My little rabbit has malocclusion.. advice please!

Hello everyone

Hopefully someone on here will have some experience with this and will be able to give me some advice! I'm worried about my little bun
I've had my rabbit Sooty for 2 months now, he is about 5 months old. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he is a netherland dwarf mix.
About a week ago I noticed that his front bottom teeth were getting quite long and overlapping his front top teeth, he was struggling to eat vegetables unless they were cut into tiny pieces and he had stopped grooming Sweep (his bunny friend). I took him to the vets as soon as I realised.
The vet cut his teeth down and after examining his mouth told me that they don't line up correctly and he will need regular trims to stop them from overgrowing. She said it was quite common in his breed.
She said that sometimes the teeth can be removed if it becomes too much of a problem but she wouldn't recommend it because the surgery can be very stressful and the teeth may grow back (not sure if this is possible..?).

I have no problem with taking him to the vets regularly and can deal with the cost, but I am worried about his wellbeing. He hates being in the car and I can imagine having to do this every few weeks could be very stressful for him. I've researched the problem and I wouldn't cut the teeth myself because I'm not experienced and I don't want to cause him more pain.

Has anyone had experience with the tooth removal surgery and would they recommend it? If it would be better for Sooty in the long run then I would consider it. Can a rabbit live happily without it's front teeth? Just looking for advice from anyone more experienced than me, I want to do the right thing for him.

My first thought is to ask you if your vet did actually cut your rabbit's teeth? Do you know if they were cut/clipped or burred down?

Having had a bunny with the same problem I'd say that having the teeth removed does seem like a good solution if it's to become a regular thing. Your vet is correct in saying that the teeth can grow back but I don't think the surgery is hugely stressful compared to frequent trips for the teeth to be trimmed.

I ask about the method of trimming the rabbit's teeth because if they are being cut/clipped there is a danger of them shattering which can cause problems. The method used by a more rabbit savvy vet would be burring. If they do cut the teeth then I would also question how many incisor removal surgeries they perform and perhaps consider seeking someone more experienced if you did decide to pursue surgery.

I'm not sure what method she used to trim them unfortunately. She took him into another room to do it. I didn't think to ask because at the time I didn't know much about rabbit tooth problems and the different methods! I'll definitely ask next time..

So far this vets has been really good and I chose them because they were recommended on this forum. I've had them vaccinated and neutered there and so far so good. When they were neutered there was another rabbit in the waiting area who was having his teeth taken out so I know they've done at least one surgery I'll quiz the vet more the next time I take him.

Thanks for your help!

Something that might help with the teeth is hay. Does he eat loads (80-90% of his diet)?

Babsie said:

Something that might help with the teeth is hay. Does he eat loads (80-90% of his diet)?

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Yes he loves hay and eats tons I always make sure the hay rack is full and he doesn't have any problems eating that or his daily nuggets. It's only the veg he struggles with even if I cut it up into tiny pieces. I've also got a chewing block for him that he likes but he does struggle to bite it.

Many bunnies manage really well without their front teeth and perhaps their removal may be the best option in the long run. The stress of the visit to the vets, the actual burring down and the regularity of this may be too much. But know your bunny best and do what you think is best too.

It sounds as if you have a good bunny savvy vet which is brilliant.

Mrs. Bunnykins said:

Many bunnies manage really well without their front teeth and perhaps their removal may be the best option in the long run. The stress of the visit to the vets, the actual burring down and the regularity of this may be too much. But know your bunny best and do what you think is best too.

It sounds as if you have a good bunny savvy vet which is brilliant.

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Yes I think I'm just going to keep my eye on him the next couple of times I take him to the vet. It's mainly the car that makes him nervous. If it's affecting him badly I'll probably go for the removal. Thanks for your help!

my bun had his incisors removed about 3 weeks ago, he recovered really well very quickly too, he has since gone from strength to strength he can still eat hay and pellets and definitely seems much happier now

sun_city_girl said:

my bun had his incisors removed about 3 weeks ago, he recovered really well very quickly too, he has since gone from strength to strength he can still eat hay and pellets and definitely seems much happier now

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Aww good It's nice to hear someone else's experience with it! Surgery definitely seems the way to go.. Thanks