Tempting things to help wear down teeth?

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adakitties

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I have a boy who's a little over a year and a half. I've noticed his teeth are growing and I was wondering if anyone knew anything tempting to give to him to help wear them down. He's not a huge fan of toys but he chews on them occasionally (I'm assuming when his teeth get a little long for him) but he doesn't chew on them consistently. I do give him an assortment of nuts in the shell but he seems to be bored of those. I give him chicken bones but he seems to be bored of those as well. He does brux often and doesn't currently seem to have any issues chewing, but I'd like to avoid the vet as much as possible so I'd like to take care of that now. Thank you.
 
I used those stones for chewing. They look porous (I want to say pumice stone...) and I applied a VERY thin smear of Wow butter, just enough to have a small amount in the little crags in the stone. They went bananas for it.
 
Sarahsheartrats said:
I used those stones for chewing. They look porous (I want to say pumice stone...) and I applied a VERY thin smear of Wow butter, just enough to have a small amount in the little crags in the stone. They went bananas for it.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I'll certainly try that, not sure how much he'll like it considering he's very picky, but I'll certainly give it a try.
 
Rats do not need anything to wear their teeth down .... rats brux - grind their teeth together, and this natural grinding keeps them worn down. However, if their teeth become misaligned then they will be unable to keep them worn down and they will need to be trimmed. The teeth look fine to me but Jorats and lilspaz68 could give you a better idea

Here is some information from an excellent, vet approved site http://ratguide.com/health/digestive/malocclusion.php
 
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SQ said:
Rats do NOT need anything to wear their teeth down .... rats brux - grind their teeth together and this natural grinding keeps them worn down. However if their teeth become misaligned then they will be unable to keep them worn down and they will need to be trimmed. The teeth look fine to me but Jorats and lilspaz68 could give you a better idea

Here is some information from an excellent, vet approved site http://ratguide.com/health/digestive/malocclusion.php
Click to expand...

In my years of raising rats, I have found prevention to be better than cure. Detecting misalignment of teeth is difficult and usually only becomes apparent once malocclusion occurs. Veterinary studies such as https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
suggest aging rats can develop dental issues. Getting them in the habit of tooth trimming by chewing is a good idea while they are young.
 
When Mike was picking up our rats in Toronto, he was surprised to see the breeder putting leftover rib and chicken bones in the cages. Bones for rats! I never thought of that. But apparently they enjoy gnawing them to stubs, and eat the marrow out of them and all.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! Are pork and lamb bones okay for rats? I hear mixed opinions. Like I said, I am pretty sure his teeth are fine right now. I just want to avoid the vet as much as possible to prevent stress.
 
I think all bones are fine. Maybe not fish bones. Those are nasty. Our breeder says that even humans were designed to eat bones (not just muscle meat). That the reason humans are sickly because of lacking the trace minerals only found in bones. She has a degree in Anthropological science, and designs nutrition regimens for horses, so she could tell you better than me. We've been thinking about bone broth for ourselves too now.
 
Giving bones or stones is not going to prevent health issues
and while some give cooked bones, it is not necessarily a healthy thing to do.

Tiffanykei, your breeder has a degree in the history of cultural and social human development, not in nutrition. Recent scientific research into nutrition shows that the consumption of animals and animal products is harmful to human health. Research also shows that rats need low protein from plant sources, although many people feed rats animal protein research shows that it does cause health issues in rats

Sarahsheartrats your link in not going to an article. Yes aging rats can develop misaligned teeth, but bruxing is all they need to do to keep their teeth ground down, chewing other things will not prevent teeth from becoming misaligned and if they become misaligned then they need to have teeth trimmed - gnawing on other things is not going to help
 
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Those teeth look perfectly normal aligned. Rats brux to keep their teeth ground down. But as SQ says if there's any misalignment of the teeth they won't grind properly on the opposing incisor and can grow unevenly or even grow unopposed. Think of it this way. Rescue rats I have picked up who lived their entire lives in tanks with nothing but seed mix will have normal teeth. Giving rats things to chew is more for mental stimulation as they are natural chewers. If you give bones, give them sparingly, as too much protein is harmful long term to rats. A low protein, low sugar,low fat and low sodium diet gives them the best chance to live to their full life span.
 
As long as teeth are even across they are fine. These are normal teeth

Zoeysteethsep27.jpg


Same rat showing the natural normal splay of bottom incisors (there is a ligament that connects the bottom of the jawbone so their teeth can splay to grip things better). The bottom incisors go back together. A lot of people mistake this for malocclusion but it's not.

Mattiesnormalsplayedteeth.jpg
 
That makes me feel much better, thank you! I knew that bruxing was used to wear down teeth, but I thought that wood also played a big part in it. Good to know. It just seemed like his teeth were getting a little longer than usual, but I probably just looked at it funny and got kind of panicked. I appreciate the info!

I don't give bones very often, generally only when we have some leftover chicken.
 
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SQ said:
Giving bones or stones is not going to prevent health issues
Click to expand...
Huh? I thought the thread asked what keeps teeth down, not what prevents health issues? There are no chewables that I can think that prevent health issues, but you are the experts, so please explain. Thankyou in advance
 
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Honestly, rats really don't need anything to chew on for their teeth. They maintain their teeth by themselves by bruxxing. Although, some do enjoy chewing on blocks and such. Be careful with bones, they can splinter. Also, another word of caution, I had a girl once choke on the grizzle left on the bone. She survived but it was a close call.
 
Quote "Huh? I thought the thread asked what keeps teeth down, not what prevents health issues? There are no chewables that I can think that prevent health issues, but you are the experts, so please explain. Thankyou in advance "

I was replying to suggestions made on this thread
 
SQ said:
Giving bones or stones is not going to prevent health issues
and while some give cooked bones, it is not necessarily a healthy thing to do.

Tiffanykei, your breeder has a degree in the history of cultural and social human development, not in nutrition
Click to expand...
Who told you this? From the information you have providing, you don't sound like you know them. Our breeder (and rescuer) is Emergent Rattery. They also come up as Zen Rattery in searches. I don't know who you are thinking of?
 
SQ said:
Giving bones or stones is not going to prevent health issues
and while some give cooked bones, it is not necessarily a healthy thing to do.

Tiffanykei, your breeder has a degree in the history of cultural and social human development, not in nutrition
Click to expand...
Who told you this? From the information you have providing, it don't sound like you know them. Our breeder (and rescuer) is Emergent Rattery. They also come up as Zen Rattery in searches. I don't know who you are thinking of?
 

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