Looking After Guinea Pig Teeth

Guinea pigs have teeth that are open rooted which means they’ll continue to grow throughout their lives. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. While they’ll need care throughout their lives to limit the risk of overgrowth, it’s not all bad! If we chip a tooth, we have to go to the dentist to get it fixed, as our teeth don’t grow. If guinea pigs damage their teeth, it’s often just a matter of time before they can wear down the damaged area and have nice, healthy teeth again. 

Their teeth can grow at a rate of about 7.5cm per year. They have three different types of teeth: molars, premolars and incisors. The incisors are the most likely culprits for becoming overgrown; at least, they’re likely to be the ones you notice. The incisors are the long teeth at the front of the mouth that can be easily seen and should be about 1.5cm long. 

When teeth become overgrown, they’ll need to receive treatment from your vet to get them back in shipshape. Your vet will need to use specialist equipment to file them down and return them to the correct length. If teeth become severely overgrown, they may need a few treatments before returning to normal, but they should be more comfortable after an initial visit. The main symptom of your guinea pig’s teeth being overgrown is a reduction in appetite. They’ll often go off their food if it’s uncomfortable to eat or if they’re unable to pick their food up correctly.  

Other symptoms can include sores in the mouth that make it uncomfortable to eat. They can also grind their teeth and may even have some drool beneath their chin where they are unable to chew properly or even clothe their mouths. You should not try to mend overgrown teeth yourself, but they’ll require a veterinarian to get your guinea pig back on the mend.  

Overgrown teeth aren’t the only issues when it comes to dental problems that can occur in guinea pigs. Other problems can include:  

Most issues can arise from overgrown teeth, but things like malocclusion can be genetic, too. Malocclusion is the poor alignment of teeth, so they grow in the wrong direction and can make eating difficult. Like overgrown teeth, this can be helped by your vet giving them regular trims to try and help the teeth grow in a better shape. If their parents had poorly aligned teeth, they have a greater chance of presenting with malocclusion themselves.  

The best way to take care of your guinea pig’s teeth is to prevent any issues in the first place. A good level of care will minimise any extra work you have to do and can help avoid any stressful visits to the vet for your furry companion. 

Guinea pigs almost always chew and nibble on something to help wear down their teeth. Along with a balanced diet with high quality nuggets, they need a constant supply of fresh hay. Hay makes up around 80% of their overall diet, so finding a good feeding hay is essential. A feeding hay like Excel Long Stem Feeding Hay is made entirely from timothy hay. The fibre-rich hay will aid digestion and help keep your guinea pig’s gut health in perfect working order while keeping their teeth nice and worn down.  

A study into how diet impacts dental health made it very clear that there are multiple factors when it comes to maintaining healthy teeth. Hay isn’t the only thing you need to keep teeth nice and worn, but a high quality nugget like Excel Guinea Pig Food will also aid in keeping teeth healthy. A daily supply of fresh vegetables and the occasional fruity treat are all part of a healthy diet to keep teeth trimmed.  

While you commonly hear about brushing your canine companion’s teeth, a guinea pig is less discussed because there is no need to worry about helping them clean their teeth. A fiber rich diet with lots of hay will do all the brushing for you. As a prey species, guinea pigs don’t often like to be retrained and getting them used to something like a toothbrush is a much bigger feat. The best way you can protect their teeth is to make sure they have a proper diet along with lots of chew friendly toys they can munch on. 

Since they’re constantly growing nice pearly white teeth from the root, you don’t have to worry too much about plaque, but you should still teach your guinea pig to accept having their teeth checked. You should be able to do a basic health check on your fur baby, which includes feeling over their entire body for any lumps and bumps, looking at their feet and checking inside their mouth. While they can take minutes to complete, it helps to detect any illnesses in their early stages if you know your beloved pet well enough to notice changes.  

You can check their teeth by sitting them in your lap or someone else’s and pulling back their cheeks to open their mouth gently. You should easily be able to see the incisors and a few premolars and molars, but you may not be able to see right to the very back. Once you’ve confirmed that their teeth and gums all look healthy, you should give them a treat of their favourite food so it’s a pleasant experience. Eventually, they’ll learn that as soon as you handle them closely, they should expect a tasty reward.  

Visit us in store and online for a wide range of guinea pig food to help keep your fur baby’s teeth in prime condition and avoid lots of stressful trips to the vet.