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Dental Not eating as normal

Wavysole

Wavysole

New Born Pup
Joined
May 30, 2019
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Northern Ireland
My guinea pig Leo has suddenly stopped eating hard pellets. Tonight I offered him some mushed pellets on a spoon and he ate it no problem so I don't think it is that he doesn't like the pellets. I have checked his mouth to make sure there are no tooth issues but his mouth is fine. Anyone got any ideas about what is wrong with him?
 
Hello Wavysole is he eating hay and veg ? My two boars stopped eating pellets two months ago (they are 6 months old) - I offer them but they eat about 3 or 4 pellets each - hay is the most important food - see what other people think - they are many very knowledgable people here who can offer advice -
 
He is eating his hay and veg. I only worry because his pellets are normally where he gets his vitamins and things that he needs. He is very fussy with veg and will only eat Carrot, Cucumber and Lettuce often. If he stops eating pellets will he get all his vitamins from just those three veg?
 
Wavysole said:
My guinea pig Leo has suddenly stopped eating hard pellets. Tonight I offered him some mushed pellets on a spoon and he ate it no problem so I don't like it is that he doesn't like the pellets. I have checked his mouth to make sure there are no tooth issues but his mouth is fine. Anyone got any ideas about what is wrong with him?
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Hi!

The problem is likely to be found in the molars and premolars at the back, which are not quite easy to see because of the normal gunk in the mouth and which can grow bridging spurs when they overgrow. it can also be cause by a developing abscess which is causing pain when chewing but is not yet noticeable.

Please switch from weighing once weekly to weighing daily at the same time in order to monitor the food intake. around 80% of what a guinea pig eats in a day is hay, which cannot be controlled by eye and the importance of which many owners are unaware of. It is often the first food group that is dropped. I tablespoon of pellets and a small bowl (ca. 50g) of veg are more in the way of a snack and not a main meal. It is the abrasive silica in the hay and grass as their main food source that guinea pig teeth have evolved against; a diet too high in veg and pellets can lead to dental overgrowth.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Which country are you in? Any further advice depends on that. Guinea pig dentals are not exactly something that is found on any vet's curriculum.
 
I'm from Northern Ireland. I have switched to weighing him daily and from yesterday he has dropped 18g but I read it could of just been he had done a pee. Is there anyway for me to see into his molars? I have actually noticed him eating slower if that is anything.
 
Wavysole said:
I'm from Northern Ireland. I have switched to weighing him daily and from yesterday he has dropped 18g but I read it could of just been he had done a pee. Is there anyway for me to see into his molars? I have actually noticed him eating slower if that is anything.
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Unfortunately no piggy dental savvy vets or very much in the way of piggy savvy vets where you are. I think there is now an exotics vet in Belfast?

It could be the start of a brewing dental root or jaw abscess; right now it is just at the very start. All you can do for the time being is observe, write down the weight and step in with top up feeding as needed.

But it would help us if you please added Northern Ireland to location in your account details. You access them by clicking on your username on the top bar. This makes it appear with every post you make and allows us to take your situation into account with just a quick glance to left and to tailor any advice accordingly.

@furryfriends (TEAS)
 
Hello again. I have been weighing Leo daily since August 4th and in that time, he has lost 47g. He now weighs 1097g. He has been eating his mushed pellets happily but when I try to offer him lettuce now he just takes it and tries to chew but has to spit it out. He can eventually eat it, but it is causing him a lot of trouble. I am going to order syringes in case he cannot eat his pellets off the spoon. I have been trying to watch his hay intake and I think he is eating as normal. To try to get weight on him, would baby food be an okay option? I was also thinking about getting some Pro-C just to make sure he gets enough nutrients.
 
My guinea pigs pellets were to big for them and then I took ground pellets and added
water then mix with there pellets and they ate it no problem.
Also if you add baby food to crushed pellets that works to
 
He has been to the vet now and the vet is going to give him gas. She said that there is most likely a dental issue. I give him Burgess Pellets and he has ate them before.
 
Wavysole said:
He has been to the vet now and the vet is going to give him gas. She said that there is most likely a dental issue. I give him Burgess Pellets and he has ate them before.
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Are they going to check his teeth or do X-ray? Good luck and let us know how it goes.

You could cut his veg into strips to make it easier for him to eat as well.
 
Yeah they are going to check his teeth. If she finds an issue she is going to put him in a deeper sleep and fix the issue then. Leo is very fussy and will only eat Lettuce on a regular basis and sometimes carrot or cucumber so the veg isn't much of an issue. He won't be being put under until the start of next week because she thinks he is too weak so she gave me some Science Selective Recovery and some Metacam for any pain he has to last him until Monday.
 
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