What are your gerbil's teeth like?

[niffler]

Alright people, heres a question which calls for some interaction between you and your gerbils! :)

I'd like to know: what are your gerbil's teeth like? Do they (top and bottom incisors) meet, or does one pair lie behind the other? How long would you say the incisors are (estimate in millimetres!)?

The reason I'm asking is that I've been checking the mouths of my boys regularly, and the top and bottom incisors dont appear to meet. Both sets are perfectly straight and they are eating and chewing cardboard happily, but I'm concerned that they may get too long. I'm not sure if its just the way I hold them whilst I examine them that their teeth are in the position they are, so thought I'd ask everyone to get a general idea of what is 'normal'! I've already asked a vet and he said just to keep an eye on it, so that wasnt terribly useful :)

[floppy]

Most vets aren't very useful when it comes to gerbils!
It's quite difficult to tell exactly how long your gerbils teeth are because a big part of them are hidden in the mouth. The best way to see them is when the gerbil yawns. As far as I can tell, my gerbils teeth don't meet either, I think this is normal because I have over 40 gerbils and most of them are like this! The bottom ones seem to lie behind the top ones...hope this helps!

I'm sure you'll know if their teeth get too long, they won't want to chew paper/card and they will stop eating. Just keep an eye on them if you're worried. Can you post a photo? If it does look like they are too long then I suggest you start looking for a vet who DOES know something about rodents. The vet should be able to trim them down. Make sure you give them plenty of wooden toys to chew on, that should keep their teeth nice and trim! Paper and card are not enough.

[Jakamoko]

I find it quite difficult to know how long the teeth should be, and so I am guessing that, should there be any problems you will know by them a) not being able to chew (as mentioned by Floppy) and b) not eating and so there will be sudden weight loss.

Although I do try to check the teeth, my gerbils won't open their mouths for me to take a proper full look, instead I can slightly see them, and I also lift their lips up to see they are in line etc.

When giving paper and cardboard I will watch the gerbils for a few seconds or so to make sure they can chew it, I also provide each tank with wood to gnaw on, as well as mineral blocks. Adding in things like dried dog or cat biscuits, should also add variation to their food and aid in the trimming process.

[Padfoot]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/padfoot82/Gerbils/Kuzco_15.jpg
Nope, they don't meet... LOL

[niffler]

Thanks for all your replies :) Its good to know the incisors dont naturally meet afterall! I am able to open the mouths of my gerbils and the teeth do look fine - I'm not really concerned about overgrowing as they get plenty of things to chew, but just that they happen to have a jaw/dental malformity. The problem with teeth trimming is that most vets will clip gerbil teeth (with nail clippers) which can shatter the tooth as opposed to using the burr on the dental machine (as they would with larger furries). By the time gerbils stop eating etc their teeth would be quite deformed, so I thought I'd just check with other gerbil owners to see what was the norm and get any potential problem seen to earlier rather than later.