Best for wearing down teeth

Mother Hubbard · Jun 23, 2012

Besides copious amount of quality hay, what other foods are good for grinding down teeth?

My initial thought would be carrots, something hard to get there teeth in, or am I missing something here? I don't provide gnawing items in there age, would this be a better option?

Captain jacks front teeth I think may need attention, it could be that hewasnt given enough hay from a young age and since he's about 5 months young, it's got me thinking.

He's very happy and pop corns every time he sees me...even my hubby says he's like a different piggy since he came home from the adoption centre.

Guinea pig slave · Jun 23, 2012

Ours nibble on willow sticks, hay tunnels and their bendy hidey's :{
I try and buy the hay that is course, Timothy is good I find

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/woodlands-small-pet-willow-sticks-15908

Wiebke · Jun 23, 2012

Front teeth should be self sharpening as long as the back teeth are in good order, so the important thing is to keep the molars going! You only get problems when they front teeth are not properly aligned.

Hay is the best thing to keep the molars ground down; with it being the largest part of the diet, you should not have to worry as the silicates in the hay do a good job. Choose pellets that do not soften too quickly when in contact with water/spit, so piggies have to chew for longer.

Carrots (like lettuce) are very high in vitamin A and should not be fed too often as the excess vitamin builds up in the liver. It may be a firm veg but won't contribute.

Mother Hubbard · Jun 23, 2012

Guinea pig slave said:
Ours nibble on willow sticks, hay tunnels and their bendy hidey's :{
I try and buy the hay that is course, Timothy is good I find

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/woodlands-small-pet-willow-sticks-15908

Thanks babe, I shall pick some up, I've also got some more hay, not that I ever run out but he's a greedy piggy. Ive bought jack a good woody chew today and out some food inside, I shall probably stuff it full of hay as well, keep him busy since he is currently on his own.

I think my hubby is quite attached to him and besides he had such a hard start to life.

Mother Hubbard · Jun 23, 2012

Wiebke said:
Front teeth should be self sharpening as long as the back teeth are in good order, so the important thing is to keep the molars going! You only get problems when they front teeth are not properly aligned.

Hay is the best thing to keep the molars ground down; with it being the largest part of the diet, you should not have to worry as the silicates in the hay do a good job. Choose pellets that do not soften too quickly when in contact with water/spit, so piggies have to chew for longer.

Carrots (like lettuce) are very high in vitamin A and should not be fed too often as the excess vitamin builds up in the liver. It may be a firm veg but won't contribute.

Thank you, you've confirmed what I was thinking.

I'm using burgess excell pellets and I don't believe these soften too quickly. He will be getting a check up soon, I just wanted him home, and fully sure he hadn't got any illness which he hasn't. He's having a bath tomorrow and a full top and tail so will have a good proper look at his teeth, hubby will have to hang onto him he's a right squirmer.

crystalcolescarr · Jun 23, 2012

Fruit wood is meant to be really good and palatable. If you or any friends have fruit trees you can give the pigs the prunings.

fuzzyvalefan · Jun 26, 2012

We cant have hay in the house because my girlfriend has a bad allergic reaction to it so we always make sure there is a nutty crunch treat thingy hanging up along with very crunchy pellet style food and we make sure we give them hard veg (carrots are a good bet) regularly and a cardboard tube always goes down well too.

Amanda1801 · Jun 26, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
We cant have hay in the house because my girlfriend has a bad allergic reaction to it so we always make sure there is a nutty crunch treat thingy hanging up along with very crunchy pellet style food and we make sure we give them hard veg (carrots are a good bet) regularly and a cardboard tube always goes down well too.

Hay NEEDS to be making up the main bulk of your guinea pigs diet. They need to be having 80%+ of their diet as hay.

What are you feeding them if you aren't feeding them hay? Also carrots should only be fed once or twice a week, as they are high in vitamin A, which can end up being stored in the liver and becoming toxic.

Niki · Jun 26, 2012

Grass is also good for wearing down teeth.

fuzzyvalefan · Jun 26, 2012

Amanda1801 said:
Hay NEEDS to be making up the main bulk of your guinea pigs diet. They need to be having 80%+ of their diet as hay.

What are you feeding them if you aren't feeding them hay? Also carrots should only be fed once or twice a week, as they are high in vitamin A, which can end up being stored in the liver and becoming toxic.

Their diet is vet approved so i have no concerns there. We always use a complete high quality pellet food which is always available. It has plenty of fibre and all the nutrients and vitamins they need. They also get fresh fruit/veg every day and they dont get carrots more than twice a week. They seem very happy and healthy with their diet which they have had for a year now without hay. For teeth grinding as i say there is always a crunchy stick and tubes and things to nibble on. They have no problems with their health or their teeth.

MerryPip · Jun 26, 2012

Your vet might be right about the foods etc but hay is not only vital as part of diet but as part of their natural behaviour.

Foraging and throwing it about as well as eating it is what piggies do and should be doing.

Pellets are great as are veggies but like any of us a piggy needs a banalced diet and most vets along with feed manufacturers state that a mixed diet including loads of fibre is needed...

http://www.fightforfibre.co.uk/feeding-plan.html

crumpets · Jun 26, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
Their diet is vet approved so i have no concerns there. We always use a complete high quality pellet food which is always available. It has plenty of fibre and all the nutrients and vitamins they need. They also get fresh fruit/veg every day and they dont get carrots more than twice a week. They seem very happy and healthy with their diet which they have had for a year now without hay. For teeth grinding as i say there is always a crunchy stick and tubes and things to nibble on. They have no problems with their health or their teeth.

Your diet cannot be approved as guinea pigs get their main bulk of calcuim and also vit d from hay not just to grind teeth down etc, by not using it in their diet you risk health problems and pigs hide illness well. You can use hay cakes but this proves to be expensive as its a 80% requirement of their diet or you could try different brands of hay and see which affects your partner the least.

twiams · Jun 26, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
We cant have hay in the house because my girlfriend has a bad allergic reaction to it so we always make sure there is a nutty crunch treat thingy hanging up along with very crunchy pellet style food and we make sure we give them hard veg (carrots are a good bet) regularly and a cardboard tube always goes down well too.

If you can't have hay in your house you can't have guinea pigs in your house.
Guinea pigs WILL get ill and WILL have terrible dental issues that will cost you alot to repair if you do not supply them with hay.
You really need to re-think whats best for your animals.

Amanda1801 · Jun 26, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
We cant have hay in the house because my girlfriend has a bad allergic reaction to it so we always make sure there is a nutty crunch treat thingy hanging up along with very crunchy pellet style food and we make sure we give them hard veg (carrots are a good bet) regularly and a cardboard tube always goes down well too.

If you don't want to give up your guinea pigs (this is how important hay is to them!) then your girlfriend should see her doctor. I'm allergic to guinea pigs (and just about every other animal on the planet!) as well as hay and many other things. I tried over the counter antihistamines and they did nothing. Now I get prescription antihistamines and other things like eyedrops and stuff and my allergies are much better controlled.

CrawleyGuineaPigRescue · Jun 26, 2012

Hi, by the sounds of it you realise guinea pigs need to have hay, you say you cant have hay in the house, what about thinking about getting a good quality hutch for either outside or in a shed. The guinea pigs molars need to continually grind down. Do they go out on the grass?
Anyone who has met me knows I suffer badly with allergy to hay (its infact the little bits of hay dust) and when I say bad, I can have a continual streaming nose, itchy nose, blocked nose and itchy eyes. I get through 2 bales of hay a week because I know the buns and guinea pigs need it.

Another option is to get some hay and lay it out on a sheet in the garden and fluff it up to get rid of the dust, you could bag up a daily amount and carefully put it in the cage . Or get her to try some anti histimines

fuzzyvalefan · Jun 26, 2012

I will experiment with different types perhaps and see what compromise i can come to.

Sherlocksmum · Jun 26, 2012

My partner is very allergic to hay, so our guinea pigs live in a room he doesn't go into. The time he spends with the piggies is when I bring them out of the room and they are in a run in the kitchen or in the garden, and for those short periods of time they don't need their hay and its only a couple of hours.

The other thing you could try instead of loose hay is the hay pellets the big ones - other people is this type of hay by itself good enough for piggies? I don't know as I feed them masses of the loose sort.

crumpets · Jun 26, 2012

You could also try hay racks instead of spreading it about in the cage, meaning less allergens being sent up into the air. An air purifier in the room may also help to reduce allergens.

LittleEskimo · Jun 26, 2012

Hay, sticks, fungreek crunchies are very hard, cardboard...things like that

Katie Krafter · Jun 26, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
We cant have hay in the house because my girlfriend has a bad allergic reaction to it so we always make sure there is a nutty crunch treat thingy hanging up along with very crunchy pellet style food and we make sure we give them hard veg (carrots are a good bet) regularly and a cardboard tube always goes down well too.

Hi there
Just a thought, as piggies do need hay (it should make up 80% of their total intake) but have you thought about hay cookies? This is very highly compressed hay, but developed for those humans who can't have hay near them as it is virtually dust free and the hay is so compressed it ciomes in chunks which the piggies have to chew into. YOu can get them online cheaper than you can at P@H but you can check them out there too.

HTH - it would be so good for your piggies if you could give them some hay this way

mikulinek · Jun 26, 2012

lil said:
Besides copious amount of quality hay, what other foods are good for grinding down teeth?

My initial thought would be carrots, something hard to get there teeth in, or am I missing something here? I don't provide gnawing items in there age, would this be a better option?

Captain jacks front teeth I think may need attention, it could be that hewasnt given enough hay from a young age and since he's about 5 months young, it's got me thinking.

He's very happy and pop corns every time he sees me...even my hubby says he's like a different piggy since he came home from the adoption centre.

Carrot should be avoided at all costs in my opinion - it is high in sugar and vitamin A and really, is not a suitable food for piggies (or bunnies for that matter).

For their front teeth, piggies need access to something wooden ideally - apple tree sticks are good.

For the back teeth, you've hit the nail on the head - there's nothing better than good hay.

Mother Hubbard · Jun 26, 2012

Yep, I'll do those, I did get him something at the weekend, but I want to encourage him to chew more on the items he's allowed to have at the same time but not chewing me!

catherine · Jun 26, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
Their diet is vet approved so i have no concerns there. We always use a complete high quality pellet food which is always available. It has plenty of fibre and all the nutrients and vitamins they need. They also get fresh fruit/veg every day and they dont get carrots more than twice a week. They seem very happy and healthy with their diet which they have had for a year now without hay. For teeth grinding as i say there is always a crunchy stick and tubes and things to nibble on. They have no problems with their health or their teeth.

In that case I think a change of vet is definitely in order - terrible advice to give out mallethead

As other members have said hay is the most important part of the diet. I know it's not as good as real hay but you can get hay in pellet form which is better than nothing whilst you work out other ways to incorporate hay into the diet.

http://galensgarden.co.uk/shop/hay-forage/pellets-cobs/aromatic-herby-hay-pellets

http://galensgarden.co.uk/shop/hay-forage/pellets-cobs/meadow-hay-cobs

ellie_jo3213 · Jun 27, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
We cant have hay in the house because my girlfriend has a bad allergic reaction to it so we always make sure there is a nutty crunch treat thingy hanging up along with very crunchy pellet style food and we make sure we give them hard veg (carrots are a good bet) regularly and a cardboard tube always goes down well too.

Pellets are NOT a substute for hay. There is no way it will wear their teeth down adequately. Your pigs NEED hay, and if your not willing/can't provide them with the basic husbandry they need then you question are these the right pets for you? Surely you will have researched the needs of pigs before purchasing them, and realised they needed hay, but knowing that you will not be able to provide this for them, why go ahead and get them?
Their welfare is compromised, they need hay.
Your vet is wrong and should not be approving this diet.

Amanda1801 · Jun 27, 2012

ellie_jo3213 said:
Pellets are NOT a substute for hay. There is no way it will wear their teeth down adequately. Your pigs NEED hay, and if your not willing/can't provide them with the basic husbandry they need then you question are these the right pets for you? Surely you will have researched the needs of pigs before purchasing them, and realised they needed hay, but knowing that you will not be able to provide this for them, why go ahead and get them?
Their welfare is compromised, they need hay.
Your vet is wrong and should not be approving this diet.

You missed 4 vital words in your argument there

Take a look on the announcements bit of the forum; meet up in Bristol happening on 5/8/12 if you're interested!

Pepperdog · Jun 27, 2012

Just thought I would add, I am allergic to hay - found that out working on farms, allergic to cats and dogs (and other animals) but as long as I am around either cats or dogs then my system copes as I grew up with cats and only discovered how bad it gets when I was not around them and then would react within half an hour of being with them.

Knowing my allergies I took steps to ensure that I would react less to the guinea pigs, wearing gloves to put hay in hay racks, having hay racks so the pigs are not covered in hay when I handle them, I wear long sleeves when I can and wash my hands and arms (and face) when I have finished handling pigs, I have antihistamines for the bad reactions but will put up with a lot of the milder symptoms, and take my inhaler properly (as I used to forget).

mikulinek · Jun 27, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
We cant have hay in the house because my girlfriend has a bad allergic reaction to it so we always make sure there is a nutty crunch treat thingy hanging up along with very crunchy pellet style food and we make sure we give them hard veg (carrots are a good bet) regularly and a cardboard tube always goes down well too.

What? This is about the worst diet I've heard of for a piggy. Carrots will not wear down a guinea pig's teeth. They may seem hard and crunchy to you but a couple of grinds and there's nothing left but juice and mush - hay stays coarse for a long time and is stored at the back of a piggy's mouth for hours specifically do grind down their teeth.

Carrot is extremely high in sugar and vitamin A. Actual carrot, rather than tops, in my opinion and that of many, should NEVER be fed to piggies or bunnies. It's a misconception based around children's TV and books but is not at all healthy.

Pellets break down after one or two bites and cannot possibly grind down teeth. Any cavy-savvy vet or well-informed owner will tell you piggy MUST have hay.

mikulinek · Jun 27, 2012

fuzzyvalefan said:
Their diet is vet approved so i have no concerns there. We always use a complete high quality pellet food which is always available. It has plenty of fibre and all the nutrients and vitamins they need. They also get fresh fruit/veg every day and they dont get carrots more than twice a week. They seem very happy and healthy with their diet which they have had for a year now without hay. For teeth grinding as i say there is always a crunchy stick and tubes and things to nibble on. They have no problems with their health or their teeth.

I'm sorry but you definitely need to change your vet. Twice a week is twice a week too often in terms of carrot. High quality pellet food contains nothing like the nutrition that a piggy needs. They are most certainly not going to be healthy - they will definitely develop all manner of problems from diabetes to obesity to dental issues.

I don't mean this to be an attack but you are abusing your guinea pigs - you are forcing them to have an annatural and anhealthy diet because of your girlfriend's allergies. This is not what pets are for. If you cannot provide hay for your guinea pigs then please, give them to a shelter and to a home that will - you are refusing to give your pets the care and respect they need based on selfishness.

fuzzyvalefan · Jun 27, 2012

mikulinek said:
I don't mean this to be an attack but you are abusing your guinea pigs - you are forcing them to have an annatural and anhealthy diet because of your girlfriend's allergies. This is not what pets are for. If you cannot provide hay for your guinea pigs then please, give them to a shelter and to a home that will - you are refusing to give your pets the care and respect they need based on selfishness.

I think one look at our guinea pigs would tell you that they are far from abused and to be quite honest to effectively call me an animal abuser is bang out of order, over emotive and quite frankly pathetic. I have perhaps been given some poor advice by someone so i will have a look at different hay options to see what is best- something which i have already suggested. I think it is rather ridiculous of you to purposely use over-emotive language to get a reaction.

I think i have made it clear that i had the best intentions at heart and sought advice (which may have been poor but that is hardly my fault) regarding the situation. That is far from selfishness. Selfishness would to not even consider the guinea pigs in the first place and not give a toss what i fed them- so actually what i did is the very antithesis of selfishness.

Incidentally, have you ever made a mistake in your life? I'm assuming by your self-important tone that you haven't?

gogoguineas · Jun 27, 2012

With reference to the above only, your guinea pigs really NEED hay, like we all need air! it should make up 80% of their diet, thats a fact that any GOOD vet will tell you, the rspaca tells you and guinea lynx will tell you. Not all vets know best unfortunately. Too much fruit gives mouth sores too.
I hope you can find a better vet for your piggies sake.

Anyway, lil, my boys like things like these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rabbit-Gu...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item35bda3f4ca
which you can also get made out of willow
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boredom-B...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item1e6c3d44e5
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-n-F...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item2566c9af5e
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-rabbit-...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item4845d741f9

Things like that really, have a nosey on ebay!

Best for wearing down teeth

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