I took Bobby to the vet last week for his teeth trim – it’s been about 6 months. Bobby was dumped at a guinea pig rescue (literally dumped outside in his cage and the people drove off) and it was due to his teeth – not sure they knew that, but he was not able to eat and was a little bag of bones.
So after a few months of treatments for dental abscesses and teeth being pulled and tooth trims and pen-g shots, he recovered and started gaining weight. So I knew when I got him that he would need regular dental check-ups – started doing ever 4 months and that seemed the right amount of time but I decided to wait 6 months this time and the vet said, they were pretty bad.
Well, here’s the thing, he doesn’t really show any outward signs of dental problems that I can really see. I see it now that I have had his teeth trimmed though – he’s definetly eating more greens and seems to relish his treats more. And while he seemed a bit grumpier before the trim, I really just thought he was being grumpy but apparently he was being grumpy because his teeth were uncomfortable (they grow wonky and grow into his cheek and his tounge – just basically all over the place).
And he’s a very small rabbit (1.5 pounds) so he’s not a big voracious eater like my big rabbits.
But there is no drooling, no teary eyes, no picking food up and dropping it. When I had Pepe, it was much more obvious because he would do weird things with his mouth and he would stop eating.
So, I guess it’s true that sometimes, there are no obvious signs of dental problems. And I am definitely going to take him in more often for at least a dental exam.