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Old 04-06-2021, 09:21 AM  
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
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Hello. How old is she? I'm assuming she is an older hamster as that is often when their bottom teeth get too long. Well done for getting it sorted by the vet as if left the teeth can actually puncture the top palate. Or they can starve. So you have acted quickly and that is good. When the vet trimmed them did he give an anaesthetic and burr them down? Or clip them? Either way they may be uncomfortable for a while and take some getting used to.

But the other thing with an older hamster is they can get toothache and tooth decay, just like us, which is often how their teeth get too long in the first place if they find it too painful to bite on hard food.

I usually start introducing soft food about this age (assuming she is older). So they can eat and get the nutrition. But always put the hard hamster mix out as well, because even if they're not eating it, they still like to continue with normal behaviours - eg pouching it and hoarding it.

So keep putting that out as usual but supplement with soft food. Baby food is one thing (age 4 months without onion, tomato or spices). I then use one of the baby food lids as an extra dish and put a bit of the normal hamster mix in that and soften it with boiled water for 10 mins before putting it in the cage. They tend to have a go at everything put out.

Instead of normal softened hamster mix I also tend to get science selective for soaking - it contains all the nutrients needed even if not much is eaten. So regular hamster mix put out as usual, plus a bit of baby food and a bit of soaked science selective is a good start.

It is probably frustrating for her if she can't manage the treats so softer treats go down well - apart from the supplementary soft foods. A bit of porridge on a teaspoon or a bit of scrambled egg on a teaspoon usually goes down well .

They still like their bit of fresh veg each day but I tend to give boiled veg when they're older so it's not too hard to chew. So I save a bit of boiled carrot, broccoli or potato after our meal - or peas. They only need a tiny amount about 1cm cubed size.

They do have back teeth that can give toothache as well or even get arthritis of the jaw which makes chewing painful.

It's a bit of extra work and attention when they're older - like having a baby

It can make a huge difference in their old age though, having these supplements, so they don't get rapid weight loss. The other thing I put out as a supplement is a pinch of hemp seeds and a pinch of linseeds. Hamsters like them and lick them up. The linseeds are brilliant for their coat and the hempseeds are supposed to contain all vitamins and minerals needed. I get the linwoods shelled hemp seeds and any brown linseeds (both available at health food shops). I use another baby food lid to put those on.
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This also makes life more interesting as they get older - they have 3 or 4 little dishes to have a go at! And they usually really look forward to the baby food each day.

I tend to stick to two or three which have safe ingredients. There's a Hipp one - pumpkin and chicken (or butternut squash and chicken - can't remember). Cow and Gate Chicken Sunday lunch and Ellas kitchen peas peas peas.

With our last elderly syrian I also got the Ella's kitchen strawberry porridge. Because it was much easier to make a small amount - it's dried - you just put a teaspoonful in a mug with a bit of boiling water. I make it fairly soft and runny so its easily licked up. That went down a storm! The strawberry porridge.

Science selective

Supreme Science Selective Hamster Food 350g: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Ella's kitchen porridge

Ella's Kitchen Strawberry & Raspberry Porridge 175g - Pack of 2: Amazon.co.uk: Grocery

Last edited by souffle; 04-06-2021 at 09:39 AM.
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