Hamster's Overgrown Teeth
Author: Nadia VellaSource: www.hamster-club.com
The picture on the right shows a hamster's teeth and the bottom teeth in the picture should not be allowed to grow any longer. Hamsters' teeth are always growing and small pet chew toys or apple wood and dog biscuits should be given to hamsters to keep their teeth under control.
Many hamsters will gnaw on the bars of the cage, but if a hamster has nothing to gnaw on to keep its teeth in trim, the hamsterís teeth may overgrow and can puncture the mouth or jaw, which would lead to the hamster not being able to eat properly and the hamster starves to death.
If a hamster's teeth
become overgrown, take the hamster to a vet and the vet may show you how to trim the hamsterís teeth if they overgrow again. The hamsterís teeth can be clipped using a pair of nail clippers but care must be taken to avoid cutting the hamsterís tongue or cheek. To cut the hamster's teeth,
hold the hamster by a good scruff of neck forcing the hamster to 'smile' and ensuring that the hamster remains still. Place the nail clippers around the tooth to be cut, ensuring that the blade behind the tooth is pressed firmly and trim the hamsterís teeth
around 1 millimetre and not more.
may break more easily if the diet
is low in calcium and dog biscuits are a good source of calcium. A lot of sunflower seeds should not be given as a lot of sunflower seeds do not provide the correct amount of calcium needed for a hamster.