Dental problems

[Eastieboob]

Hi, newbie here. So my little man Flake (albino dwarf) has a lot of issues with his teeth. His front teeth grow slanted because he only eats on one side due to having ulcers in his mouth, one of his back teeth is decaying, all his teeth seem to grow at different rates. The vets have said they can cut his front teeth down every month but that won’t do much due to his other dental issues. But what side effects will that have on him having to be knocked out so they trim all his teeth? They can also remove his front teeth but again that might not solve much. He doesn’t eat hay. I have tried to give him only hay but i think i’m just starving him. Flake had his teeth cut down 4 weeks ago and it looks like it’s going to need doing every 4 weeks. Can any one help? Flake is about 1.5 years old, rescued from the vets i take him to, he was dumped in the street near by and i’m guessing his teeth are why.

[kurottabun]

If the bunny is healthy, going under anesthesia should be fairly safe, though as with any surgery, there are always risks.

It does sound like quite a lot of teeth issues for a little guy Poor thing must have been through a lot. I’m not familiar with dental issues but there are many on here who are, so I’ll leave it for them to advise.

On the hay eating part, hay is absolutely vital to grind their teeth down and also to keep their guts healthy, so it’s really important that he eats hay. What hay are you giving him now and have you tried different kinds of grass hay? My bunny used to eat less when I gave him timothy, but after switching to orchard grass he eats wayyy more. There are also other kinds of hay like meadow hay or oat hay that you can try giving.

[Eastieboob]

I have tried him on timothy hay, timothy hay with dandelion and marigold, meadow hay and a camomile harvest hay but he turns his nose at them all. I came home today and he was begging for food, I felt so bad. I have found a site that sells samples of hay so i’m going to try him on those and hope he likes one.

[Wick & Fable]

If the capability to eat/grind hay without pain is there, there is usually ways to get even the pickiest of rabbits to eat some hay. Some approaches I think about are:

1) Big time spaces between non-hay feeding items. For veggies and pellets, feed only one or twice a day, at the 12 hour interval or more so the majority of the day is spent with only hay as an option. For example, some people feed veggies in the morning, then don’t offer non-hay food until one pellet serving at night.
2) Consider when you freshen hay and your rabbit’s “active time”. If you know your rabbit is usually active at 6PM for example, it may be good to change litterboxes before then so when the rabbit is active and ready to forage, there’s really pleasing stuff there to look through.
3) Hay toppers – Some people buy hay toppers, which are mixes of dried herbs and such that you toss into the hay so it makes the entire pile seem much more attractive. It gets a rabbit rooting through the pile, which they might not have done in the past, and may encourage them to begin that nibbling/tasting process!
4) Think about how many sources of hay are around. Rabbits are foragers, so they look for the best pieces to eat; therefore, if you offer more, there’s a higher chance they’ll find something. If you offer more locations, they’ll find “best” strands in each of those. Wick’s hay consumption has drastically increased since he has 8 hay feeders now instead of only 4. When he’s bored of one location, he’ll go to the next.
5) Give time for curiosity to blossom – There’s an idea that when people find the hay their rabbit “will love”, they will immediately gobble it up in the first day. A lot of times with new veggies, fruits, and generally all foods, you’ll find some rabbits initially turn their nose at them for a while. Then, one day they get a bug to try it, and that’s what starts that new food appetite! For example, I left a bunch of apple sticks just lying around for decoration for Wick, and after passing by and sniffing them for a while, he decided to start nibbling! So give each hay a chance, maybe in different locations.

I hope this helps!

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.

[Author]

Messages