# my rats teeth are white.. problem?



## mameur (Nov 3, 2012)

well i've never seen this before but smokey's teeth are white i was examining my rats teeth for malloclusion and such and i realized smokey had clear white teeth i know that a hard enamel layer is responsible for the yellowing of the teeth. I'm wondering if it'll cause him any issues in the future.

ps. his front tooth seems to have been chipped a tiny bit it doesnt seem to bother him eating hard substances thought


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

White teeth are not normal, as it seems that you are aware of.

How old is Smokey? Were his teeth yellow/orange before, or have they been white for some time? What is his diet exactly, including supplements? Any recent medications?

White teeth can be caused by genetics, medications, vitamin deficiencies, and/or organ failure.

If Smokey is an older male, I'm first inclined to say that his kidneys are in some stage of failure (This is very normal for male rats.) and he is not producing enough red blood cells to keep enough iron available for his needs.

The solution to that is to switch to a kidney-friendly diet with reduced phosphorous and increased calcium and iron. Start by incorporating some dark, leafy greens into his diet. Kale, parsley, spinach, collard greens, whatever you can find easily.


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## mameur (Nov 3, 2012)

thank you for responding and geez that sounds pretty bad, he's between 6-8 weeks old i don't have a specific age as he was adopted i don't know if he's always been like this since it's the first time i really check it out his main food is oxbow, i give him extra scrambled eggs every other day to compensate for protein i also throw in a few chicken bones here and there for them to gnaw on i have a hard time getting him to eat vegetables but he still eats a minimum of spinach and salad mostly with olive oil and a few extras every now and then tuna, chicken breast etc always as healthy as possible


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

If he's only 6 to 8 weeks old I wouldn't worry too much. Often baby rats will have whiter teeth then adults simply because they haven't had time to develop the color. Keep an eye on his teeth, if within a few weeks to months they haven't changed colors I would talk to a vet.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

He's young yet. There's a chance that he hasn't yet had time to develop good enamel, possibly due to a poor diet before you got him or perhaps he's just taking his time. I'd "prescribe" the above dark, leafy greens again to help get more iron in him.

Bones are excellent, but I would check his teeth daily as they might not be hard enough yet to be gnawing on bones and such. This may be where the chip came from.

Disregard everything regarding kidney failure and don't worry about that stuff until 18 months!


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## mameur (Nov 3, 2012)

thank you very much guys that takes a lot of stress off my shoulders i'll defintely try and find a way to get him to eat more dark leefy vegetables and calcium.


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## karip (Apr 14, 2013)

I got my rats at about 7 weeks old, and their teeth yellowed dramatically within the first month. They weren't bone white but were a much paler yellow when they were first brought home. 


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