Overgrown Incisors, please help!

[Shanan]

Hi. My one month old New Zealand White Rabbit, Coco is having incisor problems. I discovered it while playing with him. He eats a lot of fresh grass and hay. He has not eaten pellets yet. I really have no idea about teeth problems in rabbits or how to react to this problem. I had noticed a slight eye problem from 25 days of age but he didn't have any teeth problems then (I checked). I wish I had taken him to a vet. I have no idea how his molars are doing. I have exams now and so it's very difficult to rush him to a vet. It would take a few days to convince my family that he needs a vet. I am confused and tensed as hell. Please help.

 

[Azerane]

As I'm sure you know, there is nothing to be done without seeing a vet. A vet can trim the teeth down so that they line up again, or worst case scenario failing this can organise for the teeth to be removed completely. Usually trimming is done first to see how things go, but the teeth absolutely need to be trimmed, sooner rather than later. It's good that he's still eating well, but a little bit more growth and the teeth will start to cause pain, digging into gums and lips etc which is when he will likely stop eating and it will be harder to get him to recover.

Vet visit for sure though, as soon as possible. Those teeth need to be trimmed before they cause any injury. You will need to keep a close eye after trimming as they may be permanently out of alignment and require trimming every 1-2 months. The best result is of course that trimming corrects the issue and overgrowth is not a problem again. If he requires regular trims, long term tooth removal can be beneficial instead.

 

[Shanan]

I will be visiting vet asap. Just that my bunny is well again. He is raising his head while eating and he looked so cute till today when I found out the reason.

 

[UFCreel]

If you have or know anyone with apple trees. Cut a few branches and get some wood into his/her cage. Just make sure the trees are not sprayed. Still hit up the vet. But this helps with my Red New Zealand's teeth. Plus get some quality pellet feed for your pet.

 

[Shanan]

Will be receiving pellets in a day or two. We don't have apple trees over here. We have tropical trees.

 

[UFCreel]

Do any of your pet shops carry wood for Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Rats to chew on? Also please include your location. So anyone over by you. May be able to help locate some wood that is rabbit friendly. Also this place that is on this site has some chew toys for rabbits. http://somethingspecialpetsupplies.com/collections/rodentia/General-Activity

 

[Shanan]

Included location. I have guava trees at home. Also I may be able to get wooden toys from online stores, but orders take time to reach at our place. Will chewing on wood help him now? Will try sincerely to get some then.

 

[JBun]

No, chewing on wood right now won't help. The teeth just need to be trimmed. I don't know how vets are there in your country, but if you know of a vet that really is knowledgeable about rabbits, taking your rabbit to the vet to have the teeth trimmed would be best if at all possible. They most likely will just use some cutters to clip the overgrown incisors. I doubt the molars are a problem. Usually when the incisors are overgrown at this age, it can just be due to the rapid growth of the bunny, and that as the baby grows up, the bone structure will correct itself and there won't be any more teeth problems. But while this is happening the teeth have to be kept trimmed usually every 3-8 weeks.

One other possibility if finding a decent vet or affording one is going to be a problem, is trimming the teeth yourself. This isn't normally something I would recommend, but it might be something needed in your situation. It's not really a difficult thing to do. You can usually go on YouTube and look up instructional videos on how to trim a rabbits teeth. You basically use sharp wire cutters or scissors used to trim peoples fingernails. It's best to use ones that are good quality and new so that you are sure they are sharp. The important thing is to make sure to keep the bunnies tongue out of the way(a tongue depressor might work) and to clip carefully so that no skin is nicked. So like I said, I wouldn't normally recommend anyone trim their own rabbits teeth, but it might be the best alternative for you if you don't have access to a good vet or have the money for it, especially since you will probably need them trimmed every 3 weeks for a while until the bunny is done growing, or even possibly for life.

 

[Shanan]

No, chewing on wood right now won't help. The teeth just need to be trimmed. I don't know how vets are there in your country, but if you know of a vet that really is knowledgeable about rabbits, taking your rabbit to the vet to have the teeth trimmed would be best if at all possible. They most likely will just use some cutters to clip the overgrown incisors. I doubt the molars are a problem. Usually when the incisors are overgrown at this age, it can just be due to the rapid growth of the bunny, and that as the baby grows up, the bone structure will correct itself and there won't be any more teeth problems. But while this is happening the teeth have to be kept trimmed usually every 3-8 weeks.

One other possibility if finding a decent vet or affording one is going to be a problem, is trimming the teeth yourself. This isn't normally something I would recommend, but it might be something needed in your situation. It's not really a difficult thing to do. You can usually go on YouTube and look up instructional videos on how to trim a rabbits teeth. You basically use sharp wire cutters or scissors used to trim peoples fingernails. It's best to use ones that are good quality and new so that you are sure they are sharp. The important thing is to make sure to keep the bunnies tongue out of the way(a tongue depressor might work) and to clip carefully so that no skin is nicked. So like I said, I wouldn't normally recommend anyone trim their own rabbits teeth, but it might be the best alternative for you if you don't have access to a good vet or have the money for it, especially since you will probably need them trimmed every 3 weeks for a while until the bunny is done growing, or even possibly for life.

I will certainly try and find a vet. I will check on with a known vet doctor tomorrow to get a first opinion and asap will take the baby to a good doc. But what about total incisor removal? Because clipping for life time may not be possible.

 

[Shanan]

If his teeth are clipped once, won't chewing on wood, proper pellets and hay stop the growth of the incisor forever? How is this growth different from the normal ones?

Coco was injured two times in a row. He fell off a height but landed on mud. He might have got hurt then and this is a result of that.

 

[majorv]

If he's only one month old and already has teeth problems it was probably something he was born with. It's called malocclusion. He will most likely need his teeth trimmed even if he has wood to chew on because rabbits mainly chew with their molars. He could still eat even with the front teeth removed, if it becomes necessary.

 

[Maureen Las]

If the upper and lower jaw is not aligned in the rabbit's mouth then the teeth are not able to grind together in a normal manner ;this is usually a genetic issue. If the problem is only the incisors then they could be removed ( plus peg teeth behind them ) . Rabbits can pick up food without incisors and move the food back to masticate with molars. Some people do not want to have them ground down every few months. Grinding rather than clipping is the ideal method ,however, if you do not have a rabbit vet who does dentistry then clipping is your only option. The problem with clipping is that mechanical pressure on the tooth could cause the root to die.
If the molars are involved this is a bigger issue, however, molars can be ground down every few months.
I doubt if fall caused teeth issue but best to bring that up to vet.
Good Luck with this and hopefully only incisors are the problem. Sometimes in young rabbits incisor overgrowth is self corrected after one clipping /grinding.

 

[Shanan]

If he's only one month old and already has teeth problems it was probably something he was born with. It's called malocclusion. He will most likely need his teeth trimmed even if he has wood to chew on because rabbits mainly chew with their molars. He could still eat even with the front teeth removed, if it becomes necessary.

I hope it isn't the fact that he was born with it. I will most probably be visiting a vet today. Latest by tomorrow. His teeth were aligned when he was around 20 days. Suddenly that eye watering started.

 

[Shanan]

If the upper and lower jaw is not aligned in the rabbit's mouth then the teeth are not able to grind together in a normal manner ;this is usually a genetic issue. If the problem is only the incisors then they could be removed ( plus peg teeth behind them ) . Rabbits can pick up food without incisors and move the food back to masticate with molars. Some people do not want to have them ground down every few months. Grinding rather than clipping is the ideal method ,however, if you do not have a rabbit vet who does dentistry then clipping is your only option. The problem with clipping is that mechanical pressure on the tooth could cause the root to die.
If the molars are involved this is a bigger issue, however, molars can be ground down every few months.
I doubt if fall caused teeth issue but best to bring that up to vet.
Good Luck with this and hopefully only incisors are the problem. Sometimes in young rabbits incisor overgrowth is self corrected after one clipping /grinding.

See. His teeth seems to be broken rather than misaligned. But his upper incisors are too very much longer than normal. His lower incisors seems to be broken rather than misaligned. I hope he will be alright after the first clipping. I do not want him to suffer for life.:cry1:

 

[Shanan]

Here are some more pictures from present. It seems like he has broken that tusk like long lower incisor which was there in the first few pictures. What is this happening?

 

[majorv]

Yes, it looks broken, but they're still misaligned. The upper and lower teeth should meet. He has a overbite it looks like

 

[Shanan]

Yes, it looks broken, but they're still misaligned. The upper and lower teeth should meet. He has a overbite it looks like

I just went to a vet. He said it will be fine on it's own (?). I also asked him about teeth occlusion. Said that it this isn't teeth occlusion, it's just that the teeth is over grown and he will grind down his own teeth with time (?). I asked him about where nuetering happened in the city. He firmly told not to nueter because success rates are low due to unavailability of correct anaesthesia.

I am completely confused atm.

 

[majorv]

I still think there's a bite problem, but for now, you'll just have to wait and see how it looks once the broken tooth grows back out, or try to find another vet. If they are overgrown now I don't understand why he didn't offer to trim them. It isn't that easy for a rabbit to wear down his own front teeth. As to the neutering, it isn't really necessary to have him neutered unless he starts having hormonal issues like aggression or spraying urine. I would just wait and see how his behavior is as he grows older.

 

[UFCreel]

You could always order one of these. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...l.com/&usg=AFQjCNHwJJhuqEqcoZcP2YNvFE3xkOlluQ They have many uses.

 

[Shanan]

I still think there's a bite problem, but for now, you'll just have to wait and see how it looks once the broken tooth grows back out, or try to find another vet. If they are overgrown now I don't understand why he didn't offer to trim them. It isn't that easy for a rabbit to wear down his own front teeth. As to the neutering, it isn't really necessary to have him neutered unless he starts having hormonal issues like aggression or spraying urine. I would just wait and see how his behavior is as he grows older.

I went to this vet after much problems since I have exams in a month and parents aren't really liberal about exams. I will have to wait for a month till exams get over. The main reason for this wait is it's very difficult to find a rabbit savvy vet here and the only vets I know live 25 kms away from my place.

About neutering, I have two other babies. One a month old and the other 10 days. When they grow up, I will have to get at least one of the genders neutered. Unless all three are miraculously of the same gender.