Taking her the vets / how to get her to use her chews?

MeganAndMisty · 09-29-2016, 08:14 AM

I have to take Miranda the vets tomorrow to have her teeth clipped, there's a vets in my local Pets at Home so we're taking her there. We are going to put her in Misty's cage to take her there since her cage is too big to fit in the car. :/

She has never used any of her chews or shown any interest.. She also had other wooden and cardboard toys that she could chew on if she wanted. How do we get her to start chewing? We don't want to have to take her the vets all the time because she is so easily stressed out and I know that she's going to freak out. :/

Any advice would be VERY welcome, thank you.

cypher · 09-29-2016, 08:18 AM

You'll need to ask the vet if she has a problem with misaligned teeth, some hamsters have this which means even if they do chew the teeth don't wear down properly, if that is the case then she will need to have her teeth clipped regularly.
If not then you can try encouraging her to chew things like Whimzee or Antos dog chews (you can buy them in P@H) or a dog biscuit every now & then is often enjoyed, I use Biscrok but they can be hard to get hold of so Bonio's might be an option.
I've never had a ham that liked wooden chew toys tbh, just their mix should be enough to keep teeth trim generally but a few extra treats to chew like those never hurts!

MeganAndMisty · 09-29-2016, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

You'll need to ask the vet if she has a problem with misaligned teeth, some hamsters have this which means even if they do chew the teeth don't wear down properly, if that is the case then she will need to have her teeth clipped regularly.
If not then you can try encouraging her to chew things like Whimzee or Antos dog chews (you can buy them in P@H) or a dog biscuit every now & then is often enjoyed, I use Biscrok but they can be hard to get hold of so Bonio's might be an option.
I've never had a ham that liked wooden chew toys tbh, just their mix should be enough to keep teeth trim generally but a few extra treats to chew like those never hurts!

Thank you! One of the other things I was worried about is that they said that they may have to sedate her, which I know can sometimes be dangerous. I'll have a look for the chews when I'm at pets at Home, thank you!

cypher · 09-29-2016, 08:24 AM

If she is very nervous she may need to be sedated but it's pretty safe really, not like a full anaesthetic which always carries some risk, it depends on the vet too some prefer not to sedate if they can avoid it but I wouldn't worry too much either way.

Fluffagrams · 09-29-2016, 09:08 AM

The vets are very careful with how they administer it and will only give as much is as necessary to get them relaxed enough to do what needs to be done and mine always kept an eye on my hams until they were happy that the'd come out of the sedation properly. I found that they were a bit quieter that evening and that they were best left to rest rather than coming out to play. My boys had a hereditary dental problem so they needed frequent vet visits to trim their teeth but your vet will be able to advise if the problems with Miranda's teeth are likely to cause problems in the future.

Pebbles82 · 09-29-2016, 03:52 PM

Charlie had his teeth clipped without sedation. The vet asked me to hold him while she did it. It isn't painful just unpleasant for them. He was not pleased at all! But he did get to have a play outside in the sunshine afterwards while I waited for a taxi home and seemed fine. He did avoid coming out of his cage for a while, and avoided my hand and gave me some black looks for a while, but he can eat so much better now.

I found some wood chews he couldn't resist - best thing I've ever bought in that respect. They are fruity flavoured and he gnaws away at them. He especially likes the carrot shaped one and that got taken into his house first. I put two out at a time every now and then and it seems to perk him up finding them.

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Boredom_Bre...3D_Veg/c11963/

As Cypher says the Antos/Whimzees toothbrush chews are very popular with most hamsters too. Charlie chewed those and also these

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Boredom_Bre...delion&sct_r=2

Thin Lizzy · 09-29-2016, 08:45 PM

Good Luck at the vets. xx

Juliebrei · 09-30-2016, 01:48 AM

Dandelion roots are also a healthy alternative too. I've been through A LOT of chew toys with my Syrian and edible is the only thing he will chew. Right now he is also trying rigorously to get through to a walnut inside it's shell which also wears his claws down. You can make it in to a game too, that might help. We have chew/treat tree of cardboard and willow branches that we hang the treats on so he has to work for them.

MeganAndMisty · 09-30-2016, 03:21 AM

I'm worried about how they're going to do it, Miranda isn't fully tame so they might have to sedate her, which will cost more.

There's no way she's let me or anyone else hold her.
I'm also worried about taking her out of her cage because I know how moody she is and it stresses her and everyone else out.

I'm probably going to ask my mum to go into the room with her.

Thin Lizzy · 10-01-2016, 05:01 AM

How did Miranda get on at the vet?