Tooth stuck in corner of cage...

[Leslie]

Hi, everyone!

I just found my chinchilla stuck in the corner of his wire cage.  His tooth was stuck in the corner and my boyfriend had to grab a tool and take off a ring clamp to loosen it to get him out.  He thinks maybe a tooth is chipped.  I don't want to bother the chin though, he is super freaked out and hiding in his hut, anymore action might put him over the edge.

If his tooth is chipped, how bad is that?  If it's little, will he just chew wood and his teeth will grow and eventually the chip will be gone?  If it's a big chip, is there anything we can do?  I can't find any piece of tooth anywhere!

This is so scary!  Should I just grab him and cause him more trauma and look in his mouth?

[Leslie]

okay I just grabbed him and looked and teeth are intact except there is a bit of blood on one and it looks like him gum is cut up a bit.  Could he have cracked his own tooth?  I dont think he would have the power to crack his own tooth from pulling on it.  But thank goodness, his teeth are still shaped just fine....

poor little guy!  The trauma!

[Abby W.]

Poor little guy!  It sounds like he will be ok in the long run though.  I would keep an eye on him for the next week or so to make sure he maintains his usual eating habits.  If he is having discomfort it's possible he would not eat, and that can cause problems with the digestive system. 

If he changes his eating habits or his poops become abnormal, I would take him to the vet for evaluation, antibiotics (for the cuts on his gums) and maybe some pain meds.  Also, the vet might have to file his tooth in that case.  Otherwise, his teeth should grow out and he will grind them down as he needs to. 

I hope he is ok!  Please keep us posted.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Aww poor baby.
Yes we want to hear it grew out just fine.

[nemue]

Oh no!  Is he ok now?

[Leslie]

Hi everyone.  Sorry for the delayed post!  He turned out to be just fine from that trauma - maybe even better than me.  His tooth had a white scratch mark on it and there was a bit of healing to be done on his gum, but he was okay.

He's not well again now though but I think that's a matter for another thread.... :-[