Thumperina
Well-Known Member
What do you give your bunnies to prevent overgrown teeth?
How to prevent overgrown teeth?
- Thread starter Thumperina
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Haven
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Plenty of hay. It helps them with their teeth as they chew it a different way than other food!
Depends what teeth you are concerned about. If it's the molars, lots of grass/grass hay, particularly ones with high amounts of silica, like orchard grass. If it's the incisors, rabbit safe branches like pear and apple, where they like to strip off the bark with their front teeth.
Thumperina
Well-Known Member
thank you all that responded, I appreciate your advice!
Bellamy+Lilah
Well-Known Member
I give mine apple tree branches to chew on
This may be something you are already aware of, but if the teeth are misaligned, then they cannot grind/rub against each other when chewing. In that case, diet is not going to prevent those teeth from overgrowing.
When I got my doe, she was a three-year-old rescue. Fist vet checkup revealed molar spurs; it was no surprise, as she wasn't cared for well in the past, and didn't eat much hay at all during the first month I had her.
I was rather concerned: both for her health, as well as the financial/time/QOL implications if I had to take her to the vet every two months to get her teeth sanded down... or, worst case, dental surgery.
I found a hay she loved -- orchard mixed with clover -- that she devoured. (Okay, she devoured the clover, but managed to consume some hay in the process.) It was the most expensive hay out there at the time, around $8/lb, but it was still significantly cheaper than potential vet dental bills. I stuck with it and bore the cost, hoping it'd get her teeth in better shape.
Next year's checkup revealed no molar spurs and great health, dental and otherwise.
This was just my single isolated experience, but I'd stress that hay is of the utmost importance to rabbits. Even if you need to spend a bit more to find (and keep buying) something they readily eat, it's the best choice you can make -- for them and your checking account!
I was rather concerned: both for her health, as well as the financial/time/QOL implications if I had to take her to the vet every two months to get her teeth sanded down... or, worst case, dental surgery.
I found a hay she loved -- orchard mixed with clover -- that she devoured. (Okay, she devoured the clover, but managed to consume some hay in the process.) It was the most expensive hay out there at the time, around $8/lb, but it was still significantly cheaper than potential vet dental bills. I stuck with it and bore the cost, hoping it'd get her teeth in better shape.
Next year's checkup revealed no molar spurs and great health, dental and otherwise.
This was just my single isolated experience, but I'd stress that hay is of the utmost importance to rabbits. Even if you need to spend a bit more to find (and keep buying) something they readily eat, it's the best choice you can make -- for them and your checking account!
