Gerbil - Problem Teeth

Question
They have a wood house and some small wood toys in the shape of vegetables. They used to love them, but seem to have lost interest in them. I will see what else I can find for them. Hopefully they will feel better soon. Thanks for your quick reply.
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Followup To

Question -
Shawntiah,

I have two male gerbils just under two years of age. I noticed Kramer had been losing weight and didn't seem to feel real well even though food was disappearing normally from his food bowl, so I started watching him more closely for several days. When I cleaned his cage, I discovered that the food I thought he was eating was just accumulating in his house and he was having problems eating. I took him to the vet to have have him looked at and she said he had broken off both top teeth and his bottom teeth had become overgrown and were rubbing his upper gums. Even though his teeth are broken, he still has "nubbins" on the top and should be able to resume eating normally. I came home with some liquid vitamins for him to give twice daily. I noticed my other gerbil was taking longer to eat than normal (but no weight loss) and decided I'd better take him in to be seen as well. He has the same problem with the broken top teeth and had his bottom teeth trimmed as well. They both are still having difficulty eating anything even though they run over to their bowls and rummage around and take food out. When I check what I thought they were eating, it doesn't appear to have been touched much if at all. Right now, I'm cracking seeds for them, but it doesn't seem to do much good. They are still grooming and run a little bit on their wheels, but not like normal. They seem to "wipe" at their mouths before and after seeing the vet.Could their mouths be sore from having their teeth trimmed? How long will it take their top teeth to grow back? Could their lack of interest in gnawing be depression, if so what can be done about it? I'm concerned if they aren't able to eat normally soon, I'll end up losing them. I bought some soft yogurt treats for them, but they won't touch them.

Any advice you can give me would be appreciated. I just want them to feel better.

Thanks,

Holly"

Answer -
what else do you have for them to chew on inside the cage? Do you have any chew treats for them to gnaw on, that really does help keep their teeth down and they also seem to love wood as well. I can't be for certain how long it will take for your gerbil's teeth to grow back, but it shouldn't take too long. Generally when gerbils stop chewing it does mean something is wrong, but it's probably because their top and bottom teeth weren't growing at the same rate or they were constantly chewing on the bars and they broke their teeth that way. If you just give it a little time they will start back to chewing normally, you know what I would try softer foods like veggies, mixed kind, and try to find other foods for them to eat that are softer until their teeth grow back, you gotta make sure that you remove any of the uneaten veggies. You can also put milk in their water bottle and that helps them gain weight too. Good luck and keep me posted.

Answer
since you said they were chewing and active before their teeth were broken, i'd say that as soon as their teeth start growing back they will be more active. right now they know something is wrong and they are having a really hard time chewing on anything so they just prefer not to eat. try a salt lick and a mineral as well that way they can lick both and some mineral and salt.