What do red teeth mean

[Hilbillygirl]

My boy stopped eating yesterday. Hes always been good about eating his picky blocks ( 3 a day) among other things. Yesterday he refused to eat and stayed in his sleeping bag all day as he has done today. I sent pics of his teeth to a rehab group i belong to on FaceBook and was told I should get his teeth trimmed that could be the cause of his not eating.
My problem is that I dont drive. My sister drives me but shes 74 and its no longer safe to drive farther than Arlington or Fort Worth Texas and most places that might help are too far away. Can anyone suggest someone near me or an alternative that I can do to reach the same end results please?

[HRT4SQRLS]

How old is your squirrel? I can’t determine if the teeth need trimming from that pic. They don’t look bad to me but would need a clearer pic.

Oh wait a third pic just loaded. Hum!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Have you noticed any other changes before he stopped eating? Again, age is important. Age?
Are the teeth blunt or sharp, chiseled edge?

To answer the question in the post title… Orange (I guess you could call it reddish) teeth are normal in adult squirrels.

[MyBushyTail]

HRT4SQRLS I agree with you about the OP getting a clearer picture as I can't get a good enough look at the bottom teeth, but the top teeth look a bit too long to me. The teeth are normal color...nothing about the color to worry about.

[stepnstone]

The red/orange coloration is a hard enamel that develops on healthy teeth.
It is perfectly normal and what you do want to see.

[Hilbillygirl]

How old is your squirrel? I can’t determine if the teeth need trimming from that pic. They don’t look bad to me but would need a clearer pic.

Oh wait a third pic just loaded. Hum!

Hes 5. Never had problems with teeth and he chews on bark. I took him to a rehabber and she did trim the tops but said they really didnt need it. She said shes never seen them so deep red and she thought he might have an infection in his mouth. Gave him some pain meds and some antibiotic and some to take home.
If that doesnt help she gave me the name of her vet who treats squirrels. He cried when he tried to eat a grape so I think it is something having to do with the mouth. Will keep you posted on his progress. Hes only had 1 dose of the bactrim so far. The next dose I will give tonight before i go to bed.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I’m glad you were able to find a rehabber to help. Vet access is wonderful. :w00t

If it comes to that, make sure sure they do an X-ray of the head to include the teeth.
I always worry about odontoma in adult squirrels especially if they are having mouth issues. The pain when eating is very concerning.
You might want to read up on odontoma just in case.

Let us know how things go. You might notice he is more sensitive for a couple days. Tooth trimming can sometimes cause painful inflammation for a couple days.

[Hilbillygirl]

I’m glad you were able to find a rehabber to help. Vet access is wonderful. :w00t

If it comes to that, make sure sure they do an X-ray of the head to include the teeth.
I always worry about odontoma in adult squirrels especially if they are having mouth issues. The pain when eating is very concerning.
You might want to read up on odontoma just in case.

Let us know how things go. You might notice he is more sensitive for a couple days. Tooth trimming can sometimes cause painful inflammation for a couple days.

I thought of odontoma also because I read a post on Facebook but didnt know what it was

[Hilbillygirl]

Where can i learn more about odontoma?

[HRT4SQRLS]

You can either Google it OR go to the advanced search in the right side of the TSB screen. If you put in odontoma you will find many threads about it. I would stick with the more recent threads as the data and information has evolved with time.

I’ll see if I can find some.

[Hilbillygirl]

I’m glad you were able to find a rehabber to help. Vet access is wonderful. :w00t

If it comes to that, make sure sure they do an X-ray of the head to include the teeth.
I always worry about odontoma in adult squirrels especially if they are having mouth issues. The pain when eating is very concerning.
You might want to read up on odontoma just in case.

Let us know how things go. You might notice he is more sensitive for a couple days. Tooth trimming can sometimes cause painful inflammation for a couple days.
Here is a better pic of the teeth.319730319730

[HRT4SQRLS]

They look OK. The one bottom could have been nipped to even it up but it’s not real bad.

I would watch them as they grow after the trim. The color is normal.

[HRT4SQRLS]

This is one thread of many threads that sort of chronicles an odontoma journey.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?62834-Top-teeth-suddenly-SUPER-short&highlight=Odontoma