My guinea pigs teeth!

Saraownsgp

Saraownsgp

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So a few days ago I had my guinea pig (doodle) sitting in a little bed I had for him on our couch, a usual Saturday thing. I guess he went to close to the edge of the couch and he tipped off. After he fell i checked to see if he was alright, he was walking fine and didn’t make any sounds of pain. I checked his teeth as well, half of one of his teeth chipped off! I looked at different guinea pig websites to see what to do. They said that it’ll grow back just fine. It has been a day since he fell and now he’s doing this weird teeth grinding thing. He ate his pellets, but not his vegetables (carrots and lettuce) what should I do? And what does that grinding noise mean?
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.
Ok so yes Guineas pig teeth do continuously grow and if they chip one it ‘should’ grown back in a few weeks. BUT if he’s not eating veg, he’s clearly got a problem. There’s a possibility he could have damaged the tooth or cracked it, or maybe damaged his jaw.
Please take him to a vet for a check up.
Is he eating hay ok? Have you tried cutting up the food smaller? He may be just having difficulty picking up larger pieces. But definitely vet visit needed if he’s not eating.
 
Saraownsgp said:
So a few days ago I had my guinea pig (doodle) sitting in a little bed I had for him on our couch, a usual Saturday thing. I guess he went to close to the edge of the couch and he tipped off. After he fell i checked to see if he was alright, he was walking fine and didn’t make any sounds of pain. I checked his teeth as well, half of one of his teeth chipped off! I looked at different guinea pig websites to see what to do. They said that it’ll grow back just fine. It has been a day since he fell and now he’s doing this weird teeth grinding thing. He ate his pellets, but not his vegetables (carrots and lettuce) what should I do? And what does that grinding noise mean?
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Hi and welcome!

Please have your boy vet checked. He may have a problem further back in the mouth. Teeth grinding can also be a sign of pain or discomfort.

Guinea pigs use their back teeth for chewing down the fibre. Because they evolved to live in the grasslands of the lower Andes, they have the fastest growing teeth of all rodents to account for the very abrasive silica in grass and hay (the latter of which should make over 80% of their daily food intake for the sake of dental and gut health as well as longevity). If the chewing is not even for some reason, the premolars can grow spurs which trap the tongue and prevent it from moving food in the mouth and swallowing properly meaning that a piggy is slowly starving to death.

The front teeth are for picking up and cutting, ready for the tongue to transport the food to the back teeth. In a balanced dental system, they are self sharpening and do not need any attention. Beware of the vet who clips front teeth without looking at the back! They have not the first idea how rodent teeth work.
The edge where the incisors meet should be even, neither slanted or jagged or inward pointing. A discoloured tooth is usually indicating a root abscess. Incisors run the length of the upper and lower jaw and are about 4 cm long when they are fully removed.
Broken off incisors usually grow back within a week if the root is not damaged. Always check whether the front teeth are firm and not wobbly after a fall or a break - the latter may mean that the tooth has snapped further back or the gums have been injured. Wobbly front teeth need to be seen by a vet.
 
Welcome to the forum.
Can’t add to the advice already given but want to add support.
Let us know how you get on at the vet’s.
It will be lovely to see pictures of your piggies when you can
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I completely agree with the rest that a vet appt is needed to have him checked over. Sending lots of healing vibes, let us know how you get on!
 
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