Why non-dental buns turn into dental buns?

Barney has well-aligned teeth. He had good teeth! He has the reccommended diet. So why did he suddenly start needing dentals?

I dont get it :? Okay I have only had him 11 months and I dont know his history, but when I got him he obviously wasnt used to having to eat much hay, and didnt. It took me a long while to get his diet right too, and he had his teeth checked and they were fine.

I got his diet right, he ate twice as much hay! Then out of the blue he needed a dental... and now most likely needs another 4 months later.

Is there anything that can cause the teeth to suddenly grow faster?

Could it be the type of hay? Different types of hay wear down different parts of the teeth so if he has had the same type of hay all the time, then maybe it's not wearing down the right parts of his teeth?

I think Thumps mentioned something about a bacteria that can cause them to grow faster.

Also, with age a bunnies teeth can be more prone to problems as well.

I would also imagine if, for example, he jolted himself whilst running and accidently bit his tongue, he might be inclined to eat on the other side, which might encourage growth on the side he is not eating on, and by the time he can eat on that side, the teeth have already grown out of control.

Sky-O said:

Could it be the type of hay? Different types of hay wear down different parts of the teeth so if he has had the same type of hay all the time, then maybe it's not wearing down the right parts of his teeth?

I think Thumps mentioned something about a bacteria that can cause them to grow faster.

Also, with age a bunnies teeth can be more prone to problems as well.

I would also imagine if, for example, he jolted himself whilst running and accidently bit his tongue, he might be inclined to eat on the other side, which might encourage growth on the side he is not eating on, and by the time he can eat on that side, the teeth have already grown out of control.

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Thanks, Sky-O, thats given me a lot to think about, I felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall, its nice to hear some answers!

The hay bit is particularly interesting, as I used to buy every type under the sun to tempt him, and fed him a mix of maybe 4 different ones a day, 7 different types in all. Now I use mainly Hay for Pets Timothy and Rye, with only a small amount of their Ings, Soft Meadow and Burns oat hay, because they prefer the Timothy&Rye or oat, and oat is expensive! Even though they eat so much more, perhaps its just not wearing down a certain point. Annabelle is also developing a small spur, and she has well-aligned teeth too.

But it would cost me around £60 a month in hay if I fed them both the mix he used to get :? and he ate less then and had rubbish poos :? Catch 22.

I'm thinking perhaps the week of hardly eating after his last dental may have speeded things up this time too...

I'd be interested to learn about this bacteria too, I hope Thumps sees this thread.

I guess theres nothing I can do about the last reason, but it makes you think...

Hmm, can things like bark, herbs and veg wear down the back teeth like hay, or is it mainly the front? His botty troubles seem to have cleared up, so I'm thinking of changing him over to a more natural diet, but not sure how many pellets he'll need to keep his vitamin D up, as hes indoors :?

I'm sorry Barney is having trouble with his teeth. I think some leaves, like hawthorn and strawberry, are supposed to be good for wearing the teeth. Not sure, but I think I read it on here somewhere - probably a thread in the diet section.

Charlie's never needed a dental... He's 3 now and will probably need one in the next 6 months.
Just rotten luck I think

Susie bun - Thanks, yeah I think I've read that too, I've just got some hawthorne from fluffers so hopefully that will help. I need to start growing plants I think, need to find some that are good indoors.

steph - funnily enough Barney is estimated to be about 3

nessar said:

Susie bun - Thanks, yeah I think I've read that too, I've just got some hawthorne from fluffers so hopefully that will help. I need to start growing plants I think, need to find some that are good indoors.

steph - funnily enough Barney is estimated to be about 3

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It was probably Fluffers who told me about the strawberry leaves - she has been very helpful with my fussy eater. Our strawberries were not good this year, but the patch has been worth for providing Spenser with noms! Spenser is a likely candidate for future dental trouble as he is not a great hay eater (although improving a lot) and his teeth are not perfectly aligned.

susie bun said:

It was probably Fluffers who told me about the strawberry leaves - she has been very helpful with my fussy eater. Our strawberries were not good this year, but the patch has been worth for providing Spenser with noms! Spenser is a likely candidate for future dental trouble as he is not a great hay eater (although improving a lot) and his teeth are not perfectly aligned.

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Do strawberry plants grow quickly? I need stuff that grows back quickly after I've picked the stuff for the buns!

Best of luck with Spenser, I'm sure you'll find a brand eventually that he sort of likes, even if its just the Morrisons one you put in his litter tray! :lol: Does he eat grass? perhaps 24/7 access to a grass run would be an option.

Our strawberry bed is quite well-established so doesn't look depleted at all. His lordship is currently more interested in runner bean leaves, which as far as I know have no special virtue regarding dental health.

Unfortunately Spenser's hutch doesn't have an attached run. He has daily access to grass unless it is or has been wet (he dislikes damp paws), but spends all but a couple of hours of his run time asleep.

Sky-O said:

Also, with age a bunnies teeth can be more prone to problems as well.

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I had two dentalbuns, they both started having problems when they were about six years old. Indy only needed a dental once, although the vet I had at that time, said he'd probably need it every six weeks..... I changed his diet (which wasn't too good at the time..) and when he passed away almost a year later, his teeth were still fine.

Fred started having problems last year in july, so far he did not need to have things fixed again but when we last visited the vet, he did notice his teeth don't wear down properly.. I'm counting the days he's still eating well.........

So in my experience, age does play a big role. Although I had a fosterbun for about two months with dental problems, but he has been a dental bun from the start.. Don't know what you call it in English, we say 'elephantteeth'..

I wish I knew! My 18 month old conti X has a huge apetite for hay and everything else, has been out mowing the lawn all summer but has just has spurs taken off both sides of her mouth I really don't think it is her diet.