From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-05-18 16:15:05 UTC
Subject: RE: Bob C: Kibble diets
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <55994.1084896905918.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
>struggle with the hard food. Being carnivores, the placement of their mola=
rs are >different than that of omnivores/herbivores (from what I've read/ob=
served). >Subsequently, they have to chew on the side of their mouth in wha=
t appears to be >an awkward and uncomfortable manner.
The placement of the teeth themselves is the same, though the form is not, =
and the arcade shape difference and different mode of securing the two mand=
ibles (Their's are connected by soft tissue whereas we form a chin and occa=
ssionally also have some ancestral torae which came sometimes even approach=
a simian shelf -- an internal rim of bone which secures the lower jaw from=
stresses.) result in the forces being taken differently and muscles runnin=
g in a way which alters that also. Working from the front of the mouth bac=
k the dental types are incisors, canine, premolars (also called bicuspids i=
n humans but it's the same tooth category), and finally molars. Where teet=
h have been lost from the ancestral groupings they typically are lost on ei=
ther side of the canine (so that in humans we have I1 and I2 but we have lo=
st P1 and P2, and from the rear of the arcade so that we have P3 and P4 the=
n M1 and 2, and some humans have M3 (wisdom teeth) or some M3, but some don=
't.
Crushing a very hard kernal is hard for any tooth type. Our's are better s=
uited, being flattened into part of the dental portion of the "Theropithecu=
s Complex" which is reflects a long (very long in the case of humans) ances=
tral background of eating seeds, especially grains. Even then it is very w=
earing over time. =
Ferret teeth show a meat eating background. That is not due to the canine =
tooth. Those typically are used for defence and display as much as for som=
e types of killing in other species. Nor is it in the incisors. Ferrets h=
ave the peg incisors typical of grooming incisors (which is why they will i=
ncisor pinch when they groom at times. When lick,lick, chomp happens as a =
pinch you are learning about grooming incisors. There ARE modifications to=
molars and premolars which indicate slicing and tearing ability needed for=
meat, with some so modified that they are also given their own function na=
me: Carnassials. This means there are very high cusps and high and thin b=
lade-like connecting ridges. There can even be function-supporting additio=
nal ridge-like structures in what are called cingulae: a ridge-like struct=
ure which can exist around the edge of the teeth. Such ridge and the pocke=
ts which form between them are one reason foods like grains which take long=
er to form decay or damage in humans do it much faster in carnivores (becau=
se they get trapped and then act as a nursey which grows bacteria).
(I don't often get to discuss this stuff; it's part of what my educational =
background was in.)
The hardness of the food is mostly a matter of the way it is made and extru=
ded. A more brittle food actually can be made and would be easier to chew,=
but the waste % for the makers then goes up and so does price. One is exp=
erimenting to see if a Cheetoes-like texture can be gotten and that would b=
e easier to chew. Hard, soft, and semi-soft foods all have an increased ri=
sk of sticking in dental pockets. Brushing, using gauze, using special too=
th pastes, getting regular dental care, and using gelatin chews like Chewea=
sels, Foamy Fries, and Marshall Chews all help with dental and gum health o=
f ferrets.
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