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Post by aday3686 on Dec 18, 2009 2:01:49 GMT
Hello everybody,I'm from Spain, please excuse me if I make some grammatical mistakes.
The point is that my favorite degu, Kokoro, lost a lower teeth one year and a half ago. This was because she escape from her cage and fell down from the top of a table, she brokes her jaw and lose one lower teeth. Now a days her jaw is ok, but not her upper teeth. I have to get she to the vet three times to cut her upper teeth because she can't even eat, and here is the problem, my vet didn't know what was a degu before I show he one, so he just cut her teeth (without anesthesia) and today he dislodge one upper teeth . The worst thing is that my vet only could said "oh! there is no problem, the teeth was rotten, I know it because it was orange" I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
PLEASE!
Can a degu live with only two teeth (one up, one down)?? somebody knows if it need some kind of special food from now?? I don't know what to do!!
Thanks a lot.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 18, 2009 5:36:48 GMT
Her tooth will grow back in, actually you might be surprised by how quickly. In a week you should be able to see it fairly well. Orange Degu teeth are healthy teeth . . . next time you see your vet maybe tell him that. As to the food . . . you may need to just watch and see how she is doing . . . is she eating at all, or having great difficulty. Keep lots of hay on hand for her, that is very important to her diet. If she is struggling to eat the pellet foods, maybe try softening them with a little water and see if she will lick it up. I would even try putting a little on an apple tree branch and see if that stimulates her eating. I hope she will be well for you, with no illness following this trimming of teeth. Please let us know how you and Kokoro are doing.
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Post by aday3686 on Dec 18, 2009 14:40:53 GMT
Thank you very much for your help, your replay has clam me down a lot. This morning Kokoro looks better, she makes littles bites to my hand, and she eats if I cut her food into tiny pieces first. I would like to know if it is correct to bring her wallnuts with shell, because here is difficult to get apple tree branch, or if it is too early to bring her hard food because she lose one teeth yesterday. One last question, it is normal the fact that kokoro doesn't stop making friction one teeth with the other?
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Post by mja241281 on Dec 18, 2009 15:06:21 GMT
When you say making friction i assume you mean she is grinding her teeth....this is perfectly normal behaviour if so.
If it is a fast/rapid grind i believe it is a sign of aggitation/annoyance If it is a slow grind it is a sign of a relaxed/content degu
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Post by aday3686 on Dec 18, 2009 21:27:26 GMT
No, I know the sound you are saying, and the noise I said is the first time I heard. You have to notice that Kokoro was my first degu, she has 3 years old, and now I have 4 females degus at home.
Question: Is too early to bring her wallnuts? Because the vet make her teeth fall yesterday.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 19, 2009 1:21:36 GMT
I would maybe wait a week on the walnuts.
Did the Vet also check her molars, the teeth at the back of her mouth, to make sure they are not growing to tall? Does the noise you heard sound like it is coming from the back of her mouth instead of the front teeth? Do you give them lots of hay? Hay is one of the primary sources for keeping their teeth in good form.
Do you have access to any hazelnut trees? They can also chew on those branches. What kinds of trees do you have access to? Maybe we will be blessed and one of those will work.
I'm glad she is doing better.
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Post by aday3686 on Dec 19, 2009 3:35:39 GMT
I am so sure that the sound Kokoro make come from the front of her mouth. it is ok? About the hay, my degu have hay always, they even sleep on a hay ball. About the tree, we have: lemon tree, orange tree, vine (where grapes grow), rosebush. I have those trees near at home, if you tell me some more I can look for them.
Is there another way or trick to make the degu's teeth shorter? I am afraid about the fallen teeth, I hope it will grow again. And the upper one which stand grow a lot and my vet will has to cut it, with the danger of falling.... and as a concecuence I will have to get she to sleep.
Please I need your help. Thanks a lot.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 19, 2009 5:14:25 GMT
We have had a degu drop a tooth, or break a tooth, right off and it grew back surprisingly fast. That is really what I expect to see happening for Koroko. One thing that we have in our cage is a pumice stone perch. We bought it at a pet store, and I know that I have read of other members using it in their cage as well. I'm thinking that if it can be found in the stores in Canada and the UK, then hopefully it is something you can find in Spain as well. Our boys have chewed on the pumice stone perches a lot, and it is great for keeping their teeth in good condition. Hopefully that would be your experience as well. Do you know if Koroko is a vigorous chewer? If she is the only one of your four that has trouble with long teeth . . . it sounds like she maybe doesn't gnaw enough . . . so how to get her to gnaw more?
How often have you had her teeth trimmed?
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 19, 2009 5:20:52 GMT
Safe woods include eating apple, hazel, hawthorn and kiln dried pine. These woods must be cleaned and dried before your degu can chew them. Don't give your degu any other types of wood as almost all are toxic to degus- please visit the enrichment section for more information. Degutopia now has a complete list of woods that are toxic to degus.
I took this out of the Degutopia website. They have excellent information on there. Probably the most comprehensive content about degus that you can find, really. So . . . if you don't have access to apple, hazel, or hawthorn trees . . . can you buy some KILN dried pine? A store that sells construction/building materials would be the best place to look for some. I hope this will give a successful direction to look into!
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Post by aday3686 on Dec 19, 2009 14:29:16 GMT
For deguconvert, I get she to the vot for trimming her upper teeth 3 times, the first one about 2 month ago, the second timr was a monyh ago, and the last time was the day before yesterday. I belive that her teeth grow faster after the trim. Kokoro always use to gnaw the bars of the cage and the wheel as well. I have put in the cage two stones for gnaw, but those are for hamster and Kokoro doesn't have interest on them.
YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT! the upper tooth has grow a lot.
Question, instead hazel tree can I give Kokoro hazel?
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Post by aday3686 on Dec 19, 2009 14:39:50 GMT
Sorry, another question, for pine PINE WOOD Kiln Dried is needed a specific kind of pine?
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 20, 2009 2:50:54 GMT
It doesn't need to be any specific type of pine, it MUST be kiln dried. Putting it through the process of kiln drying eliminates the resin that is naturally part of the pine wood, and the resin is toxic to degus.
I was pretty sure her tooth would be showing up by now. It is amazing how quickly they grow! You may be able to put in a walnut before long.
The stone perch that I was refering to is specifically made out pumice stone . . . pumice sotne is often used as a shower/bathing item that is useful for polishing away dead skin from feet or elbows . . . and the degus seem to have a strong appreciation for it. I was amazed when ours started to chew so much on their two perches.
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Post by aday3686 on Dec 20, 2009 19:36:57 GMT
Hi, I found the kiln dried pine wood, I bring kokoro coconut shell as the degutopia website said. Kokoro likes the coconut more than the pine wood, step by step she is eating hader food, I see her happier. I have to look for the pumice stone. The tooth is not growing by now, we have to remember when kokoro broke her jaw more than one year ago, one of her lower teeth didn't grow again.
THANK YOU ALL, because of your help Kokoro is much better now. I will continue posting to let you know about Kokoro.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 21, 2009 3:53:02 GMT
I might have been rather optimistic to think that the broken tooth would be showing so much by now . . . but I still have hope that you will one day discover that she is once again displaying two upper teeth.
I am so glad that she is so much better now. I look forward to hearing further updates on Korkoro.
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Post by aday3686 on Dec 27, 2009 14:35:15 GMT
I have a great new, the upper tooth of Kokoro which the vet pulled out, IS GROWING AGAIN! She now loves to gnaw and her health is great. I am very happy, Thank you all for your help. I hope not post again telling about Kokor's bad things.
Here I lend you a christmas card with my degus taking a sun bath.
BYE!
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 28, 2009 2:33:12 GMT
WOO HOO! HOORAY!! I'm so glad that Korkoro is doing so well and you can now see her tooth growing back. It's wonderful news. Thank you for telling us!
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Post by aday3686 on Jan 25, 2010 11:17:26 GMT
Today I bring Kokoro to the vet for cut her upper teeth a little, and my "fantastic" vet makes her TWO UPPER TEETH dislodge. Now Kokoro has only one tooth in the bottom part of the mouth. PLEASE, WHAT SHOULD I DO? (Kill my vet is not an option)
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Post by emz on Jan 25, 2010 14:31:47 GMT
I'd suggest firstly stop taking them to that vet he clearly doesn't know what he is doing and it is a waste of your time and is not good for your poor little goo!
When my guinea pig wouldn't eat from being sick, we fed her baby food. If Kokoro is now unable to eat pellet food making your own "degu baby food" might be beneficial (grinding your pellets down into some sort of paste with water like deguconvert said a while back) might still ensure she gets the right stuff in her food but it is easy for her to take.
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Post by aday3686 on Jan 25, 2010 16:13:21 GMT
Ok, now I'm trying with tiny pieces of degu food, and she is eating by the moment. The problem with changing the vet is that I live in a small island, so my resourses are very limited. I am thinking about to become a home made vet.
Have somebody cut their degu teeths? or know how to do it safely? Maybe somebody knows a vet that I could consult by email?
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Post by emz on Jan 25, 2010 16:33:04 GMT
Try emailing the folks at degutopia. They are excellent at giving out advise and I am most certain they'd be able to help you! www.degutopia.co.uk/
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