I’ve searched the forums but I’ve either missed it or just not seen it but how often do you need to trim nails and do their front teeth need regular vet treatment for growth?
Unfortunately nails will have to be a vet trip for me as I have essential tremor and wouldn’t trust myself to do it, so I’m just trying to find out if it’s a regular thing to be done.
Hi
The growth rate of nails changes with age. It is fastest in young guinea pigs from a few months old up to 2 years and then gradually slows down with age. It also differs on an individual basis.
It is in part also a personal decision of yours as to how shortly you want to keep them trimmed - anything between 2-6 weeks.
For vet trips I would recommend a 4-6 weeks routine; the lower end for younger guinea pigs once the nails are starting to grow out quickly and the upper end for the more mature piggies with a less fast growth rate. You will find the rhythm that suits you and your piggies best over time and can always adjust as needed.
The dental system in guinea pigs is carefully balanced. The incisors are self-sharpening against each other and do need no arbritrary clipping; they are used for picking up and cutting food. Whereas the also continuously growing crucial back teeth are kept ground down by the silica in a mostly hay/fresh grass fibre based healthy diet and not by chew toys, which are an enrichment but not necessary for dental health or hygiene.
The fast dental growth rate has evolved against the high abrasiveness of a mainly silica rich grass based diet with the addition of some wild forage for trace elements and nutrients that didn't come with the grass. Carefully chosen preferably green veg and only a small amount of pellets now fill the supplementary role of forage, which should make just one fifth or max. one quarter of the daily food intake. Fresh growing grass is high in vitamin C (hay less so) but is the reason why guinea pigs were able to switch off the gene complex that used to allow them to make their own vitamin C - they just didn't need any extra because they got it in their normal diet. With a balanced diet, healthy pet guinea pigs won't need any additional vitamin C in our own long term owners' experience.
Overgrowing (i.e. inward pointing), slanted or jagged incisors are generally an alarm signal that something is not right with either the back teeth or the roots of the front teeth. The end of the incisors in a a balanced, healthy system is always even and fresh looking, never mind if the lower incisors look too long for the uninitiated; they are just right as they are! The roots of the incisors are actually situated right in front of the premolar roots and they run along the upper and lower jaw before emerging at the front of the mouth; the whole tooth is about 4 cm long and therefore somewhat more prone to breaks but incisors generally grow back on their own.
In order to massively minimise the risk of dental problems, please concentrate on a good hay based diet; it is also the best health boosting and life prolonging measure you can take.
The completely outdated concept of incisor clipping was caused by an inappropriate mainly pellet and veg based diet (i.e. a diet too soft and too low in silica rich fibre) and a total lack of understanding of how the dental system works - back teeth are difficult to see and were therefore not checked, especially since many general vets were not aware of their existence and the fact that they need to be constantly ground down. Ill judged incisor clipping has historically sadly only contributed further to the early demise of far too many poor guinea pigs and rabbits due to overgrowing back teeth and the eventual loss of the ability to eat and to swallow.
The vast majority of properly fed guinea pigs will never need any dental treatment in their lives.
Here is our very detailed and comprehensive diet guide which you will hopefully find helpful:
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
