Caring For Your Hamster's Teeth


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Hamster eating melon seeds

Hamsters are rodents!

Hamsters belong to the rodent group of animals and the main distinguishing feature of this group of small mammals is the presence of two front incisor teeth which grow continuously. They have a pair of these teeth in the upper and lower jaw and they are vitally important to your hamsters health.

Hamsters incisor teeth enable them to crack open hard seeds and nuts which are a staple requirement of their diet. In the wild, these large teeth would also be essential tools for constructing their hideouts underground. For these teeth to function properly it is important that they are straight and appose (come together) properly.

Clearly, hamster’s teeth cannot just continue to grow unchecked. This is why they need to have the ability to gnaw and allow the teeth to wear down at approximately the same rate as they are growing.

Check your hamsters teeth regularly

As a hamster owner, it is important to have the confidence to be able to check your hamster’s teeth regularly. A hamster with a broken incisor, misaligned (malocclusion) or overgrown teeth could soon become very ill as it will struggle to eat properly and could even die of malnutrition or starvation. You need to be able to recognise early if there are any problems.

How do you check hamsters teeth?

It isn't too difficult to check out a hamster's teeth. By holding it gently and pulling the skin around the back of his neck, your hamster will “smile” and you’ll be able to get a good look at their teeth. Unlike humans, hamsters are meant to have yellowy-brown teeth, this isn't a sign of poor dental hygiene! Try not to be too squeamish when checking your hamster's teeth, it doesn't hurt them but, obviously they are not going to be overly thrilled at being manhandled in this way! As with most things, the more you do it, the quicker and more confident you will become and your hamsters will soon realise that you aren't’t doing them any harm.

What should I do if there seems to be a problem?

hamster

If you are concerned that there may be problems with your hamsters teeth, get your vet to check it out. If there is a misalignment, then a quick teeth trimming may be the solution. This won't hurt your hamster but it may be something that will need doing on a regular basis. If you feel confident enough, your vet could show you how to trim your hamster’s teeth so that you can keep well on top of this problem yourself.

How can I prevent teeth problems?

One of the most important ways of promoting healthy teeth in your hamster is to provide it with the correct type of food and something in it's cage to gnaw on e.g. a piece of hardwood such as walnut. Some hamsters may resort to gnawing on their cage wire - a habit that can be difficult to break (lemon juice might help!) - so it's worth introducing plenty of gnawing diversions as soon as possible!

Despite your best intentions though, some hamsters just don't seem to want to gnaw at all and so it is even more important that they are provided with the correct diet to encourage some wear and tear on their teeth.

Commercially available hamster foods are a complete food that will provide all the nutrients that your hamster (and their teeth) need to keep fit and healthy. Many hamster owners like to provide some additional variety to their pet’s diet e.g. veggies, fruit, cheese.

Dental decay in hamsters

Dental decay, is becoming increasingly common in hamsters due to many of the sugar-filled “treats” promoted in many of the pet stores and through owners giving inappropriate foodstuffs to their pets e.g. chocolate and sweet treats. Although hamsters are omnivores, it really isn't in their best interests to be over-indulgent with their diet - junk foods are just as bad for them are they are for us!!

Older hamsters are more prone to dental problems. Their teeth are not as strong and may break of fall out (they’re more like us humans than we think!). Unfortunately, false teeth don’t come in hamster size and so your elderly hamster may need a little extra care and softer foods to ensure that it can feed properly and stay healthy, e.g. scrambled egg or bread soaked in milk.

Why not visit our hamster forum, where one of our members has devised her own special recipe that is great both for elderly hamsters, babies and those that are a little off their food.

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