need help on rabbits overgrown tooth please

buxtonrabbitgreen

Hi all
has anyone got any advice for me. My old rabbit has one front tooth that has grown to about an inch long in the last couple of months. Has anyone else experienced this before I take him to the vet.? It doesn't seem to affect his eating or drinking. What i wondered is can the vet do anything? can he file it down? will it have to come out? can a rabbit manage without one of it's front teeth. Or from past experience of the vet will he want to charge me a gazillion pounds and give him a crown or somthing. Any help please.

Red_Fraggle_3

Does he have wood to nibble on his cage - that usually keeps the teeth shorter

buxtonrabbitgreen

Yes he does have a piece of wood. Though he has never eaten vegetables, I put a carrot in and take it out again 2 days later.

pboae

The front tooth can just be clipped down, or even removed, without causing your rabbit any major problems. The bigger worry is that overgrown front teeth can by a symptom of bigger problems with the back teeth, so please do get him to a vet quickly.

JanCee

Rabbit's teeth never stop growing and as they get older it does get to be a problem. A trip to the vet will sort it out. Don't leave it though because if their back teeth get too long they are unable to eat properly.

buxtonrabbitgreen

ok thanks phoae and jancee i will take him to the vet, thanks for the information that they can be clipped or removed that was what I wanted to know. I had to have another old rabbit put down a few years ago because it was suffering from gum disease apparantly quite common in old rabbits. Is it usual for just one front tooth to grow so long though?

cheepskate_2

we had the same problem with one of our gerbils, and it cost £14.00 , yikees, to get it trimmed, and it only took a few seconds.no wonder some people don't take their small animals to the vet , I could have got 3 new ones for this price ( added to the fact our gerbil is 4 1/2 years old and on its last legs.

This happens for a few reasons

1. no hard items to chew on
or
2. the teeth have went out of line for various reasons and cant wear down off each other

mikey-mike_2

buxtonrabbitgreen wrote:

..... I had to have another old rabbit put down a few years ago because it was suffering from gum disease..........

cue huge increase in mouthwash & floss sales

jrrowleyws

The teeth get cut with a tool not too different to wire cutters. Get yourself a pair and itsvery easy to do the front teeth, just dont do them too short as you could touch the nerve!

Scoflo

Its really stressful for the rabbit - no matter who does it. Please be aware you might come home with no rabbit.

Eels100

jrrowleyws wrote:

The teeth get cut with a tool not too different to wire cutters. Get yourself a pair and itsvery easy to do the front teeth, just dont do them too short as you could touch the nerve!

Teeth should never ever be clipped with cutters, they should be trimmed back with a dental burr (like a tiny circular saw). Cutting risks fracturing the tooth, leading to chronic and severe pain and abnormal growth. The practice of clipping teeth is outdated and ill-advised.

The tooth has probably overgrown as a result of the corresponding incisor being lost or damaged. Normally the teeth would meet and wear each other down over time. Ideally both the offending tooth and its opposite should be removed surgically. It's true that often incisor problems occur in animals with severe molar disease, and rabbits molars cannot be examined without heavy sedation or ideally general anaesthetic.

These problems often occur as a result of breeding - domestic rabbits often have maloccluded teeth and suffer from overgrowth as they age. This often requires regular dental work under anaesthetic, which does have associated risks, but if not carried out has serious welfare implications. Please see a vet, and ensure your rabbit always has a supply of fresh hay available - they must be able to graze 24 hours a day.