Teeth and Won’t Eat Hay

[KytKattin]

So I took Hubble into the vet today because I had a slight feeling that he might have some molar spurs. He did on his right side, at least one that the vet could see without needing to sedate him (such a good boy Hubble was, not needing to cost mommy that much more). He said that there wasn’t any sort of trama caused by the spur(s), but it’s something that we will need to address in the future. How long before it needs to be addressed isn’t yet known, but it’s not an emergancy. He hasn’t ever done a teeth float (as my horsey brain calls it) at the practice he’s currently at so he can’t give me an estimate yet (but he’ll be in touch with me soon). He said that he could stand to gain a little weight, Hubble weighs about 3 pounds right now, and that doing so would make him more comfortable putting Hubble under anethtesia. I do think that it’s causing Hubble a fair amount of discomfort, as he has been scratching a bit at that cheek (the fur is weird there) and he is even pickier about his greens than his used to be. So while I am getting all this tooth discomfort sorted out I was wondering what I can do about hay. If I chop it into tiny little peices he won’t eat it, and I have so far tried oat, timothy (Oxbow with the extra stuff) and orchird. I really want to avoid alfalpha at all, but maybe that would be worth a try? I also am looking into second cut timothy. Anything else I might try? He’s so darn picky, especially compared to Nova who is like a garbage disposale for hay!

[jerseygirl]

Correct me if I’m wrong, is it Hubble that you are not sure of how old he is? It might be an idea to have xrays to look at his molar roots. These can cause issues in the shorter faced breeds and aging rabbits. I cannot recall his age. Was he given some pain meds? He’s likely still sore so not so interested in hay. Is it that he never is and this is what you think has caused the spurs to form?

Did you ever get any more answers with his water intake and possible blindness?

[bunnytowne]

Has he always been picky about his hay?   If not then that spur is bugging him and making it uncomfortable to eat the hay.   Also you said he is being picky now with his vegies too…   Sounds like the teeth are bothering him.

I dont’ know what to suggest  you try other than  2nd cut timothy and his teeth done.

[KytKattin]

I really don’t know how old either of my rabbits are. I would guess 2-4 for Hubble, and maybe the same for Nova, though everything seems younger about her. Tis the problem with found rabbits, you never can know how old they are for sure. No, he’s not on pain meds because he’s still eating well enough and the vet said that we need to know he is still eating without a lot of pain. He has never really been good about eating hay, though he was more into eating it when I first got him. For the greens, that’s probably my bigger worry since he seemed to love those. Maybe it was just a couple bad batches though since he did really good with them last night and I started on a new romaine head. I will definitely look into x-rays if after I get a dental done on him, he still won’t eat like a semi-normal rabbit.

Good news on his eyes, the vet couldn’t find anything wrong with them. And he noticed that Hubble isn’t even very reactive when you touch his eyelashes near his eyes. Which means that he’s just kind of slow/odd. *sarcasm* What a big surprise *sarcasm*. His water intake has come down to a normal level, which the vet said is probably due to his having better nutrition, so yay, I did something right! I also think that Hubble convinced the vet tech to get a bun, he was just a doll the entire time and snuggled right up to her!

[Sarita]

I have a rabbit with molar spur issues and really it varies as to how often you have to take your rabbit in. Lately I’ve had to take Pepe in every 4 weeks. I can tell because he stops eating and he slobbers and he becomes more needy.

I had another rabbit with molar spur problems too and that was the only way I could tell.

Sometimes it takes awhile to get them under control (they never go away). Usually the vet can control them with regular molar trims. Eating hay may help but there is no proof that it will – sometimes it’s an tooth alignment problem.

[bunnytowne]

sometimes when I feed parsley 3x in a row Cotton will stop eating his too.   Then the next week he will eat them for 2-3 days then stop agian too.

Hay I put hey in front of Cotton and on top his cage when he tears and eats his newspaper.  I don’t see poops in his litterbox so I don’t think he is eating his hay in there.   I am only giving him a lilttle less than 1/8 c of pellets 2x a day to get him to eat more hay.

He gobbles his vegies down for the most part.  Ruby gobbles up her hay when she gets hungry and it out of pellets.  Cotton hmmm.

So maybe your bun is picky too.  Some are just that way.    My Laith he hardly ever touched his hay.  I took him to the vet and she said he is just finicky.   He checked out fine.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I like the idea of alfalfa hay-if you haven’t had high calcium problems I see no reason you cant use some alfalfa to entice him to eat hay while you wait on the ‘tooth float’ He may not be eating the hay as his teeth are bothering him.

[BinkyBunny]

Rucy loves the 2nd cut hay, and though it does have less fiber than first cut, it really is the only one she’ll eat.  So I offer a mix so she can pick through what she wants, while Jack munches up both hays.

Rucy has always had teeth problems, and I can always tell when her spurs are bothering her when her eyes begin to get watery.

Over time though, her spurs haven’t had to be dealt with as often. Years ago I had to do it about quarterly, and now it’s no more than twice a year. I know some people have to go monthly.

Each bunny is different, and the growth rate is individual, so you will just have to keep an eye on this and in time, you will get an idea of how often this will be needed for your bunny.

[KytKattin]

Thank you for the info! I will definitely update when something new happens, and try that second cut timothy hay.

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