D
DeeMarie
Hello, thank you for the forum, it's been very informative as I've browsed searching for similiar problems to what my guinea pig is facing.
We noticed he was having trouble eating his greens, chewing with his head on the side, and guessed it was teeth problems - we've had guinea pigs for on and off over three decades and this is the first time one has had teeth problems!
We took him to the vet who said said his teeth were very overgrown at the back, to the point the bottom ones had met in a V shape, which was obviously very shocking since his front teeth appeared fine. Unfortunately he had to undergo surgery to cut and file them all back and was very wobbly afterwards.
We fed him up on Science Recovery, kept him warm etc and he seems a lot happier now. The vet did point out a hard lump on the side of his jaw, she said it wasn't an abcess but actually bone which might be the cause.
The problem we have now is that while he'll eat hard pellets, and anything else we offer him, banana, even oaty porridge, he turns his nose up at all the greens. He won't eat grass or hay which I'm worried won't help his dental problems. He'll see something leafy and bite down on it, but then he'll let go. Occasionally I'll tempt him with a small bit which he'll eat, anything too long and he spits it out.
Before the op he was a big greens eater, and now he isn't, it's hard to watch him watch our bunny munch through all the leafy foods knowing he can't. I'm really not sure what to do :-\
We noticed he was having trouble eating his greens, chewing with his head on the side, and guessed it was teeth problems - we've had guinea pigs for on and off over three decades and this is the first time one has had teeth problems!
We took him to the vet who said said his teeth were very overgrown at the back, to the point the bottom ones had met in a V shape, which was obviously very shocking since his front teeth appeared fine. Unfortunately he had to undergo surgery to cut and file them all back and was very wobbly afterwards.
We fed him up on Science Recovery, kept him warm etc and he seems a lot happier now. The vet did point out a hard lump on the side of his jaw, she said it wasn't an abcess but actually bone which might be the cause.
The problem we have now is that while he'll eat hard pellets, and anything else we offer him, banana, even oaty porridge, he turns his nose up at all the greens. He won't eat grass or hay which I'm worried won't help his dental problems. He'll see something leafy and bite down on it, but then he'll let go. Occasionally I'll tempt him with a small bit which he'll eat, anything too long and he spits it out.
Before the op he was a big greens eater, and now he isn't, it's hard to watch him watch our bunny munch through all the leafy foods knowing he can't. I'm really not sure what to do :-\