All About Bunnies: Teeth Care

There are two groups of teeth inside your bunny's mouth. Front teeth are called incisors. They are four teeth right in the front of the jaws (two in the upper jaw-maxilla, and two in the lower jaw-mandible). Bunnies use incisors to cut their food into small pieces, so the food can be processed by the teeth in the back of the jaws (molars). Basically, molars are grinding teeth. They can be hard to see. That means, their inspection is a bit more difficult. I will write about teeth inspection later.

Now that you know the basics about what kind of teeth bunnies have, I will now teach you something else. It is important to remember that bunny's teeth grow continuously. Yes, you heard right: they continue to grow throughout the whole life of your bunny.

Why is this important to know?

Well, in order to keep their teeth at a constant length, your have to provide various things for them to chew. Giving them hay, vegetables and other fiber rich food is a good way to prevent teeth overgrowth. But they have a constant need to chew things. In order to keep their teeth away from your carpet or other pieces of furniture, you will have to provide chewing toys for them.

To find more about good and bad food and toys for your bunnies, find more info on Living with a Bunny.

Living With a Bunny: Bunny Teeth Care - Gum And Teeth Root Infection.

The most common reason of teeth root infection in bunnies is often teeth trimming. Especially if inappropriate tools are used. Many veterinarians, or even bunny owners tend to deal with teeth overgrowth by trimming bunny's teeth. This is one of the solutions to the problem. But it is not going to last for long. Bunny teeth trimming must be done every two to four weeks. Using wrong trimmers, or doing it in a wrong way, or just doing it for long time, will cause small fractures into the teeth. If fractures go under the gums, they can open the way for bacteria to spread into the gums, and to the root. This is painful.

More about treatment, prevention and teeth examination, see under Bunny Teeth Care: Prevention.

Teeth Loosening

This disorder occurs in elderly rabbits. When this happens, there is danger of teeth root starting to grow farther into the mandible/maxilla. The root can penetrate the sinus or eye orbit, bringing bacteria in these areas. It is followed by pain, and inflammation.

What is the most important thing about prevention of teeth disorders in bunnies ?

Teeth examination is key to prevent bunny getting hurt by his own teeth. Don't be afraid to check his teeth and see if there is malocclusion. Check if teeth are overgrown.

Checking incisors: hold your bunny tightly. Keep his legs immobilized. Just pull his lips apart in order to see his incisors. If they don't meet each other, keep an eye on them. If they are overgrown, take your bunny to a veterinarian (don't try to do trimming by yourself).

Checking molars (grinding teeth): this is a bit though to do. We don't have instruments to do this. Look for secondary signs of molar disorder: swelling, loud grinding, drooling, sudden reaction when you try to palpate bunny's cheek.

What is important? What should you be doing from the very first day of owning your bunny?

• Do once-a-week teeth examination!
• Give your bunny fiber rich foods to eat (hay, green vegetables)!
• Provide some chewing toys for your bunny (see link below)!
• Visit a veterinarian every now and then!

Find more information on Bunnies as Pets!