Quote:
Originally Posted by racinghamster
Hi NessaDale. I hope the tooth trim goes okay and doesn`t cause her too much stress, but if her lower teeth are growing too long, they will stop her eating and she will gradually lose weight. Some hamsters just don`t chew a lot, while some will keep gnawing on things until it`s destroyed!
Diet: Normally, a hamster`s food will keep their teeth in good order as they use their front incisors to nibble down food and then use their back molars to `chew`, just as we do. Sometimes front teeth can be misaligned or don`t meet properly. Ask your vet to check this although I`m sure they will do.
Once the teeth are trimmed, she may or may not want to bite down on anything too big or too hard right away, so break up anything hard like extruded biscuits (usually don`t get eaten by hamsters) but it helps to break them into smaller pieces all the same.
Soak/wet biscuits for her to manage them better. Using a small piece of bonio might help or you can mash this with crushed nuts and sunflower seeds to taste nutty and keep her appetite going. It`s all about getting her to eat and to maintain her body weight. A pestle & mortar is a great took, I use mine a lot.
What age is she? x
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Maddie is just under a year (born March 15th). She was very sick, lost teeth, went half bald, lost weight, and the vet thought I'd lose her. Since then she has gained her weight back to a healthy weight and 90% of the fur has grown back. She randomly stops eating and the vet thinks she is sorting her food for the treats (her favorite is a rice Krispy type of grain I call puffs) anD doesn't eat the pellets. From day 1 she never chewed but since she lost teeth it was never a problem before. Since she's feeling better and her teeth are not falling out, her not chewing has let them grow almost into the roof of her mouth. She stopped eating yesterday (hens vet trip today). She didn't like the dog biscuits I tried and she only scratches her toys. I don't want this treatment to become a regular thing.