First let me say that dental health is as important to the long life of your
ferret as the food you feed them, and the love and care you give.  I've
found that it is an often overlooked area in ferret health.  Most simply
don't know that it's required.
 
Ferret teeth cleaning is a fairly simple process.  Depending on how bad the
tarter build-up is, you can use your fingernail or a dental scraper like you
see at a dentist's office to remove it.  You'll need one person to scruff
the ferret while the other scrapes the tater off.  Use a downward motion
starting at the gumline with light pressure.  If you don't feel comfortable
with this you can contact any of your local ferret shelter's for assistance.
 
I don't reccomend having a vet perform this procedure as it can be costly
and dangerous to your animal as most vets will not scrape your animals teeth
without first administering anesthesia, which can cause a fatal reaction in
your ferret.  Check with your vet to see if they are willing to do it "in
office" without anesthisia.
 
There are two great articles in Modern ferret issues #8 & #9 on teeth
brushing and dental scraping for reference.
 
For those of you in Northern Ca, I'll be at the Ferret Anonymous Round Up on
the 22nd and will be teaching dental health as well as doing dental scraping
for those ferrets that need it.  Hope to see you there!
 
For all others.  Fell free to e-mail me should you have questions or need
help with your ferrets teeth.  :)
 
SunFerret
[Posted in FML issue 1872]