Guinea Pig Weird Behaviour

[icxh]

I'm new to the forum so please don't bash me if I wrote this under the wrong topic. (Btw, sorry for my English as well.)

My guinea pig is around 3 months old and has had no problems up til' today. I put fleece bedding for the first time as well. He has been licking his own hands while eating constantly (never used to do that) and also scratching his face or mouth. He seems like he has trouble eating pepper, which he loves and generally devours and will only eat it if cut in small pieces.

These last few days he has been biting the cage ( its over one metre long so I assumed it would be for entertainment and not space) and I was terrified he couldve broken a tooth, so I checked and nothing seems out of the norm. The whole scratching thing however worries me. Plus, I hear his teeth chattering ocasionally.

I'm a newbie so I really don't know whats going on. Ill get him to the vet tomorrow or so though.

 

[Wiebke]

I'm new to the forum so please don't bash me if I wrote this under the wrong topic. (Btw, sorry for my English as well.)

My guinea pig is around 3 months old and has had no problems up til' today. I put fleece bedding for the first time as well. He has been licking his own hands while eating constantly (never used to do that) and also scratching his face or mouth. He seems like he has trouble eating pepper, which he loves and generally devours and will only eat it if cut in small pieces.

These last few days he has been biting the cage ( its over one metre long so I assumed it would be for entertainment and not space) and I was terrified he couldve broken a tooth, so I checked and nothing seems out of the norm. The whole scratching thing however worries me. Plus, I hear his teeth chattering ocasionally.

I'm a newbie so I really don't know whats going on. Ill get him to the vet tomorrow or so though.

Hi! Unfortunately, without seeing your boy, we can only guess.

Please ask your vet to check:
- the back teeth (not just the front teeth) for overgrowing spurs or something stuck at the back of the mouth or between the teeth or for a fungal mouth infection.
Your vet may need to carefully remove the gunk that is always stuck in the mouth with cotton buds to have a look at the back and may have to lightly sedate your piggy if necessary, especially if something is stuck.
- check for a fungal infection in the face.

Weigh him daily at the same time and if necessary start supporting him with syringe feed if chewing and swallowing is a problem. Our guide contains tips on what you can do in an emergency (mushed pellets with a syringe whose tip has been prepped to allow fibre to come through). Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Wheekallweek]

It does sound like he is in pain from his mouth somehow. Make sure to chop his veggies into small pieces for him to eat - if you have to you can also soften his nuggets with some warm water to make them easier for him to eat.
Great advice from @Wiebke! Pop to the vets ASAP for a check up on those teeth

 

[icxh]

Hi! Unfortunately, without seeing your boy, we can only guess.

Please ask your vet to check:
- the back teeth (not just the front teeth) for overgrowing spurs or something stuck at the back of the mouth or between the teeth or for a fungal mouth infection.
Your vet may need to carefully remove the gunk that is always stuck in the mouth with cotton buds to have a look at the back and may have to lightly sedate your piggy if necessary, especially if something is stuck.
- check for a fungal infection in the face.

Weigh him daily at the same time and if necessary start supporting him with syringe feed if chewing and swallowing is a problem. Our guide contains tips on what you can do in an emergency (mushed pellets with a syringe whose tip has been prepped to allow fibre to come through). Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

It does sound like he is in pain from his mouth somehow. Make sure to chop his veggies into small pieces for him to eat - if you have to you can also soften his nuggets with some warm water to make them easier for him to eat.
Great advice from @Wiebke! Pop to the vets ASAP for a check up on those teeth

Thank you so much for your help! Will take him tomorrow to the vet and will also adopt a brother for him. I'm worried the cage biting is due to him being lonely and I know they shouldn't be alone anyways, it's just no other piggies were up for adoption in my local shelter (small Spanish towns generally don't have many Guinea Pig adoption options :-( )

Thanks again!

 

[Merab]

Hello and welcome.
Your English is excellent so no need to apologise.
Hope you get your boy sorted out.
Please let us know what happens.
It will be lovely to see pictures

 

[icxh]

Hello and welcome.
Your English is excellent so no need to apologise.
Hope you get your boy sorted out.
Please let us know what happens.
It will be lovely to see pictures

Had to change the fleece bedding temporarily and give him the regular one because he kept chewing it. I'm planning on getting him a C&C cage to play a few hours a day. I'm still a newbie with piggies. The vet said everything seemed alright, however I will be taking him to another one because he does it his veggies but Ive seen him have trouble picking them up on his own. I'm hand feeding him at the moment in small pieces. He still hasnt really bonded so checking by myself everything really stresses him out... poor thing... I've also changed the cage distribution and put him on a table because he used to be on the floor and now he seems much happier. Any tips are appreciated!

 

[Merab]

He’s a lovely boy.
Have a look at the forum information about behaviour.
I’m no expert but it may be loneliness- piggies need company.
Have you considered having him neutered and finding him a lady to share his life with?
A boar is safe after 6 weeks.
There are behaviour experts on the forum who can help you better than I can.

 

[Freela]

Pawing at the mouth often indicates a dental problem (I've seen it in pigs with abscesses and overgrowth of the back teeth.) They will also sometimes pull their lips back in a grimace while chewing... have you seen anything like that? Sometimes vets without a lot of guinea pig or rodent experience will overlook dental issues, especially of the back teeth, which can be very difficult to see and assess. Depending on location, it can be hard to find a vet with guinea pig experience... I know that firsthand. But it can make a huge difference in outcome. I would call around and try to find a vet that has some experience with guinea pig and rabbit dental issues (they are different animals with different requirements, but their dentistry needs are somewhat similar.) Best of luck and hope you get to the bottom of it!

 

[icxh]

Pawing at the mouth often indicates a dental problem (I've seen it in pigs with abscesses and overgrowth of the back teeth.) They will also sometimes pull their lips back in a grimace while chewing... have you seen anything like that? Sometimes vets without a lot of guinea pig or rodent experience will overlook dental issues, especially of the back teeth, which can be very difficult to see and assess. Depending on location, it can be hard to find a vet with guinea pig experience... I know that firsthand. But it can make a huge difference in outcome. I would call around and try to find a vet that has some experience with guinea pig and rabbit dental issues (they are different animals with different requirements, but their dentistry needs are somewhat similar.) Best of luck and hope you get to the bottom of it!

He’s a lovely boy.
Have a look at the forum information about behaviour.
I’m no expert but it may be loneliness- piggies need company.
Have you considered having him neutered and finding him a lady to share his life with?
A boar is safe after 6 weeks.
There are behaviour experts on the forum who can help you better than I can.

I have considered that option but will postpone it until May due to my economy. I know that I shouldve thought about all this before getting him :,(. I'm spending as much time as I can with him until May when I can neuter him and get him a lady. I also bought him some tunnels for entertainment and he seems to love it. I put hay in the tunnel and he is really cosy. He's been really bonding with me recently because I'm handfedding him all the time due to my worry of the teeth issue although he still runs away like crazy when trying to grab him lol, he's only been a month or so at home so I'm not too worried about that, it's his instincts haha . His issue has seemed to disappear, although he still prefers his Pepper to be cut in small pieces and kind of neglects the big pieces. I took him to a second vet and he also said everything seemed fine. You are very right that it is particularly hard to find a vet in my city that takes Guinea Pig health seriously... :,( Anyways I'm still keeping a close eye to him because even though he seems fine now I'm still worried.

 

[icxh]

By the way, thank you all SO MUCH for your help and worry on my little man.