Guinea Pig – Mouth Problems

Guinea pig teeth grow constantly throughout their life and if they are not being worn down by chewing on lots of hay or grass they start to elongate. The most common form of dental disease in guinea pigs involves the elongation of their cheek teeth. The mandibular cheek teeth are often the worst affected and they can get so bad that they can grow over and totally ‘entrap’ the tongue. This prevents the tongue from moving normally which means the guinea pig cannot eat properly.

• Significant wetness around mouth/drooling
• Difficulty swallowing food
• Weight loss

• Malocclusion
• Dental disease
• Overgrown teeth
• Mouth ulcers

• Trimming or burring of overgrown teeth
• Extraction of infected or malformed teeth
• Most require sedation to treat or examine mouth well
• Dental radiographs