Trimming Nails/Teeth?

[lizmo1221]

How do you know if/when you need to trim nails and teeth? I have a feeling that Libra's nails are far too long (she won't let me take a picture, but they are so long that they have started breaking on her front paws) and last night Virgo started chewing on the cage bars, making a LOT of noise. I have a feeling she is trying to grind her teeth down. Some pics of normal vs long teeth/nails will be helpful (especially teeth pics, since I have NO idea what "normal" is).

Also, is there reccommended tools to use to do this, and a good technique. I would need to do it solo, since I am moving out into my own apartment in August, and need to learn how to do this on my own.

Related to that is prevention. I would rather not have to clip/trim at all. What should I put in the cage for them to scratch/chew so that they can do it all themselves that they would actually use?

 

I can help with pervention

Put bricks and rocks in their cage for nails.
For teeth, healthy rat's always keep thier teeth trimmed by bruxxing and eating blocks. But I do buy wood chews as well just ecause it's something a little extra
I clip my rat's nails with people nail clippers, once a month (only because I work with the public and cant have scratches all over my arms, lol). Although I have 2 rat's that chew and maintain their own nails.

As for teeth, your vet has to trim them, sometimes as often as once a week. If you think they have long teeth you should take a visit to the vet to really make sure they need to be trimmed :thumbup:

Edit: I only trim nails because I have too, if not needed I would not because it stresses them out.

 

[rodentmama]

Unless you rat is old or sick they don't need teeth trimmed. Just having things to chew is sufficient. You can buy a pumace stone that fits on the bars of the cage and some rats like to chew it. Mine have four by four pieces of wood as steps in the cage that they chew as well. If your rat is old and sick, you can trim teeth yourself. It is a bit tricky but I think ratguide.com has some photographic article to show you how. You can use toenail clippers or small "side cutters" like the nippers to nip wire. You just have to be sure the tongue is out of the way. When I did it I was always freaked out by it and often I'd take my rat to a friend who was a tech and very very good at it.

The bricks in the cage doesn't work for me, all my rats have long nails and I always have scratches. I'm sure long nails don't bother them at all. Tiny nail clippers meant for babies work well as you are less likely to cut too far back. Just the tips need to come off. Do a couple of toes and let them run, then do another couple. Most rats won't sit still for all of them to be clipped at once.

 

[xxchelle]

Her teeth were fine when she was here and fine, I assume, when she was in foster care. Some rats chew on cage bars just to chew, unfortunately, and it doesn't have to do with grinding their teeth down. Lab blocks as well as bruxxing will take care of grinding teeth down properly in a healthy rat.

As for nails, you could get a brick to put in the cage under the water bottle, as Ratty Momma said. If you're really concerned but don't want to clip, you could take a nail file and file them down.

If you're really concerned about teeth I'd be happy to pop by and check on their teeth for you

 

[Nekopan]

I use people clippers on my guys. I do the scratchy ones about every week or two. I find it's a two person job, but it can probably be done very gradually with only one person. Make sure you only take the white tip off and do not cut into the pink part - if you've ever cut the quick of a dog or cat, then you know how much it can bleed.

 

[Rachael]

They don't need any help keeping their teeth down.

A brick is worth a try but sometimes won't always work.

 

They don't need any help keeping their teeth down.

A brick is worth a try but sometimes won't always work.

I only buy wood chews cause they love them so much and it's something a lil extra

 

[Rachael]

Oh sorry, I didn't mean not to buy them. I do too and mine do love chewing, I just meant it's more of a toy for fun, not to keep their teeth down.

 

[lilspaz68]

A rat as you now know, keeps its teeth ground down by bruxxing. You don't have to worry about length so much as evenness of the teeth. Each top incisor is supposed to align with the bottom incisor and when a rat bruxxes it grinds them down evenly. When they don't align properly is when you have a malocclusion, and this means that teeth can grow unopposed. Teeth can grow like crazy when they are free to grow

Some rats look like their teeth are too long but its only the evenness of the teeth that truly matter.

Here's proper normal teeth...nice and healthy and orange...teeth can range from yellow to a dark orange with adults. Babies develop the tint over time. White teeth can mean issues.

Here is the normal splay a rat can do with its bottom incisors, once she's not splaying her teeth are nice and even. This is due to the jaw not being solid bone but connected at the front with a ligament allowing this splay for grasping things better in their teeth.

Mia's white teeth

Isabella's malocclusion developing

Malocclusion

 

[lizmo1221]

Thank you so much guys! If I can find a free brick anywhere I will put it in the cage, and I will buy them some wood chews or perhaps an edible hut for them. I`d much rather them chew on that than on the bars and wake me up again! lol

 

[rodentmama]

Thanks for the pics lil. A pic is worth a thousand words as they say. I've only had one rat that got old and had to have his teeth clipped. We also had a gerbil who lost one tooth and needed the other trimmed to stay even and I was too afraid to do it myself so I brought her to a petstore where they did it for $2. Mind you it was a really nice local petstore that knew animals and treated them well.