Thea
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Post by Thea on Jul 27, 2020 11:35:40 GMT -8
true, it's hard to know! Next time I get them food I'll have a look for this- thanks! I'll really do anything to get her teeth shorter right now, but if possible I would really like to avoid the vets as they often just say they're fine or to 'come back in', and it can be pretty pricey.
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Post by betty on Jul 28, 2020 9:33:10 GMT -8
I rang around and found two vets that just charge for the tooth clip - not a consult every time - so less than £10. I just drop them in before 10 and they fit them in where they can and call in the pm.
I have to remind them of it when I book every time though 'so it's just the tooth clip - not a consult'.
I'm pretty determined though and don't take too much wishy-washy vet talk.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Jul 29, 2020 0:59:40 GMT -8
wow, that's so cheap! Thanks for letting me know- I should call round some when I need to so I can see what's best. I think she's alright for now, sometimes she chews and sometimes not, but they don't look too bad. I'll just keep my fingers crossed!
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Post by betty on Jul 29, 2020 1:16:49 GMT -8
If the teeth now match up - you won't need to go back - they should wear each other out like normal.
But all the while there is a wonk on one of them or a tooth is totally missing, they will always need to be trimmed every 2-3 months depending on the severity.
If you were lucky and it was just an accidental break, it might only be 2 or 3 times, but in old age once the teeth stop being normal, it is a lifelong journey - hence why I set out to find the cheapest way to do it, even if it meant a bit more of a journey.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Jul 29, 2020 11:57:22 GMT -8
yeah one of them is a little bit longer... not too bad but i'll keep an eye out. thanks for letting me know, I'll have a look around soon. It's just scary to see how she's half the age my others lived to, and got this problem
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Jul 29, 2020 12:01:08 GMT -8
i just checked her and they aren't as bad as i thought. The right front tooth is only the tiniest bit longer (like, very small), and I haven't noticed them growing too much over the past few days. The time by herself seems to be helping her alot though- maybe she feels less pressure when she's in her home by herself, because Rolo can't take any? I'm not sure, but there are a few things that have seemed to help Question: Is there a particular vet that is cheaper for small pets? You don't need to tell me if they're little local ones, but if there's a chain of any I might be able to find one in my area?
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Post by jal on Jul 30, 2020 4:34:21 GMT -8
Unfortunately, I don't know any really good vets now but I'm sure they exist. I had a brilliant, caring vet about 10 years ago. I had a similar problem but with a dwarf hamster I'd re-homed. He had multiple health issues and also needed regular tooth clippings. She often charged nothing at all! Times have changed and I recently paid an arm and a leg for a short telephone consultation and a tiny amount of antibiotic.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Jul 30, 2020 9:12:23 GMT -8
wow that's absolutely amazing! things have definately changed, yes. I know of some more old-fashioned vets, one took my gerbil in once (but it was free because it was the first time) so i wonder how much that would have cost? I'm pretty sure smaller vets are cheaper... i'll have a look around!
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Post by betty on Jul 31, 2020 2:03:55 GMT -8
None of the vets I currently use for this are chains unfortunately.
But I literally rang around every vets within half an hour of me - being quite specific about the costs and procedures.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Jul 31, 2020 7:25:21 GMT -8
ah ok It's also finding vets that are able to take in small animals! that's fine though. Well, I'm sure there are some. Thanks so much for everyone's help!!
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Pim
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Post by Pim on Aug 3, 2020 13:03:46 GMT -8
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 4, 2020 7:53:58 GMT -8
Thanks for the great ideas! She actually does have some treats she enjoys, and I strangely hadn't thought of doing that sort of cardboard chew toy. I used to make them for my old gerbils and they liked it. I'll give it a go! She's also been having pumpkin seeds which have a hard shell, they might help a bit. I managed to catch her chewing on some wood which I was very happy about, she seems to prefer it to cardboard. I'll give the peanut butter a go too! Is there any kind that's bad for them? I've actually never tried it before but I'm wondering if some are over-salty or something like that?
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Post by gerbilord on Aug 4, 2020 8:01:02 GMT -8
Thanks for the great ideas! She actually does have some treats she enjoys, and I strangely hadn't thought of doing that sort of cardboard chew toy. I used to make them for my old gerbils and they liked it. I'll give it a go! She's also been having pumpkin seeds which have a hard shell, they might help a bit. I managed to catch her chewing on some wood which I was very happy about, she seems to prefer it to cardboard. I'll give the peanut butter a go too! Is there any kind that's bad for them? I've actually never tried it before but I'm wondering if some are over-salty or something like that? some peanut butters contain a high amount of sugar/salt/palm oil, which is unhealthy for them, however there are a few brands like "meridian" which contain nothing but peanuts, or whatever nuts are in the butter, which are perfectly fine in moderation ;)
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 4, 2020 12:51:19 GMT -8
Thanks for the great ideas! She actually does have some treats she enjoys, and I strangely hadn't thought of doing that sort of cardboard chew toy. I used to make them for my old gerbils and they liked it. I'll give it a go! She's also been having pumpkin seeds which have a hard shell, they might help a bit. I managed to catch her chewing on some wood which I was very happy about, she seems to prefer it to cardboard. I'll give the peanut butter a go too! Is there any kind that's bad for them? I've actually never tried it before but I'm wondering if some are over-salty or something like that? some peanut butters contain a high amount of sugar/salt/palm oil, which is unhealthy for them, however there are a few brands like "meridian" which contain nothing but peanuts, or whatever nuts are in the butter, which are perfectly fine in moderation Thanks! I'll buy some of that then, or see if I have it? Unfortunately I have some bad news Storme was chewing on some hard wood which was good, but she actually lost one of her teeth... I think she was just chewing too hard, and it may have been a little loose before... luckily it was the long tooth that I was concerned about, the one she has at the top now is shorter. I've had a look at some past posts on a gerbil loosing a tooth, and what I've done is I've basically ground up her normal food and added some water. It's a kind of mush, she seems to be enjoying it thankfully. Sorry that this thread has gone off track a little, the problems are just taking their turns!! Poor thing. Does anyone have anything that I can feed her that isn't too hard? I know she won't be able to chew until the other's grown back, which seems to take around 1-2 weeks. I'll have to keep an eye on her other tooth to make sure it doesn't become overgrown, but she doesn't look stressed and has been eating her mush for a while now. I only found that her tooth fell out under an hour ago, but it can't have happened more than a day ago. Thanks so much to everyone's help, and sorry to constantly bring up new things. She's just had some funny teeth problems lately.
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Pim
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Post by Pim on Aug 4, 2020 14:32:53 GMT -8
Thanks! I'll buy some of that then, or see if I have it?Unfortunately I have some bad news Storme was chewing on some hard wood which was good, but she actually lost one of her teeth... I think she was just chewing too hard, and it may have been a little loose before... luckily it was the long tooth that I was concerned about, the one she has at the top now is shorter. I've had a look at some past posts on a gerbil loosing a tooth, and what I've done is I've basically ground up her normal food and added some water. It's a kind of mush, she seems to be enjoying it thankfully. Sorry that this thread has gone off track a little, the problems are just taking their turns!! Poor thing. Does anyone have anything that I can feed her that isn't too hard? I know she won't be able to chew until the other's grown back, which seems to take around 1-2 weeks. I'll have to keep an eye on her other tooth to make sure it doesn't become overgrown, but she doesn't look stressed and has been eating her mush for a while now. I only found that her tooth fell out under an hour ago, but it can't have happened more than a day ago.Thanks so much to everyone's help, and sorry to constantly bring up new things. She's just had some funny teeth problems lately. try baby food that is gerbil safe and mine love banana and blueberries which are both soft
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