Lower teeth keep breaking one by one

[Aaduguinea]

Hello! I just recently got my second (last one passed away due to old age) guinea pig baby boy (he is around 5 months) from the pet store. I have had him for little over week. He is very active, very friendly and brave. He is eating pellets with big appetite, also hay and he drinks alot of water. The problem is that i noticed he doesn’t really eat fresh fruits (I feed him carrots, cucumber, bell peppers and lettuce every day also I tried tomatoes too) he only eats lettuce and carrots from fresh veggies. Recently I noticed he only had one lower tooth, I was concerned but he was acting fine and i read it happens sometimes. But today also the second lower tooth broke in half, very close from gums. He haven’t had any trauma while i have had him. I also try to put vitamin C drops in his water but when i put as the label on the vitamin bottle says then he doesn’t drink at all, so i have put 5-7 drops instead of 15, then he is drinking. I'm going to vet on Monday but does anyone know what can cause so young guinea pig to lose both lower teeth? i also noticed he had two bites on his back (he had 4 other guinea pigs in the cage) could it be because he was “fighting” at the store with other pigs? (He is red eyed ginger rex breed)- maybe it counts too..

 

[Piggies&buns]

Teeth can snap for a variety of reasons, so it is best to get the vet to check the teeth to ensure they grow back well.

The bites could well be from fights with other pigs in the shop, as they get older, boys can only be kept in pairs so if they were keeping several teenage boys together in one cage, then fights will occur. Get them checked with a vet to ensure they are healing nicely.

It isn’t advisable to put vit c drops in their water, it can change the taste of the water and stop them from wanting to drink. It is much better for them to get their vit c requirements from hay and veggies. Plus, it will end up being so dilute in water that it is a waste of time to use it.

Hay needs to be the biggest part of their diet (over 80% of the daily food intake needs to be hay). Veggies and pellets should be kept limited. Just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day (dont leave them with constant access to pellets), and around 50g of veggies per day. Carrots are too high in sugar to be fed regularly, they should just be a very occasional treat. Lettuce isn’t very high in vit c so while it is absolutely fine to be fed, it is better to include higher vit c veggies. Tomatoes shouldn’t be fed too often either as they can cause mouth sores due to the acidity. Coriander is usually a favourite of piggies and contains a good amount of vit c.

Cut veggies into strips so it is easier for him to pick them up while he is having problems with his teeth.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Aaduguinea]

Teeth can snap for a variety of reasons, so it is best to get the vet to check the teeth to ensure they grow back well.

The bites could well be from fights with other pigs in the shop, as they get older, boys can only be kept in pairs so if they were keeping several teenage boys together in one cage, then fights will occur. Get them checked with a vet to ensure they are healing nicely.

It isn’t advisable to put vit c drops in their water, it can change the taste of the water and stop them from wanting to drink. It is much better for them to get their vit c requirements from hay and veggies. Plus, it will end up being so dilute in water that it is a waste of time to use it.

Hay needs to be the biggest part of their diet (over 80% of the daily food intake needs to be hay). Veggies and pellets should be kept limited. Just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day (dont leave them with constant access to pellets), and around 50g of veggies per day. Carrots are too high in sugar to be fed regularly, they should just be a very occasional treat. Lettuce isn’t very high in vit c so while it is absolutely fine to be fed, it is better to include higher vit c veggies. Tomatoes shouldn’t be fed too often either as they can cause mouth sores due to the acidity. Coriander is usually a favourite of piggies and contains a good amount of vit c.

Cut veggies into strips so it is easier for him to pick them up while he is having problems with his teeth.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

thank you for your advice! I will take him to vet for sure. Also i will change his water now and give just clean water.