Gummy Bears

[Brambles Dad]

Hi. Here is a photo of ones of my hams, Pip. She is actually a special breed, that being a gummy bear... we discovered when we got her home from the pet shop that she didn't have any teeth (well, she has a tiny thin needle like one that snaps off all the time when she chews bars - lots of fun cutting up and grinding her food!)

So I am not quite so sure what this little gummy bear was doing with a toothbrush!... well, ok, perhaps I put a little crushed yoghurt drop near it :wink: lol

http://www.madabouthamsters.com/images/pip_007_13-09-07.jpg

[gizmo]

Bramble: That's not so much a breed then a defect. Have you tried having her in a cage where she wont break off her tooth that does grow? Can't be so good on her gums to be chewing bars. Good to see you noticed she needed help and have been feeding her well. :)

[souffle]

I think that Brambles dad was making a joke there Gizmo! Pip is under veterinary care and supervision as I personally know her family! :lol:

[gizmo]

oh, ok
well, you never know... :P

[Brambles Dad]

Yep gizmo, souffle is right there and you've found me out, pip isn't really a gummy bear (I think they are copy righted anyway :wink: ) but in fact a regular golden hamster.

She was the second hamster i ever bought, back when i knew less about them, such as what to check to make sure they are fit and healthy. It wasnt until a couple of days later when she was looking up at me from her cage that i thought her mouth didnt look right. It turned out she only had one lower tooth, really thin, needle like, but it also grew at a backwards angle down her throat, so it was off to the vets, fearing the worst.

Thats when we found out hammy teeth are a bit like human finger nails, i.e. the grow fast and can be trimmed. The vet trimmed it, i kept an eye on it, and a week and a half later it was really long again and pointing dangerously in to the back of her throat preventing her from eating or shutting her mouth... back to the vets again! (the cost and number of visits made pip one very expensive hammy, but i love her to bits and wouldn't change her for anything). Another trim, and the vet suggested we try to have her tooth surgically removed as sometimes they then dont grow back, which would be safer for her. However, when put slightly under anesthetic she started to react badly, so the vet quickly brought her around again.

The vet then suggested we encourage her to chew things, wood etc. as the tooth was that thin that if she could snap it herself it would be less stressful on her than us cutting her tooth once a week. We then learnt how to cut it ourselves (it took two of us to do it though... how can something so small be so wriggly and strong lol). You could tell it was stressful for her to go through that though, and it hindered the taming process. But after a month or so she suddenly started breaking it herself from chewing various things, wood, bars, regular hamster stuff.

Once we no longer had to cut it, she began to associate handling only with pleasurable rewards, and is as now soft as a chocolate bar left in front of a fire on a hot summers day :P

We still have to check her mouth once a week to make sure everythings ok, no long tooth, sore gums etc. but everthings fine with her. We also have to give her a special diet, including making sure we cut/grind food to aid her... though did you know that hamsters do not only chew and cut up food with their teeth? They also have a special pallet, the roof of their mouth being much tougher than ours and also slightly serrated to aid grinding and chewing of seeds. All this special care has meant that other than her tooth issue, she is in excellent condition, has one of the thickest coats of our short haired Syrians, and a good sized body, not undernourished.

So the moral of the story is this... check over your hamster before taking it home, but if you do find it has problems such as tooth problems, its not necessarily the end of the world, you just have to adjust your caring routine, giving the hamster that bit more time to care and look after it... but if you are madabouthamsters.com (sorry :roll: ), that bit comes naturally anyway.

Now, where did my gummy bear put that toothbrush... :D

[lau200]

Pip sure is a cutie, even for a gummy bear :lol: i lost my gummy bear in april of this year, and i know how difficult it can be for both the hamster and the owner who has to watch them suffer. Viktor unfortuntely had brittle teeth and gingivitis (swollen and inflamed gums), and eventually all his teeth fell out :( it's good to see a "gummy bear" is entered in this months comp!!

it's going to be soooo difficult to choose who to vote for, they are all so gorgeous, and so funny :D well done to everyone who is entering :D

[Brambles Dad]

aww that is a sad story lau200, but at least you know you gave him the best care you could.

I often say about Pip that i am pleased i ended up with her because at least i know that being a hamster who needs extra care i will make sure she gets whatever she needs (sometimes Spud's Mum tells me i pamper her and wrap her in cotton wool a bit too much, but hey, i cant help it :P )

[babyboos]

I cannot imagine having to brush all my little ones' teeth for them each night NIGHTMARE

Great picture

[Brambles Dad]

now that would be something if you had to do that each night, followed by tucking them in to bed and telling them a story. With the 12 hamsters we have, that would take all night!

[babyboos]

Totally agree :lol: