Rescue ham

Question
Hi Sheila, I have adopted several hams that need special care over the past few years. I have recently adopted a hamster with very crooked teeth, he needs to have them clipped at least every 2 weeks. Have you had experience with a hamster that needs constant dental attention? I was hoping if you had you would share some of your experience/ideas on food and chews. I give him regular seed mix with hard pellets that I crush into bite size pieces as he has had larger ones stuck in his pouches because of his teeth. I know the back teeth still need to be worn down so I'm making sure regular food is available. I am also supplementing it with a pinch of oatmeal and museli, which he seems to really go for. I adopted him from a pet store and I'm sorry to say he was fading fast, he's lost quite a bit of his fur, (due to improper diet?) as they had done nothing to assist his dietary needs. I've had him a week and his fur appears to be coming back some, and he is a ball of energy!! The only thing is that I notice his nose looks a little wet sometimes, but he doesn't seem to be sneezing. I'm hoping it is just the change in atmosphere, at the store he was being kept in a drawer of a storage unit in a room that was about 30 degrees C, no wheel no chews just food and water, like prison. The room he's in now is about 22-24 degrees C. Any thoughts?? :)  Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi KJ

Funnily enough I have two hamsters right now with serious dental problems.  One doesn't have any front teeth at all, the other one has only top teeth at the front and I have to clip these every couple of weeks.  She also has a nasal problem (but I put this mostly down to the fact that her nose was injured when she arrived - but it could be dental related).

It is important to make sure their back teeth can be ground down, but at the same time they do need to eat. What you are doing sounds fine.  I give mine soaked hamster food, tiny pieces of biscuit, scrambled egg, small pieces of cheese (egg and cheese are treats every couple of weeks), nuts, seeds and fresh vegetables which have to be chopped up small enough for them to get them in their mouth so that they can chew on their back teeth.  I also give them human baby food daily - I always have a packet or two of the dry food (creamy porridge oats, or a vegetable one) and mix a little with water, or I sometimes buy a small jar/tin of baby food (spaghetti bolognese or similar!) and give this.  The problem with giving the 'fresh' baby food is that you can end up wasting some as it only keeps a day or two in the fridge - because I have so many hamsters at any one time it isn't a problem for me as all the other hamsters sometimes get this as a treat!

The good thing about giving baby food is that it is full of nutrients and you will find he puts on weight with eating this.  However, it is also very important to keep the harder food available (in tiny pieces) to provide roughage and a chance for him to grind his teeth.

I'm sure that now he is in a better environment with someone who really cares about him that he will thrive.  With the right food and exercise he should start to look more healthy.  I think it is fantastic that you have given him a home - I always end up with the ones with things wrong (no teeth, no eyes, deaf, missing legs etc.) as they are often so hard to re-home because of the special care they need.

Good luck with this.

Regards

Hi KJ

I usually give about a teaspoon of soft food every night, in addition to small pieces of vegetables/nuts/seeds etc.  Regarding his nose - I don't know if there is anything you can do for this as such if it was due to injury.  My hamster with the dental problems and nose injury (the end of her nose was bitten off), often has a slightly snuffly nose - it seems to be fine and I haven't treated it at all.  If I felt that it was affecting her breathing, then I would probably put a little Olbas Oil on a cloth and place if near her cage.  If you do this, don't put it right up against the hamster as it is so strong smelling, but this helps ease a blocked nose.

Regarding trimming his teeth - would your vet teach you how to do this?  If you buy a pair of clippers like the vets and then take them along and see if they will supervise you, then this could be a way to learn.  It is quite easy - you have to be quick and firm with the hamster (I find that if I am unable to clip them one day I leave it until the next so I don't over-stress them), and you just need to make sure you haven't caught their mouth/tongue in the clippers before you actually cut!!!  If you can learn how to do this and you feel confident to try then it will save you a lot of money!