|
|
Post by lilcritterfever on Jul 19, 2011 0:32:34 GMT
Today I noticed that Biscuit's teeth are getting pale. They haven't turned white, but they are pale yellow, considerably lighter than my two males' teeth. Biscuit is expecting pups in the next month or so, and is less than a year old. I know white teeth are a sign of diabetes, but I've also read here it can mean vitamin c deficiency?
All three of them are on a diet of timothy hay and degu pellets, puffed rice cereal fed by hand (though not daily) and a pumpkin seed about once a week. Is that too often for a treat such as that? Two days ago I fed them the green tops of some organic carrots, but only a small sprig to each degu. I'm so concerned for her and the pups! Can this be reversed?
|
|
|
|
Post by philbailey1806 on Jul 19, 2011 0:38:42 GMT
I'm sure all is fine with biscuit, my Ednas teeth went a little paler than usual when she was expecting, but now she has given birth and has weaned her pups, her teeth are luminous orange! She was also less than a year old (roughly 6 months) when she fell pregnant. Just make sure that they have unlimited access to both the nuggets and the hay, as a pregnant degu obviously needs more calories than a non-pregnant one.
|
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Jul 19, 2011 0:51:58 GMT
Lots of times degus scrape the orange off their teeth. This colour happens as a result of a chemical reaction between their saliva and the chlorophyl in the foods they eat. Chewing bars, pumice stone, or any other very hard thing can scrape it off and it isn't something to worry about. Unless for some reason there is very little chlorophyl in their diet, which I suspect could cause all kinds of health problems for a degu.
|
|
|
|
Post by lilcritterfever on Jul 19, 2011 1:01:41 GMT
Oh what a relief! Thank you both  |
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Jul 19, 2011 3:16:11 GMT
As I said before, the orange colour on the teeth of degu happens as a result of a chemical reaction between their saliva and the chlorophyl in their food. It has no relation to their Vit C levels or diabetes. It's sort of like . . . plaque! What they chew on can cause it to be removed. This same feature is found in many other animals, the beaver being one of them. Their teeth do not grow out orange, and you will notice that young pups will have whitish coloured teeth. It is only once they start eating foods containing chlorophyl that their teeth begin to change to orange.
|
|
|
|
Post by lilcritterfever on Jul 19, 2011 8:42:37 GMT
Boy, am I thankful I joined this community. You guys have been invaluable to me as I learn more and more everyday about these wonderful little critters. I want to thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us. |
|
|
|
Post by fred on Jul 20, 2011 12:23:24 GMT
The orange colour comes from iron, which in turns comes to a large extent from chlorophyll. Nothing to do with vitamin C.
In line with phil's observation it may have to do with Biscuit's pregnancy. I don't think there is anything to worry about but I would still try to feed them more fresh greens. There are hardly any greens where there is a risk of overfeeding them but if they are not used to larger amounts you have to increase it slowly. I would suggest you get a few pots of different herbs (ASDA is a good source) and have a try if there is anything they take to. The favourite of mine is thyme which is also a great source of iron.
|
|
