Taking Care of Ferret Teeth
All animals are touchy when it comes to examining their teeth. The same holds true for ferrets. Rest assured your ferret won’t be sitting quite while you check up his teeth. However, ferret teeth just like ours, need efficient oral care.
Ferrets` teeth are snowy white. When they begin to get colored, you know there is a problem. Since ferrets are habituated to eat soft foods they have a higher tendency to develop plaque and tartar. The teeth turn yellow with interspersed brown spots. Gums can get infected if the tartar builds up. The gums will gradually recede and ultimately the infected tooth would fall off.
Examining the teeth of your pets is very important. If you have not checked their teeth for sometime, look for signs of swelling of the jaw line. Your pet ferret may like to nip you while you examine ferret teeth. Ferret gums are pink in color and turn white, gray or bluish when infected. Bleeding gums means there is Gingivitis. If the ferret develops dental infection it can very quickly spread over to the whole body and cause serious diseases.
If your pet ferret displays the above symptoms, you need to take him to the vet for an thorough check up. The vet will examine the mouth for any problems of the teeth and other gum infections. He would clean the pet after duly anaesthetizing and spraying the mouth with antibacterial solutions. Vets would also remove the tartar with an ultrasonic scalar.
Examine the mouth of a ferret puppy is relatively easy, and you can do this regularly. As a puppy it will quickly get used to the mouth examinations. So, when you examine, be gentle since these are gentle pets and require careful handling. It is recommended to use a toothbrush for better results.
A little oral care for your pet can go a long way. It helps in maintaining hygiene and good health.