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Old 01-10-2018, 11:22 AM   #1
Oatmeal_Cupcake
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Default Which is better? Trimming or filing teeth?

I'm fairly certain that Little Bear's teeth are too long. I called a couple vets and two out of the three said they NEED to us anesthesia to clip the teeth. He is close to three years old.

While doing research on this I've stumbled upon how filing is better than trimming. As if I wasn't already confused and conflicted on what to do already.

Any thoughts?
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Old 01-10-2018, 12:18 PM   #2
Fluffagrams
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Default Re: Which is better? Trimming or filing teeth?

There are risks associated with both methods however filing (or burring) is usually seen as a better option for the teeth. The downside to using a file or a burr is that the hamster will need a small amount of anaesthesia for the vets to be able to do this and this carries it's own risks, particularly if your hamster is older or has existing health problems.

Clipping does not always need to be carried out under anaesthesia but this will depend on how tolerant and laid back the hamster is. There is a risk of splitting or breaking the teeth with this method and on occasions the teeth do not always grow back. One of my current Chinese had his teeth trimmed in this method by a locum vet and it actually damaged his bottom teeth so badly that they have never grown back. Consequently his top teeth need weekly maintenance.

Last edited by Fluffagrams; 01-10-2018 at 12:28 PM.
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Old 01-10-2018, 01:12 PM   #3
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Which is better? Trimming or filing teeth?

Vet told me last year they are not allowed to clip any more (or it's not recommended maybe?) and use a burr - which I think is like an electric file. And for that they need a whiff of gas. The reason being their teeth can split at the root if clipped apparently and it can cause other problems. The other argument being to avoid the stress for the hamster. As Fluffagrams said - anaesthesia isn't great for older hamsters. It's only a whiff which is not as great a risk as anaesthesia for an operation though.

Charlie had his teeth burred with a whiff of anaesthesia at about 2 and a half years old. He came round fine but I do think he went downhill quicker after that. Prior to that Charlie had his teeth clipped at about the age of 2 and he was stressed for quite a while afterwards and wouldn't come near me - it was me holding him while they were clipped. Hamsters and their personalities vary though and the whiff of gas and burring was quick and they don't know much about it.
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Old 01-10-2018, 01:13 PM   #4
Oatmeal_Cupcake
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Default Re: Which is better? Trimming or filing teeth?

Thank you so much for your reply. This does seem to be the general concerns and answers that I've been getting this morning.

I do appreciate you taking the time to comment. I will be taking this into consideration.
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Old 01-10-2018, 10:19 PM   #5
cypher
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Default Re: Which is better? Trimming or filing teeth?

As has already been said there are risks with both procedures, I think a lot will depend on the vet & how experienced they are.
If it's a one off treatment then it may be worth having the anaesthetic & getting his teeth burred, there is a risk with anaesthetic especially with an older ham but they don't need much for this.
I had an older ham with teeth problems & his needed trimming every two to three weeks over quite a long period which would have been too much for him with anaesthetic each time so he just had his clipped, no problem at all & with the great vet I had at the time he didn't get at all stressed by it either.
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