44 tiny teeth

July 8, 2014 8:18 PM

A hedgehog goes to the dentist (a story in photos)
posted by moonmilk (25 comments total)

The feet! The little feet!

And the holding of the tiny handses in the last photo.
posted by jrochest at 8:22 PM on July 8, 2014 [4 favorites]

That first shot is pretty Wes Anderson.
posted by sourwookie at 8:24 PM on July 8, 2014 [3 favorites]

The little plastic gas chamber was adorably disturbing.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:25 PM on July 8, 2014 [6 favorites]

Yeah. I was gonna compare that one to Lynch.
posted by sourwookie at 8:27 PM on July 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

So tiny! He fit inside the plastic thing!
posted by Going To Maine at 8:28 PM on July 8, 2014

If the thing is perfectly healthy and there's nothing wrong with his teeth, why on earth was he subjected to this?
posted by phunniemee at 8:28 PM on July 8, 2014 [4 favorites]

money
posted by stbalbach at 8:30 PM on July 8, 2014

That plastic container looks like a tiny spaceship!!!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:33 PM on July 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

I wanted to see him get braces.
posted by mazola at 8:34 PM on July 8, 2014 [5 favorites]

I think they were probably checking to be sure that his teeth were healthy, since whatever people feed hedgehogs likely promotes tooth decay (and it looks like dental problems in hedgehogs are a thing). But hedgehogs, being little insectivorous beasties, have fantastically pointy teeth to poke through all that lovely chitinous exoskeleton of their prey, which are also probably quite efficient at poking through soft and squishy vet fingers. So they knock them out.
posted by ChuraChura at 8:36 PM on July 8, 2014 [5 favorites]

I'd like to be knocked out cold for any and all dental work please. ( it's not the pain, it's the sounds)
posted by The Whelk at 8:37 PM on July 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

But did he act all goofy afterwards?! Because I apparently became a dinosaur* for thirty minutes after being knocked out for an oral surgery thing two weeks ago and I would pay actual cash to see a hedgepigsaurus or whatever other wonders the hedgehog brain could devise!

*I remember nothing and I'm a little outraged no one took a video
posted by jetlagaddict at 8:44 PM on July 8, 2014 [6 favorites]

I'm still working on the concept of hedgehogs as pets. I doubt I will live long enough for hedgehog dentists to become a thing my brain can handle.
posted by Thing at 8:52 PM on July 8, 2014

The zero sum of metafilter: almost offsets the I/P thread
posted by whyareyouatriangle at 8:57 PM on July 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

TOTAL CUTESPLOSIONNNNNN!!!!!!!!!*boom*
*squee*
posted by Doleful Creature at 8:58 PM on July 8, 2014

Tee hee ho ha hee... It's like they're giving him a tiny martini to help steady his nerves!!

This is deeeeelightful!
posted by Philby at 9:01 PM on July 8, 2014

I doubt I will live long enough for hedgehog dentists to become a thing my brain can handle.

Then this video of sugar glider wing repair surgery will blow your mind
posted by moonmilk at 9:02 PM on July 8, 2014

Oh my squee.
posted by susiswimmer at 9:20 PM on July 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

I had a girlfriend who lost a hedgehog in a house that had several rental apartments. I like to think it is still there.
posted by ITravelMontana at 10:46 PM on July 8, 2014

This is awesome. I had no idea you could 'gas' a 'hog.
posted by davidmsc at 12:03 AM on July 9, 2014

So adorable, but the thing I LOLed at was the comment about the vet's expensive watch.
posted by rpfields at 4:02 AM on July 9, 2014 [2 favorites]

Thing: I'm still working on the concept of hedgehogs as pets.

I can put you in touch with one of my sons. He is DYING I TELL YOU DYING for a pet hedgehog, and would be happy to explain how wonderful they are.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:44 AM on July 9, 2014

I grew up with a pet hedgehog and they are incredibly adorable and loyal and full of squee faces, especially with their little teefs. I was the only one it would let pick up for a long time (without going ball o spikes). My hog and my dog got along nicely too.
posted by msbutah at 12:56 PM on July 9, 2014 [2 favorites]

Ancestral microhedgehog discovered!
posted by moonmilk at 1:13 PM on July 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

If the thing is perfectly healthy and there's nothing wrong with his teeth, why on earth was he subjected to this?

I'm pretty sure this was a health checkup. You don't know if anything's wrong with their teeth until you look, and based the attitude of the hedgie I had, you're not going to simply ask them to say, "Ahhhh."

Very first sentence from this article in Hedgehog Central: Veterinarians have long noted that dental problems are not uncommon among hedgehogs
posted by BlueHorse at 4:01 PM on July 9, 2014