What can I do about my degu's overgrown teeth and bumblefoot?

Question

I have noticed for a while that one of my degu's teeth are overgrown, especially now that I can compare them to my other degu's.

The problem is, there is lots of wood and apple branches for them to chew on, but he doesn't touch them, while the other guy is constantly chewing.

He seems to drool a lot, and it looks very uncomfortable, but he does eat and drink.. I just don't know why he's not chewing. What can I do about this?

Second, they both have bumblefoot from obsessive use of the wheel. It's a mesh wheel but when I noticed the bumblefoot I put duct tape around it to make a solid surface. But the bumblefoot isn't getting better, even though I'm cleaning it and there is no more mesh.

They are constantly on the wheel though and I feel like it would be mean to take it away from them. What should I do?

Ok, but here's the problem.. There aren't any vets around here that treat rodents. If it's not a cat, dog, or livestock, then I'm screwed..

Alright. Please don't assume that I would let him suffer. I'll talk to my vet ASAP but I'm really not optomistic here.

I truly wish there were more online resources about this stuff. I do not think his problems are so severe. I'm not trying to be ignorant, I am listening to and willing to try anything you say, but his teeth aren't THAT much longer, they're straight, butted correctly, he's eating and drinking.. And I do tend to be paranoid, so it's hard to know. Also, all I could find online for the bumblefoot was to clean it daily with salt water and it would go away, and it didn't. Please understand me here, I love my pets and I am going to make some phone calls to a few vets, but I have never heard of any vets treating rodents in my area..

Oops, forgot to mention, I don't actually SEE him drooling but there is sometimes crusty stuff around his mouth.

Do you think photos would help?

Answer 1

As much as you don't want to hear it, your degu sounds like he needs the vet. His teeth are beyond repair now, and need to be filed, if not they will only get worse, and you will lose him.

Answer 2

First of all, you need to take them to the vet. When teeth overgrow to the point that your animals are drooling, they are not going to be able to chew on wood and realign them again. They're going to have to be sedated and have their teeth properly filed. The same goes for bumblefoot, they are not going to overcome this on their own, they are going to require antibiotics and extensive foot care, beyond just "taping over the wheel".

Edit:

Then you need to start looking for a vet you can drive to. It's incredibly cruel to keep an animal that is ill like that and not seek vet care for them. I'd really doubt you'd want to live on an infected, pus filled foot, or drooling constantly because your teeth won't let you close your mouth. At the very least, call your cat or dog vet, explain the situation, and ask them to check out VIN (veterinary information network - a vet message board) and try to learn how to do it.


I'm not trying to assume that you would "let" your pet suffer, but honestly, by the time they're drooling, they've had tooth problems for a while, and bumblefoot doesn't generally appear overnight either.


Generally whenever there are tooth problems, they are not with the front teeth (which you can easily see), but with the back molars. They can either overgrown and trap the molars, or the roots can become elongated.

Answer 3

If you are not able to get him to a vet you can use a product called Nolvasan solution then Blue-Kote on his feet for the bumblefoot here is a site with pretty good instructions (it specifies for rats but its the same for degus) http://hometown.aol.com/RattLvrr/Bumblefoot.htm Of course a vet would be better (and antibiotics would be great but it sounds as if youve exhausted all options for the vet) for the overgrown teeth there isnt anything you can safely do at home usually with overgrown teeth its caused by a genetic condition rather than a lack of chewing. You can try calling all the vets in your area again and asking them if they could just trim teeth and alot of vets accept animals shipped to them for most procedures. However it is alot of stress and of course pretty expensive to do unless there is no alternative and it gets worse. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Degu Teeth

Answer 5

I don't even know what a degu is. sounds like vet material to me though.