Guinea pig teeth. Dental disease and tooth cutting in guinea pigs

Healthy and strong teeth are the key to the health of our pets. That is why it is very important to ensure that our pets’ teeth are always healthy. And, today we would like to pay attention to the health of guinea pigs’ teeth and their care. These creatures are unpretentious in terms of their conditions of detention (o), however, as for caring for their teeth, there are several interesting moments, which their owners should know about...

How many teeth does a guinea pig have?

Guinea pigs, regardless of their species and breed - read more about them, as a rule, have 20 teeth. This is a pair of bottom and upper incisors, instead of fangs - spaces, a pair of lower and upper premolars, and 3 pairs of lower and upper molars. These teeth have open root, and are constantly growing. Due to the fact that guinea pigs are constantly biting, chewing, chewing, gnawing something, the length of their constantly growing teeth is always normal. At the same time, each pig has its own norm. So, if the guinea pig is healthy and eats properly, it does not need additional sharpening of the front teeth.

Dental problems in guinea pigs

Below we invite you to consider the most common dental problems in guinea pigs that owners of these rodents most often encounter...

Malocclusion in guinea pigs

If the rodent does not correct bite, then, as a rule, his teeth are very long and do not grind down well. At the same time, very often the front lateral teeth grow quickly and simultaneously with the front teeth. In the case when the rodent does not receive proper nutrition, his rapidly growing teeth do not grind down, and this can lead to the fact that they can begin to grow forward, growing into the tongue or into the cheeks. Themselves long teeth will constantly cause discomfort to the guinea pig, and very often can cause injury oral cavity.

If you notice that your pet has difficulty eating, or completely refuses to eat, his mouth is slightly open, the rodent has lost weight, the hair in the chin area is constantly wet - you should urgently show the pig to the veterinarian. If you miss time, the rodent will lose a lot of weight and it will be very difficult to get out.

It is best to take your guinea pig to a veterinarian who specializes in this type of veterinary dentistry. After examining your rodent and determining exact reason condition, he may recommend that you have your guinea pig's jaw x-rayed to make sure there is no sign of an abscess. The treatment itself involves grinding and grinding of improperly growing molars. As a rule, the operation is performed under anesthesia.

If the veterinarian determines that malocclusion is associated with a genetic malfunction or is due to injury or infection, and guinea pig weak ligaments and muscles, this also contributes to the occurrence malocclusion, your pet may be recommended to have a jaw bandage elastic bandage, which will support it in the required position, so that the upper and lower teeth could connect with each other. However, first the grown teeth are ground down and only after that an elastic bandage is put on.

As a rule, the treatment gives its results, however, the pig owner should monitor the condition of his pet’s teeth and ensure that he does not remove the elastic bandage before the due date.

Elongated tooth roots in guinea pigs

In addition to a malformed bite, guinea pigs may also have elongated tooth roots. At the same time, it is not possible to visually determine this violation; it is necessary to X-ray. If the owner of a guinea pig notices that his pet is not behaving as before, losing weight, or refusing food, you should definitely contact a veterinarian and consider the possibility of this particular diagnosis. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the veterinarian will prescribe treatment, dental treatment, and ligation of the jaw with an elastic bandage.

Broken teeth in a guinea pig

A rodent's teeth can break as a result of injury, a fall from a height, or improper diet nutrition, diet poor in vitamin C and D, genetic failures and problems with thyroid gland. If you notice that your pet has a broken tooth, of course, you should contact your veterinarian about this problem. Since a tooth fragment having jagged edges, can damage the oral cavity, infection can get there and an inflammatory process can begin. The veterinarian will trim the broken tooth. However, given the fact that guinea pigs' teeth grow throughout their lives, there is no need to worry too much about this. The tooth will definitely grow, you will only need to make sure that it grows evenly, and if necessary, it will need to be sharpened in a veterinary clinic.

Until your guinea pig's broken tooth grows back, you will need to provide it with an appropriate diet. Get ready for the fact that the food will need to be chopped - grated, cut into strips so that there are no large pieces. During this period, be sure to provide your guinea pig with enough vitamin C by giving him ¼ of a 100 milligram vitamin C tablet or 25-30 milligrams liquid vitamin C – it will stimulate the growth of strong teeth and speed up the recovery process.

When new tooth grows - you also should not lose vigilance; it is very important that a tooth injury does not cause a deformation of the bite of the entire jaw. You need to ensure that your pet's lower teeth are 1.5 times longer than the upper teeth.

Healthy and strong teeth are the key to the health of our pets. That is why it is very important to ensure that our pets’ teeth are always healthy. And, today we would like to pay attention to the health of guinea pigs’ teeth and their care. These creatures are unpretentious in terms of their living conditions (about keeping guinea pigs at home), however, as for caring for their teeth, there are several interesting points that their owners should know about...

Guinea pig teeth Guinea pigs, regardless of their species and breed - more about guinea pig breeds, as a rule, have 20 teeth. This is a pair of lower and upper incisors, instead of fangs there are spaces, a pair of lower and upper premolars, and 3 pairs of lower and upper molars. These teeth have an exposed root and are constantly growing. Due to the fact that guinea pigs are constantly biting, chewing, chewing, gnawing something, the length of their constantly growing teeth is always normal. At the same time, each pig has its own norm. So, if the guinea pig is healthy and eats properly, it does not need additional sharpening of the front teeth.

Preventing dental problems in guinea pigs

Dental problems in guinea pigs can be prevented by: the following recommendations: Follow the basic principles of keeping a guinea pig at home. Select for rodent correct cell- read about it here. Watch his diet - it should not contain a lot of sweet foods, dry food, or fruits. Protect your pet from injuries, blows and conflicts with relatives. Keep the cage clean. During a guinea pig's pregnancy, provide the female with the necessary amount of calcium, vitamin C and D, otherwise a malfunction may occur at the embryonic level of development, which will lead to further dental problems in the offspring. Details about breeding guinea pigs. Inbreeding of guinea pigs should be avoided in order to reduce the likelihood of genetic failures in the development of offspring. At the first suspicion that a rodent has dental problems, you should immediately seek advice from a veterinarian who specializes in such veterinary dentistry, since not all veterinary clinics It is possible to treat the teeth of guinea pigs and correct their bite.

Dental diseases are one of the most common problems in rodents and lagomorphs. The teeth of guinea pigs, chinchillas, and rabbits are open-rooted, that is, they continuously grow throughout their lives to replace the part that is worn away by chewing. However, sometimes problems arise with the bite and the teeth stop grinding down correctly, which can lead to very serious consequences.

Causes

Causes dental diseases may be genetic, inherited from parents, grandparents with similar problems, associated with structural features of the bones of the skull and teeth, or acquired.

The acquired ones include, first of all, improper feeding. In nature, pigs feed on tough grasses, leaves and bark, which ensure uniform grinding of teeth. At home, owners often offer their pet what they think he likes best - bowls filled to capacity with colorful, soft and sweet dry food, store-bought treats. An imbalance between rough and soft foods often leads to the formation of malocclusion and malocclusion, when teeth stop wearing properly.

Other causes of dental diseases include disturbance of calcium-phosphorus metabolism, dental injuries and jaw dislocations, abscesses and tumors. In addition, bite pathologies can arise due to refusal to eat in the presence of other diseases. It is very common for pigs to refuse food completely or partially if they experience pain or discomfort. Sometimes a few days of not eating is enough for the bite to become disrupted.

How can you tell if your pet has dental problems?

Here are some signs that may indicate dental problems:

What to do?

First of all, do not try to identify this problem yourself.

When examining an animal at home without special devices you will only be able to see the incisors.

Pathology of incisor growth, as independent disease, found mainly in rabbits, hamsters and rats. In guinea pigs and chinchillas, malocclusion of the incisors is less common and, as a rule, is not a reason for food refusal.

Dental pathology in a guinea pig, which is a symptom (not a cause!) of problems with cheek teeth.

In addition to incisors, guinea pigs also have so-called cheek teeth - premolars and molars.

If you try to examine your cheek teeth with improvised means, you may injure the oral mucosa. If the restraint is incorrect, the animal will break free and experience stress. You can dislocate and break your jaw. But the problem will never be found.

In some cases, a visual examination is not enough to identify dental diseases. Multiple x-rays may also be required. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out the examination in a clinical setting.

X-ray of a rabbit's skull with malocclusion:

To assess the condition of the teeth, take the animal to a specialist who can not only identify the problem, but also, if necessary, correct the bite and give everything necessary recommendations for further care and nutrition.

If the disease is advanced, a single teeth trimming may not be enough. In such cases, bite correction is carried out once every 2-4 weeks, depending on the condition of the teeth - how quickly they grow, until the animal is able to grind down the teeth on its own. Sometimes the correct bite is restored, but, in some cases, due to the occurrence irreversible changes and/or if available concomitant diseases The animal requires bite correction throughout its life.

Dental examination of a guinea pig: examination of molars and premolars:

Often, pet owners worry about how their pets will cope with teeth trimming procedures. I prefer to perform bite correction without the use of anesthesia. The slight amount of stress an animal may experience when trimming is not comparable to the stress your pet experiences when constant pain associated with improper growth of teeth that injure the oral cavity.

What happens if you don’t seek help in a timely manner?

Sometimes owners hope that dental problems can resolve themselves. Unfortunately this is not possible. Changes occur in the oral cavity that cannot disappear on their own.

The incisors become excessively long and grow incorrectly. The animal is unable to grasp and bite food, which leads to starvation.

The lower cheek teeth begin to grow towards the tongue, and ulcers appear on the tongue from a tooth injury. Over time, the lower teeth completely close over the tongue with a “bridge”, and, as a result, the animal cannot chew, push and swallow food.

Upper molars and premolars tend to grow toward the cheeks. In this case, the sharp hooks injure the cheek and it is painful for the animal to chew. In places where the hooks dig in, non-healing wounds into which food falls. This can cause abscesses to form.

Remember, diseases in pigs progress rapidly. In addition to the oral cavity, digestive problems arise due to dietary disturbances. To prevent this, you need to contact a specialist in a timely manner.

What help can you provide on your own before visiting a specialist?

If there are dental problems, the most important thing is not to let the animal starve.

If you refuse to eat, you must force-feed your pet through a syringe without a needle. Pelleted food, soaked, is suitable warm water until thick sour cream. It is advisable to feed so much that the animal does not lose weight.

Features of teeth

A large number of people do not know how many teeth a guinea pig has. They have no more than 20 teeth. Top part consists of 2 molars, 6 molars and 2 incisors. The lower jaw has the same structure.

A distinctive feature of pigs is that they do not have fangs. There is empty space in the places where fangs should be. It is commonly called diastema. The front part of the teeth grows throughout the animal's life. The enamel is only in the front part. There is no enamel inside the teeth, and the incisors are constantly worn away. Thanks to this, guinea pigs' teeth are constantly in acute condition. Constant erasure occurs by natural reasons at the moments when the animal eats. The main purpose of the incisors is to chew solid food.

Teeth hurt

Guinea pigs can have dental problems for various reasons:

Genetic predisposition. Due to the mating of closely related females and males.
Getting injured.
Wrong food. Constantly feeding soft foods can lead to dental problems in guinea pigs.
It is possible that the animal has problems with weak muscles since childhood.
Feed in the form of hay that has been treated with fluoride herbicides.
Not sufficient quantity vitamins C or calcium in the body.

If you feed the animal incorrectly and do not take care of its oral cavity, this can lead to guinea pigs’ teeth constantly breaking, crumbling and falling out. Nature has it that broken teeth grow back, and the guinea pig is no exception. Until this point, the animal will experience stress, which will negatively affect its overall health.

Problems often arise due to improper feeding. If rodents do not receive required amount vitamins of group C, this can lead to incisor loss. If an animal is deficient in vitamin C, it begins to develop a disease such as scurvy. The main symptoms of this disease are bleeding gums, ulcers on the gums, and the incisors become loose and then fall out completely. To avoid such problems, it is necessary to choose only high-quality feed.

Teeth chattering

Teeth problems in guinea pigs can be indicated by the animal chattering its teeth. This is due to several reasons:

The rodent tries to make its incisors smaller and begins to grind them down. During this process, a grinding sound will be heard. This is considered to be the most common dental problem.
It is possible that the animal experiences discomfort and pain in the abdominal area. As a result, he begins to chatter his teeth to relieve the pain.
Quite often, guinea pigs chatter their incisors when they are unhappy. It is also possible that the animal is preparing to attack someone.

Symptoms of dental diseases

Define toothache in guinea pigs you can look at the behavior of the pet:

The presence of problems can be indicated by the fact that the animal refuses to accept food. As a result, active weight loss occurs and problems with the digestive system begin.
The pet eats for a very long time. He experiences dental discomfort and cannot chew food quickly. It is also worth noting the fact that while eating, your pet’s ears will actively move.
Copious discharge of saliva and fluid from the eyes and nose. Such processes begin as a result of abscess processes associated with inflammation occurring in the pet’s oral cavity. You also need to pay attention to the presence of bleeding gums and wounds on the cheeks. If such situations exist, then the problem is serious and requires immediate treatment.

Treatment Options

It should be remembered that self-treatment will not benefit the animal. The first thing to do is take your pet to the veterinarian to determine the real reason animal illnesses and get the right treatment.

It is necessary to trim the overgrown incisors according to the norm. This procedure is carried out with special instruments and only under anesthesia (if the animal is not weak). If your pet's teeth are not growing in the right direction or there are problems with ligaments, you must use an elastic bandage on the jaw. This will allow you to close the lower and upper jaws, as well as independently erase the excess growth of the incisors. As a result, the animal’s upper and lower incisors grow normally and do not fall out.

If teeth have fallen out, it is important to carefully monitor their growth. Make sure that their growth is not too fast, so it is recommended to file or trim the heavily overgrown part, otherwise the incisor may damage the gums and bring discomfort discomfort.

Disease Prevention

It is much more difficult to cure a disease than to prevent it, so it is imperative, from the moment you purchase a pet, to pay attention to its development. We need to ask about his genetics. Ask the seller about the parents of the animal you are buying. It is possible that his parents may have suffered from problems with their incisors. This will allow you to understand what possible diseases can appear. You also need to pay attention to the rodent's diet. Choose combination foods that contain vitamins and calcium. It is also important to remember that the food should be hard, not soft.

Give your pet only fresh, high-quality food, and the hay that is placed in the cage should not be processed chemicals. Take your pet to the veterinarian regularly to prevent the development of diseases.

Dentistry for guinea pigs | Living Planet

Cons of Guinea Pigs THE WHOLE TRUTH / SvinkiShow

What guinea pigs CANNOT eat: PROHIBITED PRODUCTS / Guinea pigs show / SvinkiShow

Conclusion

Oral care for rodents requires special human intervention. Guinea pigs' teeth are the main organs for maintaining general health and proper digestion. Therefore, they need to be carefully looked after to prevent health problems for the rodent.