do pet rats need there teeth filed down??

Question

i have wooden chew toys but they dont use them. ill take them 2 the vet
cheers

Answer 1

we used to take out rats to get their teeth clipped at the vet. they hated it. this can be avoided though if you put a mineral stone in the cage for them to chew on. also wooden chew toys can help keep the teeth ground down a bit.

Answer 2

It depends on the rat - some will chew anything and everything to wear their teeth down, where as others don't chew much at all. As a general rule though, most rats do not need their teeth filed because of the hard food they chew on. If your rat has not been eating properly or chewing anything then a checkup at the vets would be the best idea, and they would be able to advise you.

Answer 3

They shouldn't need to ordinarily, but if they have become overgrown then absolutely take them to a vet, they'll clip them.

Rodents rarely use these fantastic chew toys we buy specially for them. Their teeth should wear down on the proper diet - i.e, proper rat 'muesli' or nuggets. This stuff has all the nutrients they need and should be hard enough to keep their teeth worn down. Petsmart rat food is good. If you're already using this, maybe you just have an unusual case, but it usually works!

Chalice

Answer 4

Normally they are clipped. As long as you give them something hard to gnaw at this shouldn't be necessary. Wood, cuttle fish bones etc. are good.

Attrition is the normal wearing of the teeth due to functional activity. The back and forth movement of the jaws during gnawing rapidly wears away the softer dentin on the interior surface of the incisor more so than the hard enamel on the labial side. As a result, a sharp, chisel-like edge is formed. The incisors grow at a rate of about 5 inches a year, and are continuously worn away, to be completely replaced every 40 to 50 days. There even appears to be a circadian rhythm associated with the eruption rate, with slower eruption taking place at night when the incisors are in more continual use, and thus experiencing more frequent functional occlusion. In the event of improper wear due to fracture of the opposing tooth or misalignment of the jaw, the formation of a screw-like helix may occur. If left untrimmed, the overgrown incisor will likely penetrate the rat's palate. Unfortunately, this often results in the animal's death due to its inability to eat.

Answer 5

your rats should chew naturally in order to file down there own teeth try giving them cuttle fish or my rats used to love chocolate flavoured nylabones they are really small especially for rodents and rats love chocolate as they have a sweet tooth, perhaps you could also try a small nylabone for dogs rats are omnivores they will eat almost anything. you should find all of the above at a pet shop.

Answer 6

get greenies for them. my boys don't like the wooden chews either but they love those dog treats for some reason.