# How do my hedgies teeth look?



## hello_bunny (Jan 13, 2010)

Hi everybody!

This forum has been a great help for a new hedgehog owner like me. I've had my hedgie for about 3 months. He was about 2 years old when I adopted him. I am worried about my hedgehogs teeth. How do they look to you? Do I need to try some soft food with him?[attachment=0:g5nz8vlg]28591_1284677198118_1265784453_30662486_2296895_n.jpg[/attachment:g5nz8vlg]


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## Free2Dream (Aug 10, 2009)

I'm not an expert on hedgehog teeth, but has he been having problems eating solid food? In my experience, most hedgies won't eat soft food. (And by soft food I mean hard kibble that's been moistened... when Annabelle was sick and not eating I tried this with her, but she was having nooooone of it, haha.) And I don't know if dogs and cats are the same as hedgies in terms of their teeth, but I know that feeding cats and dogs wet food can actually be detrimental to their dental health and cause gum disease. Crunching on harder foods is good for their teeth though because it prevents tartar build up. I would keep him on dry food (unless he's having problems) and use wet food as an occasional treat, if he'll eat it.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

I don't have the best of eyes but to me his mouth don't look good,I would suggest a visit to the vets.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

His gums look red and there seems to be gum between the teeth which could mean he has gum overgrowth. His mouth looks very much like my Peaches did and she lived with gum overgrowth for almost the last year of her life. Gum overgrown may or may not be cancer. 

I'd take him to the vet.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I'd agree to take him to the vet. His gums look red, and it may just be the angle, but it looks like he is missing a few teeth and the others are worn down?


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

I think you're right LG about some teeth being worn down as well, it definitely looks like that.

Whenever I go to the vet, no matter what it is I'm in for, the first thing she always does is check my hedgehogs teeth and mouth since oral cancer is so predominant.

Just curious, can vets do tooth extractions/teeth cleaning on hedgehogs? 

I know there are also a lot of dental foods on the market (hill's T/D, medical dental, etc.) They aren't the most nutritious foods for hedgies because of the corn fillers, but I was also curious would it be okay to add a few chopped up pieces (the kibbles are too big to feed whole) into your hedgehog's diet if they were suffering from bad teeth? I know T/D would be safe because it uses fiber to clean the teeth, but medical dental has enzymes for breaking up tartar in it so I'm not sure if these would be safe for hedgies. 

Mine are all perfectly fine now, just a curiousity I had if it should ever come to them having bad teeth.


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