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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny with malocclusion needs chew toy

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    • EleanorBunnyBoss
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        Leo is almost 5 months old and has genetic malocclusion. He has had two teeth trims so far and his incisors are now trimmed into the correct position. The vet says there’s a 50/50 chance it’ll resolve itself. In the meantime, I’m trying to get him to learn to use chew toys.

        He’s had a bunch of different chew toys in his cage and none have caught his attention. When I first got him he was unable to chew on the toys because of his malocclusion, but now he should be able to. He seems to still think he can’t chew them or is simply not interested. The most he’s done is nibbled on them once or twice. The only thing he’ll really chew besides his hay and pellets is a carrot crunchie treat, but obviously, he can’t have a full one every day (they’re huge and he is a dwarf bunny). Any ideas on what chew toys might interest him? The only thing he really shows interest in chewing for fun are plastic wrappers (which I obviously don’t let him do, but he still tries!) Any advice would be great!


      • Dface
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          Mostly they like chewing things that taste nice to eat! So if he likes straw houses, let him have those

          I had some things that mine didnt like chewing, that I soaked in some apple juice-which encouraged their intrest in the object and helped to encourage chewing
          Mine enjoyed this:
          https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Boredom-Breaker-Edible-Extra/product-reviews/B00PUENTL8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_hist_3?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=three_star&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar

          (although reviews suggest not all rabbits like it)

          If you can get access to them, fresh tree branches from rabbit safe trees are great for teeth (mine never touch store bought twigs though). Try giving him a variety of vegetables to eat, which will encourage different chewing patterns. Also varying rabbit safe baskets and matts (like rush matts, water hyacynth) that are soft but chewable might encourage him a bit
          He may not chew out of discomfort, and if thats the case he just needs to learn that chewing is a rewarding hobby (the opposite problem of so many rabbit owners)

          My own rabbit fixed his teeth probelms by chewing the wall…This is an expensive and inadvisable method though


        • EleanorBunnyBoss
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            Those are great suggestions!!! Thank you!


          • Wick & Fable
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              At this point, it is critical to consider whether you are able to care for your rabbit long-term, under the circumstance regular dental visits are required.

              Wick has malocclusion. At the front profile, it’s obvious since he has both an underbite (bottom incisors are on top of the top ones) and the bottom incisors are typically off center. Wick is pretty well known on BB for not wanting to chew anything. Whether this is because his teeth make it difficult or it’s his personality, who knows, but his malocclusion is one that cannot be amended, so he goes to the vet every 5 weeks to get his bottom incisors trimmed down and the same few molar spurs grinded. He’s 1.5 years old now and has gone through 10 dental maintenance procedures, and it will likely continue forever. Some owners can sustain that maintenance while others can’t just due to circumstance, so that’s something you can think about as you monitor how his teeth grow in. Wick is a pretty extreme case because he has an underbite, but I think it’s constructive to think of every possibility for your baby right now! The plus side of a non chewing rabbit is no destruction though, haha.

              Wick has meal-time toys, since he’s not interested in chew-items on their own. So he has baby stack cups which I hid food in, I may cut his veggies in odd shapes so he needs to do more mouth and chewing rotations to get it in a good position.

              You can try Timothy mats and generally try and get him to eat more hay! Hay is the best teeth wearer. Wick eats Oxbow harvest stacks, which is compressed hay, rather than loose hay. He eats much more of it than loose hay, and the hay curls and bends so he needs to do a lot of chewing.

              The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


            • LittlePuffyTail
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                My current and previous buns all loved chewing toys made of unpeeled willow. Wood or peeled willow, timothy haytoys were never as popular.


              • EleanorBunnyBoss
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                  Luckily I’m in a position where I anticipate being able to afford dental procedures for Leo if necessary. I’m most concerned about maintaining his molars at this point as last time those were the issue! I just bought a seagrass mat, though he doesn’t seem to love it. He’s been showing a tiny bit of interest in a few toys but only really gnaws at things that he thinks are tasty. I’ll have to try the harvest stacks though, that seems like a great idea! He loves his hay but with a lot of other food, he seems to be a really picky eater but if it’s just compressed hay I’m sure he would love it! Thank you!


                • EleanorBunnyBoss
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                    I haven’t tried unpeeled willow, I will look into that! 

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                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny with malocclusion needs chew toy