Harlan NOT enough?!!!

[Sharlees rattakisses]

I just took 3 of my 8 rattakisses to the vet and was told that they have splayed front teeth that are loose because of a vitamin c deficiency :shock: I was told that with Harlan you didn't need to give vitamines because it was included in the food pellets. I didn't have Harlan for a couple of weeks and fed them seeds and katey's. Would this have done the vitamin C damage or do they need vitamines with there Harlan? I'm confused!! :gaah:

 

[lilspaz68]

Umm...I think your vet has a bit of a screw loose? :lol:

Harlan is perfectly balanced and I am sure you feed supplements like the rest of us like veggies, etc.

Are the boys related?

I know when rats get older the calcium can leach for their bones making their jaw "rubbery" so that they develop malocclusion, but young boys like that? Nawwww.

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

Tobi is the daddy and then there is Cloud, Rube, Reggie, Philbert as well as sister Whisper with Mom Sonora and not related by blood is Delilah. They get veggies and fruit but maybe not enough? I give it twice to three times a week. Daily was giving them sloppy poops.

 

[ryelle]

from your other post im agreeing with shelagh 100%. Did you get chance to look at their teeth before he attacked them with the trimmers? Did they look splayed or feel lose?

Anybody know how valuable VitC is to a rat anyways? and would VitC be related to Jaw/teeth issues??

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

They were splayed but I couldn't tell if they were loose cause he wouldn't let me touch them.

 

[lilspaz68]

Were they uneven? Did they align up with each other properly?
If he said the bottom teeth were splayed, that is natural as they use it to bite down on things. Their jaw on the bottom is not solid bone, its connected by a small flexible piece of ligament so splaying is normal.

Rats do not get scurvy, and I am wondering if your vet knows more about guineapigs who MUST have vitamin C in their diet...its vital to them.

 

[Moon]

Yes, bottom teeth can look very spaced out at times, because they move independently.

Take a look at their teeth for yourself.. the top should be close together, and the bottom can have a large gap or even move in different directions depending on the angle of their mouths when you look.

Your vet may need a refresher course on rat health basics.

 

[jorats]

Harlan is certainly 100% nutritional for rats. It's exactly what the University of Guelph feeds their in house rodents.
A two week span of seed mix should not have caused the damage either. I'm guessing it's genetics.

 

[Lise]

I would find a new vet.

Rats are able to synthesize their own vitamin C -- they are NOT guinea pigs, and do NOT need vitamin C supplements.

Like others have said, the teeth are often a bit splayed and there is nothing wrong with that.