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Teeth trimming?

Josie's Mom

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I don't know if this question goes here, but...

Is there any reason a piggy would have to have his/her teeth clipped?
 

VoodooJoint

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I split off your question to keep the answers from getting lost in your intro thread.

A healthy GP on a proper diet will normally wear their teeth enough to never require trimming.

Sometimes illness, malocclusion, poor diet (past or present) may require he teeth, especially the molars, to be planed and trimmed. Sometimes the upper or lower teeth break and require trimming of the opposing teeth to avoid over growth until the broken teeth grow back in.

Some vets will clip the GPs front teeth for no apparent reason. This can cause some serius issues as the GP may not be able to grasp their foods properly as their back molars keep them from being able to bring their front teeth together. Always ask why your vet wants to trim the front teeth if they suggest doing it and ask why they aren't planing the back teeth at the same time.
 

fourbwabbys

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The only reason they would need it is if they are overgrown and interfering with their eating.
 

wolfie

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I hate to sound like a dummy but I am new to cavies. Could you describe what you would see if a guinea pig is having trouble eating? Thanks, Wolfie
 

fourbwabbys

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They will often drool excessively and begin losing weight. You will see them having difficulty getting the food to the back of their mouth.
 

wolfie

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Thanks Fourwabbys- but now you have me worried. Please bear with me. We have 2 adopted boys. The youngster chows right through his veggies and then sneaks off to steal some of his dad's. Arnold (dad) is a much slower eater. We call him our messy eater because he always leaves droplets on the blanket. I always wash the veggies and just give them a gentle pat to ry with a paper towel- so I thought that was what was helping to create the mess. Could that be waht you mean by excessive drooling? Thanks, Wolfie
 

fourbwabbys

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Do you weigh him? A steady decrease in wieght it usually the biggest clue. Does he have a wet chin even when he's not eating? If you're worried, I would have the vet just take a look at them.
 

wolfie

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I don't think he has a wet chin except when eating veggies, but I will watch him more closely. They went for a well check right after we adopted them. We went to a practice that was recommended by the rescue group, but we saw a new, young vet. He did check their teeth, but since I don't know what I am doing, it makes me nervous about what they are doing. I don't have a scale yet, but will add it to my errands tomorrow! Thanks, Wolfie
 

Ly&Pigs

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Also some pigs just eat faster than others, so there may be no actual problem at all, but weighing your pigs weekly and seeing a gradual loss of weight over a month or so's time can alert you to illnesses or other problems that you may not see signs of otherwise.
 

wolfie

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I just checked out the guinelynx site to see what kind of scale to buy. Any suggestions on where to find one? Thanks, Wolfie
PS- I happened to read and loved your idea about having your kids graph the piggies weights as a math project- hope you don't mind if I borrow that idea too!
 

fourbwabbys

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I got a digital kitchen scale at Walmart for really cheap.
 

wolfie

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That's great- I was hoping you'd say Walmart! Thanks Wolfie
 

sophistic_chick

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Some cavies are born with a predisposition to malocclusions, it can be genetic in some cases.
 
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