Rabbit dental examination costs?

Snays

Could someone advise me on how much a first time rabbit dental examination costs at the vet in the U.K.? I’m not finding any info anywhere.

Savvy_Sue

I suspect you'd get an answer faster by phoning a couple of local vets, because the answer is almost certainly "it depends" - on the area you live in, whether it's an 'expensive' practice or a cheaper one, possibly even what kind of rabbit is and what kind of dental examination you need! 

It's not like NHS dentistry, for example, where there are fixed price tiers, and some things fall into the lower tier and others into the higher tiers, and it doesn't matter whether you are in Lands End or John O'Groats (actually it might be different in Scotland but hey, you get the point ...). It's more like private dentistry, where two dentists in the same area might charge quite different prices. 

sheramber

Vet fees are not regulated.

Each vets sets their own charges so you need to phone around and ask for costs.

Snays

thanks thanks for your replies, I’m not really looking for a definitive answer I just wanted to get an idea of the price range really. 

Thrugelmir

That's why you need to pick up the phone, you'd get in an answer in no time. 

Ms_Dee

Snays said:

Could someone advise me on how much a first time rabbit dental examination costs at the vet in the U.K.? I’m not finding any info anywhere.

Hi @Snays
It really does vary from each vet practice.
There are some great groups on Facebook that people will be able to help answer. 
Pet Rabbit Advice - Worldwide - https://www.facebook.com/groups/840792622728438
UK Rabbit Group - UK ONLY - https://www.facebook.com/groups/767098500009322

Before the prices went up, our vets were always very reasonable and it cost around £150, I believe.
You need to go to make sure you go to a rabbit savvy vet, as rabbits are quite complicated (much more than people think) 
Anaesthetic is fairly risky, so you need to make sure they are burring the teeth and not trimming, the vet should make you aware of the risks and make sure you do NOT fast your rabbit beforehand. Rabbits need to eat right up until their operation and to make sure they have eaten before they go home. A rabbit not eating is life threatening.

You also want to discuss with your vet if your bunny has any misaligned teeth or if you can try and avoid this in the future.
Rabbits should have access to fresh water and hay/grass (not readigrass) 24 hours a day. They should be eating their size in hay a day.
They need the majority of their diet to be hay, if they don't eat much, you may need to cut down on other foods/treats and offer different brands or types (Timothy hay, Meadow Hay, Orchard grass etc. NOT Alfalfa hay over 6 months of age)
NEVER use muesli type mixes, they are really bad for buns. Science selective is the top UK recommended pellets or the second being Burgess Excel, they should all look the same with no colour bits. They only need around 1 tablespoon of pellets per rabbit up to 1 tablespoon per kg of rabbit.
A cup of mix of herbs and green veggies (no iceberg lettuce) should be enough for an average rabbit a day, over 6 months of age.
Fruit and root veg, like carrots should only be fed sparingly, if at all. 1-2 coin size pieces a day maximum (this is usually where people over feed sugar, as they assume rabbits should eat carrots.)
NEVER FEED Corn, seeds or nuts (sadly in a lot of shop bought products aimed at rabbits 😔)

Sorry if you knew this, but hopefully some of this information will help someone. 



A standard check up used to be £19.50 and is now £40 at our surgery, which seems to be average.