Rabbit Teeth
Facts on Proper Care of Rabbit Teeth
One aspect that many people who are rabbit owners seem to overlook most frequently is that of the care of rabbit teeth. Considering the vast amount of chewing the rabbit does, learning more about handling this health aspect will benefit both you and your rabbit.
Rabbits chew for a variety of reasons. They chew to eat, they chew out of boredom and they chew out of stress. These are all normal and common reasons. When realizing the amount of time per day that a rabbit spends chewing, it can be easily understood why rabbit teeth are so important.
Rabbit teeth never cease in growing throughout the animal’s life. The amount of chewing that a rabbit does continually throughout a day keeps the teeth ground down to a level that just keeps them from becoming overgrown. Providing a diet high in fiber is essential for this reason; the chewing of the fiber is abrasive enough to wear the teeth down.
In the rabbit’s mouth will be the following: two upper incisors and one lower incisor can be found on each side of the rabbit’s mouth. There are no canines. Each side will also contain three upper premolars and three molars, and on the bottom two lower premolars and three molars. The rabbit teeth are curved to act as chisels which grind the food. All of these teeth have the propensity to overgrow if not cared for properly.
As long as the rabbit diet is sustained with the proper foods that will keep the teeth ground, nothing more than the periodic examination will be necessary. No brushing of the teeth is required since they are continually being regenerated by new tooth growth.
In rare cases, rabbit teeth can become so overgrown as to endanger the health of the pet. The curvature of the incisors is such that, if overgrown, will prohibit the rabbit from being able to chew. This usually is a case caused by improper alignment, or malocclusion. Malocclusion can occur in both the incisors and the molars. While a problem with overgrown incisors will be able to be seen, issues with the molars are generally evident by rabbit behavior. The rabbit will either not eat, or will attempt to eat yet drop the food. Overgrown rabbit teeth along the sides of the rabbit’s mouth will pinch the cheek, making it painful to eat.
While most rabbit teeth will be safe from these problems with a proper diet high in fiber such as hay and pellets, occasional dental issues may arise from time to time. Regular and periodic examinations of your pet’s mouth will keep you apprised of the condition of the rabbit teeth, and keep your rabbit’s health great and his smile bright.