How do I get Velvet to chew enough to wear his teeth down properly?

[VelvetLion7]

I checked Velvet’s teeth today and they are not wearing down properly and are getting really really long.  Is there any way to get him to chew on the wood blocks I’ve given him?  Or get him to eat anything but pellets and hay?  I’ve tried to give him several different kinds of rabbit safe veggies but the only one he took a liking to was broccoli and I’ve read that that should be given sparingly.    He has one really long tooth that seems to be causing him trouble too. 

[Sarita]

How are you certain they are not wearing down properly? And I guess do you mean the incisors (front teeth) or molars (back teeth).

Hay should be all a rabbit needs to wear his back teeth down properly. It’s the motion and the way their teeth work from chewing hay that helps wear them down. Pellets do not wear down teeth.

Normally spurs are caused by malocclusion which basically means their jaw does not line up and this is genetic for the most part.

I only have one rabbit who has malocclusion which the vet thinks is genetics.

None of my other rabbits chew on wood or chew toys and their teeth are fine. Normally people want their rabbits to chew on chew toys to keep them from chewing on their furniture and baseboards and such.

[FluffyBunny]

He might actually not be chewing because his teeth are bothering him…or is just picky about toys. If his teeth are getting really long, it might be a good idea to get him an appointment at the vet’s for tooth trimming (Don’t attempt it yourself!).

[KatnipCrzy]

Velvet will need to be seen by a vet to have his teeth checked- once the teeth are long and there is already an issue it is unlikely to resolve itself and will only continue to grow.  If there was a reason, like a recent bout of tummy troubles, then the bunny could likely get the teeth back down to normal after starting to eat again.  Schroeder molars got a little long during his GI stasis, not eating, force feeding issue- but as soon as he started eating normally everything normalized.

I assume since you can see the teeth- you must be refering to the incisors that are the front teeth.  If Velvet is young, has had no tummy issues- this is most likely a genetic issue and his teeth are not straight or do not line up properly to wear down.  If this is the case this is another reason to tell your Mom not to breed Velvet as he can pass this trait on to the babies- and it will be harder to find a home for the babies with an owner that is willing to take the bunny to the vet regularly for dental trims.

 

[MooBunnay]

I agree that if it looks like his incisors are overgrowing, he will need to go to the vet for a trim, or else he may stop eating. How many pellets does Velvet get per day? One way to get him to eat more hay would be to decrease the amount of pellets he gets. The increased amount of hay should help him wear his teeth down. My bunnies get 2 tablespoons of pellets per day, but some people have their bunnies on a no pellet diet which is also fine. I am a little concerned that he doesn’t eat any veggies since bunnies get a lot of their vitamins from the dark leafy veggies. I would recommend continuing to try with cilantro, parsley and romaine, which are favorites for my bunnies. If he doesn’t seem to like the spicier smell of cilantro, try green or read leaf lettuce as well.

[VelvetLion7]

I mean his bottom incisor, and only one. It’s really long and it seems to be bothering him. It’s good to know that rabbits only need hay though, I thought they were supposed to chew on stuff. Now, my friend apparently went to the vet and the vet said that it would be ok for her to trim her rabbits teeth but I’m not sure the vet she goes to is rabbit savvy. But now she says that she can trim Velvet’s teeth for me if I don’t want to hurt him. Will that hurt him?

[VelvetLion7]

P.S. I’m probably going to take him to my vet and ask about his teeth too.

[Sarita]

Your safe bet is the vet. Don’t let your friend trim his teeth.

[VelvetLion7]

Ok. =( My poor Velvet.

[RabbitPam]

If you get him to the vet soon, and his teeth get trimmed, then he may be able to keep them in good shape after that with a lot of hay to chew on.
Hopefully he just got off track at some point and this tooth grew.

[VelvetLion7]

I hope so. *crossing my fingers*

[BinkyBunny]

I absolutely agree NOT to let your friend clip your bunny’s tooth. This kind of thing can be very stressful, and there could be other issues going on as well that the vet will need to check out, like spurs. Also, this can be painful for a bunny and so depending on how severe, they may sedate your bunny and send home with pain meds. Your vet will need to check the rest of your bunny’s teeth as well. Do you have a rabbit savvy vet?

[Beka27]

Just my 2 cents… the vet will need to determine if something is wrong with his teeth.

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