guinea pig not up to par

Question
My little girl suddenly isn't eating like she usually does.  She acts excited to get her evening meal which usually consists of a couple of bits of red bell pepper, a sliver of squash, a sliver of cuke, either a few green peas or the peas from sugar snap peas, a sliver or two of carrot and mixed spring greens - all organic. She hardly touches it even though she rushes up to it like she's hungry.  Her timothy hay and pellets are from Small Pet Select so I feel like they are quality.  I usually don't buy pet store treats but recently bought Treat Sticks for Guinea Pigs by Grreat Choice because she loves nuts and seeds.  Could this be the problem.  She's also not as active in her large cage.  She's probably getting close to 5.  Is it just old age.  Don't want my Molly to be sick.  help!

Answer

Cavy teeth - side view  

cavy teeth front view   Five years is a ripe old age for a guinea pig. However, she's not acting her age as is evidenced by her eagerness to get to her food.

It's very possible that her problem is with her teeth. Their teeth grow constantly, and sometimes they get overgrown and the pig is unable to chew properly. Checking the front teeth is quite easy, you just open her mouth and look at them. If the tops are overgrown, or the bottom incisors have grown upward too far she is not able to take a bite.

The back teeth are much more difficult without the proper tools. It usually requires a trip to the vet to be examined.

If the fronts are the problem you can fix that yourself with a pair of toenail clippers. There are no nerve endings in their teeth. They are more like fingernails. Put a pencil in her mouth sideways to keep it open. There is a gap between the incisors and the molars. A pencil fits quite nicely and she is unable to bite down on it.

Using the clippers just nip the teeth about 1/8 of an inch. She won't feel any pain, just like she does when you clip her toenails assuming you don't cut them so short they bleed.

Typically when the fronts are the problem they won't make an attempt to even grab the food. When it's the back teeth they will bite into it but are unable to chew properly.

Here are a couple of pictures of cavy teeth.  You can see how they must be properly aligned to allow for proper chewing and biting.  You will also see the space between the incisors and the molars.

My oldest pig lived to be seven years old. She was happy and healthy until her time came and she just went to sleep and never woke up. So there's a good chance you girl could do the same thing.