All you need to know about rabbit's teeth and neutering.
Rabbits teeth - by Imogen, Veterinary Nurse
Unlike other rodents such as rats and guinea pigs, rabbits have 6 incisor teeth, (2 at the bottom and 4 at the top). In the upper jaw there are two smaller incisors, also known as the ‘peg teeth’ which sit behind the two large incisors at the front of the mouth.
Unlike humans, dogs and cats, rabbit’s teeth grow continuously and never form roots. It is therefore very important to feed your rabbit plenty of grass and hay which are abrasive and will wear the teeth down.
If your rabbit is not eating enough roughage to wear the teeth down it will be unable to eat properly and may develop very sore ulcers in its mouth due to sharp teeth rubbing on the tongue or cheeks.
Rabbit’s teeth grow up to 3mm in one month!
Signs that your rabbit may have overgrown teeth are:
· Dribbling
· Not eating
· Not chewing their food properly and dropping food from their mouth
· Failure to groom and clean themselves
If you think your rabbit has overgrown teeth it is very important that you bring him/her to see us as soon as possible because it can be fatal if left untreated.
Neutering Rabbits
A lot of discussion occurs about dogs and cats and whether they should be neutered (spayed or castrated) or not, but what about the 3rd most common UK pet – the rabbit?
We all know the old saying – ‘breed like rabbits’, so if you have a male and a female un-neutered pair of bunnies over 6 months, (+ doe’s can even be fertile from 4 months of age!) and you haven’t got any ‘kits’ – you soon will have!
So, apart from the obvious family planning reasons, here is a few other thoughts on why to get your rabbit spayed or castrated.
1. litter training – males and females (bucks and does) are easier to train to use litter in the house once they are neutered and they are also less likely to regress too.
- also male rabbits which are castrated often stop spraying, (if this is a problem).
2. cancer – ovarian or uterine cancers are very common in the older (>5 years old) rabbit. By spaying, both ovaries and the uterus are removed, thus virtually eliminating this risk.
3. Family pets – rabbits who are neutered are less destructive, calmer and less aggressive that their un-neutered counter parts.
4. Companionship – rabbits live in groups and enjoy other rabbits company. It is not unusual to have aggression between 2 un-neutered rabbits which can cause very serious injuries. Removing this ‘sexual tension’ avoids a lot of this.
Wild rabbits have a strict hierarchal system of order to prevent aggression within the colony (we all remember Richard Adams’ “Watership Down” as to how this works!).
Introducing rabbits - Rabbits, if brought up together will usually not fight and if neutered, the risk is lowered further. Introducing a new rabbit to your existing rabbit can be tricky. Careful observation and ensuring both are neutered is very important.
Introducing a guinea pig to a rabbit is very risky and often the guinea pig will be ‘body injured’ by the rabbit. They also have very different dietary requirements, (guinea pigs, like humans, need vitamin C, in their diet). So, if a rabbit and guinea pig live together you must ensure that the guinea pig is eating ‘guinea pig’ food and NOT rabbit food!
If a guinea pig and a rabbit have always lived happily together – great! But, be careful of introducing a new addition!
20/12/2007
Back to News list