How often should I monitor my gerbil's teeth?

[taekonaut]

Hello! I have two 4 year old male gerbils and yesterday I went to the vet for some issues.

So, Fig has overgrown teeth that are not currently so long that they are hurting his soft tissue. Apparently, they were at one point. This is confusing to me as he is in otherwise fantastic health and I have not noticed any change in his behaviour over these four years, so I'm not sure what would have caused him to stop chewing and wearing his teeth down...and for that matter what made him start again!!

Since he is so old (and he is currently not being hurt by his teeth), getting him put under to trim them was not recommended by my vet. I will instead monitor their growth. I have put a few more wooden items in the tank as well

How often should I look at his teeth? Every day seems unhelpful, so maybe more like once a week? Any input is gratefully appreciated! My previous two gerbils only lived until 2 years old and had no health problems at all.

His brother Clove sadly has a scent gland tumour. I actually only found it the day of the vet appointment. They are identical, so I had to pick up both to inspect their teeth and decide which one I was bringing to the vet and got a horrible suprise. I know logically that this tumour didn't grow overnight, but that's how it feels as I often watch as both boys quickly scrabble against the glass while reinforcing their tunnels. The vet confirmed that it doesn't seem to be bothering him yet, as there is no sign of trauma and his weight/hydration/body condition is all good. As well as his age and risk losing him while he is under anesthesia, I also won't be able to afford to surgery. This is embarassing but it is the truth. If the tumour grows to the point that it impedes him, or if he starts to claw at it, I have made peace with the fact that I will have to euthanize him.

[tanzanyte]

I think both your boys are doing amazing for their age!
It must be a bit of a shock to have a double whammy like that when they have been so healthy for so long.
It does seem a bit odd if they were that overgrown before because he wouldn't have been eating ok and would have lost weight. He also would have been pawing at his face from the discomfort.

With regard to checking teeth, it depends on how easy it is for you to look and whether it distresses them. If it's not easy for you to manage and/or they don't like it I'd monitor daily how well they take a seed. It's usually a good indication of teeth issues. If they can't eat it properly i.e they take too long and keep dropping it or can't crack the shell then you need to check more thoroughly. I would try and actively check every 3-4 days if you can, but it really does depend on whether they play ball. It's one of the reasons I check with seeds as it's a lot easier to monitor. I'm not sure if anyone else has other advice or disagrees?
I know that when my gerbils have lost teeth and the other front tooth has continued growing they have been capable of working harder to wear the longer one down without the need for trimming. I have always raced to the vets and apart from having metacam to help relieve the pain and discomfort, they have left them to see how they manage. Each time they have sorted themselves out like the clever little things they are.
You are doing all of the right things by adding more for them to chew. Different textures help as it gives them more interest and they tend to chew for longer. I also found putting in softer things grass houses or the carrot and hay covered cardboard houses and tubes went down well because it was more comfortable for them.

I completely understand with the scent gland tumour and to be honest at that age, even if I had the money, I don't think I'd be risking it. If it's not causing any discomfort and Clove isn’t messing with it and it doesn't seem to be growing then I'd say it's best to leave it well alone. Please don't be embarrassed about not affording surgery. We have had a few discussions about the cost of scent gland removal on here. It has now become silly expensive in a lot of places and it's not something I can afford currently.
Also both of my boys tumours appeared very fast and we handled them lots and did daily checks and it still came as a shock.
The exotic specialist we went to initially gave us loxicom to see if the lump went down. It may be something you could ask your vet to try to see if it makes a difference.

[taekonaut]

May 9, 2024 13:31:04 GMT -8 tanzanyte said:

I think both your boys are doing amazing for their age!
It must be a bit of a shock to have a double whammy like that when they have been so healthy for so long.
It does seem a bit odd if they were that overgrown before because he wouldn't have been eating ok and would have lost weight. He also would have been pawing at his face from the discomfort.

With regard to checking teeth, it depends on how easy it is for you to look and whether it distresses them. If it's not easy for you to manage and/or they don't like it I'd monitor daily how well they take a seed. It's usually a good indication of teeth issues. If they can't eat it properly i.e they take too long and keep dropping it or can't crack the shell then you need to check more thoroughly. I would try and actively check every 3-4 days if you can, but it really does depend on whether they play ball. It's one of the reasons I check with seeds as it's a lot easier to monitor. I'm not sure if anyone else has other advice or disagrees?
I know that when my gerbils have lost teeth and the other front tooth has continued growing they have been capable of working harder to wear the longer one down without the need for trimming. I have always raced to the vets and apart from having metacam to help relieve the pain and discomfort, they have left them to see how they manage. Each time they have sorted themselves out like the clever little things they are.
You are doing all of the right things by adding more for them to chew. Different textures help as it gives them more interest and they tend to chew for longer. I also found putting in softer things grass houses or the carrot and hay covered cardboard houses and tubes went down well because it was more comfortable for them.

I completely understand with the scent gland tumour and to be honest at that age, even if I had the money, I don't think I'd be risking it. If it's not causing any discomfort and Clove is messing with it and it doesn't seem to be growing then I'd say it's best to leave it well alone. Please don't be embarrassed about not affording surgery. We have had a few discussions about the cost of scent gland removal on here. It has now become silly expensive in a lot of places and it's not something I can afford currently.
Also both of my boys tumours appeared very fast and we handled them lots and did daily checks and it still came as a shock.
The exotic specialist we went to initially gave us loxicom to see if the lump went down. It may be something you could ask your vet to try to see if it makes a difference.

thank you so much for this! i can definitely offer him seeds daily and monitor his behaviour. He doesn't love being picked up but I can do it pretty quickly haha. and i didn't know that gerbils could even lose teeth!!

I feel more confident already haha

[tanzanyte]

It comes as a bit of a shock when they do lose their teeth but it’s happened to 3 of my gerbils. Only one has lost one tooth, it’s nearly always been both top teeth gone. Goodness knows how they do it, but even when they lose both top teeth they manage to keep the bottom ones worn down. I’ve checked and never needed to get them trimmed.
I just watch them eating each day, sometimes several times a day if I can and weigh them daily.

I would say that if you do notice the weight dropping then you’ll need to check with the vets as they can go downhill quite fast. We lost Pepsi as he was being cared for whilst we were away and they didn’t realise he’d lost his teeth. Although it looked like he was eating, he was desperately trying to eat but not able to eat normal food.
If they are dropping weight it’s best to crush their food and de-shell any seeds and break them into smaller bits.

Fingers crossed that Fig gets it sorted himself.

[taekonaut]

Sad update: Clove has passed away.

Fig's teeth seem okay, and he is only acting a little differently now that he is alone. He is still chewing and climbing and eating/drinking and tunneling. The only new behaviour is that he has started to intentionally mark my hand. I read some of the forum posts about this so I don't think it's of any concern, it's just notable because he never used to do this. Has anyone else had this happen?

Also! My luck ran out and for the first time, the food had bugs. Scared me so bad because I didn't know flour beetles were a fairly common concern in gerbil food and I assumed in panic that they were roaches haha :^( I will be freezing new food from now on.

[betty]

Oh no - sorry to hear that about Clove. SGTs are horrid things.

And yes, the scent-marking is common when a gerbil is alone suddenly (or starting a challenge for being the new boss). It helps them feel safe, knowing where they are and where they have been.


Bugs in food can often be how the store you got it from has stored their sacks - if they have had it too hot, not moved around or had access to fresh moving air (if in paper sacks) or stored loose in the store when previously sold air-tight; this is what can trigger hatching (almost all grains (eewwww) have bug eggs in them already). I cringe every time I see a store displaying animal food in direct sunlight or in store fronts! Freezing food can certainly help kill or slow the hatching rate - but ideally start to be more fussy where you buy stuff if you can - or at least buy food in smaller amounts at suspect places (to reduce the time you have it at home and therefore reduce the time it has to hatch!).

Luckily the bugs themselves aren't harmful directly - but of course - we don't want them finding a mate!!!

I currently have an ongoing moth issue - and it is driving me NUTS that I can't see their microscopic eggs - and that I can't freeze ALL my stuff at the same time. It is endless!!! I am considering a paddling pool full of mild vinegar solution one long sunny day. I must do more research on that...