Hamsters overgrown teeth?

Question

My friends hamster has overgrown teeth and it doesnt like any things to chew that they get it. Are there any ways to help it

Ok people read the whole thing, it doesnt like to chew thigs they get it like wood or anything

Answer 1

It could be that the hamster doesn't want to chew BECAUSE of his overgrown teeth. Your friend's best bet would be to take him to a veterinarian or other knowledgeable person (SOME pet store employees are probably capable) and have the teeth trimmed. It's not hard to do yourself, but you should definitely have someone experienced show you the first time.

To keep his teeth short in the future, wooden chewing blocks are good. Cuttlebone, which you can find in the bird section of pet stores, is also very good and has the added benefit of providing calcium. Some people use lava rocks; haven't tried that with my gerbils so not sure how well it works.

Answer 2

Hamsters, like all rodents, have front teeth (incisors) that grow throughout their life. If the incisors do not wear properly, they may overgrow into his gums (it's call Malocclusion) and cause severe problems. Signs of tooth problems include wetness around the mouth, not eating or trying to eat but dropping the food, weight loss, weakness and death. The teeth can be trimmed or filed to the appropriate length under anesthesia at the veterinarians office (Do not attempt this on your own.).
So your pet will need to chew—a lot—to keep his choppers in tip-top condition. Make sure he always has a piece of wood or twig that has not been treated with pesticides, other chemicals or paints. Pieces of dog biscuit will work well, too.

Here you could download a care sheet about hamster:
http://www.petco.com/caresheets/small%20animals/Hamster.pdf

Answer 3

Your friend's hamster is suffering from mallocusion. This means his upper and lower teeth are not aligned so when he bites and chews they do not wear down. This can be very dangerous because hamster teeth grow continually and eventually the hamster will not be able to eat and if it continues in that way, the teeth will grow so long, they will puncture the skull and kill the hamster. The only thing that can be done is to take it to a vet that specializes in small animals and get its teeth trimmed, this needs to be done every few months as the teeth grow.

Answer 4

your friend should contact a vet about the problem. it may not like chewing anything because it hurts the hamster's teeth to chew. there could be something else going on like an infection or embedded tooth.

I read the question. I think I answered it correctly.

Answer 5

I have two teddy bear hamsters and they don't like chew toys either, so i give them carrots and apples, and that will keep there teeth down, also they may be board, so make sure they have tunnels and houses to get in that way they'll have things to do, instead of just sitting there...cause if they have nothing to do they won't chew on anything...so try buying them tunnles and houses and things to go in and play with, hide food in the tunnels, so they'll be busy, then they will chew on things more regularly

Answer 6

You have ot give it sumthing that it will want to chew on usually they chew on the bars of the cages does ur frined have him in a tank? You should go to the local petstore and buy something the hamster will chew on or meanwhile just give him a piece of wood or plastic so he can chew on

Answer 7

have u looked at pics of overgrown teeth? r u sure because they get very long normally & they are pretty good about chewing when they need to. see link. if he is able to eat his teeth r prob fine. if they are overgrown he wont be able to eat & will have to see a vet. try giving him greenies dog biscuits. mine like those. also try different types of chew that they have at the petstore til u find one he likes.

Answer 8

You can go to the vet to see if they will cut your hamsters teeth or you can cut then yourself I would recommend you to use dogs nail clip you can buy some at dollar tree they work better then a human nail clip

Answer 9

What kind of food does your hampster like best? Take that food and rub it on the piece of wood that they chew on. See if it'll chew on it then.

Answer 10

try the wood sticks...usually hamsters will chew on them!

or get the pellet blocks by Kaytee