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Old 10-17-2022, 05:34 AM   #1
Waffle20
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Default Elderly Syrian Teeth

Hey everyone,

I have a female Syrian called Waffle, she is just about to hit 2 years old and she has started to show signs of aging (She is sleeping more, fur is less shiny and thinner, nails are growing longer, she is a lot weaker and cannot climb as well as she used to).

She doesn't eat as much of her Harry hamster mix as she used to and has started becoming a bit fussier with it. Leaving out certain things I'm assuming maybe because they are too hard for her now

I know that as they get older they need softer foods such as baby food, scrambled eggs, steamed veggies, oatmeal etc. She has never been one for chewing to keep her teeth down and I had to get her sedated once to get them trimmed. I am worried that if I start to feed her softer foods that her teeth aren't going to wear down. I really don't want to take her back to the vet to be sedated again in her old age.

She likes the Greenies toothbrush dog treats but I know I can't give her them all the time so I was wondering if anyone had any advice on keeping her teeth from overgrowing since she doesn't like to chew on anything and now that I am feeding her softer foods.

Also if anyone has any other general advice for caring for an elderly hamster it would be greatly appreciated
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Old 10-17-2022, 06:24 AM   #2
Ria P
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Default Re: Elderly Syrian Teeth

I have two elderly Syrians and they are 2yrs 3mths and 2yrs 5mths old.
I give them their Harry Hamster as per usual because they still like to pouch and hoard it but i'm not sure how much they actually eat.
I supplement with a few Science Selective pellets which i soak in hot water for a few minutes to soften them and they eat a bit of that.
I also give a wee drop of porridge, steamed veg and a bit of cucumber. I've reduced their amount of daily fresh food and cut out leafy greens because their digestive tract has become less toletant with old age. Every hamster is different though.
They both have a nibble stick and always have a whimzee dog chew to chew on. I give them a monkey nut to crack open which all helps with their teeth.
Keep an eye on the nails to make sure they don't curl under. One of my Syrians has short nails but the other has longer ones. I always have baby clippers by his cage and when his paws are holding on the bars i could get lucky and manage to snip a long nail.
One of mine was a determined climber when younger but he is a bit dotty now, especially on waking so i've moved him from an Alaska cage into the lower Hamster Heaven cage and adjusted his set up by lowering everything.
My other Syrian is still in an Alaska but i've lowered his set up as well to make things easier for him. He's never climbed the bars so i'm not worried about him falling.
If your hamster's teeth do grow long enough to stop her from eating or they cause damage to her mouth then you'll have to take her to a vet but hopefully this can be avoided.

I started a thread here called "Senior hamsters" and there may be some more tips on there.
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Old 10-17-2022, 06:42 AM   #3
Waffle20
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Default Re: Elderly Syrian Teeth

Thanks so much for your advice
I will look at getting Science Selective pellets and try soaking them too.
Her digestion seems to be okay for the moment but I will keep an eye on it and adjust her diet to suit. I will start to give her more things like porridge etc.

She does like cracking open monkey nuts so I'll keep up with that. I got her a walnut to see if she would try and crack that but so far she's had no interest in it.

She's currently in a hamster heaven and has one shelf which she for now seems ok accessing but I'll look at lowering it or taking it out if she starts to struggle.

Her nails have been worrying me a bit, I took her to the vet to see if they would trim them for me but she's just too squirmy so they didn't want to cut them. I've had a look at a few threads on here about their nails so I might try a couple of things that have been suggested. She's always moving around and her paws are always moving between the bars when she is next to the cage door so it's going to be difficult but I'm sure there will be something I can do.

I'll definitely have a look at your senior hamsters thread, thanks
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