Hamster Teeth

Like other rodents, hamster teeth never quit growing. Hamsters are also one of the few animals who are born with a full set of teeth. Hamsters need to grind their teeth down to keep them from overgrowing and causing problems. A hamster will usually keep their teeth filed down by gnawing on something hard. Sometimes the hamster will chew on the bars of his cage, or you can also buy various wood chews for your hamster to gnaw on. Hard dog biscuits are good for hamsters to chew on also, and they are usually a good source of calcium. Things like that will help keep your hamsters teeth trimmed.

If a hamster has nothing to chew on to keep its teeth short, the teeth could possibly puncture the hamsters mouth or jaw. Abnormal conformation of a hamsters teeth is sometimes the result of genetics also, and you shouldn't breed animals affected by the gene.

Sometimes a hamster might break a tooth out accidently, and if this happens then the tooth above or below it could overgrow because it doesn't have a tooth pushing against it. Older hamsters are more likely to break teeth easily, or develop crooked teeth. That's why it's very important to check your hamster's teeth once in a while to make sure they look like they are growing properly. To check your hamsters teeth, you can gently pull the skin around the back of the neck, and this cases the skin to move away from the mouth, showing the hamster teeth. If your gentle, it won't hurt the hamster at all.

If you notice that your hamsters teeth are overgrown, you can take the hamster to a veterinarian to have the teeth clipped. Some people clip their hamster teeth themselves using a pair of nail clippers, but you have to be so very very careful to avoid cutting the tongue or cheek. I've never clipped my hamsters teeth, I'm to worried I would hurt him. But to trim the hamster's teeth yourself, hold the hamster by the scruff of it's neck to make the hamsters teeth show, just as I described earlier on how to check your hamsters teeth. This forces the hamster to show his teeth. You also want to make sure the hamster is very still.

Very carefullly put the clippers around the tooth to be cut, and make sure the blade is pressed firmly behind the tooth so you don't accidently clip the hamsters cheek or tongue, then clip. Like I said, most owners probably don't want to try to clip a hamsters teeth by themself. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, get a vet to do it for you, and perhaps the vet will show you exactly how to do it yourself in case you want to try it in the future.

Older hamsters sometimes have other problems with their teeth. Some hamsters teeth make break all the time, making it difficult for the hamster to eat. In this case, you can start feeding your hamster softer foods like scrambled egg, bread, or hamster food that has been softened in milk or water.

A common belief is that a hamsters teeth might break easily if the hamster doesn't get enough calcium in it's diet. Cheese and milk are great sources of calcium, and as mentioned earlier, dog biscuits usually provide a amount of calcium and is also good for a hamster to chew on (if the hamster is able to chew).

Tooth decay is becoming more common in hamsters, and this is probably due in large part to the various sweet hamster snacks that are being sold these days. If you notice you hamster is having a difficult time eating, or facial swelling, or is salivating more than usual, then you should check the hamsters teeth to see if they appear healthy. It is possible for a veterinarian to extract bad hamster teeth using a general anaesthetic.