Teeth extraction

[Yuuki_Zero]

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum, but I am in need of some advice and reassurance from other hamster owners regarding my 10 month old Syrian named Yuuki.

She has very bad front teeth. They dont meet at all and over grow quickly. Since I got her in February, I have been having her teeth clipped every few weeks but it has become more and more regular. She is now going every 3 weeks, but the vet is not happy about doing it so regulaly. Yuuki has not got used to it and each vet visit causes her stress which makes it more difficult for the vet to cut her teeth as she won't sit still. The main problem is now her top teeth are growing back into her mouth and 3 weeks ago we found that they were starting to grow in to the roof of her mouth.

The vet said its not fair to cause her so much stress every 3 weeks and there is the option of putting her through anesthetic and clipping her teeth but it's not very fair to put her through an anaesthetic every 3 weeks, and that's if she wakes up from it in the first place. The only other option given to me was for her to be put to sleep which i'm not willing to do unless there really is no other option.

I asked the vet is there an option to have her teeth removed. She said she hasn't done it on a hamster before, but has done on plenty of rabbits. She spoke to another vet who said the same thing but he was willing do it it.

I have booked her in to have her teeth removed on Monday 17th, but I just need to reassurance that this is the right option for her? Or I would be very greatful to hear from other owners who have had hamsters with similar problems and what they have done/are doing to ensure their hamster has the best quality of life?

Any advice or opinions on my situation would be greatful.

[racinghamster]

Hi, I noticed nobody has posted yet so though I would give you my own thoughts on this. I have dealt with a gerbil with this very issue (not a hamster I have to add) but I know the difficulties and the stress it can cause both the animal and the owner. It basically means (as you rightly said) going back every three weeks to have the teeth corrected and this is`nt ideal.

I would say extraction is your best option here. If all (upper and lower) teeth are to be removed, it will mean Yuuki will need to have hamster pellets softened for her as normal hamster food/mix will become too hard for her to deal with. So diet is one issue you will need to look at carefully, but your vet should also have advice on this to make sure she is getting the nutrients she needs.

Human grade foods/cereals can be used that will be easy for her to eat like the following:

Tesco organic jumbo oats (or normal porridge oats will do fine) fed dry or wet.
Kallo organic wholegrain puffed rice (Tesco or Holland & Barratt) or any good healthfood store. Tesco do sell this though in some of their stores and it`s cheaper.
Baby foods: I will let others tell you about these as I hav`nt used them myself so don`t really know which ones are best long term or well tolerated.

Buckwheat: Tesco/healthfood shops, can be cooked, so this could also be added to your soft foods. It would be too hard fed dry.

If the only other option is euthanasia, then it`s probably best to have her teeth taken out and persevere with a diet she will get used to. Obviously if she loses a lot of weight or condition and does`nt cope well, then puting her to sleep may be the best thing to do for her and for yourself. It`s such a shame when this happens. It could be genetic/malaclussion or caused my injury. Either way, I know how difficult it is to deal with. My little gerbil was old when he died, but I managed to keep him going for a good year on bashing up his own mix and mixing it with other things to make it soft like marzipan so he could eat it!

Good luck and do let us know how Yuuki is and how things go. x

[souffle]

I too think that in her case this is the best option. Remember that hamster do have more than just the front teeth and they can actually grind up fine with the back teeth and the hard palate.
Whizzing the food up in a food processor or bashing it small is definitely the best way forward and keep her on as normal a diet as possible even if it does mean soaking it.
Don't rely too much on babyfood and refined food as it is too bland for long term use. It will be fine for the recovery time and as a treat once a week or so. Good luck on Monday :)

[LocoRocoPanda]

Souffle and RH have given you great advice! :) As always.

Welcome to the forum by the way. Am I right to think your username is a VK reference? XD