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[trillianh]

He won't eat rose hips or Vit C chewables, or fresh fruits, so how can I get him the Vit C needed for tooth repair??? He recently had to have his teeth trimmed because of overgrowth  and the coloring is good but I have never given him Vit C and lately I have been researching and it seems it is widely accepted that they need it. So any ideas on what I can give him with Vit C is greatly appreciated.

I have ordered new hay, pumice stones, bark etc. to ensure we do not need another vet trip!

Thanks!

[jmdebb]

different types of hay are also good because it will wear down the back teeth some safe ones are:

botanical, meadow, oat, brome and a few others.

[ABC Chinchillas]

Vitamin c will not help teeth that are overgrown. It is a misconception that chinchilla s need extra vitamin c like ginipigs. If he has teeth problems he will need filings. and he will need xrays to check for root growth. You may also want to start weighing him with a gram scale weekly to make sure he doesn't start to lose weight. Good feed, good hay and fresh water along with lots of things to chew on is what a chinchilla needs.

[trillianh]

Yes he gets plenty of types of hay, good pellets, Mazuri is what he will eat. He also gets tons of different kinds of safe woods to chew on. I know it will not help with his teeth overgrowing but Vit C helps his teeth from "floating" and strengthens the connective tissue. His weight is good and steady.

So anybody know some good chin safe sources for Vit C?

[ABC Chinchillas]

Most breeders and Ranchers do not give the chinchillas vit C... I have never heard the term floating???

[jmdebb]

i've also heard some people say that vit c helps, and some people say it doesn't.

star is a rep breeder, so i would trust what she has to say.

what i would do is keep giving all types of chews, not just wood, but try lava items, pumice, and like i suggested earlier, different hays for the back teeth.. they are just as important.

not to sound like a jerk, but once when i had my chins teeth checked, my vet told me she never saw teeth look so good on a chin and i do rotate all the different hays/grasses.. they are different in toughness, if that is the right word, and so they chew in differen patterns so it keeps everything worn good in the back...

i'm not saying that by doing this you will never have a problem again, but it will definately help alot.

best of luck

[trillianh]

So here is a resource that shows Vit C is actually a very good idea, although many on here seem to disagree. I also found out that chins will not keep to much Vit C in their systems so you can not overdose. On chincare.com they show many different breeders, rescues etc. that do believe Vit C is a good idea and since it can't hurt why not? I have also established he is not Calcium deficient.

http://www.chincare.com/HealthLifestyle/DentalCalC.htm#vitc

I give him TONS to chew on, several different types of hay, 5 different kinds of wood, pumice in every shape so I will just be supplementing with Vit C. He is just SO picky.

By "floating" I mean the teeth are open-rooted, they are not set in the bone like human teeth. They are only attached with connnective tissue, which can be strenghthened by Vitamin C.

Has anyone given their chins strawberries I know they have a ton of Vit C and not too much sugar.

I really don't mean to be a brat, I just want to do everything I can to keep him healthy and since Vit C can't hurt and many think it is a good idea I though someone might know some other food options for my picky boy

[ABC Chinchillas]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I don't trust that site personally. too much bad/wrong information that could actually kill a chinchilla... Fruit is not good for chinchillas (veggies either) You actually get vitamin C from sunlight so with natural light you get what you need....

[ABC Chinchillas]

I should say not all detal issues are genetic..some is deficiency but root growth is genetic, there is a ton of research out there. It is a recessive gene. Dental issues that can be corrected do not involve root growth, Once the roots start growing down into the jaw or up into the Jaw that is sadly not corectable and you delay the inevitable

[jmdebb]

i'm definately not a pro on this subject, but seeing as you do give him all this stuff, maybe it is a genetic thing.


i know he doesn't like rosehips, but what about crushed rosehips... of course they taste the same, but i'm just wondering if maybe he doesn't like the shape or something silly like that... just a suggestion, sorry not a great one, but i thought i would pass it along.

[dianah]

Dental issues that can be corrected do not involve root growth, Once the roots start growing down into the jaw or up into the Jaw that is sadly not corectable and you delay the inevitable

This is not true. If the root is positioned where it can be removed without affecting other systems, removing it (and possibly part of jaw bone as quite often the only way to remove it is from the outside) corrects the problem. The consequent problem is that the teeth will not grow - and wear down - at the same rate since the rootless tooth will stop growing but this means you'll have to get the overgrowing tooth filed regularly.
I'm not saying this is possible in every case (and I would imagine it would be very hard to do if it's growing upwards) but it's not true that all chins with overgrowing roots are condemned to death.

Vit C - I know you've mentioned chewable vit c tablets but have you tried standard hard tablets? I supplemented Fluffy when she was pregnant and she just took it off me and ate it. I know that lots of people also say that fresh veg is not a great idea for chins because of bloat, however, the newest research suggests this is usually caused by lack of fibre rather than fresh veg. My chins actually get fresh spinach or kale simply because when i got my first one, my vet gave me a list of things to feed them. I have six and five of them get fresh veg (only got the sixth one a week ago and she needs a lot of tlc and not too many change in diet at the moment) and i've never had a problem. they only get a tiny bit like, 2-3 leaves.

I recently stumbled across this website http://www.chinchillas4life.co.uk/diet.html - you may find that interesting as it describes a died of dried veg and herbs adapted from wild chin diet that's helped their chin who had teeth problems.

One more thing - pellets are fortified with vit c, however, it goes within a couple of months after opening the packet so if your pack lasts for longer than that, you could get smaller size or chuck it and open a new one.

Good luck! I just got a rescue chin a week ago that has a huge overgrowing root. At the moment, she needs to put weight on before we can even do an xray and she was fed so much rubbish before she came to us that she's not sure what it is she should be eating. But I really do hope that we can help her. xx

[dianah]

there are also two stories about chins with dental problems and change in diets (one to include green leafy veg, one to include dried veg) in here

http://www.chinchillas4life.co.uk/basil.html

[trillianh]

Good news, my baby has definitely warmed up to the vit c tablets and now practically rips them from my hand. When I grab the bottle and he hears the shake he runs up and down his cage in anticipation! I also purchased him some good quality bluegrass and timothy hay from Kleenmama's hayloft http://www.kmshayloft.com/catalog/index.php and his teeth seem to be doing good the outside, soon he will go to the vet for an x-ray to confirm this.

The idea of adding veggies, dried or otherwise is very interesting and if my baby needs more help I will definitely look into this.

Thanks all for the suggestions, I know we may not all agree but one thing is clear we love our chins and only want the best for them!

[dianah]

fantastic news! yay!

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I treated a maloccluded chin for 6 years.
I followed the advice of my vet, and other well known chin folks on the net by giving him vit.c. to help strengthen his gums and the ligaments that hold in the teeth.
He had trims every 3-4 months after each bout of not eating. Followed by a couple of weeks of syringe feedings to soft food to back to eating pellets & hay.
He was not a normal happy healthy little guy and each attach and round of trims took more and more out of him. We finally decided after 6 years he'd had enough.
Does malocclusion mean a premature death sentence. Sure it does, and it definitely takes away from their quality of life. There is no cure.

What works for some will not work for others.
Does vit.c help? I felt it did or I wouldn't have gotten 6 years of trims out of Coady.
Each of us have to decide what we and our chinchillas can handle when dealing with illness.
I would never put another chin through what I put Coady through.Thankfully I haven't had to decide since.