Guinea pig teeth care

Are you worried about guinea pig teeth care? You probably see them eating all day long. At least my guinea pigs do. Let's see what a guinea pig owner that keeps his/her pets in a small apartment needs to know about the pet's teeth.

Guinea pig's teeth grow all their life or in other words they are "open rooted".

Let's assume your pet is healthy and has no genetic tendencies to teeth problems.

In that case their teeth should be OK because they keep them under control by chewing hay, grass and pellets. This is the main reason why we recommend guinea pig diet that provides guinea pigs with hay 24 hours a day.

Piggy's teeth are very important for your pet's overall health. That is why it is always important to feed them with quality food. Don't forget guinea pig vitamin C supplementing.

A lot of people, when they think of guinea pig teeth, think of teeth trimming. But this in not a "must" for guinea pigs. Not even all guinea pigs have the same length of teeth. For some they grow more for some less.

As long as your pet's teeth are not interfering with your pets eating habits - don't trim them.

How will you know if guinea pig teeth are OK?

You can observe his behavior and check up on him from time to time. Behavior change will happen if your pet can't eat anymore because of overgrown teeth or other conditions. You will notice this very easy because most guinea pigs eat a lot and all the time. And then suddenly he/she chews way less.

This is a sure sign something is wrong. It doesn't have to be a dental problem but any change in eating habits is usually a sign of illness. That is unless your guinea pig is a female and she wants to be a model.

In case you did not notice that your guinea pigs are not eating, maybe you will notice that the pet is loosing weight. Again, it does not have to be a dental problem, but check anyway.

What if you are not spending time with your pets that much so you would notice? Then make it a habit - do a little check up every week or so.

How would you do this?

Take the guinea pig in your hands and look at his teeth. The pet will not be still so to make it easier on you, put a cloth around him so he can't move his little legs too much.

Some guinea pig owners buy special tools to open guinea pig's mouth and check teeth. It is your choice if you will invest in this.

You should also weigh your pet from time to time to see if there are any changes in body weight.

Everything seems fine? Then you are done for this week. If you notice a problem, contact a vet. If the guinea pig teeth are overgrown don't trim them yourself unless you know what you are doing.

Did you notice a broken tooth?

This can also happen, especially if the guinea pig is not getting vitamin C supplements. The pet's teeth and bones will be more sensitive without this vitamin because they need it to develop properly.

If there is a broken tooth there are several solutions. First, depending on the state of the tooth it might not even need a vet to look at it.

If the tooth is broken somewhere i.e. in the middle and there is no bleeding, there will probably be no problems. It will grow back very soon. Just make sure that guinea pig can eat. If he has difficulties eating give him softer food in smaller pieces.

If the tooth is broken all the way to the gum, check the following:

• is the opposing tooth hitting the spot
• is there any blood

If the opposite tooth is hitting the little hole that can cause problems so we would suggest seeing a vet. Same thing if the broken tooth is bleeding.

If there is no blood and the opposing tooth is not hitting the spot, you can clean the gum at the broken tooth spot and watch how it goes. If guinea pig is eating that might be all he needed.

How do you clean the spot?

Get a saline solution (in a pharmacy or just mix salt and water) and wash out the hole. Clean out all the food if there is any. Try to repeat this several times in next few days until the pet gets better.

Don't be too worried about guinea pig teeth problems because, as we mentioned, overgrown teeth are not a normal, everyday occurrence.

One important note: some guinea pigs are born without teeth. That is a result of specific genes combination from their parents. This guinea pig can also be a loving pet but be prepared to invest much more money and time into taking care of them.

Because of those specific gene combination they are more likely to be sick and die young. While alive they will require a lot more vet expenses than a healthy ?normal? guinea pig. They are often blind and deaf too.