DF - Water Bottles and Dwarfs

[jeannie]

DF, now that you have dwarfs, I've been meaning to tell you that I had some problems with those water bottles with the red tops and the dwarfs. Phoenix and Phoebe kept breaking their teeth, and the problems stopped once I quit using those water bottles. I think it's something to do with the size of their teeth and the angle at which they tended to drink from those bottles. I just wanted to give you the warning, because trimming dwarf teeth can be a pain, because they are so active. (I've had many a vet visit for this purpose.)

[Die Fledermaus]

I got up at this ungodly hour to read that?! I'm going back to sleep! How did you even notice the teeth were broken? So you want angled water spouts? If they break, why do they need trimming; I thought trimming was for overgrown teeth?

You know those QQ bottlles hang loose? I don't even see how they could get a bite on them, especially considering the size of their mouths and the roundness of the spouts. (?). Maybe they do something with the valve thingee.

I'm confused, and sleepy. Outta here.

[jeannie]

I think a tiny tooth would get caught inside the valve during their effort to get water out of the bottles. Only one tooth would break off, and so the vet would have to trim them down to be equal length. In the case of a tooth breaking off, the other one needed to be trimmed mostly off. When one is broken they will start to grow crooked at an angle in order to reach the opposing tooth. If they aren't trimmed there's the risk of the opposing tooth growing too long (since they need to be worn down), and possible growing into the skull (worst case scenario). I have seen all this at various stages. Both Phoebe and Phoenix had to be on a completely soft and ground food diet while they were growing back in. It went on for several months, until I switched bottles. And the vet came by 4-5 times just to trim teeth.
I probably spent around $500 for just this issue, but it was worth it. I noticed it when I gave them veggies and they struggled away trying to eat them, but couldn't.

I just wanted to give you the warning, since it's a pain to deal with and easily preventable.

[Die Fledermaus]

>> Only one tooth would break off, and so the vet would have to trim them down to be equal length. <<

Ohhh. Well, two of them have old H20 bottles from the Habitrail SS. Why do they have those? I lost the plastic thingees that hook them on to the cage! So I got new ones for Makeeda and Boudicca, and hooked those two up with wire in the bins. Jerry has a QQ. I think I'll move Phoenix and Rudolf's bent purple bottle (I forget the name, but it is in a metal holder) in with Jerry and put Jerry's QQ in with the gerbs.

Thanks for the warning.

Oh! Funny story. Once saw a 13 year old kid at the Wollman Skating rink in June in Central Park, when it was filled with non-ice amusements including basketball hoops that were only seven and eight feel off the ground, instead of ten. This joker went up to stuff. . . and got a tooth caught on the rim! It was sticking straight out! Basically, it was at a 90 degree angle to what it should have been. It would have been funny if he didn't look so scared. Hell, it was funny-looking. "What's up, doc?". A dentist gave him a shot and snapped it back in place. I don't know if it "took".

Snowball is a running machine, BTW. Top speed in her wheel hour after hour. If only I could hook up that energy to run my TV. ;D