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Post by gerbilord on Aug 5, 2020 0:08:14 GMT -8
baby food, recovery food specifically for gerbils, crushed up normal food... Those are just some ideas... Hope your gerbil gets better soon!
btw when my gerbil lost her teeth last year, the vet told us it had something to do with the weather (it was July at the time and the weather was constantly changing) - a lot of small animals were losing teeth and getting teeth problems. That's all I can pin it down to.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 5, 2020 0:18:35 GMT -8
Ok thanks! I'll keep her on the soft food and banana she's on now, but on friday I'll be able to get some baby food. Do you know what types are safe for them? Also to gerbilord: That's odd about the weather... it hasn't been super hot lately where I live, but more than normal. I'm glad it went okay with your gerbil though, and thanks!
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Post by jal on Aug 5, 2020 3:49:15 GMT -8
Your poor gerbil has been in the wars! I'm currently using Ella's Kitchen carrots, apples and parsnips baby food. I've used Hipp organic before but can't remember what flavours. Most fruit or veg based without additives should be okay as long as there's no onion, leek or garlic in it. Freezing it in ice cube trays is a good idea as it's only okay for 2 days in the fridge once opened.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 5, 2020 8:16:55 GMT -8
ah ok, thanks and she is a bit! I'll have a look into that food! i've noticed her bottom teeth are a little long too, because I can see more in her mouth now that there's a gap :/ she doesn't seem to be uncomfortable, but these things are all stressing me out a bit now, and I'm hoping it isn't the same in her case. She's acting completely normal, her ears are up and she has bright eyes, and she's eating the food I've given her still. I don't want those to get long as well, that would be hard on her! I just want to say I am giving them plenty of things to chew on, wood as well, but she can't chew much right now because of her missing tooth.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 5, 2020 9:26:22 GMT -8
Storme's actually going into the vet on Monday- her bottom teeth are unfortunately too long. She scares me quite a lot! But of course it isn't her fault
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Post by jal on Aug 5, 2020 10:10:58 GMT -8
I very much doubt this is the case with your gerbil but when my dwarf hamster had tooth problems the vet thought he'd probably been low in calcium for some time. Maybe the vet will have some ideas what is causing these ongoing problems. If she did need more calcium tiny bits of cheese or yoghurt might help.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 6, 2020 0:01:38 GMT -8
that might be true, actually. she's going in to the vet on monday (to get her teeth trimmed again ) but I might not be able to ask the vet much because they're so full and the virus has meant people can't go in the rooms. Thanks! I'll give it a go. I've seen things about low calcium, so if it is that there could be a quick solution.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 6, 2020 10:06:11 GMT -8
I've given her some cheese, and she loves it. I'm not sure if it'll help, but it's meant to help strengthen teeth so I guess it could help a bit. When she gets her teeth done again, i'll make sure to take especially good care of her. The vet bills will just be too high if I keep going back in, and she hates it, so anything that can prevent going once again would really be amazing.
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Post by jal on Aug 6, 2020 11:54:26 GMT -8
I hope it helps. Perhaps you'd better check with the experienced members on here how often to give calcium rich foods though (all I know is,it's not okay in sand but I think a little in food is fine).
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 7, 2020 0:10:17 GMT -8
Thank you There has to be a reason that her teeth are becoming overgrown so quickly and one's fallen out. Rolo doesn't chew much more than Storme, but her teeth are perfectly straight and never had any problems. I'll look for some more threads on this topic, but before when I searched for it, there's really not much that comes up. again, sorry for so many questions, but do you know what yoghurt's safe? nothing came up about it when I searched.
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Post by betty on Aug 7, 2020 2:51:27 GMT -8
Gerbils are very prone to lost or broken teeth and I am not sure there has ever been anyone on here with/quoting sceintific evidence as to why - or whether it can be nutritionally prevented.
Calcium is very dangerous on its own - it has to be balanced with a whole host of other minerals in the right proportions otherwise it goes rogue in the body causing damage. Therefore never feed it on its own in supplement form - only feed it in whole foods that already have this natural balance.
Dairy products are one of those balanced foodstuffs for humans - although too much dairy isn't advised for gerbils due to the risk of causing diarrhoea (and there may be other reasons too) - especially if you are feeding it because your gerbil is already ill. Diarrhoea washes out all the nutrients the body needs before they can use them, so no good for boosting health.
Green leafy vegetables (like kale) and baby foods can be better sources of nutrients to use for calcium - along with kitten or puppy formula (which my gerbils always love to drink a little bit warm off tiny lumps of soaked bread).
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Post by jal on Aug 7, 2020 3:33:36 GMT -8
Thank you There has to be a reason that her teeth are becoming overgrown so quickly and one's fallen out. Rolo doesn't chew much more than Storme, but her teeth are perfectly straight and never had any problems. I'll look for some more threads on this topic, but before when I searched for it, there's really not much that comes up. again, sorry for so many questions, but do you know what yoghurt's safe? nothing came up about it when I searched. Just plain, natural yoghurt. As Betty says just a little bit, not every day. I had a Shaws jird years ago who loved it but I'm not sure if gerbils will like it. Edit: yoghurt doesn't have lactose in so better than cheese, maybe a little just once a week. I don't want to give you wrong advice as that's worse than none. The vet told me not to give my dwarf hamster too many sunflower seeds as that had affected his calcium levels but don't hold me to that, gerbils are different and need some fats! Good luck.
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 7, 2020 7:14:10 GMT -8
Thanks both! I'm aware that it's dangerous to feed too much of something, so I definately won't. My gerbils actually mainly have pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds now, I'm not sure if there's a difference in what they have. They also sometimes have mealworms, but not too many. I understand that there's things that can cause broken teeth, but is there anything that can cause teeth to grow more quickly? I've been trying to find reasons, but nothing seems to come up at all
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Post by betty on Aug 8, 2020 0:44:14 GMT -8
Unles there is something hard-wired into their genetics - their teeth will grow at the same fast rate they always do unfortunately.
Mother nature has set a pattern for speed - but strength potentially could be influenced? Perhaps speak to your vet if they are a good and exotic one over the phone (shouldn't be a consult charge if you a registered and regular).
I will speak to a few contacts too and see if we can revisit the whole teeth thing...
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Thea
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Post by Thea on Aug 8, 2020 10:46:57 GMT -8
yes- I see where you're coming from. But Rolo is Storme's sister genetically, and has good teeth, so I don't think it's genetic. It's a shame about the teeth, since it actually has been pretty expensive and it can't be at all enjoyable for her. I've seen lots of people saying no to trimming them at home, but some who are experienced on here saying it's fine. If the vet shows you the proper equipment to trim, and how to do it, is there any possibility of that happening...? There's no way I can take a fairly young gerbil into the vet every 3 weeks for nearly £60 every time, because they're growing too fast and she needs anesthetic unless we brought her in literally every week or two. It's a pretty tricky situation also, her teeth didn't grow this fast until just 1-2 months ago, which is very odd. That's why I thought there could be a reason. And thank you too! I don't know what I'd do without this help.
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