When are a rat's ever-growing teeth too long or problematic?

Hello, thank you for asking your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is not as critical to provide an additional chewing substrate for rats as it might be for other rodents, so if Roux does not seem to enjoy the sticks, you do not have to provide them. You might offer her another type of rat food made by Mazuri. This comes in a biscuit form that she might enjoy gnawing on. In addition, a treat such as yogurt or dried fruit treats manufactured specifically for rodents should be provided 2-3 times a week. If Roux has normal dentition, then the teeth will naturally keep in alignment. Hope this helps. Take care.

It is a little difficult to judge based on this picture but if you can see the teeth when the mouth is closed then yes, he will need to have them trimmed. All hamster’s have continuously growing incisors that need to be worn down frequently. If the bite is off then the teeth will no wear properly and they will need to be trimmed. I would recommend having the teeth trimmed by your veterinarian because it can be a little tricky.

When you trimmed them at home, you may have cracked one of the teeth or made them jagged- this would cause her pain or rub on her tongue or cheeks.. Also, sometimes they have other teeth in back that grow long that you can't see. She needs to have a vet look at the back of her mouth with a scope to see what is happening in there and then give her some pain meds that are safe for rats. In the meantime, keep trying to feed her soft food like baby food, cooked egg, non dairy yogurt, oatmeal etc to coax her to eat.

Your vet should be able to trim Cookie's teeth. Some hamsters need this done routinely (every 2-3 months) but you may be able to prevent it from happening again by giving him plenty of things to chew on. Hamsters incisors grow continuously which is why they need to be worn down or trimmed regularly. Your vet may also recommend starting so antibiotics since there is an open wound. Best of luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Snowy. Indeed, rodent incisors continue to grow throughout life. Most likely, Snowy was cribbing, and fractured the incisors. You should see some re-growth within the next 2-3 weeks. Keep an eye on the lower teeth as they will grow also and are not being worn off by the upper incisors. They might need to be trimmed by a veterinarian prior to upper incisors becoming the normal length. You need to dissuade Snowy from continued cribbing. You can cut vegetables thin and long, like a piece of hay. They have back teeth (cheek teeth: premolars and molars) that they use to grind and chew food. Good luck.

Rocko has signs of wear on all his incisors. This could be due to chewing on kennel walls or fencing or it could be due to misalignment of the teeth. These teeth may need to be removed at some point. I recommend to have Rocko examined by a veterinarian to examine the teeth., This will give you a better idea of if there is any pain or other signs of dental disease indicating that they should be removed sooner. Stop him from chewing on crates/fencing as well if that is occurring. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, and thanks for your question. Often this presentation is compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!