# Why are my rats teeth so orange?



## sonicboom

They are quite orange... :/


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## Flashygrrl

It's natural.



Jaguar said:


> Rat teeth are naturally dark yellow/orange, if your rat has white teeth they have an underlying problem or a dead tooth.


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## shawnalaufer

They are suppose to be orange.  Crest Whitening Strips not required, LOL!


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## lilspaz68

Orange teeth are very healthy...rats teeth should be orange on the top and yellower on the bottom, but yellow to orange coloured teeth are fine...white teeth unless they are babies are not fine. 

from http://www.ratbehavior.org/Teeth.htm

The incisors are colored with a *yellowish pigment*. The incisors start out white in the young rat, but by age 21 days the uppers have a slight yellow tinge. By 25 days the uppers are distinctly yellow and the lower incisors have acquired a little yellow. By 38 days these colors are more intense, with the uppers having more color than the lowers. The relationship between more pigmented upper incisors and less pigmented lower incisors remains true throughout the rat's life. In adult rats, the uppers are dark yellow-orange and the lowers are yellow (Addison and Appleton 1915).


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## lilmiss_paradox

No need to worry! It's perfectly natural. Since a rat's teeth continue to grow throughout their entire life they don't have as much need for the calcium rich enamel that protects the outside of the teeth of most mammals, including dogs, cats and humans.


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