Excerpts from mail: 20-Feb-93 Ferret List Issue 421 by Ferret Mailing
List@ferr
> From:   Nancy Hartman <[log in to unmask]>
> RE teeth cleaning:  Urban, get a tooth scalar (a metal instument to
> scrape teeth, like a dentist uses).  About every 6 months or
> whenever needed scrape all the tartar off their teeth.  If you
> can't find one at the pet stores, ask your dentist if he has an
> old one that he doesn't need any more.
 
I'd like to add a little to Nancy's excellent advice. I bought a tooth
descalar from UPCO Catalog for around five or six dollars. *doing* it is
a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I've managed to do it. I
looked at my babies' teeth one day and was horrified to see how brown
the back ones were. They are fed exclusively dry food, so that's not a
complete preventative. This is how I did it:
 
I sit on the right side of my couch with a bright light focussed onto
the arm. I have Ferretone on hand for post-scraping rewards. Grasp
ferret *VERY firmly* by scruff; press side of head against stuffed arm
of couch; slide de-scaler above plaque just under gum line and push
against tooth and pull down (towards bottom of tooth) with a quick
motion. If done correctly (and you're lucky) the plaque will flake off
leaving a gleaming white tooth. Pay most attention to tooth where it
connects to gum, as this is where it causes the gum problems.
 
My ferret's gums were swollen and red before I did this. They bled, the
ferret squeaked and I felt awful, wondering what I'd done. I slipped
once and cut her gum. I did one tooth, rewarded her with Ferretone, and
put her back in the cage (after cuddling her for a while). I was AMAZED
the next morning to find no swelling, no cut, no redness -- nothing. So
I was greatly relieved to see I hadn't damaged her, and that it actually
was a good thing.
 
So now I periodically spend a week doing one tooth at a time (while
fantacizing about ferret straight jackets). They've gotten to where they
don't exactly like it, but know it will only take a second and they get
Ferretone. Sometimes, if it's gone well, I'll do another tooth the same
evening.
 
One problem: I cannot get to the inside of the tooth. Does plaque build
up there? (it does on *my* teeth) How on earth do you get to it without
putting the ferret's head in a vice?!?! I usually have to do this alone,
but it does seem to help to have a second person doing the
scruff-and-stuff routine for you. It doesn't help a *lot*, but it does
help some. I feel like I have either one too many or one too few hands,
and both of them are of the wrong variety. :)
 
Nancy: Do you have any suggestions? I'd love to improve my ... ahem ...
technique (loosely called). I'm worried about leaving the little brown
splotches in the crevices on the sides, but I just can't seem to get it
out. I'd even thought about trying my rotary power tool with some
appropriate bit, but the thought of hurting the ferret has kept me from
doing that. The tool does have variable speeds (I would think that slow
would do less damage if you slip, but high-speed dentist tools don't
hurt as much as low-speed, so I'm befuddled).
 
I, too, have wondered about brushing the teeth. If you scruff them
tightly, mine open their mouths automatically. Would this help (to
brush)? Are ferrets like dogs where human toothpaste is bad for them?
Baking soda is supposed to be good for people, but I'm not sure I'd want
all that salty stuff getting into their systems. (how would you rinse
out a ferret's mouth?) And would all this be more traumatic than just
doing the descaling?
 
An interesting dilemma.
 
--Barb--
 
[Posted in FML issue 0423]