Jerrybelly
Senior Guinea Pig
My Jerry took a particular dislike to his two front teeth when in his carrier during a car journey last night - he has snapped them clean off!
He's a terrible cage biter, and always has been, but I can only think that he got a bit carried away on the wiring of the carrier, as this is the first time he has done anything like this in his six years.
When we put him back in his cage at home I noticed a small amount of blood on his top lip. On closer inspection I could see that his top right tooth had snapped off down to the root, and his top left tooth was hanging loosely. He didn't seem at all bothered, and within a few minutes of being in the cage the loose tooth also dropped out.
He seemed a bit confused at first, as he had some trouble picking up long strands of hay, but soon found a way to manage. I've since been cutting up his hay into manageable lengths and breaking up his pellets into small chunks, which he seems to appreciate. He also ate all his veg last night, which I had thinly diced. I wondered how he would take to his bottle, and although I added a bowl of water just in case, he's drinking from the bottle with no problems. His poos are a normal size, suggesting his food intake remains the same, and he's pottering about as normal.
Luckily, he was booked into the vet for a check up today anyway, so the vet took a look at his teeth, but wasn't too concerned. He's been put on a low dose of Baytril for the next few days to ward off any infection as one of the roots is currently a little exposed.
I know that piggies can manage just fine without their front teeth with some minor adjustments, but in all my years with piggies, none have ever lost their teeth so I'm not too sure what to expect. Does anyone have any experience with this? How long (roughly) will the teeth take to grow back? Has anyone known any problems to arise from a situation like this later down the line?
He's a terrible cage biter, and always has been, but I can only think that he got a bit carried away on the wiring of the carrier, as this is the first time he has done anything like this in his six years.
When we put him back in his cage at home I noticed a small amount of blood on his top lip. On closer inspection I could see that his top right tooth had snapped off down to the root, and his top left tooth was hanging loosely. He didn't seem at all bothered, and within a few minutes of being in the cage the loose tooth also dropped out.
He seemed a bit confused at first, as he had some trouble picking up long strands of hay, but soon found a way to manage. I've since been cutting up his hay into manageable lengths and breaking up his pellets into small chunks, which he seems to appreciate. He also ate all his veg last night, which I had thinly diced. I wondered how he would take to his bottle, and although I added a bowl of water just in case, he's drinking from the bottle with no problems. His poos are a normal size, suggesting his food intake remains the same, and he's pottering about as normal.
Luckily, he was booked into the vet for a check up today anyway, so the vet took a look at his teeth, but wasn't too concerned. He's been put on a low dose of Baytril for the next few days to ward off any infection as one of the roots is currently a little exposed.
I know that piggies can manage just fine without their front teeth with some minor adjustments, but in all my years with piggies, none have ever lost their teeth so I'm not too sure what to expect. Does anyone have any experience with this? How long (roughly) will the teeth take to grow back? Has anyone known any problems to arise from a situation like this later down the line?
My girl Beano had a nasty accident when she was very small and knocked both her upper incisors loose. They fell out on their own, but started to grow back within three days! She managed to eat fine without them and even ignored the soaked muesli that I put out for her, preferring the hard dry stuff! So don't worry too much!
