appointment is at 3 today. Really hope she'll be ok :( She's still trying to eat though so I hope that's a good sign.
 
Oh bless her, I really hope the vet can help. My thoughts are either a UTI with a lot of gunk or a dental issue. If your vet is not experienced with dental issues especially in a young pig, they could always speak to Simon Maddock in Northampton.

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Really do hope it's something treatable like that and not her teeth, there wouldn't be much hope for her if it was malocclusion at such an early age.
 
Good luck at the vets, I hope it's easily treatable xx
 
So the vet had a good look and said she had a sore at the back of her right gum close to her throat which could be an ulcer and she also has a left molar that is slightly wonky but she said it doesn't seem bad enough to cause any problems and it doesn't look sore around it. She gave her a painkiller injection and a vitamin c injection and told me to syringe feed her for a week and if she is having trouble eating solids after that to bring her in the be put under general anesthetic to have the tooth filed. The injection she gave her has made her extremely dopey though, she can't walk and she's semi conscious lying on her side :/ is this normal after painkillers? she has me very worried!
 
Poor angel. Do you know the name of the injection? I would call the vet and explain what has happened. If it is something like Vetergesic it can make them spaced out but I would be more inclined to think it would be Metacam and I have not heard of that reaction before. I would definitely give them a call.
 
Sadly she passed away in my arms on the way to the emergency vet :( feeling heartbroken. Thank you for all your suggestions and help though.
 
awww so very sorry for your loss... sounds like you did all you could for her, bless her xx
 
I'm so so sorry, I hope you're ok and her little friend too. I suspect there were some underlying health issues bless her.
 
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