need help on rabbits overgrown tooth please

System

Ive not long had two chinchillas teeth filed down under anaesthetic because of overgrowing teeth. It cost me £149 for the op, an overnight stay and of course the anaesthetic.

We had to have one of them put to sleep though 5 days later as he never really came round properly and stopped eating and couldnt move. We did provide wood and blocks for them to sharpen their teeth on but they werent really very keen on them.

buxtonrabbitgreen

Judi wrote:

Ive not long had two chinchillas teeth filed down under anaesthetic because of overgrowing teeth. It cost me £149 for the op, an overnight stay and of course the anaesthetic.

We had to have one of them put to sleep though 5 days later as he never really came round properly and stopped eating and couldnt move. We did provide wood and blocks for them to sharpen their teeth on but they werent really very keen on them.

That is a shame. Though I suppose chichillas are much more expensive to buy in the first place so I suppose you are more diispolsed to spend the money on them.

pboae

Judi, I've found breeze blocks to be the best things for my chinchillas they all love gnawing on them, much more than wood, etc. Anesthetic is very hard on them though. My young male was in a terrible way after he was castrated, it was horrible :-(

buxtonrabbitgreen, I don't consider my pets to be an investment, I don't offer or withold vet treatment according to what I paid for them. 2 of them cost me nothing, but if any of them need treatment (and it is in their best interest to have it) I'll find the money for it.

I would never consider leaving one of my chinchillas without treatment just because it was going to cost me more than I paid for them. I am disposed to spend money on them because it my responsibility to ensure they are kept healthy, and because I love them and don't want to see them suffer. My dog came from a rescue and I pay more for his insurance every year than I paid for him in the beginning.

janeawej

i used to give our pet rat those denta rask dog bone things it realy helped to keep his teeth short as he did have problems with them growing long, i looked on the net and found the tip on an animal website, not sure if rabbits would like them but he certainkly did

amyandoli

i have a netherland dwarf rabbit called OLI and both his front teeth grew too long at the wrong angle and were removed for about £70 in early 2005. it's a common problem in his breed because of their snub noses/flat faces, and showed up as his eyes watering. he had an overnight stay at the vets and we went to see him after his op (we're daft on him, he's a house bunny). he recovered really quickly and was home the next day. we were told it was rare but possible for the teeth to grow back, but they havent. he eats nuggets fine, for a few weeks he was on liquid nuggets! but he cant bite into carrots etc, i have to shred them, and rip lettuce etc up small. hope your bunny is ok x

hayleyc_2

Just a note regarding rabbit insurance. Mine are insured with a company called exotic direct and it's only about £6.50 per rabbit per month. I would never leave an animal uninsured because I don't want money to come in to any decision as to whether an animal is given treatment. I've had to claim large amounts in the past for my rabbits so I know how important this can be. Once rabbits get ill they often need on-going treatment and can be costly.

Personally when I go to the vet I am always appalled when they act as though you may not want to pay for certain treatments or try certain things because of cost. It makes me wonder how many people they must see who just PTS animals which could live perfectly happy and fulfilled lives but the owners don't think it's worth the cost. Either that or they can't afford it because they haven't taken the veterinary costs into account when they took the animal on. I don't care how many other rats/rabbits/hamsters etc I could buy with the money. My priority and obligation is to provide the best veterinary treatment available for my existing pets until they either die of natural causes or until it's kinder to PTS because they are would suffer otherwise.

The OP asked "The vet has given me some eye drops for him. Even without the operation it has cost £50. Would anyone spend £250 on a rabbit that surely can't be much longer for this world.?" The answer is yes. In my opinion this is the responsibility you took on when you decided to get the rabbit in the first place. If the vet has recommended this treatment then he/she obviously believes the rabbit is not too old to undergo an anaesthetic and will benefit from the procedure. This sort of tooth related problem is very common in rabbits and vets are used to treating it, so if I were in your position I would give whatever treatment was recommended.

hayleyc_2

janeawej wrote:

i used to give our pet rat those denta rask dog bone things it realy helped to keep his teeth short as he did have problems with them growing long, i looked on the net and found the tip on an animal website, not sure if rabbits would like them but he certainkly did

Just wanted to say that rabbits should never be given dog biscuits or dentarasks or anything else that's not vegetarian! They have very sensitive digestive systems and the best way to wear down teeth is copious amounts of good quality hay every day, plenty of veggies and limited amounts of high fibre pellets.

tanith

As I posted earlier my daughters both keep dwarf rabbits Netherlands and lop-eared.. some of them will eat hay and one or two never touch it.. how can they encourage them to eat the hay? maybe cutting down the amount of pellets ? but they have already done this and now just give the amount recommended by the vet... they still don't eat the hay

hayleyc_2

Hi Tanith,

What type of hay are they being fed? If it's the sort you get in plastic bags from most pet shops then it's not the best and is not as tasty to bunnies as better quailty hay. It's also easier to chew so not as good for them. Have they tried a good quality timothy hay? Good quality hay should be thick long strands (not chopped up) and should have the seed heads and things still in there. Also you need to make sure the hay is fresh and kept dry as this would stop them wanting to eat it. Try giving the pellets once a day (say just in the morning) and then giving large amounts of hay available all day, with a few veggies in the evening. Once the pellets have run out then they will have to eat the hay and veggies before getting more pellets in the morning. Another option is to try readigrass which is greener than hay and very good for rabbits, which they may prefer. Have a look on bunnybasics.co.uk. The hay is very expensive on there but it will give you an idea what it should look like. You can often get very good hay from stables and farms who will sell you a bag or bale a lot cheaper than the pet shops.

Hope this helps

Hayley

P.S There is a rabbit forum on https://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk which is excellent and I'm sure there'll be others who've asked the same question. (link not working at the mo but URL is correct - hopefully it'll be back up and running soon!)

Eels100

Can I just say how refreshing it is to see so much really good advice about rabbit husbandry being given here?

Of all the domestic pets kept in the UK, I honestly think that rabbits experience more suffering and pain as a result of ignorance on the part of us humans than any other. So often they are given to children who tire of them quickly, and they spend their remaining days in tiny cramped hutches, out in all weathers, being fed poor quality diets and enduring terribly painful dental abscesses and overgrowth.

It's a myth that rabbits are easy, low maintenance pets - they need quite specialist care in some cases and are predisposed to numerous health problems. I'm delighted that so many people here have given such sound advice about fibre intake, dental care and insurance and realistic views on potential veterinary costs.

I'd never have a pet rabbit myself, but I can't abide the terrible conditions so many of them experience. All hail MSE, provider of moneysaving and responsible pet ownership advice!