• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Potential dental issue

M

MrsHappyH

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 9, 2022
Messages
47
Reaction score
21
Points
150
Location
Uk
Hello, related question. One of my boars has started eating his vegetables much slower than the other. To the point where the other one has finished and is knicking Luigi's. Also he is dropping bits of hay and I rarely see him chewing on it. However they get one handful of readigrass a day (and both Timothy and meadow hay) and he is doing fine eating this - bending it in two etc.

His front teeth look to be fine . Straight edged not too long. (he regularly chews wicker tunnel). I can't see anything stuck in there but cannot see the back teeth very well obv.

Could he just be fussy? I highly doubt it if mario is able to get food from him. .. advice appreciated as we are as poor as can be and it would be a birthday present to me to take him to the vet . All of my spare money goes on hay, treats and amusement for them 💓. I usually save for the vets just in case but am catching up after change in job and Christmas . Thanks
 
I have moved your post to its own thread so you can receive dedicated support and advice, refer than it being tagged on the end of a six year old thread which could mean your post is entirely missed.

We can only ever advise that you see a vet. There could be a mouth issue whether it is dental or otherwise but seeing a vet is the only way to find out that is going on.

In the meantime it is important you switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily. This enables you to monitor hay intake more closely. If he is not eating hay (or not as much) then he will be losing weight and you will need to step on with syringe feeding him to replace the lost fibre and ensure he does not lose any further weight.

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
He could do with loosing a few anyway ! I've booked him in for this afternoon and will report back here .
 
Obv I realise fibre is an issue. His poo is fine atm
MrsHappyH said:
He could do with loosing a few anyway ! I've booked him in for this afternoon and will report back he... I realise fibre is an issue. His poo is fine atm
Click to expand...
 
Hi so Luigi went to the vets today. I managed to catch two tooth spurs very early. For those who don't know what this is it is the back teeth - usually bottom, growing in and over. Also characterized by excessively short upper back teeth. Luckily this is also early there are no ulcers or abscesses. The gums look ok. So we are going to put him on loxicom painkillers and isolate him with just hay and small amounts of vegetables for a week. so that he basically eats hay. They have Timothy ,meadow and readigrass so just going to put in the Timothy and separate him from his friend. I think they get on well enough that they should go back together ok. I might swap their enclosures around for a day or so before I try to even the field.

I'm so glad I noticed how slowly he was eating , going for small bits of hay and looking unusual whilst eating. Otherwise there really wasn't much to tell. I'd like to know how this happened though I'm so careful about having chew things and making sure they chew it .. three types of hay / grass etc. I think the problem was he was deciding to eat the pellets instead of the hay too much ... So if you've got a pellet guzzler perhaps go a couple of days with a miniscule amount .. so long as they are getting their vit c from other sources obv. 😅. Fingers crossed it works . I will. weigh regularly. Otherwise it's general anesthetic which is apparently dangerous and a £250 bill ! Which I can't afford 😭.
 
I'm glad a vet's managed to diagnose the issue for you.

15 grams of pellets is an awful lot by the way- only feed a maximum of a tablespoon of pellets every day. :) The instructions on the back of the packet are very misleading unfortunately.

I had a guinea pig with molar malocclusion, and the vet said surgery was the only option for him. Has a vet raised the possibility of surgery with you if the painkillers don't work out? I just don't want you to be hit with an unexpected vet bill in the near future...
 
Also please don't separate him from his friend, he needs to be with his friend for companionship- the friend might encourage him to eat more too.

Edit: as @Piggies&buns said, please continue to weigh him daily (healthy guinea pigs shouldn't lose weight), and prepare to step in with syringe feeding. The guides linked above are excellent, and absolutely life-saving.
 
ScrufflesRules said:
I'm glad a vet's managed to diagnose the issue for you.

15 grams of pellets is an awful lot by the way- only feed a maximum of a tablespoon of pellets every day. :) The instructions on the back of the packet are very misleading unfortunately.

I had a guinea pig with molar malocclusion, and the vet said surgery was the only option for him. Has a vet raised the possibility of surgery with you if the painkillers don't work out? I just don't want you to be hit with an unexpected vet bill in the near future...
Click to expand...
Hi thanks for your comments. Not surgery exactly, but filing / trimming under gen . We would be able to borrow for that. But nothing further .. I'm determined to make this hay decision work. She thinks I'm in with a good chance 🤞. 15 g is less than a tablespoon btw ? Tablespoon is 17 grams. Most others (inc vets) say 30 grams each. But I've given them 15 g as they get lots of vegetables and fibre etc and are large but relaxed boars ☺️
 
I agree, don’t separate them, it will cause them both stress and sometimes can break their bond. You can take him out to feed his veggies so he gets his full amount but don’t separate for more than is necessary
 
ScrufflesRules said:
Also please don't separate him from his friend, he needs to be with his friend for companionship- the friend might encourage him to eat more too.

Edit: as @Piggies&buns said, please continue to weigh him daily (healthy guinea pigs shouldn't lose weight), and prepare to step in with syringe feeding. The guides linked above are excellent, and absolutely life-saving.
Click to expand...
So the problem is that his friend will steal the small amounts of vegetables that he will have , because he is eating almost exactly at double the speed. What this guinae pig needs is no distractions.. just him and they hay ! I've got a set up where he can literally be immersed in it. And I plan to get him the deluxe Timothy . He already has the best quality hay I can find but I will buy the super expensive stuff for this treatment. There is no real issue with them separating , they're incredibly laid back - but I'm just mindful about what others have said ... However I know they will be fine . I'll make sure they visit eachother every day . He's already improving with the pain killers.
 
Bill & Ted said:
I agree, don’t separate them, it will cause them both stress and sometimes can break their bond. You can take him out to feed his veggies so he gets his full amount but don’t separate for more than is necessary
Click to expand...
They will see eachother . It's a decision that the vet and I have come to . Because I really don't want him going under anaesthetic . I've got to give him the best shot. And he won't be stressed. I can't describe to you how I know this other than I'm part of the herd ! He will have me , they can hear eachother and will get visits. There's no alpha boar or what have you. (and I'm a behavioural psychologist by training - have delved into it a bit - it's quite an even set up and fascinating that they really don't have a top piggy. They're just good friends and include me in their herd. Which is a lot of pressure 😂).
 
Do make sure that (provided the treatment goes well) when you reintroduce them to use this guide: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

As I'm sure you've researched, you can't just pop them together again like nothing ever happened unfortunately. They can live side-by-side whilst separated and interact through bars, but don't allow them direct contact with each other unless you're putting them back together permanently.

I'm definitely not the right person to be giving advice on health issues or bonding issues, so please make sure other forum members say the same thing before following my suggestions. :)
 
MrsHappyH said:
They will see eachother . It's a decision that the vet and I have come to . Because I really don't want him going under anaesthetic . I've got to give him the best shot. And he won't be stressed. I can't describe to you how I know this other than I'm part of the herd ! He will have me , they can hear eachother and will get visits. There's no alpha boar or what have you. (and I'm a behavioural psychologist by training - have delved into it a bit - it's quite an even set up and fascinating that they really don't have a top piggy. They're just good friends and include me in their herd. Which is a lot of pressure 😂
ScrufflesRules said:
Do make sure that (provided the treatment goes well) when you reintroduce them to use this guide: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

As I'm sure you've researched, you can't just pop them together again like nothing ever happened unfortunately. They can live side-by-side whilst separated and interact through bars, but don't allow them direct contact with each other unless you're putting them back together permanently.

I'm definitely not the right person to be giving advice on health issues or bonding issues, so please make sure other forum members say the same thing before following my suggestions. :)
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. Very helpful
Click to expand...
 
Make sure you actually check the weight of a tablespoon of the type of pellets you are using.
A tablespoon of the pellets I use is just 6g. I also never give pellets daily and never give as much as the 6g anyway.
Nobody advises 30g except the packaging which we have long known not to follow.

If you don’t see him eating hay now, then this plan is a risky one. Being isolated with hay does not mean he is going to eat it, and if he could eat sufficient hay now then he already would be. It’s not about distractions. They are literally wired to just forage in hay and grass all day and if they aren’t it’s because there is a medical issue.
His daily weight checks are going to be essential with you being prepared to step in with syringe feeding.

You will be far better off to leave them together and then just take him out each day for his weight check and to hand feed him his veg portion/syringe feed. That way you can know he is still getting them without going through the upset of a separation - and it is upsetting for them, even more so if they are very well bonded and look to each other for comfort.

Allowing visits - it causes stress to them to do that. They either need to be together or apart. Piggies, particularly boars, dont do those kinds of play dates due to each meeting meaning they will try to reestablish their hierarchy but never get to see it through due to the next separation.

Scent swapping enclosures before rebonding doesn’t always work and can in fact do the opposite. It can be seen as a bit of a territory invasion particularly if they are apart long enough that they start to see their own cages as their own territories (it’ll only be a couple of days and that will start to happen). A proper neutral territory rebonding will be needed.
With any luck they will go back together but there is never a guarantee which is why we don’t recommend medical separation unless absolutely essential, and I have to say that this really does not fit into those grounds.

There will be a dominant piggy, even if you can’t tell which one it is. It is simply how piggy society works.

I hope your plan works out for him.
 
I have had a boar pair, 9ne with serious dental problems and the last thing I would have done is separate them. they were very well bindeed and happy together, but there always is a hierarchy between any pair even though you don’t see it. Separating him from his friend will cause more harm than good. Only take him out in his own to syringe feed or hand feed. play dates and swapping bedding is nit the answer. I am dubious about for vets ideas.
For a thorough assessment of his teeth make an appointment with Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabnit Clinic in Northampton, he has the most experience with guinea pig dentistry and associated problems in the UK.

Good luck 🤞
 
If you're unhappy with your vet, you could always look at this list for recommendations too: Recommended Guinea Pig Vets :)
I completely understand that things are tough financially at the moment though.
 
Hi All just an update . It transpired that Luigi had a very misaligned jaw. He recovered from the operation but came down with a bad eye infection from it - possible a deep rooted abscess . We tried everything but took the humane decision .

By the way the boys spent time apart in 5 HR shifts And were absolutely fine. They had a unique relationship. They were both very passive. But I understand that there may be some who haven't come across it possibly? Spoke to my aunt who happens to be a low level rodentologist and has worked in guinea pig rescue - apparently she has also seen it. A pair of passive boars .. very chilled. Mario is really going through it following the bereavement but we're doing all we can. ❤️
 
Bill & Ted said:
I have had a boar pair, 9ne with serious dental problems and the last thing I would have done is separate them. they were very well bindeed and happy together, but there always is a hierarchy between any pair even though you don’t see it. Separating him from his friend will cause more harm than good. Only take him out in his own to syringe feed or hand feed. play dates and swapping bedding is nit the answer. I am dubious about for vets ideas.
For a thorough assessment of his teeth make an appointment with Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabnit Clinic in Northampton, he has the most experience with guinea pig dentistry and associated problems in the UK.

Good luck
Click to expand...
 
So I thought carefully about the advice given in this thread. Luigi breathed a sigh of relief when he has his lone time .. not because he was being bothered in anyway .. but because I think he was feeling so bad he felt incredibly vulnerable. And lone time (5hr shifts) enabled him to try to get better without that worry. It also enabled him to make the most of together time. I think in our situation it was a good choice . Thanks for your reply.
 
MrsHappyH said:
Fyi they were on 15grams of pellets each anyway !?!
Click to expand...
So they are / were huge boys in stature the biggest kind . Their natural weight was 1.4 kg. Vets said they were just big! So yes they had 15g of pellets each . Which barely covered the bottom of their normal guinea pig sized bowl. One was pure muscle.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Make sure you actually check the weight of a tablespoon of the type of pellets you are using.
A tablespoon of the pellets I use is just 6g. I also never give pellets daily and never give as much as the 6g anyway.
Nobody advises 30g except the packaging which we have long known not to follow.

If you don’t see him eating hay now, then this plan is a risky one. Being isolated with hay does not mean he is going to eat it, and if he could eat sufficient hay now then he already would be. It’s not about distractions. They are literally wired to just forage in hay and grass all day and if they aren’t it’s because there is a medical issue.
His daily weight checks are going to be essential with you being prepared to step in with syringe feeding.

You will be far better off to leave them together and then just take him out each day for his weight check and to hand feed him his veg portion/syringe feed. That way you can know he is still getting them without going through the upset of a separation - and it is upsetting for them, even more so if they are very well bonded and look to each other for comfort.

Allowing visits - it causes stress to them to do that. They either need to be together or apart. Piggies, particularly boars, dont do those kinds of play dates due to each meeting meaning they will try to reestablish their hierarchy but never get to see it through due to the next separation.

Scent swapping enclosures before rebonding doesn’t always work and can in fact do the opposite. It can be seen as a bit of a territory invasion particularly if they are apart long enough that they start to see their own cages as their own territories (it’ll only be a couple of days and that will start to happen). A proper neutral territory rebonding will be needed.
With any luck they will go back together but there is never a guarantee which is why we don’t recommend medical separation unless absolutely essential, and I have to say that this really does not fit into those grounds.

There will be a dominant piggy, even if you can’t tell which one it is. It is simply how piggy society works.

I hope your plan works out for him.
Click to expand...
So just to say ... That our boys would go into each others cages after 5 hrs. Chuck chuck away tough noses as get down to hay eating together. No struts .. no ' head ups ', mouth gaping or teeth. Simple touch noses chuck chuck lay down next to each other and munch hay. (Well one was trying but not managing as per the thread). So .. perhaps make of it what you will ? Thought I would reply as didn't get a chance whilst caring for Luigi - also it might help to have another situation explained on the forum ? Xx
 
Aw, they sounded such a happy pair of boys, I’m so sorry you lost Luigi

Popcorn high little man 🌈
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top