From: "hbaror" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
hello
my gerbil bamba seem to have a really bad case of broken tooth .
he probably broke it someday , and started messing with it , so now the
upper teeth are growing into his space between the two downer teeth .
he lost a lot of weight because he doesn't eat much , he looks very
depressed and I noticed he is moving his month all the time (playing with
the broken part) .
(until an expert can tell you more)
Not eating can be very serious. Try offering him soft food now, or see if
he will chew paper. Then you will know how much trouble he might be
having. Details below.
Below is from Sue Green's "Gerbil Health Check" on NGS Index:
5 - Examine your gerbil's teeth
Often the first time an owner realises there is a tooth problem, is when
the gerbil rapidly loses weight but otherwise appears healthy. On
examination it will be found to have lost one or more of its front teeth.
This means it cannot eat its usual food and needs a soft diet e.g. baby
food, biscuit crumb, bread soaked in milk. Usually the tooth grows back
again within a week. Meanwhile, the gerbil cannot gnaw and the remaining
teeth may grow too long and require trimming. This is not as difficult as
it sounds. The first time it happens, you may need a vet to show you what
to do, but after that you should be able to trim the teeth yourself. An
excellent test for teeth problems is to offer your gerbil a piece of
paper. It will immediately try to chew it. All gerbils do. It's
instinctive. If the teeth are able to cut the paper, they are fine.
However, if they can't, then there is a problem.
