You don't need to clean your rabbits' teeth, but they do need a little day-to-day help with dental health. Give your bunnies something extra to chew to help them wear their teeth down naturally. Small, fresh branches from fruit trees are ideal, but a daily diet of hay and greens is the best way to keep teeth healthy.
Eating a high-fibre diet and having plenty to chew on is the main mechanism of keeping rabbit teeth healthy. Approximately 85% of a rabbit's diet should be grass/good quality hay, 10% leafy green vegetables and only 5% pellets or nuggets. Teeth should also be checked regularly.
You will need to make repeat visits for burring every two months. The only way to avoid this is by trimming the teeth yourself, or your rabbit increasing the amount of chewing.
Typically, the teeth will need to be filed starting at 2-3 years of age. There are two procedures. One is called a hand file, which is done either with or without sedation and if the bunny is calm enough can be done on an outpatient visit. This procedure is generally for maintenance of teeth or for less severe spurs.
Unlike pets such as dogs or cats, rabbits and rodents have teeth that are constantly growing. This means that while they don't require dental cleaning, they do need a way to wear their teeth down. This can be done with hard foods, fibrous grasses such as hay, and toys made for them to chew.
If your rabbit's teeth are overgrown, it might be possible to trim them. Because their teeth are structured differently to yours, this is a completely painless process. Often, sedation isn't even necessary.
Rabbits with overgrown molars tend to hypersalivate (drool excessively) and can struggle to chew and swallow. Watch your rabbits carefully for drooling and eating problems, which can be a sign that their molars are overgrown. Look also for any behavioural changes that may signal a problem.
Most rabbit nails will need to be trimmed every 1 to 2 months. Rabbits that are given areas with rough flooring or places they can dig into will be able to wear down their nails a little bit in their daily life. Therefore they might not need their nails trimmed as often.
A dental bur or a special tooth file is used to grind these teeth down but dental X-rays may also be recommended to see if the overgrown teeth are diseased and require extraction.
Most veterinarians who regularly treat rabbits now use dental burrs on dental drills to file down the incisors and molars, often under anesthesia.
Reality: carrots shouldn't be a main source of food. Rabbits don't naturally eat root vegetables or fruit. Carrots and fruit are high in sugar and should only be fed in small amounts as occasional treats. Rabbits need mainly hay and/or grass, some leafy greens and a small, measured amount of pellets.
The four large teeth (two top and two bottom) are the incisor teeth. Check that they are not loose and that the gums are pink and healthy rather than red or purple. If the teeth don't meet properly, your rabbit may suffer from malocclusion (where the teeth don't meet and wear properly).
What happens if my rabbits teeth become overgrown? A temporary correction can be made by burring the overgrown incisor teeth down with a dental burr and filing any pre-molar or molar overgrowth down. Cutting teeth with bone, wire cutters or nail clippers is not recommended due to the pressure it exerts upon the teeth.
Although many rabbit bites are defensive, some rabbits may bite aggressively for a variety of reasons. Rabbit bites can be painful and serious. If a bite bleeds excessively, shows symptoms of infection, or concerns you in any way, it's best to seek medical attention.
Tooth grinding: Loud tooth grinding is a sign of pain in bunnies. While rabbits do have what is known as “tooth purring” (a quiet, gentle grinding of the teeth that sounds like purring) that is a sign of contentment in a rabbit, it is very different from painful tooth grinding.
Because bunnies don't have their milk teeth for long, they don't go through what humans know as the teething process. However, they will chew through whatever they can get hold of to wear their teeth against each other, which keeps them trimmed down to a healthy length.
Few like being held or carried as being so high up from the ground makes them feel insecure, however, many will happily sit on your lap or snuggle up next to you for a cuddle. It is best to let your rabbit initiate this i.e. sit on the ground and let them approach you.
Yes, rabbits can eat celery! It can be included as part of their balanced diet. Remember, giving your rabbit a variety of different vegetables will make it as healthy as possible.
Rabbits need to chew on things regularly to keep their teeth trimmed and healthy. Wood is a popular and natural choice for rabbit owners but not all types of wood are safe, which is something to keep in mind when choosing wood for a rabbit hutch or for rabbit toys.
Rabbits do not belong to the Rodentia order, they are lagomorphs (Lagomorpha order). This is because a rabbit has four incisors in the upper jaw (including two non-functional teeth), while rodents only have two.
Rabbits tend to quietly grind the front teeth when they are happy and relaxed (similar to a cat's purr), and when they wear down their front teeth (to keep them the right size and shape). This type of grinding is common when you stroke a rabbit that is extremely relaxed.
Rabbit syndrome is an antipsychotic-induced rhythmic motion of the mouth/lips, resembling the chewing movements of a rabbit. The movement consists of a vertical-only motion, at about 5Hz, with no involvement of the tongue.
Rabbits click their teeth or purr when they're happy, comfortable, or content. A happy purring sound is smooth and uninterrupted. However, rabbits also chatter their teeth when they're in pain or are stressed. This type of chattering is called teeth grinding and is often louder and more spaced out.