• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Dental Babies - bad teeth

Flinty

Flinty

New Born Pup
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Messages
33
Reaction score
51
Points
200
Location
Bristol
Hi,

I brought home two baby guinea pigs who are approx 9 weeks earlier today. At closer inspection I've found a huge issue with both of their teeth and would really appreciate some advice. I've not yet seen them eat as they've been super scared and only noticed as I decided to syringe water them to stop them becoming dehydrated.
The lady I bought them from was housing them with other sows including their mothers, so they may have still been suckling. I was told they've been fed lots of grass, dandelions and some veg and a very small amount of pellets- I suspect more should have been fed.

If you saw my other post about guinea pig teeth, you'll be pleased to know that my boar did indeed have a plaque problem and it's all cleared up now. I'm praying it's the same here.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. They're still tiny so I'd hate for anything to happen to them!42719823_2204654273148518_306250607226781696_n.webp42727766_313714009441524_3185922679072882688_n.webp
 
Flinty said:
Hi,

I brought home two baby guinea pigs who are approx 9 weeks earlier today. At closer inspection I've found a huge issue with both of their teeth and would really appreciate some advice. I've not yet seen them eat as they've been super scared and only noticed as I decided to syringe water them to stop them becoming dehydrated.
The lady I bought them from was housing them with other sows including their mothers, so they may have still been suckling. I was told they've been fed lots of grass, dandelions and some veg and a very small amount of pellets- I suspect more should have been fed.

If you saw my other post about guinea pig teeth, you'll be pleased to know that my boar did indeed have a plaque problem and it's all cleared up now. I'm praying it's the same here.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. They're still tiny so I'd hate for anything to happen to them!View attachment 95937View attachment 95938
Click to expand...

Hi! Please be aware that a problem at the front is often caused by a problem with the grinding back teeth, so your vet needs to look at ALL teeth, and not just the incisors. They don't look evenly worn, which usually indicates that there can be overgrowth at the back. Please see an exotics vet if possible.

Did they get hay, which should make over 80% of the daily food intake and the silica in which is responsible for griding down the crucial back teeth and keeping the guts balanced? Too much fresh food can lead to fermentation in the gut.

@furryfriends (TEAS)
 
Hi, I was told they did have hay and did spot some in the hutch but judging by the fact they're both in a similar situation I can imagine it wasn't enough. She also said they hadn't had many pellets which was also worrying. I've had one eating whilst encouraged by my older sow and the other still a little worried. They all had floor time and were popcorning about super happily when with the adults so it's good to see them acting more normal at that point. Wees and poos normal.

With a correct diet do you think we can rectify the problem? I'm a little worried about any anaesthetic that might be needed in such small pigs to inspect and work on back teeth.

Wiebke said:
Hi! Please be aware that a problem at the front is often caused by a problem with the grinding back teeth, so your vet needs to look at ALL teeth, and not just the incisors. They don't look evenly worn, which usually indicates that there can be overgrowth at the back. Please see an exotics vet if possible.

Did they get hay, which should make over 80% of the daily food intake and the silica in which is responsible for griding down the crucial back teeth and keeping the guts balanced? Too much fresh food can lead to fermentation in the gut.

@furryfriends (TEAS)
Click to expand...
 
Please watch and wait for a while. I worry that a vet, who isn't experienced with dental issues (and most aren't) could make this problem (if there is one) worse! Personally, I am not convinced there is a dental issue, as such and I would be leaving them to settle for now and reviewing the situation in a few days time. Keeping a note of weight will be a good way of checking whether they're eating properly
 
Update- both babies are now living with my adults as they seem to cope better with their company and have been eating and drinking as normal- especially Kiwi the grey pup who is very greedy.

A rabbit breeder I know suggested it was probably caused by bad breeding lines and said they'll be fine with me but the breeder probably should have put them down when they were born- that freaked me out a bit.

They're currently all making tonnes of noise charging around their cage. Let's hope it's onwards and upwards from here. X
 
Best to just keep a close eye on their eating habits and their weight. I’ve noticed sometimes my piggies teeth look a bit discoloured, then are lovely and white again within a week. I wonder if certain foods like hay keep the teeth “cleaned”as well as keeping them worn down?
 
Flinty said:
Update- both babies are now living with my adults as they seem to cope better with their company and have been eating and drinking as normal- especially Kiwi the grey pup who is very greedy.

A rabbit breeder I know suggested it was probably caused by bad breeding lines and said they'll be fine with me but the breeder probably should have put them down when they were born- that freaked me out a bit.

They're currently all making tonnes of noise charging around their cage. Let's hope it's onwards and upwards from here. X
Click to expand...
It sounds like they're doing well. I hate it when breeders think that they should be destroyed for being less than perfect. We have a lovely piggy here, called Freya. Her breeder was going to have her euthanised, because she has a 'coat fault'. They also said her face is flat, so she will have dental problems. So far her flat face and faulty coat have caused no issue whatsoever!
 
I really cannot understand the mentality of breeders, they seem very heartless. How can they kill the very animal that brings such enjoyment of their hobby? It’s totally beyond my comprehension!
 
That sounds like the supermarket mentality that rejects less than perfect veggies.
Now that they have ‘discovered ‘ there’s money to be made from wonky veg maybe breeders will learn that ‘wonky’ guinea pigs will also find loving owners.
Good job we don’t apply this reasoning to humans or some of us wouldn’t be around any more.
 
I just wanted to thank everyone and update them on Fig and Kiwi's teeth. Since we've had them I'm happy to say the colouring has almost entirely returned to normal and Fig's have evened out nicely. They're living happily with the adults, with Cookie the sow completely adopting them as her own. Old man Flint plays with them during run around time but likes to sneak away to wherever they're not for peace and quiet in the cage. They're putting on weight nicely with Kiwi even briefly going onto pregnancy watch as she got fat so quick! No longer worried about that as it seems to have slowed down to normal growth. Thank you to all of you for your care. Here's to many years of fluff bums!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top