Mary Allen
Dental and gut health are closely intertwined. The intestines can only optimally absorb the nutrients if the teeth break up the food well. Veterinarian and author Estella Bohmer explains how rabbits can avoid dental and digestive problems.
How are Rabbit Teeth Arranged? Are There Only Incisors and Molars or Also Canines?
Rabbits have special teeth because their permanent teeth grow throughout their lives. In total, they have 28 teeth. There are four incisors in the upper jaw: two large incisors and behind them the small pin teeth, in the lower jaw there are only two incisors. There is an edentulous area between the incisors and the molars, which is where the canines, absent in rabbits, lie in other animals. Rabbits have six molars in the upper jaw and five in the lower jaw. While in most animal species (and in humans) the molars crush the food and then grind it up a bit by slightly lateral jaw movements, rabbits cut up their food between the sharp-edged chewing surfaces of the molars. For this reason, cereal grains or other hard components of feed mixtures (carob pieces, dried vegetable particles, rose hips, etc.) are not suitable as feed. Rabbits cannot cut up these bits of food; you have to crush them. This results in increased stress on the teeth. This is often the beginning of the dental disease.
What about Milk Teeth?
Rabbits do indeed have milk dentition. It consists of a total of 16 teeth. The change between milk and permanent teeth begins before birth and is complete by the age of five to six weeks. Although rabbits’ permanent teeth grow back throughout their lives, milk teeth are normal teeth that do not grow back. Rabbits’ milk teeth are very small and are pushed out of the jaw by the erupting permanent teeth, which also partially dissolve the root area. Normally they are swallowed by the animals together with the ingested food. So you can’t find them in the stable. An optimal supply of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D is particularly important during the change of teeth. This ensures that the rabbits can develop fully resilient teeth, which are also firmly anchored in the healthy jawbone.
How do Teeth Contribute to Digestive Problems?
The incisors and especially the molars are so important because they break up the roughage that is so important for rabbits. Because we don’t actually feed the rabbits, but the complex microflora in the caecum of the animals, which first breaks down the feed into usable energy substances. If rabbits suffer from tooth or teeth problems that make it impossible for them to ingest and shred raw fiber in adequate quantities, the important intestinal bacteria die and other germs multiply. As a result, gastrointestinal diseases develop, which are accompanied by chronic diarrhea, colic, reduced or even completely stopped absorption of the appendix.
What Dental Problems Require Surgical Intervention?
In the case of dental diseases, a distinction is made between simple, insufficient abrasion of the molars, which can be remedied in the long term with a one-time shortening of the teeth under general anesthesia and subsequent nutritional advice, and more serious changes in the teeth. The latter include the frequently occurring purulent tooth root inflammation with sometimes very large abscesses in the head area. Here it is often difficult to decide what can and should be done. The veterinarian first has to take x-rays, because 80 percent of the changes cannot be seen from the outside.
Does Cutting the Incisors Belong in the Hands of the Veterinarian or Can an Animal Owner Grind Down Teeth Himself?
If the pet owner decides to have the incisors trimmed regularly – for cost reasons or because they usually have an unfounded fear of general anesthesia – this should always be done by a veterinarian. Only special milling cutters or so-called cutting discs may be used. Under no circumstances should the teeth be pinched off with pliers. This leads to a splintering of the tooth structure. The tooth nerve can be exposed, which in the long term results in tooth root inflammation.
How Does the Pet Owner Notice Quickly That Something is Wrong With the Teeth and Digestion?
Every rabbit owner should take a close look at their animal’s incisors once a week. Healthy dentition is white with a smooth surface, except for a longitudinal groove in the central area of the upper incisors, which is normal. If you notice transverse grooves on the tooth surface (see picture), you should consult a veterinarian. Digestive problems are often noticeable through abdominal pain, i.e. colic. The animal appears ill, withdraws more, eats less or not at all, has a hunched back, and no longer (completely) ingests its night droppings. This then often sticks to the fur of the anal area, so that one mistakenly thinks the animal has diarrhea, although the hard feces that are deposited throughout the day are of normal consistency.
Are Some Breeds More Likely to Have Dental Problems?
Congenital, i.e. congenital, teeth diseases are particularly common in the smaller rabbit breeds with lop ears. In order to be able to sell the animals better, these dwarf breeds were bred – because the so-called little child scheme is particularly popular. As a result of the disproportion of the jaw length, dwarf rabbits suffer more from congenital incisor changes. In my opinion, however, molar problems are predominantly acquired, as a result of an unsuitable diet. Here it is too easy to claim that domestic rabbits already have poor genetic material in this respect.
What is the Best Activity Material When it Comes to Keeping Teeth Healthy?
In order to keep incisors and molars healthy in the long term, rabbits must be fed in such a way that they can cut up the food primarily through lateral jaw movements. The abrasiveness of the lining plays less of a role than the duration of the abrasion. Thus, the food must not be very high in energy, which is also beneficial for maintaining a healthy caecal flora.