Overgrown Chinchilla Tooth

Question
My chinchilla is an old little man (11 years) and in fine health save for his teeth.  He has three remaining, two in the back and one incisor in the front.  I've taken him to the vet, where she anesthetized him and filed down the front tooth that was causing an ulceration.  Problem is, he has no way of grinding that tooth down since he has no other front teeth to help him (anything that would grind it down would irritate his gums).  What am I to do?  He drools horribly, which causes the fur on his chest to mat together and form painful dreadlocks that pull at his skin.  I don't think I'd be able to grind it down myself at all and I can't continuously take him to the only exotic vet within a 50 mile radius of where I live.  Do I have any options?

Thank you.

Answer
It sounds like your chinchilla MAY have a condition called Malocclusion. Some of the signs of Malo are there although this may not be the case ofcourse...Drooling, finding it hard to eat etc.

Obviously, he wouldn't be able to eat if he already has irritated gums. You could get boil up some water, pour it over his pellets so it forms into a paste then syringe feed it to him. Although, he sounds as if he is a lot of pain all the time with these teeth. Teeth are one of the biggest issues with chinchillas, unfortunately.

I can't offer any...longterm advice for this so maybe consider calling your exotic vets...or even call around to a few JUST to see what they say so you can make your mind up with what to do. You wouldn't want him to be suffering.

I am sorry...Just try syringe feeding him, nursing him etc. and any other things you would think would keep him comfortable until you decide what to do.

Please update me.

Thanks,

Mae.