| Teeth Colour, Malocclusion, Overgrowth.
May look bad to you but this is colour they should be. They should also be straight and in alignment Important! Please be aware teeth should be  orange coloured and can grow 5.5 - 6.5 cmor (2½ - 3 inches) per year!!!
What to look for if you think your chinchilla has uneven teeth. I make no apoligy for not having a pic of my own to show you as I haven't as yet had any tooth problems in chinchillas I have bred. I guess its all that fresh untreated pine my chinchillas chew one and careful management of gene history. | 
really bad tooth overgrowth!!! This pic courtesy of Suki's rescue. Sue has now retired due to health problems |
A few links to tooth problem discussions which may help other members to better understand Overgrowth or the dreaded Malocclusion disease, how quickly it takes hold and advice and treatment given by vet. a vet specialising in dental work and recommended by NCS does referrals too
SIGNS OF MALOCCLUSION Often the first sign is the chinchilla crumbling the pellets. Rather like a child nibbling a cookie or biscuit and crumbs dropping everywhere. You may also notice if you are an observant owner that they are not eating so much hay nowadays. You may also notice that due to their inability to eat their droppings will become much smaller. The condition of the chinchilla from then on seems to go downhill. Often you may start to notice the wet mouth and the wet fur under the chin. From there a rapid slide to weepy eyes. At this point the chinchilla is in a really bad stage. The eyes watering is a sign that the roots and growing up into the eye socket and pressing against the eyes, thus causing irritation. Some case if neglected will even grow up and into the brain! I give all my chinchillas a dental check regularly. This is done by Dave holding the chinchilla while I check. I find it easier that way, I use my thumbs to lift the top lip. This allows me to check the alignment of the front insisors from the front view and check how they look from the side. Note too a this point what colour the teeth are. They should be orange. Orange is a sgn enough calcium is being given but not a sign of 'no' tooth overgrowth as some owners think! see the pic of overgrowth above. I also due a jawline check to feel for any bumps along the jawbone. ( a chin does have one small natural bump each side, this is disregarded) This method takes practice. I was taught years ago by an elder breeder. He taught me how to run my thumb along the jaw ect. I am not going into details here as I believe it is better to learn how to do this by seeing it done rather than reading it. I also don't want to panic people into thinking their chinchilla has malocclusion when perhaps the chin just has a weepy eye from a bit of dust or infection which will clear up with antibiotic medication. If your chinchillas has a weepy eye? first have it examined by a vet. If you live near me? I often check teeth for owners depending on how they describe the conditions
A good tip from me: when a chinchilla stops chewing or gnawing on their wooden shelves or wood ledges on floor? throw the shelves out and replace. Given new fresh untreated pine they will again resume gnawing and chewing the new wood. Same goes for apple branches etc. Get rid of them and buy new ones when the chinnies stop gnawing on them. This can only do good as they need this gnawing to keep their teeth worn down. In the wilds a chinnie seeks new fresh roots etc to chew on daily, therefore its up to you to supply this need for fresh wood to chew on. OLD STALE WOOD. NEW FRESH TASTY WOOD It is becoming generally accepted that chewing on stone and other very hard objects can often do more harm than good as it causes chips and damage to teeth, Far better spter wood such as unteeated blocks of pine or apple branch. However hay is the best of all as the sideways jaw action of chewing does wear down those molars at back which are for most of the time hidden from our eyes
There's also a page here with some excellent reading from David A David Crossley BVetMed MRVCS who is an English based veterinary surgeon with a special interest in dentistry. He apparently does referrals and is located at THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTRE 511 WILBRAHAM ROAD, CHORLTON, MANCHESTER M21 0UB Tel: 0161 881 3329 kingdomchinchillas@hotmail.com telephone Aileen or add to message board if not emergency (overseas use 44 country code before dialling) mobile - 7519489574 between 7:30pm - 9:30pm emergency anytime up until 11pm uk time zone
updated 4th feb 04 | 
