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Sugar gliders can suffer from dental disease, just like people can. Here are three things sugar glider owners need to know about dental disease.
Why do sugar gliders get dental disease?
Despite their rodent-like appearance, sugar gliders are actually marsupials, not rodents, and they don't have constantly-growing teeth. This means that their oral health requires more maintenance than the mice, rats or guinea pigs you might be used to. While rodent teeth grow too quickly for cavities to develop, sugar gliders do not have this advantage.
The diet you feed your sugar glider can contribute to the development of dental disease. If your pet eats a lot of soft, sugary foods, their foods won't scrape tartar off of their teeth, and bacteria within this tartar will feed on the sugars, leading to cavities. To protect your pet's teeth, make sure to feed them a variety of harder foods like high-protein pellets for sugar gliders.
What are the signs of dental disease?
If your sugar glider is suffering from dental disease, you'll notice that they've lost their appetite. If your pet isn't interested in their usual favorite foods, consider the possibility that they have a toothache and are in too much pain to eat.
Many conditions can make your pet not feel like eating, so you'll need to look at their teeth to determine the problem. You may see broken teeth, discolored teeth or red areas on their gum tissue if they have a dental problem. If your sugar glider is uncooperative, you may not be able to look inside their mouth at home; your vet can examine their oral cavity under anesthesia.
How do vets treat dental disease?
A local vet (such as one from Belaire Animal Hospital) can perform numerous dental treatments depending on the exact problems your pet is having. If they have tartar buildup on their teeth, this can be scraped off with a scaler. This is done under anesthesia, so don't worry that your sugar glider will be uncomfortable during their dental cleaning.
If your pet gets cavities or severe gum disease, they may need to have their teeth extracted. While you can get cavities filled at the dentist, this isn't practical for sugar gliders because their teeth are so small. After the extraction, your vet may recommend using mouthwash to keep the area clean. You can use mouthwashes that are meant for cats or dogs, but sugar gliders can also use fruit-flavored children's mouthwashes.
If you think your sugar glider is suffering from dental disease, take them to an exotics vet.
Share28 June 2016
