Can someone put a line for where to trim on Itchiku's teeth.

[Itchiku's dad]

Need to know where to trim these uppers, so I can show the vet on the next visit.

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[astra]

Need to know where to trim these uppers, so I can show the vet on the next visit.


if you re-post this in a Help forum, you may get faster help

[CrazySquirrelLady]

he needs braces!

[mdyoung216]

he needs braces!

I'm not expert, but I agree. Looks like more going on there than a trim will fix.

[kastillo]

bump

[janiemcm]

216921
not sure if this will upload...

but we had an inside/outside squirrel for about 4 years who had bad teeth. every 2 weeks, I would hold the squirrel down, wrapped in a towel. then my husband would clip her teeth - the 2 top and the 2 bottom. the top teeth, he clipped as high as he could - being careful not to clip that piece of skin between the 2 teeth. Adult squirrels typically have very very short top teeth and long bottom teeth. We did have a vet pull the top teeth at one point, but apparently the roots run real deep in a rodent, and you have to get every last bit of the root, which he didn't. in about a month or so, we saw the teeth growing back again. He said that the only other way would be to do surgery on the jaw to be sure to get all the root. We opted not to go that route. The squirrel went in and out of our house every day through a window, so when it got close to the 2 week cutting time, I'd close the window when she came in for her daily nuts.

your squirrel definitly looks non-releasable to me! he/she would starve to death or die of infection. a horrible death either way!

-Janie

[farrelli]

That looks too short to me. You should probably PM Jackie in Tampa. She's the dental expert.

[Rhapsody]

I would agree with the red marks placed on the squirrel so you do not have to trim any more than once a month..... if the vet
feels the need to go longer go with the line just under the red mark and all will be fine. Does he have Malocclusion?

[Chip27]

I would agree with the red marks placed on the squirrel so you do not have to trim any more than once a month..... if the vet
feels the need to go longer go with the line just under the red mark and all will be fine. Does he have Malocclusion?



What do you use to clip their teeth??:grin3

[janiemcm]

we used toenail clippers - 216933

even with cutting the teeth this short, we needed to re-cut every 2 weeks. We did this for 4 years. She lived a healthy life and went on to have 3 litters of babies.

[Itchiku's dad]

216921
not sure if this will upload...

but we had an inside/outside squirrel for about 4 years who had bad teeth. every 2 weeks, I would hold the squirrel down, wrapped in a towel. then my husband would clip her teeth - the 2 top and the 2 bottom. the top teeth, he clipped as high as he could - being careful not to clip that piece of skin between the 2 teeth. Adult squirrels typically have very very short top teeth and long bottom teeth. We did have a vet pull the top teeth at one point, but apparently the roots run real deep in a rodent, and you have to get every last bit of the root, which he didn't. in about a month or so, we saw the teeth growing back again. He said that the only other way would be to do surgery on the jaw to be sure to get all the root. We opted not to go that route. The squirrel went in and out of our house every day through a window, so when it got close to the 2 week cutting time, I'd close the window when she came in for her daily nuts.

your squirrel definitly looks non-releasable to me! he/she would starve to death or die of infection. a horrible death either way!

-Janie
Thanks for that will save to my phone to take with me tomorrow.

[Itchiku's dad]

I would agree with the red marks placed on the squirrel so you do not have to trim any more than once a month..... if the vet
feels the need to go longer go with the line just under the red mark and all will be fine. Does he have Malocclusion?

His teeth haven't always been like that. He has damaged them somehow, but I'm not sure how yet.
They were like this.
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I' concerned about how the x-rays look. well the position of the tooth in the skull.

[Itchiku's dad]

That looks too short to me. You should probably PM Jackie in Tampa. She's the dental expert.

This was the reason I posted it here, as I thought she would probably look at this subject.

[janiemcm]

- correction - it was the bottom teeth that we tried to have removed, not the top.

[farrelli]

I think our resident expert on such matters suggests getting the best cutters you can, hardened steel so as to avoid splintering the teeth, especially as they dull over time.

[Rhapsody]

Here is a page on teeth trimming for a squirrel:
http://www.mary.cc/squirrels/trimteeth.htm

My Marven use to have his front teeth trimmed by Jackie every month until we had them removed by a vet.
Marven had Malocclusion and his condition was not going to resolve its self. I clipped his teeth a few times
my self and I did pretty good after watching Jackie all those other times.

[janiemcm]

... suggests getting the best cutters you can, hardened steel so as to avoid splintering the teeth, especially as they dull over time.

definitely! we had to buy a new pair of toenail clippers about every 2-3 months (every 4-6 clippings). we wanted to be sure they were always sharp to prevent the teeth from splintering.

[Itchiku's dad]

Just got back from the vet. Went to a different vet this time as the one I went to last time was ill today. The new vet is closer to me which is good, as the travel time is much less. The new vet left me feeling more confident. Seemed more familiar with Squirrels and looked at the x rays of the left upper incisor. He gave me the option to remove it if it was causing any problems. We decided to keep trimming for now, but hr said to keep an eye out for any discharge. If that happens the will put him under and take it out. Itchiku's sulking in his cage now, but he'll be fine by tomorrow. He really doesn't like going out.

[stosh2010]

What i do in Costa Rica is OBSERVE the wilds---and what they eat--and then pick those items,( Nuts, fruits etc.) and give to my NRs.
My CREW gets almendras that have a soft meaty skin and a HARD shell inside that the squirrels GNAW thru,. This chewing grinds down the incisors and keeps the teeth at a good length. It requires me to go "Hunting" and picking- several times a week to keep the "treats" fresh .
They are GREEN wen immature and become yellow or red or purple when RIPE

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[Itchiku's dad]

Unfortunately his teeth are now misaligned. so he cant wear them down himself anymore, unless by some miracle the realign themselves, but I can't see that happening. At least he seems happy and can still steal food out of my hand with some force.

[Chip27]

we used toenail clippers - 216933

even with cutting the teeth this short, we needed to re-cut every 2 weeks. We did this for 4 years. She lived a healthy life and went on to have 3 litters of babies.

Ok thank you much!!:thankyou