food caught on tooth!

[perry]

hi, i'm new to this forum so apologies if i've posted this in the wrong place...

has anyone had any problems with their pigs getting food caught in/on their teeth and the pig having trouble trying to get it out and acting as though it's choking? one of my pigs has done it a few times - he seems to get a piece of dried food speared on one of his front teeth and it blocks his mouth and luckily i've been around to spot it and take it out for him but i've been terrified in case it happens when i'm not around and he chokes or something :0

i was so worried that i've changed their dry museli for some of those nuggets cos they're of a uniform shape but now they don't seem to like it as much as the old stuff. argh!

anyone experienced this/got any advice?

 

[alcesterpigs]

Don't worry. I have never known of a pig choke on a piece of food. I suppose there will now be replies saying it does happen...
If you are that concerned stay with fresh food but I think you would be in very much of a minority group.

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Welcome to the forum Perry.

I have seen my own pigs do this, very occasionally with hay - a thin strand getting stuck in between the incisors - but it usually occurred when they were fed on a mix/muesli. They don't choke, but if it is firmly stuck on the teeth then there could be related problems. A problem closer to choking is when the pig is gobbling up the food too quickly, and coughs the food back up to chew it properly. Since putting my own lot on plain pellets a few years back, I have not had any problems. It seems the seeds in muesli are particularly prone to stick on the teeth.

What brand are you feeding them on? I find Science Selective Guinea Pig to be more favourable than others like Burgess Supa Guinea Excel, though I feed both of these daily.

 

[sally]

hello and welcome,

mine get food stuck everywhere! it does frighten me as they make such a noise!

 

[perry]

phew thank you for your replies! the first time it was on a bit of dried corn from one of those corn on the cobs you can buy for them - he got the corn speared on his front upper tooth and was flapping about with his paw, trying to dislodge it (it was funny as well as scary!) this time it was worse cos at first i couldn't see the problem as he'd closed his mouth over it but he was flapping his paw about and wandering about the cage in a bit of a daze, looking really stressed and unsteady on his legs, but the minute i prized open his jaw and pulled it out, he was totally fine again. i'd been buying them that mixed museli stuff from pet city (or whatever that superstore chain is called?!) and as i say, have now got him plain nuggets. i used to buy gertie for pigs i had in the past, but don't think this shop sells it.

 

[MemberX]

Welcome to the forum.

They usually dislodge it themselves. My boar Eccles was munching some hay the other night and got some caught well the actions out of his mouth! I always thought guineas mouths went up and down but his was going from side to side! I was amazed.

Don't worry (easier said than done) they will dislodge it themselves usually. I've a couple of pigs that cough over the slightest thing when it comes to food, usually down to gutsing!

 

[frank]

Poor Eccles is he ok Louise?

My pigs cough a little now and then but go to munching soon after

 

[Farquhar]

I give my piggies the dried sweetcorn kernels that you get in pet shops. They occasionely get a piece of sweetcorn stuck in their teeth but are very resouceful and bite the bars of the cage to dislodge the corn. Clever piggies.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[MrsM]

Hi Perry.

My Bertie once got his teeth completely LOCKED into a piece of wood that had come from the woodchips I was using for the bedding. I only noticed cos he was not eating and he was droooling a lot. it took quite some force to remove the block of wood. Bertie subsequently lost a tooth (bottom) then the other (bottom too). Both grew back within days but like you I feared what might have been if I'd been away. This was about 3 years ago and Bertie is doing great now.

 

[perry]

hi everyone, thanks so much for your replies - being new to this forum, i'm not quite sure what the 'thanks' button is for, so i'm saying thank you here! :red i'm really hoping the problem won't happen again, as it was really scary.