So, Tinkerbelle is a non-releasable California Ground Squirrel that is now 7 months old, and in her full stature and strength (not to mention attitude!). I've had her since she was just a few days old. She lost one top incisor for unknown reasons at around 4 weeks old and it has never grown back. The remaining top tooth gets very worn down by her chewing, but at its best it's about 3/10th of an inch long. Of course her bottom incisors grow continuously and I trim 2 to 3 mm. off them every 3 weeks to keep them from touching the roof of her mouth.
First problem/question - We have not figured out a way to really hold her (restrain her) effectively for this process. She is fat and feisty, and convinced this is a battle of life or death. I think if she were properly restrained (and her eyes covered) she would be calmer. The trimming only takes a moment once we have her lined up and her tongue protector in place. She seems to get over the trauma quickly and doesn't hold it against us... (well, not for very long anyway). I would LOVE it if she could just be chilled out/relaxed/lightly sedated for this process.
So, second question - I've tried cbd nibble treats and Pet Releaf hemp/cbd oil. These haven't seemed to do the job. I can't get her to take even a sip of booze (kidding - not kidding). Im considering ordering some diethyl ether, but it's such an unstable chemical that I'm a little freaked out having it around (let alone trying to actually use it on her!).
It is not legal to keep her in my state. A wildlife refuge center had more or less indicated they would probably euthanize her, so I'm trying to do this myself. The process of tooth-trimming is not a big deal, I just would like to minimize the struggle so it is as easy on her as possible. I haven't quite figured out a sure way to do that, if there is one.
So come on squirrel people! Any ideas/advice would be very much appreciated!