Here we look at how to look after your rabbit’s teeth, what the early signs of dental disease are and how to reduce the risk.
When it comes to caring for your rabbits, it’s especially important to look after their teeth. Feeding them the right diet is the best way of ensuring good dental health.
Poor dental health can be fatal for rabbits and it’s often because of an incorrect diet. Here we look at how to look after your rabbit’s teeth, what the early signs of dental disease are and how to reduce the risk.
A rabbit’s diet should be 85% hay. If they don’t have enough to munch on, their teeth may elongate and begin to wear unevenly causing sharp ‘spurs’. These may cause ulcerations to the tongue or cheeks. The tooth roots can also break through the jaw bone or grow up into the eye sockets of the rabbit causing pain and abscesses.
Feeding your rabbits the right diet will dramatically reduce the risk and in some cases resolve very early symptoms.
It’s important to remember that a rabbit with perfect teeth can still develop dental issues later in their life. Monitor your rabbit closely for signs of problems and visit the vet at least twice a year for regular dental checks.
Unfortunately, dental disease in rabbits is rarely treatable. It can lead to a potentially slow and painful end for your furry friend. To manage the issue, it may be kinder to put them to sleep sooner rather than later with the support of your vet.
If you haven’t found what you’re looking for when it comes to your rabbits, see our article on rabbits’ health and what to look out for. For more information or anything else rabbit related, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Make sure you health check your rabbits weekly and look out for any changes in their behaviour every day – rabbits can be very good at hiding any health issues until they are really suffering.
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