How can I find my old pictures?

[MedusA]

Our bunny, Aslan, was born with misaligned incisor teeth. They grow at such a rate, despite lots of dried grass and hay. Are we destined to need perpetual visits to the vet for burring (trimming)?

 

Has anybody had their bun's front teeth removed? If so, can I ask how big a procedure is it and how did your bun get on after it?

 

Thanks.

[cathybc]

sorry to hear about Aslan. One of my bunnies had her incisors removed, as did a bun at the sanctuary I volunteered at. They both did fine after, they had to have their green cut up very small afterwards, and the vet said they learn to use their tongues to pick up pellets.

 

BUT - my bun had to have one of hers removed several times. Apparently, it is difficult to get the tooth out, and even if a tiny part is left behind, the tooth grows back.

[MedusA]

Thanks for replying. I had heard that the teeth do grow back if anything is left!

 

Does it require a general anaesthetic for removal? We have a vet appointment this evening to discuss what is best to do.

[The Dogmother]

Having them removed is possible but a bit drastic as buns don't always react well to general anaesthetics. A friend has the same problem with her bun and has the teeth files or clipped regularly.

[cathybc]

hello, yes, removal does need a general. Trimming the teeth doesn't,so as Claret says, it is better from that point of view, as well as being a lot less invasive.

 

My girlie had them removed because of problems with the roots (from what I remember), rather than due to them growing too quickly and not wearing down.

 

have a chat with your vet about all the options. I think ( please someone correct me if I am wrong) that there are a couple of anaesthetics that they can use on bunnies. Poor Snowflake had to have a number of ops for various things, and luckily, she got through every one fine.

 

But another of my buns stopped breathing under anaesthetic. They had not started the op yet, so brought her round, and when I took her back they used a different anaesthetic and she was OK.

 

It always a risk though . Good luck this evening x

[MedusA]

Thanks for the support.

 

We had a long chat with the vet and she really advised against teeth removal because of the difficulties with anaesthetic and the awkwardness of the incisor roots (being sort of hooked).

 

She burred his top incisors short, but the bottom ones he had snapped off anyway, sometime during the day. DIY dentistry for bunnies! We're going to try and get him to gnaw something hard to keep them down, but so far have never found anything he will gnaw. It's not for want of trying. The vet suggested soaking a fruitwood stick in Ribena!!!!!

 

We'll give anything a go. Anyway, he seems perkier this morning and has forgiven us for the 4th vet trip in 6 weeks (2 of those for his annual vaccinations). It's not cheap is it?

 

Edited for typo.

[The Dogmother]

I'm sure that you have, but have you tried apple branches? My bunnnies go mad for them.

[ChrisP]

My 2 rabbits had teeth problems, possibly similar to yours, and wouldn't chew anything.

When we got them a litter tray, like this one:

they started chewing the upper corners of this, and that seemed to help keep their teeth under control. don't know if it could be worth trying this, but thought I'd mention it, it was only about £10 from my local garden centre.

 

PS - I hope the picture didnt come out too big or anything, it's the first time I've ever posted a picture on here!

[cathybc]

glad to hear he is perkier !

[bunnywarren]

Hi

 

My Berty has an overset jaw and this is more common than you think! My wonderful Bunny mad vet tells me that 80% of bunnies are born this way. Currently we take Berty every month to have his front teeth clipped and he doesn't mind a bit. She was initially worried that he would need regular anaesthetics for his back teeth but i was pleased when she said that the change in diet had been succesful and that this was no longer the case. We feed him rabbit pellets and greens and this has worked now. Chewing blocks can be good for the front teeth but to keep the back ones down at a level he can manage the pellets do the trick.

[MedusA]

Thanks again. I had already been looking for applewood, but haven't found any yet. I have very young apple trees at the allotments. I wonder if prunings from them might be worth a try. Failing that I have a mature cherry tree. Would that be any good?

 

I bought him a wood lump from the pet shop which has bored-out areas stuffed with seed-goo. We'll give that a try in the meantime. He already has a toilet tray, ChrisP, but never even chews that.

 

I've resigned myself to regular dentist trips to the vet at £14 a go! But he is worth it.

[The Dogmother]

Cherry is the one wood that is poisonous to Bunnies. Mine love plum clippings if you have any of that.

[MedusA]

Cherry is the one wood that is poisonous to Bunnies. Mine love plum clippings if you have any of that.

 

Shoot!!!! Thanks Clare, but no plums either, I'm afraid. I'll just keep trying to find applewood. Maybe I'll talk to some of the other allotmenteers who have more established apple trees, to see if they can spare me some prunings.

[The Dogmother]

I blag some from Phil's folks. Plus my plum tree does enormous shoots at this time of year - I cut them back to expose the fruit and give the branches to the buns. They also love the bits I cut off the hazel tree.