The Importance of Dental Care for Exotic Pets: Ensuring Oral Health for Birds, Reptiles, and Small Mammals
We wouldn’t blame anyone who assumed only dogs and cats need routine oral care. But here’s the reality: all pets need help keeping their mouths healthy and happy. This includes exotic pets like rabbits, lizards, and parrots.
Today, the team at All Critters Veterinary Hospital will highlight ways to boost exotic pet dental care for your unusual critter.
Exotic Pet Dental Care 101
Bird Beak Maintenance
Birds may not have teeth, but they do have something else that’s super important: a beak.
A beak is an essential appendage for our avian friends. It helps with eating, climbing, and grooming, and it grows continuously.
Without proper bird beak maintenance, your bird’s bill can get too long. This can make it hard to eat, climb, groom…you get the idea. Plus, an overgrown beak is more prone to cracking and bleeding. Ouch.
Give your bird plenty of access to chew toys, perches made from natural materials, and the right diet. This can help keep that beak nice and trim, but sometimes, overgrowth happens. If you don’t want to tackle the (admittedly daunting) task of trimming your bird’s beak, an exotic pet veterinarian can do it for you.
Reptile Oral Health
Some reptiles have teeth. Some don’t. But one thing they all have in common is a need to keep up that oral health. Whether you’ve got a snake, lizard, or turtle at home, poor oral health can lead to big issues.
One of the worst ones is called mouth rot (infectious stomatitis), which causes inflammation and infection in your pet’s gums. This condition is typically linked to a less-than-ideal diet and environmental stressors. With regular oral inspections and a well-balanced diet made just for your reptile’s species, you can avoid this onerous disease.
Another tip? Maintain the proper humidity and temperature levels in your reptile’s enclosure. This helps keep their immune system healthy so they can fight off any bad bacteria that try to break through.
Small Mammal Teeth Care
Small mammals like rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas have teeth that grow…and grow…and grow. Regular wear from chewing their food helps wear the teeth down as they grow, so that your small mammal basically always has fresh, new tooth material. This means you don’t have to attempt to brush your rabbit or guinea pig’s teeth.
But if your little pet doesn’t get enough dental stimulation, the teeth can get too long. This can lead straight to painful conditions, like malocclusion, or misalignment of the teeth. Malocclusion makes everything difficult for your tiny friend, especially chewing and eating.
Your exotic pet veterinarian can check on your pet’s teeth to make sure everything is growing and grinding as it should.
Exotic Pet Dental Care in Grove City, Ohio
Ready to schedule your tiny pet to see the vet for a dental checkup? The caring team at All Critters Veterinary Hospital is here to help!
Call us today at tel:+1-614-305-2085 to schedule an oral health appointment for your exotic pet.