How to Care for Your Hamster's Teeth

The Dental health of your hamster is as important as your own. Your hamsters tiny teeth help them with every part of their world. Your hamster uses his teeth build it's nest, break open seeds, carry their young, explore their surroundings, carry food and bedding, and defend themselves when they are scared. Which means you may get nipped now and again when you first bring your hamster home and they take the time to get used to you.

A Hamster's incisors, which are the elongated front teeth continuously grow so they need something to chew on in order to file their teeth down on a regular basis. If you do not supply wood blocks, treat sticks, small dog biscuits or toys for your hamster to chew, their teeth will continue to grow and finally grow into their gums, which as you can imagine would be very painful and make it nearly impossible for your hamster to eat, thus leading to his death. Your hamsters teeth are the key to their happiness, health and longevity.

If you supply your hamster with small wood blocks or twigs, make sure the wood has not been treated with any pesticides, paint, or chemicals. Some of the small wood blocks you will find in the pet stores have been colored with food coloring and that is not harmful to your little friend.

Your hamster cannot tell you when their teeth are causing them to be in pain, or when something is wrong with them. So you really need to be able to tell when something is wrong so you can take steps to help your animal get better. Pain in your hamsters mouth could lead to behavioral problems such as, not cleaning themselves, not eating and the inability to make a nest. If your hamster cannot do the things he instinctively knows he needs to do, he may become lethargic, stop eating and drinking and die. Overgrown teeth can cause many health problems such as watery and/or bulging eyes, excessive salivation, inability to close mouth and may result in malnutrition and death.

It may be difficult to fix the dental problems after they have become severe, that is why the moment you see there is a problem you need to take your small animal to the Vet. Your Vet may be able to file your hamsters teeth down if they have not grown into his gums. Your Vet will be able to tell you more. By simply understanding and meeting your pet's dietary and gnawing needs you can stop many problems before they happen.