• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

NeAny totally toothless bun owners out there???

bigbun

New Kit
Hello everyone. I'm new (joined just a few minutes ago) and am not sure if anyone can help me, but have to try somehwere...

I have a very poorly rabbit, aged 4, who had her incisors removed 3 years ago. She has never eaten hay despite various types, lengths etc being offered which I'm sure contributed to her dental problems. She has had problem after problem with her teeth, including two mandibular abcesses (both removed successfully although they had pentrated the bone) and she has shown tremendous spirit and fight each time she has had to deal with surgery.

She went to have yet another lump under her jaw checked (this time thankfully not attached to bone) and we were advised to have it removed. Whilst under anasthetic she was checked over more thoroughly and was discovered to have extensive dental issues with her molars. Some were removed straight away and the rest will be removed at a later date when she has healed from this operation. The abcess beneath her jaw hasn't been removed as it was not deemed important with everything else thats going on.

My main concern is this: what am I going to feed her??? We fed her pellets and very small pieces of chopped veg etc when she had molars but her droppings have frequently been wet and nasty smelling. The vet assured us it was 'just her' and that we had to live with it. We're more than happy to keep going this way since she is still very active, naughty and as much fun as she ever was. Her coat is in very poor condition and we groom her twice a week to keep her clean and tidy but again it must be down to her poor diet. We've been back and forth to vet to make sure she is otherwise healthy and until this latest check, she was fine.

I'm sorry to go on so long and demand so much of your time but I'd really appreciate any advice from people who have had a totally toothless bunny or those of you who have a any ideas about what to feed her and how. I know some of you would advise putting her to sleep and it's not something I'm dismissing, but as I've already said - she has shown such fight and determination I'm just not prepared to give in until she does. Needless to say, I would never sit by and let her suffer.

Please, anyone. Can you help?
 
I would suggest you re-post in Rabbit Chat or 'Health'.

Help Using The Forum is, er, for help using the forum :)

Hope this helps you get some help.
 
Hi Big Bun :wave: Welcome to RU.

I havent had bunnies with no teeth at all, but I have had some with no incisors. For them I made bunny smoothies. I threw lots of veg and readigrass/hay into a food processor and added some water and blended it until it was a smooth consistency. They can use their tongues to pick this up, although I do warn you, my bunny used to use his feet too and it can get messy when he flicks his feet to clean himself! :lol: I used to make enough up for a few days and keep it in the fridge so you don't have to mess around every day!

You can also add a little water to the pellets you feed her (assuming she is on pellets and not a mix) as they will soften and again she will be able to pick this up with her teeth. It works well and will mean she gets the right vitamins and minerals she needs.

Hope his helps xx
 
Try soaking high fibre pellets in warm water. I find Science Selective mushes up well and doesn't cause runny poops, even on a no-hay diet.
 
Goodness, poor wee soul.

I have a bun with just his incisors removed, but luckily he has his molars and can eat fine.

For feeding i could only really suggest mushy food. You could soak pellets in water to make them soft, banana, porridge (only is buns tum could handle it), maybe some critical care recovery feed. I have even heard of people feeding baby food, only veggie ones tho.

I hope you managed to find something that gets bunster some food.

ETA: some ideas here http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=117828
 
Last edited:
Hi Big Bun Welcome to RU.

I havent had bunnies with no teeth at all, but I have had some with no incisors. For them I made bunny smoothies. I threw lots of veg and readigrass/hay into a food processor and added some water and blended it until it was a smooth consistency. They can use their tongues to pick this up, although I do warn you, my bunny used to use his feet too and it can get messy when he flicks his feet to clean himself! I used to make enough up for a few days and keep it in the fridge so you don't have to mess around every day!

You can also add a little water to the pellets you feed her (assuming she is on pellets and not a mix) as they will soften and again she will be able to pick this up with her teeth. It works well and will mean she gets the right vitamins and minerals she needs.

Hope his helps xx
 
I would deffinatly ask about critical care :wave: soak her pellets to make them smushy, soaked wheatabix (nothing added) porridge (water not milk!) Im not sure if cooked veg would be any good? Probably not worth it really. Good luck with her :wave:
 
Hi

I have a bunny with no incisors and who is slowly losing his molars too! Cooked food, processed cereals (such as bran flakes, weatabix etc etc) must be avoided (unless you have a very poorly bunny and you need to encourage them to eat)

Bunnies can't process those types of food.

But blending/food processing raw veg, hay, nuggets etc work well. I also soften Miffy's nuggets is water as this works well. You can also mash them in a pestle and mortar and then add water to make a paste. Its always best to still try and give them a varied diet but in a paste/liquid/mush form so that it is easy for them to eat.

Miffy still gives hay a good go, I can see it when it comes out the other end - still whole! I use those compressed hay cakes, and crumble them for him to lick up and I also chop the pieces up into even tinier pieces. Also dried herbs and wilds plants such as plantain and dandelion (lots of pet shops sell these), I tend to chop his up into small pieces and he manages to eat them.

Hope this helps! :wave:
 
Back
Top