Teeth Care for Chinchillas

Chinchillas are born with a full set of 20 teeth, including two pairs of incisors -- located at the front of both the upper and lower jaws -- four premolars, one on either side of the upper and lower jaws, plus four sets of three molars, one set located on each side of the upper and lower jaws. The teeth of chinchillas grow continuously throughout their lives and must constantly be maintained to avoid injury, illness or death. Maintenance includes giving your chinchillas the proper food and toys to allow them to evenly wear down their teeth as necessary. If you suspect dental problems in your chinchilla, promptly see a veterinarian.

  1. Healthy Chinchilla Teeth

    • Most chinchillas, for the first two to three years of their lives, do not display any indication of dental disease or other maladies. Chinchillas' teeth are white when they're born, but the teeth gradually change in color to appear as a darker yellow or orange. Contrary to those of humans, white teeth in adult chinchillas indicates a harmful calcium deficiency due to an unbalanced diet. Because the teeth of a chinchilla grow constantly throughout its life, dental problems are a common occurrence in domestic breeds and should be brought to the attention of a vet as soon as possible.

    Proper Food Selectiong

    • A chinchilla should be given constant access to a simple diet of fresh pellets containing calcium and a selection of hays, especially alfalfa and filtered water. While the pellets provide most of the nutrition to keep your chinchilla healthy, they are soft and do not address the issue of tooth overgrowth. The hay in a chinchilla's diet gives it the tough material it needs in order to grind down its molars and avoid dental conditions such as tooth spurs.

    Treats

    • As for all humans and pets, chinchillas should receive treats only in moderation. Feeding your chinchilla excessive treats not only fills it up so it doesn't eat its pellets and hay but also contributes to tooth decay. The sugar in dried fruits and phosphorus grains in treats can also contribute to calcium deficiency, which affects the quality of a chinchilla's teeth. Also, supplementing your chinchilla's diet with vitamin C can grant great benefits to your pet by strengthening the connection between tooth and gum.

    Chew Toys

    • To provide the best opportunity for healthy teeth, give your chinchilla access to several chew toys of differing levels of hardness. Where hay keeps a chinchilla's molars in check, chewing on chew toys aids in wearing down the incisors, preventing them from becoming overgrown. Both incisor and molar overgrowth are potentially fatal dental problems; the maintenance of your chinchilla's teeth, through the introduction of appropriate chew toys and other chewing items, should never be overlooked.