Need advise for baby lucy's teeth... What can I do ? Malocclusion?

[tt3]

Hi Everyone- this poor baby fell out of a tree 60 foot high along with her 4 other siblings who did not make it,she was just 8-9 days old when I found her.My intentions were to rehab her to health and set her free but I am unsure if this is possible with her teeth as bad as they are :( any experience ,advise,or professional opinions would be greatly appreciated,Thanks much!

[farrelli]

We have people here who can tell you how to trim those teeth. If they don't reply, ask again and one of us will find them for you.

If the teeth are trimmed a few times, there is a relatively good chance that they come back into alignment.

Can you please tell us what her diet is and what formula you give/gave?

[Rhapsody]

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

[tt3]

We have people here who can tell you how to trim those teeth. If they don't reply, ask again and one of us will find them for you.

If the teeth are trimmed a few times, there is a relatively good chance that they come back into alignment.

Can you please tell us what her diet is and what formula you give/gave?


I give her Esbilic with Probiotics along with zupreem rodent blocks,she is now 11/12 weeks old. I give her nuts as a treats mostly in the evening about 1 or 2 a day. I also give her carrots ,sweet potato,yellow squash,apple,pear,peach,spinich,tried kale but she is not a fan of it. she is still taking her formula 3-4 times a day,and try to focust more on her formula then solids. Ive bought yogurt but can not find one she likes.... Feeding yogurt should it be cold or warmed?

As for the blocks I have to break them small for her to want to eat them. I have deer antlers and a bone to chew on but she doesn't seem to like to chew them ... I even showed her myself what to do with these bones but she doesn't want anything really to do with them ,she will chew on bark but not often.

I went to the site the other member posted, and trimmed her teeth the best I "think" I could, because the right tooth is completely slanted towards the left it seems to be impossible to trim it back without trimming the left tooth at the same time.

So you think its possible that we can get these teeth strait again?

Does this look like a case of Malocclusion? Or does this little girl have hope?

Thanks for your replies! Below are the tools I used to trim her teeth, the clippers are Revlon.

[farrelli]

She's definitely maloccluded but it might correct over time. Hopefully one of out dental people will chime in.

I know the clippers are important and I don;t know if Revlon will be up to snuff. They need to be sharp and not easily dulled. Shattering the tooth or accidentally pulling it out can be disastrous.

She may not chew the antler because of how her teeth are now. Some just don't like them though. Many prefer the little calcium chews in the shape of ice cream cones and such.

[tt3]

She's definitely maloccluded but it might correct over time. Hopefully one of out dental people will chime in.

I know the clippers are important and I don;t know if Revlon will be up to snuff. They need to be sharp and not easily dulled. Shattering the tooth or accidentally pulling it out can be disastrous.

She may not chew the antler because of how her teeth are now. Some just don't like them though. Many prefer the little calcium chews in the shape of ice cream cones and such.

Tahnks again for your reply!

I bought the revlon ones being they were the highest priced and also stated cleanest sharpest cut ,but if anyone has a better brand please share it! the hardware store didn't seem to have the best quality as for the size I was looking for. I am going to work on cutting the top and bottom shorter this morning just waiting for nape time so she is calm, but I keep checking back in for advise. Thanks for your reply, and hope one of the dental people chime in !:)

[farrelli]

If not by tomorrow, ask again and one of us will point them here.

[tt3]

If not by tomorrow, ask again and one of us will point them here.

Thank You Farrelli!

[magna]

Having been introduced to the malocclusion world aprox two years ago, it's not that bad to trim their teeth. First off when I clip I do not grab the entire tooth but only about 50% of it. I found if I grab the entire tooth they will shatter once in a while or crush. I use the clippers from Squirrelsandmore and they work fine. One of our boys gets trimmed every two weeks and one gets trimmed every three weeks. Over this time frame we have had them split once in a great while or shatter. It is rare that this happens and we have also had one come completely out twice. They tend to grow very fast and our boys are much worse than yours appears in the pics. Our boys are six and seven and have had their teeth clipped for their entire lives. I started using Rescue Remedy about six months ago on them and it does keep the stress down noticeably. I also use a tapered paint brush handle with olive oil or pam on it to slide in their mouth and they can't flip it out like they can a Popsicle stick. I recently had one under anesthesia and clipped his teeth, the vet-tech then dremel'd them down, didn't look much different than when we just clip em. Be very careful about them ingesting any chips with any size as it can be fatal to them. I thought ours would straighten over time but no change even when clipped short, and they cannot grind them down no matter what we put in with them. Hope this is helpful.

[magna]

Oh and trim the left first then the right to the same length. Whichever you can get to easiest then the other should be visible without any problem. Even if they are stacked you can nip the front first then the back. Don't forget the bottom move naturally back and forth so don't think there is anything wrong with them. The clippers you have are pretty thick, the ones we use are very thin and narrow so it's easy to see what you are doing.

[tt3]

Having been introduced to the malocclusion world aprox two years ago, it's not that bad to trim their teeth. First off when I clip I do not grab the entire tooth but only about 50% of it. I found if I grab the entire tooth they will shatter once in a while or crush. I use the clippers from Squirrelsandmore and they work fine. One of our boys gets trimmed every two weeks and one gets trimmed every three weeks. Over this time frame we have had them split once in a great while or shatter. It is rare that this happens and we have also had one come completely out twice. They tend to grow very fast and our boys are much worse than yours appears in the pics. Our boys are six and seven and have had their teeth clipped for their entire lives. I started using Rescue Remedy about six months ago on them and it does keep the stress down noticeably. I also use a tapered paint brush handle with olive oil or pam on it to slide in their mouth and they can't flip it out like they can a Popsicle stick. I recently had one under anesthesia and clipped his teeth, the vet-tech then dremel'd them down, didn't look much different than when we just clip em. Be very careful about them ingesting any chips with any size as it can be fatal to them. I thought ours would straighten over time but no change even when clipped short, and they cannot grind them down no matter what we put in with them. Hope this is helpful.

Magna- This helps out greatly, Thank you much for the great tips here , I feel more confident now that I know the dues and don'ts with trying to get Lucys teeth strait .

Can you please confirm with me what excessive clipping is?

Yesterday I spent about an hours time trying to get the right angles and time to clip her teeth I did get the left tooth cut to a good length but today I need to finish up on her right angled tooth and her bottoms... she needed a break yesterday, and "so did I"... so today I plan to finish up, and want to be sure this isn't what they call excessive clipping. I do know I need to clip every other week.

My True Goal here is to set Lucy free to the wild where she belongs, do you think this could be possible seeing her teeth as they are , do they look like they can be corrected if trimmed in a proper professional manner ?

I just want to be sure I'm doing the right thing for her.

Thank You again for your tips,very ,very helpful knowing it is okay to cut half and not the whole tooth at one time , the bottoms have been difficult to get for this reason being that she always has them close together, and seems difficult to get them spread enough to cut one,so im hoping that clipping part of the tooth will be helpful with this.

Also knowing that I need to be sure to get all the waisted tooth out because it could harm her is a very nice tip as well I wondered the consequence by her digesting,so again Thank you for confirming this!

I will post another photo once I finish the trim, to get thoughts on length,her future for release,and if I trimmed correctly, hopefully today.

FYI - I plan to buy Chris's clippers today ,I buy everything from her she is a wonderful person, I just hadn't realized she had clippers on her sight.

[lilidukes]

I have a squirrel who is now an adult. Her tops looked like
that and over time the top teeth just grew together forming
a very thick single tooth at the gum line. I still have to trim
her top and the bottoms which grow in all different ways.

I would start treating your little one as a beloved "pet".

[tt3]

I have a squirrel who is now an adult. Her tops looked like
that and over time the top teeth just grew together forming
a very thick single tooth at the gum line. I still have to trim
her top and the bottoms which grow in all different ways.

I would start treating your little one as a beloved "pet".


Thank you for replying to this tread its really important to know the possible expectancy of "her",or "our" future... I really hope this isn't the case for her,or me , but mostly for her ... If need be I will keep her as a pet,but these little ones have so much energy they deserve to be in the wild,to be free of cages and roam as they are meant to ,Thanks for giving me your thoughts with experience .but please God let me be able to release her!!!! :)

[magna]

I seriously doubt she will go free with those top teefussus the way they are. You need to burrito wrap her and do them all at once bam bam bam bam it literally will take about 1 to 2 minutes once you have it down. By catching half the tooth it snaps like a glass rod, be careful of leaving any sharp tips or shards sticking up you may have to nick them off. Don't try and pinch and hold the tooth you can actually pull one out doing that. Chris's clippers are very narrow and thin, a big difference in what you are using now. You can file their teeth side to side with an emery board if you need to afterwards. The angle of the cut will not matter much if she can't grind them down. Our boys are so bad we cut them straight and let it go. On top we leave aprox 1/8" -3/16" and on the bottom they are about twice that. Each squirrel is a little different, if you cut them to short they will bleed. I would rather see you cut them every week a little bit until you get used to doing it. I also cut straight from the front on ours not from the side or off at an angle because of the shape of the tooth. Each one has different shaped teeth so if they are thin and wide like a chicklet I would clip from the side, yours look pretty normal like our boys from the pics, but it's hard to tell without hands on. They will squawk and carry on but they are really good about the whole thing. The lady, our boys squammy, who taught me was phenomenal and actually clips flyers teeth!!!! We give our guys a frozen cherry or a slice of pecan their choice, the moment we are done and they love it, quite often they pick the cherry.

[magna]

Here is a guestimate looking at them in the pics. I drew little arrows about where you could expect to get blood if you clip the bottom ones to short. Others may disagree but this is what works for us. Please listen to everyone's advice and choose what works for you and her. I will say at this point she is NR, it may change but usually they just get worse as they mature. 245786

[tt3]

Thanks so much again for checking in to help me with this - photo is very helpful!! the photo looks really similar to where I clipped yesterday I tried taking photo but she was not digging it , so I will get one today and upload to see your thoughts....

I found her when she was just getting out of her pinky stage with very light hair that was just coming in, her mother seemed not interested after many temps to reunite her,the others were dead when found,so I took her in with the intention again to release her,since the wildlife center here would not take her being she was to young. Once she opened her eyes 3 weeks later I can see after that first week she new she wasnt where she belongs....


If clipping does not strengthen her teeth to where she is able to grind them what would be your thoughts?

My baby has very strong in stinks she is a Fox squirrel,even though Ive completely cared for her as I would my own,with even having her sleep with me at night to keep her warm and comforted the first week ,turning my life upside down being house bound to be here when she needed to feed,play,etc... so she gets the right nutrition needed ....not counting the money spent to make a HUGE 6x4x6 cage then buying a HUGE Parrot cage to transfer rooms for her safety + supplies ,im in 1,000 for this little one,I dont care about the money I just want to be able to give her,her freedom and happiness.

Ive completely fell in love with her,but know I can not keep her for ever,shes a squirrel , a WILD animal, she loves me still... but she does not like my husband nor the rest of my family with the exception of tolerating my 18 year old,every week is a new week though, with her growing and in stinks....

If im unable to release her it will be devastating for me,my family and most importantly... her...this is why I so desperately hope her teeth can get fixed....

I would pay to get them fixed if there is a way,but I can not take the chance for her to be euthanized.

Hope this message wasnt to traumatic just have a strong love for these guys...

[farrelli]

She may just not be able to be released. We have many on here who are forever indoor sqs and live very happy, fulfilled lives. If that is your concern for her if she proves unreleasable, that wouldn't be a reason to euthanize her. If you just can't keep her for other reasons, we might be able to find a home for her. I know there's someone in VT who's really looking for one now. We've arranged transport across distances before.

[tt3]

Could be an option,but Lucy is not a friendly all around squirrel she is very smart ,with very good natural instinct , she loves to play with me but she is not the squirrel that runs up to everyone in a friendly manor, only me. if my family members go up to her she will be nice but she is not trust worthy enough not to try and scratch or bit them. I raised her to release her, I was her main caregiver,Ive sheltered her from guest and the rest of my family for the most part,with the exception of my 18 year old for help reasons,if I needed a break or was not around to feed her etc... I tried to do everything by the book as for releasing reasons,for humans and the squirrels.

anyway, Ive been around the very friendly,"best friend squirrel",Lucy is not that squirrel right now, I dont know if she would ever be,She is my best friend but not anyone else in my family ,I dont know if its because they're not around like I am for her ,or if they have different smells from other people and animals that Lucy does not trust?for this reason,I stay distance from my other animals.she gets stressed out very easily and can be very timid at times for good reason,after all she is not in her natural environment,and I have not done anything to try and change this instinct since again my intentions was to release her ....


It is Illegal for me to have her,for this reason I should seriously give her up for obvious reasons,but my giving her up was the intention to release her,if thats not possible I will need to give her up to someone that would hopefully care for her as I have ,since I do have a family,go on vacations,and housing with other animals with cages,has been very inconvenient with my current home.

So- I hope this person you are talking about,and if decided to go this route ,would be willing to take her in knowing who she is, and be open minded of her personality that would take her open handed as a forever home,with not the attention of trying it out,or hoping to replace another squirrel ,since im sure all squirrels have different or wide ranged personalities,and Im not sure where Lucy fits in.



I plan to get my wildlife rehabbing license for care and release purposes only, I do not have the set up right now to house a squirrel for their lifetime.

Also, If this is decided, I will bring Lucy to her new home since I will need to be comfortable knowing where Im leaving her, I Dont care the distance ,and of course I would like to talk with the new mommy to be:)

Im so sorry to sound so strait forward but I feel I have to look out for everyones best interest,and please dont miss understand her personality neither , she is a sweet heart, a very elegant like squirrel,being potty trained,and even though she has the run around my house she sticks to her comfort, close to her cage,so she is very easy to clean up after.

With all this being said if this person is still interested,I would be happy to talk with her,but again only willing to give her up if she is going to be truly non releasable.

I am still trying to get an updated photo of Lucys trimmed, I will try now even though she is awake and very active,she is very camera shy which has made it difficult for a good shot.

[farrelli]

This is the person looking for a sq:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?48269-Home-Needs-Squirrel

Perhaps if both of you can drive a little way, we can arrange others for transport too. It's been done many times here.

[farrelli]

You are also close to 2ndHandRanch who is a member here and runs a rehab in Princeton, IL. She's taken on a few NRs.

[magna]

The fact that her teeth are off center indicates she is definitely (99%) an NR. Please Please Please do not consider euthanasia. I and many others have a soft spot for foxers. There are many who will provide a great caring home and excellent life for this young lady. I only wish I was closer or had a way to get her we would take her on in a heartbeat if you would allow it. We very seldom get foxers here. We had one last year and he was amazing, in our area they are an SSC and fall under the endangered species act protection. We used to have large populations of them, many around our land, but they have been killed off or lost their habitat due to old growth forest being harvested. We now have one pair that I know of. Getting her teeth fixed may be possible but you are talking about a lot of money most likely. There is an article about a squirrel that had it's teeth straightened somewhere but I can't remember where I saw it. I think it was a foxer and I believe it was done at a University in the Midwest, but it is not common. Some people have the incisors removed and then feed soft foods because they still have their molars and can crunch up anything the size of a field pea or smaller.

[tt3]

Here are updated photos they are not that great, it was difficult to get the right angle taking the photo myself


Also the last thing I would do is euthanize her, not even considering it,thats why im here looking for solutions or to possibly fix her teeth so eventually I can release her, I would raise her myself if thats what it came down to. I would pay 1,000 at the most to have her fixed , I was told it could cost 3,000,but at this cost my husband would kill me lol.

I just want her teeth fixed, but if thats not possible I most likely will have no choice to give her up to someone who will care for her as I do.

It seems as everyone is pretty much saying the same thing here,she will never be able to grind them to survive in the wild.How long before I know for sure after trimming her teeth that this is true for Lucys case?

If you all believe this truly is her case I will have to give her up sooner then later, as heart breaking as it may be,I would like her to be able to attach quickly to somone other then myself while she is still young.



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[magna]

Unfortunately the trimming will make no difference in the growth angle. Like I said I am willing to state with 99% certainty she is NR. The overlap of her front teeth and the fact that they are off to the side are two strikes against her. I would never take the chance of releasing with the thought that one day she may not be able to eat and could die a horrible death by starvation or from being malnourished. I actually thought I saw a difference in one of our boys after cutting and starting him on whole walnuts but it was just a lost hope on my part. He was probably late 5yrs at that point and I trimmed and angled and trimmed and angled and hoped but there was no change in the long run. Even if you had her teeth fixed there is no guarantee that they would remain straight as she got older having had this problem as a youngster. Sorry I wish I could say otherwise but my current experience and knowledge says NR. Your next to last picture pretty much clenches the decision.

[tt3]

Ive called second hand left message hoping she will call me back, if she is unable to be released which I am now convinced she will not be able to :( she needs to go to a forever home preferably a rehabber that might possibly have other squirrels,who is experienced and absolutely loves squirrels,and committed to there needs.It would be nice to find one closer to where I am, but if needed I will drive to where ever for her to have a successfully happy life.