tooth problem

[fatpiggy2010]

my one guinea pig, who is a short hair, seems to be having problems with his upper teeth.

i noticed a few weeks ago one of his teeth had broken off. unfortunately, now the other one is starting to get to big.

as with a lot of people, and i do hope i don't upset anyone, i simply cannot afford to take him to the vet because i know they will charge an outrageous amount to fix it.

is there something i can do to help him? i read that the other tooth would eventually grow back, but i have yet to see it. is there some sort of food or treats i can give him on a daily basis to grind the tooth down?

i had heard someone else took a piggy to the vet and it cost a couple hundred for them to grind down it's teeth. i simply can't afford that.

so any home remedies will help. he has been eating normally and it his usual hungry self. instead of giving him whole vegetables, i have been chopping them up for him to make it easier to eat. should i keep doing this? or will the whole veggies help the tooth wear down?

[Orlaith]

I've never had a piggy with broken teeth so perhaps someone else can advise you better, but I'll give it a shot. There's a thread here on piggy teeth.

Okay, I know that normally a piggy's broken tooth will grow back without problems and you might just have to wait a while for it to show up.

Normally a piggy's teeth meet together properly and when your piggy eats the teeth grind off each other and keep themselves trim like that, so each tooth helps the opposite one not to get too long, so if I understand properly, it's the tooth opposite the broken one that's getting too long? Is that right? The tooth beside it should still be getting ground down by its opposite tooth.

You should continue to give small pieces of veg or even grate the veg to help your piggy as it's the act of eating hay etc that keeps the teeth down, I don't think there's anything you can give specifically to help that.

Have you any rodentologists in your area? A good rodentologist (or good vet) will be able to clip your pig's tooth, if needed, without anaesthetic and it shouldn't cost much at all. I would ring around a few vets in your area and specifically ask for pricing over the phone. Even if you don't need it now, it could be useful to have a vet who is good with pigs in the future. If the vet doesn't seem to know what you're talking about or has never clipped a pig's teeth before, then try somewhere else.

[fatpiggy2010]

i just gave him a carrot that i had cut into bigger chunks so he can wear it down. like i said, feeding him is not a problem. i have not noticed any difference in his "give me food" habits. he is eating it, or trying to eat it the best he can.

i am also going to see if i can find a treat for him to eat that will help with this. did you say hay does work to? i give them timothy hay. i ran out, but i will buy more at the store tonight.

when i gave him the carrot, the other one was like "where's mine?where's mine?where's mine?where's mine?where's mine?where's mine?" lol so of course i had to give him a piece to.

can anyone recommend a good treat that will help? appreciate it

[Kayleigh]

Hay Hay and more Hay ;

Carrots shouldnt be fed on a daily basis, Try other veggies like celery, cabbage, apple etc. Hay is the best way to keep the teeth short, as piggies spend most of the day grazing on this. If he is in no pain and is eating there is no real reason to take him to the vets, If he starts loosing weight or looks like he is in pain however, i would reccomend taking him to the vets. As mentioned above phone around a few places to check prices etc.