A guinea pig’s teeth get worn down by chewing on things. While there are a few different things you can give your piggy to help keep their teeth worn down, lots of hay is the absolute most important. Orchard grass or timothy hay are the most common types.
What can I give my guinea pig for a broken tooth?
Ensure that your guinea pig is getting enough vitamin C by providing a quarter of a 100mg chewable tablet or 25 to 30 mg liquid vitamin C. Vitamin C promotes good bone growth, strong teeth, and healing. You may wish to contact a veterinarian if: The break is ragged.
What happens if a guinea pig breaks a tooth?
Broken teeth can be the result of a fall, injury or accident. A guinea pig living on a poor diet can be vulnerable to broken teeth, especially if the diet is deficient in vitamin C, which is essential for bone and tooth growth. The teeth of a normal healthy guinea pig should grow back just fine.
Can a guinea pig's teeth grow back?
A guinea pig living on a poor diet can be vulnerable to broken teeth, especially if the diet is deficient in vitamin C, which is essential for bone and tooth growth. The teeth of a normal healthy guinea pig should grow back just fine. Watch to make sure the remaining teeth do not get so long that they touch the gums or skin of the mouth.
How do you keep guinea pig teeth longer?
Another way to help keep your guinea pig’s teeth a healthy length is to include snacks that have higher fiber contents. Though fruit has plenty of fiber, this is where veggies come in extra useful. Their high fiber contents help keep guinea pig teeth at a safe size.
How can I help my guinea pig with a broken tooth?
It is important to keep the hole clean to prevent infection. If your guinea pigs broken tooth is sharp or ragged, it is best to see your vet. Furthermore, if the opposing teeth begin growing inwards and contacting the mouth, book an appointment as soon as possible to save your guinea pig any further damage.
What can I feed my guinea pig with no teeth?
Guinea pigs should have 1 cup a day of fresh veggies and/or fruits. Veggies you can feed him include carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, cucumber, lettuce, among others. Fruits include apple (no seeds as they are poisonous), banana, grapes, honeydew melon, and raspberries among others.
Can guinea pigs live without their front teeth?
The pigs can eat fine without the incisors, but not without the molars! Guinea pigs with this disorder will likely need periodic tooth trimming every 6-8 weeks or so for the rest of their lives, although some can be kept under control with proper hay supplementation.
Do guinea pigs teeth fall out?
If your guinea pig is not getting the right nutrition it is possible for his teeth to become loose or fall out. A lack of vitamin C can cause scurvy. In some cases your pig's teeth will become loose enough to wiggle with your finger. This is not normal for a healthy guinea pig.
Does hay help guinea pigs teeth?
Ensure that he eats plenty of fresh hay and hay cubes, as this kind of roughage is good for his teeth, helping keep them evenly worn. Compressed pellet foods, specially designed for guinea pigs, could also help keep his teeth worn down.
Does timothy hay help guinea pigs teeth?
Feed firm hay such as timothy hay or alfalfa hay. While these aren't as crunchy as the aforementioned items, they have a bit of crunch to them and work well on the teeth. Hay should also be a main part of your pig's diet, and most pellets contain hay.
How long does it take for a guinea pig's teeth to grow back?
While our human teeth stay the same size and shape throughout our adult lives, guinea pig teeth grow continually at a rate of 1–2 mm per week. The reason why the teeth must keep growing is that they get worn down by all the tough fibre in the diet.
How do you tell if your guinea pig has teeth problems?
Signs that your guinea pig may have a tooth issue include:Hesitation or obvious pain when your guinea pig chews food.Cuts, sores, or abscesses on or in the mouth.Visibly overlong teeth.Refusal to eat.Weight loss.
How long does it take for guinea pig teeth to grow back?
While our human teeth stay the same size and shape throughout our adult lives, guinea pig teeth grow continually at a rate of 1–2 mm per week. The reason why the teeth must keep growing is that they get worn down by all the tough fibre in the diet.
Can I give my guinea pig human vitamin C tablets?
1 You can buy vitamin C tablets specifically for guinea pigs (e.g. Oxbow's GTN-50C) or human chewable 100 mg tablets (note: make sure you are getting just vitamin C rather than a multivitamin formula). A quarter of a 100 mg tablet daily is a recommended dose for most adult guinea pigs.
Do guinea pigs have molars?
Guinea pigs and chinchillas have 20 teeth total: 4 incisors (2 upper and 2 lower), no canines, 4 premolars (2 upper and 2 lower), and 12 molars (6 upper and 6 lower). All of these animals have open-rooted teeth, meaning that their teeth will grow continuously throughout life.
How to tell if a pig has broken teeth?
Broken teeth are easy to identify; you will see that one or more teeth are shorter than the others and have jagged edges . You may also see blood on the affected teeth.
How long does it take for a guinea pig's tooth to grow back?
If your guinea pig breaks one of their teeth, the tooth will grow back within two to three weeks. This is because guinea pigs have open-rooted teeth that keep growing throughout their lifetimes. However, broken teeth aren't completely harmless for guinea pigs.
Why is my pig's tooth crooked?
When your pig's broken tooth grows back , it may not grow back properly, and may become crooked or misaligned. The matching tooth on the opposite jaw may also be impacted. When a tooth is broken and your pig isn't able to chew, the matching tooth may become overgrown due to a lack of chewing.
Can you drop a pig?
Falls can occur when you accidentally drop your pig, but this can happen due to no fault of your own; some adventurous pigs like to climb on top of pigloos and other cage decorations, and may fall off and break their teeth. Despite your best efforts to keep them safe, your pig may still end up breaking their teeth.
Can guinea pigs chip their teeth?
Guinea pigs can chip or break their teeth, just like people can. However, your pet's teeth are much different than yours, so handling this injury can be confusing. Here are four things guinea pig owners need to know about broken teeth.
How to Offer Soft Food for Guinea Pigs
If your piggy exhibits a decreased appetite from an ongoing dental condition, syringe feeding is the way to go. Aim to prepare a super thick liquid food, and provide about 1ml of water for every 5ml of food.
How Do You Know Your Guinea Pig Is Ready for A Normal Diet?
Your guinea pig will start to feed on slightly hard veggies, herbs, hays, and grasses. He will not require your assistance to force-feed it using a spoon or syringe.
FAQs
Feeding soft foods is imperative when your guinea pig is weak and not eating, rejected by its mother, sick or when it has dental or bad teeth problems.
In Short
When your guinea pig has a teeth problem, it can get hurt and reject hard foods due to pain. In such a scenario, it’s imperative to act quickly and help your pet feed to prevent its health from deteriorating.
Guinea Pig Teeth 101
To understand why a guinea pig might end up with some dental problems, we need to take a quick look at their teeth.
Common Guinea Pig Dental Problems
Though guinea pigs don’t have the same problems as we do (they certainly eat less sugar!), but we still need to be vigilant in keeping their teeth healthy.
Causes of Guinea Pig Dental Problems
Any number of factors can affect the health of your cavy’s teeth. While some might be out of your control, like genetics, you can certainly prevent many other causes.
Preventing Guinea Pig Dental Problems
These two problems often go hand in hand. With a proper diet, your guinea pig’s teeth will naturally wear down.
Prevention Is Better than Treatment
Unless your guinea pig’s teeth problems are caused by genetics, preventing them is quick and straightforward.
What About Genetics?
Unfortunately, this is the one factor entirely out of your control. Usually, this isn’t a problem, but it can occasionally result in a guinea pig whose teeth growth faster than even a health diet can handle.
How Do You Prevent Guinea Pig Dental Problems
Whether your guinea pigs have had healthy teeth their whole lives or have encountered dental problems, please share in the comments below. We would love to hear what you did to keep their teeth healthy. Or what did you do to help correct any dental problems that arose. We look forward to hearing about your experience.
