Outgrowing tooth?

[Gregoire]

Hello, meet Cappuccino a French lop who is 10 weeks old. He is not growing as fast as his mate Châtaigne who is twice his size and only 1 week older. He seems a happy chap though, active and alert, jumping and chewing about. I wonder if he is eating enough and the vet said his teeth aren’t straight and need watching. Thought this would be something over time though. But now I am worried the lower left tooth might outgrowing faster than I thought. Do I need to do anything? Is this affecting his diet? He is really a lot smaller than his mate who is really much bigger by now. Thanks ahead for any help. Images below, if I manage!

[Wick & Fable]

Unfortunately your pictures are not appearing, but your description is detailed enough at this point.

Hay eating is the number one thing that maintains a rabbit’s teeth. In most cases, increasing hay consumption will help teeth maintenance and deter the need for veterinary intervention (i.e., routine filings). That being said, there are cases of rabbits whose teeth, due to genetics/trauma/other, do not line up, therefore, regardless of how much hay they eat, certain teeth surfaces will not get ‘sanded’ down by chewing/grinding and therefore will grow out and need that veterinary intervention.

Since your rabbit is so young and still has a lot of growing to do, I would not draw any conclusions on whether your rabbit will permanently need intervention — I’d focus on increasing hay consumption as much as possible. There are cases where a rabbit needs some intervention when younger, but then they “grow out of it” as they get bigger. My Wick used to get monthly teeth grindings, but has now been grind-free for a couple years at this point.

For some recommendations on increasing hay consumption, see here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hay#Encouraging_your_rabbit_to_eat_hay

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.

[Gregoire]

Many thanks. How does one insert images from a Mac?

[Wick & Fable]

As a Windows user, I cannot say, but you should be able to use the “Add Media” button to upload the picture and insert it in a reply. See here for guidance as well: https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/how-to-add-pictures-tutorial/

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.

[Moonshadow]

I had a bit of difficulty uploading photos to the “add media” too (using an iPhone). It worked the first time I tried then never again. My workaround was clicking into your user profile then going to the “photos” tab. It allows you to upload an image file into your profile. Then once you go back to your comment and click “add media,” rather than try to upload your photo again under “upload files,” go to “media library” and your photo will already be there for you to choose.

[Gregoire]

Many thanks – it’s currently saying “Sorry, you are not allowed to attach files to this post.”

[DanaNM]

@Gregoire , that is an ongoing issue with the forum we are trying to sort out. The workaround that Moonshadow described should work though!

. . . 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.  

[Gregoire]

Update: the vet said we might have to put him down as he has a severe case of maloclusion (birth defect – not covered by insurance) and will require at best two-weekly filings (taking a full anaesthesia each time which will damage his health longer term). We did one filing now and will see how it goes the next two weeks but chances of keeping the little bunny are slim, very slim.

[DanaNM]

I’m very sorry to hear that, but maloclusion does not typically mean a bunny needs to be PTS. Many buns with severe maloclusion have their incisors extracted and do well. Is your vet experienced with rabbit dentals? It may be time to get a second opinion if not.

. . . 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.  

[Gregoire]

Indeed the vet recommended teeth removal but they are note an exotic pet vet and requested a quote from one they knew. The quote came back at £1,000. They are looking for a second quote. Now if I have their incisors removed, where can I find advice on care & wellbeing for rabbits without incisors? I assume lots of things change for them, especially diet?

[DanaNM]

I’m glad you are looking for a second opinion! It can be hard to find a vet experienced with rabbit dentals.

Buns with no incisors tend to do just fine (and the added bonus is you don’t have to worry about them chewing your electrical cords anymore haha).  They chew with their molars, so they are able to eat hay fine. The only thing we would do differently for our rescue buns that had no incisors was we would chop up their salads into smaller pieces so it was easier for them to eat. 🙂

. . . 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.  

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