Friend’s bunny having teeth problems

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

A good friend at school is having bunny issues. Her rabbit’s bottom teeth are growing out too much (“sabertooth bunny”). Her rabbit is still eating pellets and hay, but cannot bite large foods like veggies.

She knows she can have the bunny’s teeth trimmed, but is not sure how to go about with everything and how to care for her in the meantime.

Any input from ya’ll would be appreciated!

[rabbitsmba]

This is actually quite common in rabbits. She can go to her vet and they can trim the teeth for her or at least show her how to do it herself. She will have to keep a close eye on them to see just how fast they grow and how often she will need to trim them. She should make sure they are kept at a good level because having these teeth grow too long will start to hinder their ability to eat and effect how their back teeth wear down – and that could result in a host of other dental issues. Good luck!

[kralspace]

My Toby boy has saber teeth on top and bottom, every few weeks we go to the vet for a clip. The dr. only charges me $12 and she always gives him a good lookover each time. Not to mention everyone in the office loves to hold him….lol. He’s getting quite spoiled.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Thanks, guys. I sent her a list of bunny-savvy vets in the area.

[Beka27]

aw poor bun! she should def. get this taken care of ASAP, at least get him in for a thorough exam. hopefully he can be seen before it progresses so he’s not eating or is in a lot of pain.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Oh those pics of buns with overgrown teeth always bother me! Poor things!

[skunklionshow]

It’s very possible that the vet is going to want to do a comprehensive dental exam.  They may even want to anesthetize lightly to be sure to look at everything in the mouth.  It’s my understanding that anesth will be used depending on the cooperation of the rabbit.  If the fronts are bad, there is strong suspicion that there might be other dental problems.  Good Luck!

[Sarita]

I agree with skunklionshow – he needs a comprehensive dental exam and there may be more dental problems than meet the eye.

My rabbit Pepe has to have his teeth filed regularly – I don’t actually see anything with his front teeth wrong but the vet mentioned there are some minor problems with the incisors – his problems are with his molars and he gets spurs regularly. My first rabbit had this problem too.

[Beka27]

any update on this Rachel? has she been able to locate a vet near her?

[Danmers]

If the bunny is quite young and it’s going to be an ongoing issue sometimes, depending on the issue, vets will recommend extracting the teeth. Then your friend would just have to chop his vegies finely for him to munch on.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Actually I’ve read about rabbits with their teeth removed and it doesn’t seem bad at all! They sound like they eat fine and get around OK and then they’re aren’t other probs… anyways if that’s one of the options I wouldn’t shy away from it.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

She found a vet, but ended up trimming the teeth herself after watching several videos – I could never do that!

[BunnyMuffin]

Good grief! I was proud of myself for clipping nails – nevermind trimming teeth! That would definitely be a vet trip for me.

[Sarita]

I think she needs to see a vet too – there may be more dental problems with his molars that she is definitely going to be able to see and he will need to go under anaesthesia to have those filed.

[Beka27]

my goodness. well, good for her for doing it herself, i really hope she did everything right b/c i believe if they’re cut unevenly that can cause more future problems, and like Sarita said, it’s likely there might be more going on… so she found a vet but did she GO to the vet?

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