As a general rule, a rabbit can live if feeding modifications are made. Usually when tooth Removal is done the Rabbit’s teeth do not grow back. Suggestions are Depending on which teeth are removed you might need to adjust your bunnies food – cut up – softened
Can Rabbits Live Without their Front Teeth
Can Rabbits Live Without their Front Teeth – Yes Rabbits are able to Continue Living without their Front Teeth. Modifications will need to make in their feeding because of not being able to use their front Incisors to Grap and Cut Their food into Smaller Pieces.
Rabbits have Four Incisors ( Front Teeth), They have Two on the Top and Two on the Bottom. Then Two Peg Teeth. Rabbits’ teeth continue growing all their lives. We will explore how the rabbit’s dental structure helps them in the digestive process and examine Dental complications that might arise
In Normal Rabbits with no alignment problems, the teeth naturally wear themselves down as the Rabbits Eat. There is no maintenance needed for dental maintenance.
How Rabbits Teeth Work
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Rabbits use their Six Front teeth, Their incisors to cut and tear the grasses and hays they eat. The food then moves back to the molars in a circular motion. It is ground up and then enters the rabbit’s stomach. rabbits only have one stomach / Very large compared to their body size.
- 2- Upper Incisors – Slice Food
- 2 – Lower Inscissors – Slice Food
- 2- Peg Teeth – Seat for Incisors to Rest On
- 22 – Molars (Cheek Teeth) – Grinding
In a Healthy Rabbit, the Teeth only Touch when the Rabbit is feeding.
From there, the semi-digested grasses move to their Hind Gut, where the bunny then passes what is technically called, cecotropes. This is partially digested Muscouse encased Droopings. Have also been called night droppings. The Bunnys then eat these undigested pellets and they make a second pass, through their digestive system. Then drop out as feces.
That is why sometimes you can watch Rabbits eating these cecotropes straight from their bottoms. This is completely natural.
- Rabbits
- Guinea Pigs
- koalas
- Hares
- Flying Squirrels
- Lemurs
Rabbit Dental Work is challenging because the Rabbits Teeth Grow so fast. Plus The Rabbit’s mouth is so small it’s hard to work on.
Types of Rabbit Dental Problems
- Abscesses – Check your Rabbits Jawlines – then you will notice changes. They can usually point to some type of Dental Infection. It can be very Painful to the Rabbit. Just like an abscessed tooth is acutely painful to us.
- Misalignment of Jaws – Malocclusions this causes the teeth to miss and not be aligned
- Molar Spurs – When the rabbits back teeth, molars are nor wearing evenly, they can develop Spurs or Spikes, these are very sharp, it can cut its tongue, can irritate its mouth. Then the Bunny avoids using it when he chews, then the fast growth of the teeth makes it worse.
- Spikes
- Fractures – Teeth can become fractured, cracked and then germs and infection can set in.
- Accidents – Dropped – Hits teeth – broken – misaligned
- Pulling on Wire Cage – Misalignment of teeth
Vets can diagnose your Rabbits Dental Problems, sometimes by looking, they also can do Xrays to get an even clearer picture. If it is a very difficult Case. Bunny might need to be sedated to do a complete dental examination.
Signs in your Rabbit of Dental Problems
- Drooling
- Eating less – change in eating Habits – If he is not eating – his teeth are still growing
- Change in Weight
- Bad Breath
- Eye Discharge
- Face swelling
- Teeth loose
- Teeth not Wearing Evenly, Pointed Tooth
- Teeth Misaligned
- Picking up Food and dropping it
- Teeth have become Tusk
- Yawning
- Eyes Bulging
- Face Hair Matted
Can you Remove Rabbits Teeth
Yes you can, we will examine her what is involved in Dental Teeth Removal
- Front Top Incisors
- Bottom Incisors
- Molars
Sometimes when Rabbits’ teeth are not aligned, it causes them to become permanently mismatched. Even with teeth trimming they will not match up.
In severe cases they can grow so long the rabbit’s jaw will become affected and it can eventually cause the Bunny to die from not being able to eat. Then to save the Bunny their only is a tooth removal option.
You will need to make sure you have a vet that is experienced in Working with Rabbits. DSo it would be wise to check around for the best place to take them
Usually when tooth Removal is done the Rabbits teeth do not Grow Back. In some cases they do but that is only about 10%
Depending on which teeth are removed you might need to adjust your bunnies food – cut up – softened
Your Rabbit will be Sedated for tooth removal. This is Major surgery for a rabbit. Sometimes your vet will give you prescriptions for you to give to your Rabbit when you get home
- Pain Killers
- Antibiotics
- Gum spray – to help clean any holes or gaps in bunnies gums until they heal – Wound Flushing
- Anti Gas Meds
- Rabbit Dental Teeth Extraction – 10 Minute Surgery by Vet
If you remove the front Incisors of your Rabbit. You will need to give him extra grooming since they use their front teeth for grooming themselves.
Do Bunny Teeth Grow Back
Rabbit Teeth are Growing constantly, they are worn down by the eating, tearing, and grinding process. When Rabbits Teeth are removed. They Rarely Grow back
When they are trimmed they do continue growing. But with complete tooth removal. Not enough is usually left for them to regrow.
What causes overgrown teeth
This is a Problem With Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, and Chinchillas. Especially in Intensive farming applications
Can Rabbits Die from Overgrown Teeth
Yes, Rabbits can die from overgrown Teeth, They can grow and resemble Tusks. They can grow so large, quickly that it can keep the rabbit’s jaws from closing, not allowing it to eat and slowly get weaker and slowly starve to death
How do you Fix Overgrown Rabbit Teeth
Take them to a Vet and have them ground. The vet can take a Dremel Drill with a special bit and slowly trim up the Teeth. If They are too Bad, they may need to be extracted.
Do all Rabbits Need their Teeth Trimmed
No, Depending on several factors, the number one is genetics. Making sure the rabbit’s teeth are aligned right. Normal rabbit’s teeth will wear evenly as it eats. Keeping it automatically the correct size. The tearing and grinding of it the food will keep everything the proper height. Your bunny teeth are always growing so that tearing and munching and grinding circular motions are critical, for your Bunny’s Digestion.
How to Trim your Rabbits Teeth
Tools Needed
- Diamond Bit
- Dremel
How much does it Cost to Trim Rabbits Teeth
This Cost will vary but generally runs from $30 – $50, you will need to check at your vet for your local prices. This Cost is not if the Vet needs to do any Surgery or Tooth Extraction on Your Bunny.
Once you have had them Trimmed, change your Bunny’s diet to see if natural fiber and silicates in the forage will keep them trimmed.
What are Spurs on Rabbits Teeth
Rabbits’ teeth grow so fast that if they are not being worn down by the fiber and silicates in the roughage they are eating. Their teeth can begin to form spurs and spikes in their teeth.
They will need ti be removed by filing or grinding. If they are not smoothed up, it will cut the bunny’s tongue or their mouth. The Rabbit can begin to favor the painful spot, so as he avoids the pain, the teeth keep growing and the spur gets worse.
The easiest way to address this is for the Rabbit to get the fiber it needs to keep it healthy and keep the teeth evenly wearing, but the bunny chewing and grinding his food 6-8 hours a day.
How Fast do Rabbit Teeth Grow – Fast
- Incisors – ( Max at 1″ for 5 weeks )
- Molars – caudal cheek teeth grow 1 to 2 cm (10 to 20 mm), ( 1/2 – 1″ ) per month
- They grow so fast you can see the importance of the right types of food to keep them wearing evenly
How to Prevent Rabbit Teeth Problems
One of the easiest ways to help your Rabbits teeth in good shape is to make sure he is grazing. The biting and Tearing and Cutting of that type of food is not only essential for his physical health but will keep his teeth trimmed up. Long Stem Hay is an excellent source of food for your bunny, to keep him chopping up his food.
His Front Incisors ( 6 Front Teeth ) Tear it up to smaller sizes then he continues to grind it up with his back teeth.
Rabbits that are only fed rabbit pellets can easily develop overgrown teeth problem, from not using their front incisors to cut their food.
The Very First Thing you can do when you are purchasing your Rabbit is to check its teeth, for alignment and jaw alignment
Foods that Promote even Rabbit Teeth Wear
Here are some suggestions from rabbit Owners That have struggled with Overgrown Teeth. Foods that have a lot of Fiber
- Hay
- Grass
- Kale
- Leafy Vegetables
- Kale
- Wood Blocks
- Chew toys
- Willow Baskets
- Cardboard Boxes
- Unsprayed apple branches
- Unlimited grass and Hay
- Rabbits in the wild graze 6 – 8 Hours each day
These Fibers not only help keep Rabbits Teeth wearing evenly, but they help the Rabbits Digestive system. To keep things moving through its whole system
Animal Dental and Oral Surgery – California
Understanding your Rabbits Behavior
This video is extremely helpful if you have a pet Rabbit. It will help you understand actions and what that means – Happy – Afraid – Pain – Content – Sleeping – Anger – Danger – Biting – Fighting – Charging – Cage Aggression – Chewing – Grunting – Chinning – Dominance – Spraying – Tooth Grinding – Head Shaking –
