Clean healthy teeth are usually directly related to diet. Unless there
is some sort of occlusion issue or jaw malformation ; the biggest
contributor to poor oral health is an improper diet- usually a starchy
kibble diet. Or a soft food/soup diet.

Starches are sugars which bacteria enjoy feeding upon. Starches and
soft foods stick to the teeth and get packed into the gum line. Then
the bacteria get to have a field day.

Continued build up of this bacterial sludge turns to tartar, then to
calculus and will eventually invade the tooth enamel and even erode
the jaw bone! The easiest way to clean teeth is to convert the ferret
to a natural diet. Or at the very least get it to eat chicken necks.

As the teeth cleave through the skin and sinews of the neck they get
gently cleaned right up to and above the gum line. As the meat gets
chewed from the bones the teeth get gently scraped clean.

The tiny ligaments that tie the teeth to the jawbone become
strengthened and the gums will eventually bond closer to the teeth.

I've seen it happen on multiple ferrets of all ages, with varying
stages of poor oral health. It does take a little time. If there is a
lot of build up you may want to get a jump start on the cleaning by
taking the ferret to a vet.

Don't be surprised if the ferret's first attempt at chewing on the
chicken neck results in bleeding gums. Just as a vet's cleaning will
cause bleeding gums too.

The upside is that the chicken necks will also nourish your ferret as
well as offer good oral health!

So yes, your ferret may need vet care and YES you can fix this on your
own!

No amount of manual brushing will offer the multiple benefits for good
oral health that a proper diet offers.

Good luck!
Kim

[Posted in FML 7098]