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white Guinea no front teeth

  • Thread starter Thread starter sarahjaynek
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sarahjaynek

Hiya i have a White Guinea Pig at work that come in with no front teeth. Ive been watering down his food so it looks like pea soup and mushing up his veg.His eyes and hearing arent excellent (Typical white animals), but hes eating and moving around and seems generally happy.
I was wondering if anyone has a guinea with no front teeth or if anyone had any advice on care.
Many thanks, Sarah.
 
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Usually, they learn how to eat quite well, he has not known any different, how old is he?
He may neeed some help in that you may need to cut food into short lengths or even chop it up into small pieces, other than that he should be fine.
 
look up "lethal guinea pigs" on the net, i'm sure you'll get lots of information from there. i think that's what you have. x
 
Yeah I thought he had the lethal gene,I've been readin those sites but alot of them say to put the animal 2 sleep. He's around 8 weeks old.
 
I have had a few of those born years ago when I was breeding.
We called them macrothelmics (sp).
Best thing was to get them put down, although i did try and raise one, but it was completely mad
 
ahh dont put him to sleep if he is not in pain etc.try different ways of cutting veg-maybe shred it so its small get soft fruits give him baby food, I'm sure he can find a way to eat
 
sarahjaynek said:
Yeah I thought he had the lethal gene,I've been readin those sites but alot of them say to put the animal 2 sleep. He's around 8 weeks old.
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As i said below it can be done,I'm not allowed to post other forums threads on here but i have seen many cases where lethal pigs have lived even up to 3-4 years,All it takes is a commited owner,my theory on pigs is as long as the piggy wants to live and they arent suffering then we shouldnt take that away.
I currently know a few people with lethal pigs and some have way more disabling deformaties than this piggy and they are still alive and going into there 2nd/3rd year.
Check out around the internet and you will find many cases of these pigs living happily.
Goodluck x

phoam said:
I have had a few of those born years ago when I was breeding.
We called them macrothelmics (sp).
Best thing was to get them put down, although i did try and raise one, but it was completely mad
Click to expand...

They do not always need to be PTS,if they survive birth there life is usually always shorter or problematic but they can live happy lives!
It is not a death sentence in every case just a setback,with love and care these little pigs can thrive.
 
Awwwwww don't put him to sleep 8... give the little guy a chance - there is no reason why he can't survive :( Carry on with mushing up his pellets and cutting up his veg extremely fine. This has hit a raw nerve with me - I had a little piggy Sleepy who I hand fed as he had no front teeth, but he had back teeth and he struggled to get the food to the back of his mouth. He managed really well. He developed breathing difficulties and we had to have him PTS which absolutely broke my heart 8... Sleepy was deaf and blind also but he was such a happy piggy, he loved George, his friend and popcorned and squeaked for his food, he had a life, we gave him every chance until it was his time to go :)

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I miss my Sleepy and think of him every day, he taught me patience and I developed such a love for caring for piggies that need extra care. I will never forget him and I know he loved his little life and we only let him go when we knew he was not well and we didn't want him to suffer 8...
 
I think animals have a way of letting us know when it's 'their time to go'.

Please dont have him put to sleep just yet - see how he manages. If you keep mushing his food and cut his veg very small, maybe grate carrot etc he may be able to manage very well. Even if he has a shortened life you can make it a happy one :)

Teresa x
 
I think whilst piggies have a quality of life then it's up to us to ensure they can live it to the very best they can. However, it's also the biggest act of love to know when it's time to call it a day.

Whilst all piggies are precious, some are that extra little bit special and the bond we can form with these special little ones is amazing!

Just looking at those gorgeous pics of Sleepy shows what a lovely life they can have and even if it's a fairly short life every minute is precious!
 
I agree every life is precious, I didn't post that to tell you to pts, but to find out how others coped. I believe your piggie wouldn't be alive now if he/she didn't wasn't well enough to live. Take piggie to a rodentologist to see what's wrong, then try to work round any piggie problems, I think this pig maybe the one who you'll remember through out your life, the one that's your soul mate piggy. Best of luck, oh and look up Dolly Tot on here. You'll find threads about a gorgeous little lethal which I named for a friend on here, she really was a beautiful piggy in every way. I'll search for you and post the link on here. You'll change all your opinions after reading, I'm sure
 
Can you grate some food like carrots? That would be easier to manage than chopped maybe.

I'm all for giving this guinea a chance at life too.

Good luck
 
stargrrlclaire said:
I agree every life is precious, I didn't post that to tell you to pts, but to find out how others coped. I believe your piggie wouldn't be alive now if he/she didn't wasn't well enough to live. Take piggie to a rodentologist to see what's wrong, then try to work round any piggie problems, I think this pig maybe the one who you'll remember through out your life, the one that's your soul mate piggy. Best of luck, oh and look up Dolly Tot on here. You'll find threads about a gorgeous little lethal which I named for a friend on here, she really was a beautiful piggy in every way. I'll search for you and post the link on here. You'll change all your opinions after reading, I'm sure
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this thread still makes me cry, but read through it, it'll show you how precious a little lethal can be
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29610
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=26599
 
If this helps some more, Sleepy would manage to push his gums against the surface of his bowl to somehow scoop the food up - I also used to put the chopped veg, the minutest of pieces on my fingertips and also feed his mushed pellets of my fingertips. He used to adore cucumber and stalks of spinach and tommy tomato :) "Tommy tomato" was his absolute favourite - he could smell it being brought near him and he used to make a excited curious happy vibrating noise :) I think of him every time I give my girls tomato.
I wish he was still here, I never begrudged having to do so much for him. We all loved him very dearly. His last night i spent cuddling him all night until we decided it was kinder to take him to the emergency vets to have him PTS. I know he would have died within hours, but I could not bear to see him struggling. The vet said his lungs were just so weak :( If he hadn't got poorly I still believe he would be with us today. But he is at the bridge with his friend George who passed 8 days after Sleepy. I know George missed Sleepy terribly and I think he went to take care of him which is a big comfort. I hope he found little Dolly tot who Stargirl Claire mentioned as she was just as special as he was :)
I hope everyone who has replied to this thread has given you hope for your little piggy.
Please let us know how he/she is. I would love to see a piccie if you have any x
 
On the subject of having lethals PTS, I have heard of quite a few who survive and live surprisingly well. Some have lived to 3 or 4 years. It is a hard life, but not impossible and it is a life that is often filled with plenty of happiness. Have a look at Fairy, one of the most beautiful piggies who also happens to be a 20 week old lethal:

http://www.themildredmittensmanufactory.co.uk/FairyMittens.html

If a lethal has no chance at all, it will be born dead or will die very shortly after birth. A lethal who is born fighting should be given a chance, even if they only live a few days or weeks. Yes there is a fine line you have to be careful of, but there are many happy lethals who live comfortable and happy lives despite their malocclusion, blindness and deafness.

Pigs without any front teeth often do well with having their food cubed/diced - they tend to be able to pick up small squares better than thin strips of food. May be worth a try?
 
OMG I can't believe people are saying put him to sleep! :x

He deserves a life just like all the other piggies, he is special.
 
Just a quick update,I managed to find a good home for gumsey with a guy from work.I'm so glad he didn't have to go back to breeder and **** be put to sleep.x
 
Does your friend have the time, patience, knowledge and expertise to be able to look after the little pig?
 
Dont know why my post has * in it lol.Yes he has alot of experience I wouldn't have given him to anyone, I would of took him home instead if I werent happy.
 
I'm guessing you work in a pet shop which sells guinea pigs supplied by breeders. If this is the case whichever breeder supplied you with this little one is obviously not very responsible.
Well done for finding a suitable home where it can be looked after properly.
 
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