Guinea pigs eat food and drink water all the time, that’s their main occupation, so they must have healthy teeth. Guinea pigs can break their teeth when eating food or biting objects and cage bars.
What To Do if Your Guinea Pig Breaks a Tooth?
When a guinea pig breaks a tooth, it should be taken to a veterinarian to examine it and see if the broken tooth or other teeth need to be corrected to prevent further damage to your pet’s teeth and mouth.
In today’s article, you will learn what to do when guinea pigs break a tooth and why their teeth break, as well as other issues related to dental health.
What To Do if Your Guinea Pig Breaks a Tooth?
When guinea pigs break a tooth, it is best to take them to a vet to examine them and see how far and how the tooth is broken.
During the examination, the veterinarian will check if there are sharp edges on the broken tooth and how dangerous it is for your pet, and if he will need to make a correction to the tooth or other healthy teeth to avoid injuries to the mouth and gums.
When guinea pigs have a broken tooth, attention must be paid to its regrowth and whether it will affect the other teeth when eating.
When the tooth begins to grow it can grow at an angle and guinea pigs will have problems when closing their mouths or when they chew food.
When a tooth is broken and grows at an angle it can be painful for the guinea pig and stop eating, so it is necessary to monitor the growth of the broken tooth and consult a veterinarian.
If the guinea pig has problems eating food, until the broken tooth grows, you will have to help him with eating by giving him food in smaller pieces.
If he can’t drink water from his bottle, then you will have to give him water with a syringe, because guinea pigs need to drink water every day to avoid dehydration.
Dehydration is dangerous and can kill the guinea pig if it does not drink water for 3-4 days.
In the future, give them more food rich in calcium, vitamin C, and other ingredients that will help them have stronger and healthier teeth.
Why do guinea pigs break their teeth?
Guinea pigs break their teeth because they bite hard objects and bite the bars of their cage.
Guinea pigs also break their teeth if they do not have enough healthy nutrition and a lack of calcium, vitamin C, and other nutrients that are necessary to have healthy teeth.
If the guinea pigs have overgrown teeth and this can be a problem and tooth breakage, as they will start to rely on each other, it is important that they reduce the teeth by using chew toys and eating food such as hay.
Branches or wooden blocks are also good for cutting down and wearing down their teeth, reducing the chances of guinea pigs breaking their teeth.
What to do to prevent the guinea pigs from breaking their teeth?
In order not to break the teeth of guinea pigs, the most important thing is to monitor their size and whether they decrease in time when eating and chewing food and other objects.
It is necessary to take them to the veterinarian regularly for a check-up of their teeth, especially if you notice that something is wrong, for example when their teeth are very overgrown, and is noticeable when they eat food.
Pay attention to the behavior of the guinea pigs, because you will not always be able to see their teeth, so watch when they are eating, whether they are eating as usual or struggling and avoiding eating.
If they are not eating normally take them to the vet immediately because if they have a broken tooth it can only cause injuries to their mouth and gums.
A diet rich in vitamins and minerals is also important in order to have healthy and stronger teeth that will not break so easily. Vitamin C and calcium are the main ingredients that allow guinea pigs to have strong teeth.
Guinea pigs should not be stressed, because when they are nervous they bite the bars of the cage and may break their teeth.
For example, when my guinea pig is nervous, he climbs into the cage and bites the bars for several minutes until he gradually calms down.
Be careful when you hold them in your hands, because if they jump and fall, they may break their teeth or injure their body.
How do you know when a guinea pig has a broken tooth?
When guinea pigs have a broken tooth it can be noticed by several different signs.
The most common sign that they have a broken tooth is when you notice that they have blood in their mouth or blood on the cage bedding itself.
When guinea pigs have a broken tooth, it is shorter than other teeth and is visible when they open their mouths, although it is a little harder to notice.
When my guinea pig yawns to sleep then I can see his teeth best, otherwise, it is much harder to notice them.
Another obvious sign that something is wrong and they may have a broken tooth is when they stop eating completely or partially because a broken tooth can cause them pain and they will refuse to eat.
How to check if guinea pigs have a broken tooth?
To be able to check yourself if the guinea pig has a broken tooth, you will need someone else to help you.
One of you should hold the guinea pig’s body and the other should slowly open its mouth to see the teeth.
If you notice that one of the teeth is shorter than the others then this is a sign that they have a broken tooth and you will need to take your pet to the vet.
How long does it take for guinea pigs’ teeth to grow?
Guinea pig teeth are constantly growing because they have open roots. Guinea pig teeth grow at a rate of 1-2 mm per week.
It takes about 15-20 days for a guinea pig’s teeth to grow back when they are once broken.
During this period, until the broken tooth grows, it is necessary to help them so that they can eat more easily, to give them small pieces or to put in their mouths, when they cannot take the food by themselves.
What to feed guinea pigs when they have a broken tooth?
When a guinea pig has a broken tooth, it will have trouble eating, but that doesn’t mean it cannot eat. When your pet has broken only one tooth, then you can give him pureed food, vegetables, and fruits.
Give him this kind of mixture several times a day, because he can eat this kind of food freely without any pain or problems.
The most important thing is to eat soft food so that there is no pain until the broken tooth grows, which will happen in 15-20 days.
Read more: Why Does A Guinea Pig Not Let You Touch Its Belly?
How long can guinea pigs go without food?
Guinea pigs need to eat constantly, they cannot last more than 6-8 hours without food.
As a rule, guinea pigs should eat every 20 minutes, which is their normal eating time, except when they have broken teeth or some other problem.
If guinea pigs do not eat for several hours, their body can go into gastrointestinal stasis, when they stop digesting food, they start to dehydrate and can have fatal consequences for their life.
Read more: How to Bathe a Guinea Pigs? Complete Guide
Conclusion
When guinea pigs break a tooth, they need to be taken to the vet right away to have them examined and see if the broken tooth needs to be corrected or if the other teeth need to be corrected.
When a broken tooth grows it can be at an angle and crowd other teeth or cause problems in the mouth and can cause injuries and sores.
Therefore, when they have a broken tooth, guinea pigs must be regularly taken to the vet to check how the broken tooth is growing.
Until the broken tooth grows, we should help the guinea pigs with their diet and if necessary feed them soft food.
The teeth of guinea pigs constantly break and this is completely normal, the most important thing is to take care that when the new tooth grows, it has the correct shape and position.
Read more: Why Guinea Pig Drinking A Lot Of Water? (Find Out Now)
