Dental 8 week old white ? lethal

[Whitebeardsmum]

Hello I am new to the forum. We have recently adopted 2 baby Guinea pigs from a friend whose own guinea pig was pregnant unknown to her when she picked it up. One of them 'Grizzly' is doing well but the other 'Whitebeard' is not thriving. They are both girls The white one has only got 1 eye that we can see and it seems blind in that one. I'm not sure if it can hear but it does squeak. It is not gaining weight well at all. It was 158g at 6 weeks and dropped to 128g by 7.5weeks. I started giving it mushed pellets and now critical care feed started 2 days ago and it's now hovering at 134-138,g but I am giving it more CC than recommended on the bag for weight and it's still not gaining hardly. It's very active in the cage and seems happy enough for now but compared to the other one which is now 230g it's tiny and bony. It guzzles the feed via the syringe. I've watched it eating and it tries to chew the veggies etc but it a lot slower than the other one. Any other tips?

 

[Tnoz]

I’d get it checked by a vet asap just to make sure, put your mind at rest, keep us posted and good luck

 

[Bill & Ted]

Welcome to the forum
Aw she’s beautiful. A couple of forum members have lethal piggies and yes she looks like a lethal piggie to me. I will tag @Eriathwen and @furryfriends (TEAS) thry have lots of experience and will be able to give you advice. You are doing a brilliant job, hang in there x

Here is our guide to lethal piggies

More information on lethals here: Roans, dalmatians and lethals explained

 

[Free Ranger]

These precious piggies do need extra care but the love they give in return is such a wonderful thing
They often have problems with eyesight and with teeth which can affect eating but with the right care they can live full lives.
Do Grizzly and Whitebeard get on well together? Sometimes the piggy pal will act as guide to their special friend. One point to mention is that if you have a piggy who has little or no vision it is best not to move things round in the cage too much as they will learn where everything is. The tagged members have lots of experience so they are the ones who will be able to help best. I think it's likely that Whitebeard will need to see an experienced vet in any case for her teeth to be checked over. Good luck x

 

[Merab]

What a pretty little girl.
Others have the experience to support you with practical advice and guidance.
Hope you find the forum supportive, helpful and fun.

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. She’s such a special little piggy. I hope you can help her live her best life. With some TLC she could have a wonderful life.

 

[Whitebeardsmum]

These precious piggies do need extra care but the love they give in return is such a wonderful thing
They often have problems with eyesight and with teeth which can affect eating but with the right care they can live full lives.
Do Grizzly and Whitebeard get on well together? Sometimes the piggy pal will act as guide to their special friend. One point to mention is that if you have a piggy who has little or no vision it is best not to move things round in the cage too much as they will learn where everything is. The tagged members have lots of experience so they are the ones who will be able to help best. I think it's likely that Whitebeard will need to see an experienced vet in any case for her teeth to be checked over. Good luck x

Hi yes they seem to get on well but it's hard to say for sure yet. There hasn't been any fighting and they are always snuggled up together. At first I thought maybe grizzly was taking all the food but she isn't as there is always plenty out to eat. I've got a large indoor cage and it does have a little house on one side with a shallow roof they can go on but neither of them has walked up there. I was thinking of removing it just incase Whitebeard tries to go up but they do like going in it at night. I'll try and make sure everything stays in same place. Thanks x

 

[Bill & Ted]

I would leave it in if they like to go in it at night x

 

[Eriathwen]

Bless her, I am quite lucky that my 2 are now totally independant really, but they stopped growing at about 4 months old and have stayed about 600g.
All I can suggest is to keep going, and see if a vet can check whether she has all the necessary teeth, unfortunately they can have some missing, deformed or growing incorrectly. On top of not absorbing nutrients well, that makes gaining weight tricky sometimes. To start with I gave mine probiotics, to help kick-start their digestive flora, grated veggies, fresh grass, alfalfa hay, pellets soaked in water and critical care. All weight gain was incredibly slow compared to other emaciated rescues I had taken on. The most frustrating part of raising them was having to be patient and give things time, Silver is still very slim built and a little boney but he is always on the move unless he's asleep, his neurological issues make him get up and go all the time. I hope she does well, they're such wonderful little characters.

 

[Whitebeardsmum]

Hello everyone. Just an update on whitebeard. She has been having critical care since 5th April 3x day most days about 1 tablespoon each feed with water which is the most she will have in 1 sitting plus that's all I can manage. Her weight dropped from 158g at 6 weeks when I got her to 128g the week after. However since I started the CC feeding her weight today is now 193g.
She has been seen by the vet this week who didn't seem to know much about white lethal guinea pigs but he checked the teeth and said none were deformed or missing and the jaw looks ok. He agreed she is blind in both eyes and possibly deaf (hard to say but she only seems to come out looking for food when the cage door actually moves compared to the other guinea pig).
Still seems quite happy otherwise and likes being held and stroked. Since eating more she's definitely perked up.
I find her trying to eat stuff but just seems to chew it for ages so I'm not sure if he's right about the teeth.
For now just going to carry on with what I'm doing. Thanks.

 

[poggle]

What a gorgeous girl she is, great news that she's doing well!

 

[Eriathwen]

Aw she's looking well bless her ❤ well done! I hope she continues to do good

 

[weepweeps]

Great news.

 

[YvonneBlue]

If you still have concerns regarding her teeth there is a specialist vet at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton who looks after the piggies from The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary (TEAS) that have dental problems. I think that you currently need a referral from your own vet but @furryfriends (TEAS) should be able to offer you more advice.

Hope that little Whitebeard continues to thrive.

 

[Freela]

Awww, what a sweetie, congrats on doing a good job and getting her to gain some weight! All the best!

 

[Wiebke]

It sounds like dental issues (which are a common long term problem in lethals). I second the referral to the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic; they are seeing dental piggies from all over the country from as far as Edinburgh and Cornwall and are doing about 25 piggy dentals every week - that is more than most vets see in their whole career.