Last updated on February 8th, 2023 at 08:21 pm
Hamsters have strong teeth that help them grind food and break it into smaller pieces that help them get it into their digestive system more easily.
Hamsters’ teeth are constantly growing, and they are worn down by eating and chewing food, but sometimes they can break.
Hamsters can break their teeth when eating hard food like nuts or biting on cage bars.
What will happen if the hamster breaks a tooth?
When hamsters break a tooth they will have difficulty eating solid food until their tooth grows back. Hamster teeth grow all the time, regardless of whether they are broken, because they have open roots, the process of growing teeth is constantly repeated.
When hamsters have healthy and damaged teeth they will look different in size at first, but as the hamster eats they will wear down and should align themselves and get the same size.
In today’s article, you will learn how hamsters break their teeth, how dangerous it is for their health, and how to take care of them when they have broken teeth.
How bad are broken teeth for hamsters?
When hamsters have broken teeth, it is not at all good for their health, because they will not be able to bite and chew their food properly.
Long front teeth are necessary for hamsters to eat and live normally, these teeth are sharp and are very important for your pet.
Hamsters have 16 teeth, of which 12 are molars, and 4 are incisors, which are the most important to be able to grind food and make eating easier.
When hamsters have broken 4 incisors it can be a big problem because they will not be able to break down nuts, seeds, and similar food.
In addition to chewing and grinding food, hamsters’ teeth are important because with them they bite the roots of plants when they need to make tunnels in the wild.
The incisors also help hamsters when they need to defend themselves from predator attacks, and teeth in general are important so that hamsters don’t have problems with stress and boredom because when they break and eat food, it’s mental stimulation for them.
When hamsters have broken teeth it is not the same as when they have no teeth, but they still consider broken teeth to be their normal functioning, as well as what causes them pain.
What are the reasons for breaking teeth in hamsters?
When hamsters break their teeth it can happen for a number of reasons such as:
- when they are too long
- biting the bars of the cage
- when fighting with other hamsters
- eating solid food
- lack of certain ingredients in food
So let’s read together about each of these possible reasons for your little pet’s teeth breaking.
When they are too long
Hamsters naturally reduce their constantly growing teeth. They have open tooth roots which means their teeth never stop growing.
Hamsters reduce their teeth through food and biting on various objects, but sometimes this is missing and their teeth become overgrown.
When hamsters’ teeth are overgrown it is a big problem because every time they open and close their mouth the teeth will hit each other and this causes breakage and damage.
If your hamster’s teeth are overgrown then you should take your hamster to a vet who has special tools to reduce them.
We must mention that at home you cannot reduce their teeth, it must be done only by a veterinarian.
Biting the bars of the cage
One of the most common causes of teeth breaking or damage in hamsters is when they bite the cage bars.
Hamsters constantly bite the bars of the cage, in different situations such as the following:
- when they are bored
- to reduce stress
- simply for fun
- to escape from the cage
The bars of the cage are metal and strong and do not allow the hamsters to escape from it, which is fine, but it can also break or damage their teeth.
In addition to breaking teeth, hamsters can also get injuries to their mouths and faces.
When hamsters break their teeth they simply cannot function as they should and it can only cause stress and illness.
When fighting with other hamsters
When the hamsters start fighting among themselves, if we don’t separate them in time, their teeth can easily break.
When hamsters fight, they use their teeth and claws, which can seriously injure each other.
Hamsters such as Syrians like to live alone, while other breeds can live together, but it is not excluded that they fight and break their teeth.
Hamsters are territorial, which means they especially like to protect their territory and fight very seriously with other hamsters.
In order not to break the teeth of the hamsters, they should be kept separately, thus will prevent such unwanted moments and injuries.
Eating solid food
Eating hard food is a reason why hamsters break their teeth, but this can rarely be prevented.
Hamsters must eat hard food because their diet is mostly hard food and that’s why the teeth are damaged and broken.
Hamsters eat seeds, grains, pellets, and nuts, and in order to open the nuts they need their incisors, which can damage their teeth.
Most often, damage occurs first, and then to cracking and breaking of part of the teeth.
However, hamsters have to eat this kind of food and therefore it can often happen that they break their teeth, which we cannot prevent because they need this food to be able to feed themselves with the ingredients they need.
Lack of certain ingredients in food
When hamsters have insufficient nutrition with ingredients that are important for their teeth and in general for their overall health, their teeth break.
Hamsters need to ingest:
- calcium
- zinc
- magnesium
- iron
These ingredients, especially calcium, are important to have healthy and strong teeth that will not break easily.
But we must pay attention to the ingredients because if they take in too much calcium it leads to the deposition of this mineral and the formation of stones in the kidneys and bladder.
Therefore, the best solution is a varied diet with a certain amount of vitamins and minerals, which will reduce the possibility of breaking and damaging the teeth.
What to do when a hamster has broken teeth?
Knowing what to do when a hamster’s teeth are broken depends on which teeth are broken and to what extent.
One cutter is broken
If one of the incisors is broken and is a little shorter than the other incisors, it is not such a terrible problem because the hamster with the other healthy teeth will manage to bite and eat until the broken tooth grows back.
As long as only one tooth is broken, the hamster will manage to eat without any major difficulties.
Multiple incisors broken
A bigger problem is when the hamster has several incisors broken at once, then eating will be a big problem because it will not be able to bite and grind the food.
When the hamster breaks more incisors then you will have to help them to eat.
There are food mixes that can be found at the vet that you will need to feed your hamsters until their teeth grow.
In doing so, you will have to use a syringe in which you will put the liquid or a mixture for critical care of hamsters and gradually put it in their mouth.
When feeding like this, you will need to do it slowly so that the hamster has enough time to swallow the liquid.
For a hamster with several broken teeth, you will have to make a puree of seeds, pellets, and vegetables, and fruits so that it can easily swallow and enter them into its organism.
How to check if a hamster has broken teeth?
When hamsters have broken teeth it can be noticed when they are eating, you will notice that they have difficulty biting and chewing their food.
To see their teeth and do a checkup, you will need to do the following steps:
- Take the hamster out of the cage and hold it with both hands.
- One hand should be under their body, and the other hand on top of the hamster.
- Lay the hamster gently on its back.
- To check their teeth you will need to pull back the skin from the back of the neck, causing the hamster to open its mouth and you will see its teeth.
Will my hamster’s teeth grow back?
Yes, the teeth, not the hamsters, will grow back, it is a process that is constantly repeated because they have open roots.
Hamsters’ teeth are one of the most important organs because, apart from eating, they also protect them from predators and help them dig tunnels and clear the space of plants and roots.
When a hamster’s tooth is broken, it grows again, but inappropriate growth may occur, that is, the teeth may not be even.
Teeth that have been broken may grow in the same or different size than other teeth.
But that’s why food, cage bars, and objects in their cage help them to level out and be the same size.
Read more: Can A Hamster Survive A Broken Leg? Let’s Discover
How long does it take for hamsters’ teeth to grow?
Hamsters’ teeth grow very fast, or rather about 1 mm per day, which is roughly equal to the time it takes for human nails to grow.
The rate of growth of their teeth also depends on their activity and biting and eating their food.
For example, when hamsters chew wooden toys in their cage, then the teeth grow at a slower pace because with such objects they are constantly reducing them.
FAQs
Why are hamster teeth white?
The natural color of hamsters’ teeth needs to be yellow and orange. When your hamsters have white teeth something is wrong. The issue can be damaged teeth, or maybe suffering from malnutrition.
How do you fix hamster teeth?
When hamster teeth need to be fixed, a pair of suture scissors is needed to clip their overgrown incisors. But this must be done very carefully because if teeth are clipped too short it can cause pain and stress to your hamster. This treatment is best done with a veterinary.
Can you get the hamster’s teeth removed?
When a hamster’s incisors are overgrown you must take your pet to the vet to trim them and extract them from the roof of the hamster’s mouth. Veterinarians also probably will prescribe some antibiotics for protection against the infection possibility.
Conclusion
Hamsters very often damage and break their teeth, especially the incisors.
There are 4 incisors and they are the most important teeth to make it easier to crush and grind food.
When hamsters break a tooth it affects their eating and causes problems until the broken tooth grows back.
Hamsters’ teeth are constantly growing, so it is necessary to reduce them all the time with the help of food and objects in their cage.
Finally, the teeth of hamsters are one of the most important organs, and therefore they should have a varied diet rich in calcium and other minerals and vitamins, with which they will have healthier and stronger teeth.
