Bleeding Teeth

[BP1989]

Hi all,

I have 2 Russian Dwarf Hamsters, one of which just doesn't chew or eat hard foods, I have read some of your posts and was relieved to hear this isn't too unusual. But sadly this means his teeth grow.

I first noticed when he got hooked and trapped on the bars, I took him to the vets asap. And they clipped his teeth.

Then I began to notice he kept getting bedding stuck up the back of them, which causes bleeding - a lot of bleeding.

We now spend every other day unhooking bloody bedding from his teeth and ensuring he washes properly ( his brother helps which is so cute)

We get his teeth trimmed monthly now, but it's an ongoing problem, even opening the cage door will startle him and he'll bite his lip, causing more bleeding.

The vet doesn't take it in that he won't chew, and recommends chew blocks and hay, I have baskets full of blocks, veg, fruit, Apple tree branches, but he ignores it all.

Has anyone had anything like this before? Should I just keep monthly trimming and continue as we are?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank You

BP

[racinghamster]

Hi BP. The main thing to concentrate on here is to make his food edible for him. What mix do you feed them both? Breaking up anything that`s big or hard has to be done to allow dwarf hamsters to nibble them easier. Things like millet and millet sprays are big hit with dwarf hamsters and the seeds are small. It sound as though your little guy has damaged his teeth on cage bars which is why I avoid barred cages for this reason. But the damage is done now so all you can do is keep checking his teeth are okay. Blood is not good and could mean one of his teeth is slack at the gum. Has the bleeding cleared up now or does it still occur?

The bedding you use, if it`s that woolly material it needs binning as it`s very dangerous if that`s what you use? Rip up cheap, plain white toilet roll into confetti shreds and give them a pile of this to nest with. Supreme Cosi n Dri (the same makers of Carefresh) is a lovely product for nesting areas too. Paper based products are what you want to be using.

But he needs to be able to eat a proper diet to keep his teeth in trim. Hard blocks won`t help. His teeth/gums may be feeling sore, so the last thing he wants to be doing is gnaw on a hard surface!

Use a pestle & mortar to break up or grind anything too big or hard down to a size he can manage. Chances are he isn`t eating because his food mix is not easy for him to deal with. x

[racinghamster]

You could also buy a bag of Supreme Science Selective food as it`s a complete food and can be broken up or fed moist. It smells like gravy and they enjoy it: It can be added to their existing food.

[cypher]

When you say he won't chew do you know if he is managing normal ham food ok or not? Or do you just mean he won't chew on "chews"?
None of mine have ever chewed on wooden things or chew toys but they all enjoy Whimzees aka Antos dog chews which although meant for dogs make great & very popular hamster chews!
If he can manage his normal food just breaking down seed shells & biscuit bits should help a bit.
It may be that he has a malocclusion & will never be able to chew normally but he should still be able to eat normally if his teeth are clipped regularly, the growth rate varies so you do need to keep a close eye on them rather than just doing it at set intervals, if you can weighing regularly is the best way to check just how much he is actually managing to eat.
Providing soft food when needed, soaked mix or things like porridge is good but it is important to encourage normal eating as much as possible or the problem just gets worse.
One of mine had a problem as he got older & needed regular clipping but once we got back from the vets he was generally able to eat some of his normal food straight away, if the mouth has become sore it will take longer to get back to normal mix so you do need to provide soft food then.
I'm not quite sure about the bleeding tbh, if the teeth are being clipped often enough his mouth shouldn't be bleeding. Has the vet checked his back teeth as well as the front ones do you know?

[BP1989]

Thank you for the speedy replies.

Racing Hamster -

I use a pet shop mix which includes a bit of everything, I apologise as I don't know the exact names of everything in it. it has seeds, fruit, grubs, pellets etc I also provide them with with seeds and nuts. I have sat and watched him eat hazelnuts
The bedding is shredded paper bedding, I rip up to thin strips anyway, the bleeding is infrequent and only when he gets bedding stuck over his top teeth or gets startled, jumps down hard and bites his lip/gum.
I believe you could be right about that damage already being done, I feel so bad for him


Cypher -

He is chewing his normal food ok, hazelnuts, porridge, seeds and hamster mix (although he leaves the larger chunks which I shall now start crushing up)
I meant he doesn't chew like his brother does who keeps his teeth trimmed by chewing the wooden toys, bed etc. the vet advised hay, but they both ignored it.
The pet shop did advise dog treats too, but again he ignores them, I will begin weighing him now to keep tabs I am not sure what the vet checked but I will be more persistent on the week's trip.

He seems fine I'm himself, he still does all his usual activities and habits, it's literally just his long teeth making him bleed that's the problem.

BP

[BP1989]

Thank you for the speedy replies.

Racing Hamster -

I use a pet shop mix which includes a bit of everything, I apologise as I don't know the exact names of everything in it. it has seeds, fruit, grubs, pellets etc I also provide them with with seeds and nuts. I have sat and watched him eat hazelnuts
The bedding is shredded paper bedding, I rip up to thin strips anyway, the bleeding is infrequent and only when he gets bedding stuck over his top teeth or gets startled, jumps down hard and bites his lip/gum.
I believe you could be right about that damage already being done, I feel so bad for him


Cypher -

He is chewing his normal food ok, hazelnuts, porridge, seeds and hamster mix (although he leaves the larger chunks which I shall now start crushing up)
I meant he doesn't chew like his brother does who keeps his teeth trimmed by chewing the wooden toys, bed etc. the vet advised hay, but they both ignored it.
The pet shop did advise dog treats too, but again he ignores them, I will begin weighing him now to keep tabs I am not sure what the vet checked but I will be more persistent on the week's trip.

He seems fine I'm himself, he still does all his usual activities and habits, it's literally just his long teeth making him bleed that's the problem.

BP

[racinghamster]

Yes, breaking all the food up for him will help him manage it better. Some extruded biscuits and whole grains in hamster food can be like small bricks, so give them a bash with a pestle & mortar or inside a freezer bag using a hammer or rolling pin to tap them. The Supreme Science Selective food I posted an image of is a really nice biscuit shaped food that helps hamsters with tooth problems. They are a bit like dog bonios, perhaps not as hard, but smell similar and are easier for the hamster to eat. They can be softened in a little water too which would give you ahead start and be sure he`s actually eating a food made for hamsters. They can be mashed up and mixed with crushed nuts using the pestle & mortar method. x

[cypher]

If his teeth are still long enough to be causing him a problem maybe they aren't being clipped often enough?
A month seems like quite a long time to go between vet visits, admittedly I've only had experience with one ham & teeth problems but we used to go every two to three weeks.

[peasypea]

So I just posted this on another thread about teeth...

The problem with clipping is that it is now recognised to fracture the teeth low down. If teeth are fractured low down they can cause a lot of problems, however they are really hard to remove - if you look at an xray you'll see why. The teeth go really far into their skull and the surrounding bone is so thin that the jaw can just be broken very easily. Burring comes much more highly recommended. I know they do it in most bunnies conscious, however even if a hammy had to be gassed for a few seconds to do it I'd much rather pay that tiny bit extra for that than run the risk of fracturing the teeth and causing more problems. I was told this by 2 very good exotics vets!



It sounds like your ham would be painful - sounds really strange to be getting bedding caught Maybe he fractured his tooth roots when he got caught in the bars/was clipped. Are they wobbly at all?