tots2teens Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Help! One of our guinea pigs broke his top two teeth today! DD13 & DD5 saved & saved their money to buy guinea pigs. A few weeks ago, they found 4 guinea pigs for sell on Craigslist (cage & everything!). They were so excited! Both of them have been very diligent in the care of these pigs. They feed them, give them water & treats, clean their bedding, etc. Well, today, I heard DD5 yell, "Mommy, the baby is trying to take one of the guinea pigs to his room!". So I hurry back the girls' room & there stands DS2, guinea pig in hand. He knew he was in trouble so he did what any toddler would do caught red handed...he threw the poor thing down! I scooped the piggy up, put him back in his cage, and he seemed fine. Tonight, one of the girls was playing with the pigs & noticed this one's teeth were lopsided. I checked & sure enough, both of the top two teeth are loose. We've checked a bit online for some info but I thought someone on here might have some advice. We've separated him from the others & so far, he has not eaten anything since this happened :( Thanks in advance for any advice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 If the teeth had been broken I would be inclined to say don't worry since they have to wear their teeth down regularly. However, it sounds more like loose teeth so I would probably withhold food for the night and recheck in the morning. If the teeth are still loose in the morning I would definitely check with a vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansamy Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 (edited) Broken teeth article at guinea lynx. Guinea lynx is my go to place for all things cavy. Do not hold him NPO. Guinea pigs dehydrate very quickly. Small bites of softer foods, syringe feedings/waterings. Off to the vet for subQ fluids in the am if he's lost weight. Edited August 7, 2012 by dansamy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansamy Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 How is piglet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Our guinea pig had a tooth chipped off after being dropped by my niece. They can quickly die from malnourishment, so you have to feed them yourself. The good thing is that the tooth does grow back, it just takes some time. Ours was not too excited about it, but quickly learned that it was better than nothing! I got sweet potatoes from Gerber, and syringe fed him a couple of times a day. Vitamin C is really important for them, from what I've been told, so I got veggies that would provide that. I didn't even try the soft chunks of food, since they use those front teeth for so much of the chewing. Ours still was able to drink from his water dispenser, but had he not, I would have syringed that too. It just took a little trial and error to get a good feeding pace down, where he ended up with more in him than on him...kind of like feeding a baby! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Broken teeth article at guinea lynx. Guinea lynx is my go to place for all things cavy. Do not hold him NPO. Guinea pigs dehydrate very quickly. Small bites of softer foods, syringe feedings/waterings. Off to the vet for subQ fluids in the am if he's lost weight. NEVER fast a guinea pig, ever ever ever. they need constant roughage. Give him veggies and soft things if he won't eat pellets, but don't keep him without food. The don't even get fasted for surgery if I remember correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tots2teens Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 Thank you all so much for your help! He seems to be doing better today :) Yesterday, his top two teeth were loose but hanging on. He wasn't eating & I'm sure the poor thing was in pain. Late last night, after reading your replies, I went in and was able to hand feed him shaved pieces of apple. I also observed him drinking from his water bottle. I felt much better after that! This morning, his teeth have fallen out completely. This is a good thing, I guess, because he seems to be able to eat a little easier now. We blended up lots of fruits & veggies into small pieces and he is gobbling it all up! We have him separated from the others so that we can closely monitor his eating, drinking, peeing & pooping :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansamy Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 NEVER fast a guinea pig, ever ever ever. they need constant roughage. Give him veggies and soft things if he won't eat pellets, but don't keep him without food. The don't even get fasted for surgery if I remember correctly. That would be why I said not top hold him npo & to syringe feed if needed. Start daily weights on him & if he loses weight, take him in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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