Teeth Issue

[RosieRabbit]

My rabbit has something wrong with her teeth. One is too long, and it’s making the tooth below it too short. There’s also a weird brown spot on the other tooth that won’t come off when I try to scrape it. I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong; she eats a good diet (unlimited hay, lots of veggies, some pellets), and has plenty of things to chew on. She has a bunch of untreated sticks/branches from pear and apple trees that she really likes to chew, so i don’t think the problem is diet or chew toy related. I really need some help, it looks like it’s gotten worse, and i don’t want it to get painful for her.

[Bunny House]

Have you been able to take her to a rabbit savvy vet? The vet should be able to help you with a diet and maybe even a tooth trim to fix the issue.

[Doodler]

I’m far from an expert. Luckily I’ve never personally had to deal with bunny teeth issues.

It looks to me like she may have chipped that bottom tooth and that has actually caused the top to overgrow. I could be totally off base. Either way if it were me I would see if my vet recommends the top one to be trimmed to allow the bottom one to grow out. Considering their teeth continuously grow I wouldn’t be overly concerned about the brown spot because it’ll probably just grow out. I would still ask my vet their thoughts just in case there’s an underlying cause. Maybe your vet will allow you to send the picture so they can give you an opinion on both situations?

[Wick & Fable]

From my experience, I wouldn’t be too concerned about the brown spot – as mentioned, it will grow out, so it could be a bad stain from cecotrope, or even an infected part of the tooth, but it’s close to growing out and will not be a problem with it. If you see abnormalities at the teeth roots/gum line, that would make me more concerned.

In terms of the teeth, I would say it’s either a chip or your rabbit is starting to chew crooked (can be because of molar spurs or discomfort). Depending on how long you’ve been observing it, it could fix itself, or if you find it’s getting worse, I would consult with a rabbit vet to do a dental in order to have them filed even, as well as any spurs which may exist in the back mouth.

For reference, this is my Wick’s mouth currently. From experience, I know Wick usually gets a molar spur on the top right of his mouth, and once it starts to show, he starts chewing odd, causing his incisors to grind unevenly, making this pointy slant on the bottom incisor. We’ll be scheduling a dental very soon to have it resolved.

In terms of urgency, if your rabbit is eating fine and is acting normal, nothing too harmful with waiting a day or two; however, if there’s a decrease in appetite or signs of pain, then it’s much more important to have it done to prevent damage to the tongue/cheeks/gums.

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.

[RosieRabbit]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I will get her in to see a vet. I’m getting her spayed the second week in February, can she wait that long to get them checked out? The brown spot is gone, and here’s an updated pic of her teeth. 

[Wick & Fable]

It may be the way you’re holding her mouth open, but do her bottom incisors land in front of her top incisors (underbite)?

If she’s eating normally and not showing signs of discomfort, it would probably be okay to wait. I’m unsure how normal rabbit teeth progress and fluctuate, so I can’t help much in that area. Rabbit teeth are always growing, but generally if everything is straight and there’s enough grinding happening, it should look relatively the same at all times. There seems to be a change from the first to this picture, where the bottom incisors are getting slanted? This may be an odd chewing motion so there may be something in the back bugging your rabbit. It may be a discomfort that can wait, again, if eating and behavior stays the same. For scheduling reasons, there are times I need to wait a week or a bit more for Wick’s dentals, but I’m sure to monitor how he’s doing throughout the wait.

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.

[Doodler]

Bunny mouths are too cute even when their teeth aren’t exactly perfect. What a good little girl!   

ETA: Wick responded so  I just wanted to hop on and say good luck and please keep us posted on how it goes!!

[RosieRabbit]

It was the was I was holding her. I wanted the bottom teeth to be visible. She’s so good when being messed with, I had her belly-up on my lap and she just sat there 

I’m going to get the vet to look at them when she goes for her spay surgery, but If they get to the point where it interferes with eating or seems painful, we’ll go earlier

[LBJ10]

It doesn’t look that bad. If it gets worse, I would have a vet take a look. They can clip them so they are even again and also look for other tooth problems that are further inside. But if it’s just some unevenness in the front, it may just correct itself.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Agree with the others. Can probably wait a bit if she is eating fine.

Such a cute little mouth!

[Author]

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