A poor squirrel has been saved – from its own teeth.

Bucky’s teeth had grown so long they curled out of his mouth and around his cheeks. Image credit: Jannet Talbott/Facebook

Jannet Talbott was doing some gardening on her Alberta ranch when she noticed a small squirrel trying to eat from her finches’ bird feeder. She could see the squirrel was struggling and noticed something strange sticking out from his head.

That was when she realized that the poor animal had teeth teeth so long and overgrown that it was unable to eat its normal diet of nuts and bark.

“His two upper incisors were curled inside his mouth and they could have easily continued to grow right through the roof of his mouth,” Jannet explained.

Knowing that without being able to close its mouth or chew its food properly, the little squirrel would a live much shorter life, the woman decided to bring the animal inside and perform some DIY dentistry. After she watched some YouTube videos on how to trim squirrel teeth, she wrapped him in a towel, and got to work on the delicate procedure.

Apparently, the squirrel behaved as a “model patient,” remaining calm all through the delicate DIY dental work. Since squirrels don’t have nerve endings in their incisors, Bucky didn’t feel much pain during the procedure.

Rodent teeth never stop growing, but normally they get worn down naturally as the teeth rub against each other and against other hard surfaces, like nut shells.

But when the teeth are misaligned, the wearing down process may not happen and there’s nothing to keep them from growing too big. Needless to day, this presents a serious problem for the rodent, who may struggle to eat and thus starve to death or get injuries from the teeth curling back into their faces and even their skulls.

Thanks to Jannet, Bucky avoided that ugly fate. The little squirrel is now happy, healthy and gaining weight. He is aware that Jannet saved his life and he comes down from his favorite tree every day to visit her.

The little squirrel is now happy, healthy and gaining weight. Image credit: Jannet Talbott/Facebook

“I do believe animals know when you’re trying to help them,” Jannet says in conclusion.

Sources: 1, 2, 3