Dental problems

What are dental problems in rabbits?
Rabbits have elodont teeth. This means that a rabbit's teeth are constantly growing. The teeth and molars wear down because they move over each other while eating. You can find nice videos about it on the internet. Crush rabbits with their jaws, making a circular motion with the upper jaw rotating counterclockwise and the lower jaw rotating clockwise. This wears down the teeth. A rabbit has six front teeth, four large and two small (so-called "false teeth"). The false teeth are located in the upper jaw behind the large front teeth.

If the teeth are misaligned, they will not wear down properly. The teeth or molars then continue to grow in a certain direction. Then bad things can happen, such as the teeth growing from the lower jaw into the upper jaw. Or sticking your molars into your cheek or tongue creates wounds that cause pain. This pain will cause your rabbit to eat even less and then the problem will only get worse.

How can I recognize it?
It often takes a long time for dental problems to become noticeable. Rabbits are flight animals by nature and therefore hardly show any pain. An animal that shows pain in the wild is easy prey.

Your rabbit therefore eats less or just plays with the food. This makes it appear as if you are eating rabbit, but actually you are not. If you don't catch it in time, your rabbit will eventually stop eating. You may also notice that the rabbit is drooling or has dirty front legs, although this is not always the case. Diarrhea can also be a symptom.

What can cause dental problems?
Misalignment of the jaws to each other can have various causes. In very rare cases, this is congenital, but it is usually the result of another cause. Sometimes the animals have had a broken jaw or had an abscess in the jaw. A lack of calcium can also cause your rabbit's jawbone to soften. But beware; Too much calcium leads to bladder stones. Therefore, never give rodent stones, they contain too much calcium.

What can I do about my rabbit's dental problems?
If your rabbit has teeth that are too long, you must always consult a veterinarian. This can then grind or cut your teeth. Never do it yourself! This is very stressful for the animal and can easily go wrong. The vet will file/cut the teeth. This is a treatment that you will need to repeat regularly (roughly monthly) as the teeth continue to grow. Another solution is to remove the growing teeth, although of course this involves risks. This depends on your rabbit and the position of the molar. Discuss the possibilities with your veterinarian.

Can I prevent it?
Unfortunately, it is often not possible to prevent dental problems. As already mentioned, a misalignment of the jaw is usually the cause and unfortunately cannot be corrected. Sometimes there is still something you can do to slow down the growth process. Diet is very important here. Therefore, make sure that your rabbit has to chew a lot, which you can achieve by giving them plenty of roughage (hay). Rabbits also find willow branches very tasty and often have to chew them. However, do not give your rabbit chews that contain too much calcium, as this can cause bladder problems.

This text was translated by a translation machine