Front teeth Maloculsion

Thumps · Jan 18, 2005

Um think thats how you spell it :lol:
Anyhoo Harley has always had problems with his front teeth and I knew that when I took him on. He's quite happy to have them clipped once a month and is well behaved at the vets when we get them done. However I was wondering if anyone could think of or know of any foods or anything in particular that might help wear down his upper front teeth. His lower front teeth are fine, its just his upper teeth and his peg teeth that are the problems and even then its only one front tooth which grows funny the other isn't too bad. I did spot something on the chinchilla website which I thought might be useful http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/toys.htm it's the 1st one. Doubt he will munch it much really. He has a small amount of pellets and Im building him up on the veggies side of it so he will be able to have a proper sized bowl soon and he has hay everywhere which he does sit and munch, normally at night as Im dropping off to sleep (he has snuffles so is kept seperate in my bedroom)
If anyone has ideas please let me know.
Angela

Towsbuns · Jan 18, 2005

My one doubt re. that chinchilla stone would be the fact it is calcium enriched as some buns' bladders can be affected if they have too much calcium.
What about getting some willow twigs or apple tree branches and see if he will gnaw on those.

Thumps · Jan 18, 2005

Hi, I did notice just after posting that it said calcium enriched. Think it was something different I was looking at in the 1st place but I really can't remember what :roll: memory like a sieve me!

Angela

bunnyhuggger · Jan 18, 2005

Have you tried him with a big chunk of neep? You can also get huge gnawing blocks for buns (about 3inch square) from some pet shops but it all depends on whether he'd like it or not.

Also a roll n chew ball, they're made of wood. Mojo and Grace like to destroy those.

Untreated willow baskets are more fun if he doesn't like twigs.

Caz · Jan 18, 2005

I bought some WWWillow Chewsticks and they have gone down really well with my male bunnies (funny Violet and Athena don't touch them), Cosmos also has destroyed Violet's hayball, twig ball and twigbasket since he arrived a week ago at least it is the chewtoys not my wires :roll: !

I would recommend alfalfa cubes as well - they are really hard to chew - if I don't feed pellets they will eat them in the evening (not a popular choice though) and they seem pretty hard to chew pieces off of!

Caz

Thumps · Jan 18, 2005

Do things like that really help with front teeth? The reason i ask is because I once sat and watched him pinch a bit of willow ball that Sooty had nibbled off and he sat and chewed it for ages but he just turns it in his mouth so that it sticks out of the side of his mouth and he uses his back teeth. He has a willow ball but he hasn't touched that or the rings that Kara kindly sent us. All he does with his ball is pick it up and chuck it about :lol: Maybe I can persuade Sooty to chew off some more strands of the willow ball then give them to Harley to munch team work

Not sure how he'd cope with Neep he struggles a bit with carrot. Will give it a try with a little bit anyway can't do any harm. I think he knows his front teeth are knackered the vet isn' too keen on removing them as his peg teeth grow quite rapidly too and they would cause problems when they grow back. Do peg teeth always grow back anyone know?

Angela

kimbun's mum · Jan 18, 2005

Just to let you know that if he does have to have his front teeth out he will be fine.

Pie doesn't have any front teeth and he seems to manage fine - he loves his hay and eats pellets and I just make sure that all his veg is cut/shredded into small chunks.

lol Pam

BevBunny · Jan 18, 2005

My bunny has exactly the same problem.

I go to several vets and they all say the same - get them eating a more high fibre diet, preferably Timothy Grass (rather than timothy hay which just has a few % timothy grass).

Reduce all other food to encourage the bunny to eat the hay - even if they end up that their sole diet is hay and water. My buns have about a quarter of the daily recommended amount of pellets and then copious amounts of timothy grass - and thats about it. The odd bit of veg is used as a treat.

Ferns teeth did improve greatly as we changed her diet and went from having fer front teeth cut down from monthly to 3 monthly or longer.

Thumps · Jan 19, 2005

Ohhh there is hope then! Although he's well behaved when we go and it doesn't cost much it must be sore to have his teeth done although they are now burred rather than clipped.
I have started to cut down his pellets to get him eating more hay as well. Boy don't we know he's not getting much :lol: poor boy chases me all over the house in the hope of food! I have set Sooty the task of nibbling off more willow strands to give to Harley, it would be better if Harley nibbled them off himself but he won't.
If his teeth need done anymore often than once a month or it becomes too much for him then we will look at removing them.

Angela

Front teeth Maloculsion

Thumps

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Towsbuns

Mama Doe

Thumps

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bunnyhuggger

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Caz

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Thumps

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kimbun's mum

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BevBunny

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Thumps

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