uneven teeth...help please

I have noticed recently that Taz's bottom teeth are not the same length, but today when I have checked him they seem about 2-3 mm different, I have not noticed it this uneven before.
He is eating well, loves his hay, dried grass, veggies and has lots of chewy things to gnaw on, so I don't think it is bothering him, but do you think it is anything to worry about?
They are due myxi jabs in a couple of weeks, shall I wait till then and ask the vet to look at it, or should I take him now? Obviously if he wasn't eating or seemed in discomfort I would take him ASAP, but the fact that he is so happy makes me wonder if its just the way they have worn

any advice gratefully recieved

Hiya. Dose he have a normal occlussion when his jaw is shut? He may have broken a piece off the shorter tooth :? Can you see any horizontal ridges on the upper incisors? This can be an early sign of aquired dental disease. In a healthy bun the upper incisors have a clear vertical groove and the enamel should be smooth and shiney. If he is eating normally, his poops are normal size/quantity and he isn't getting a mucky bum then waiting til he goes for his Myxo jab should be OK. I would then ask your Vet to check Taz's teeth. Janex

thanks Jane,

as far as I can tell all the other teeth are all fine...he has just used them to give me a nice nip :roll: he's obviously sick of mummy messing with his mouth..especially when she hasnt put anything in it :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

well just a couple of days later and its getting worse..I think that the tooth is growing much too quickly, the smaller one is the same size but the longer one is now much longer than it was the other day, and it appears to be twisting :? never seen anything like it, so Taz is off to see the vet this morning.......hope its not too serious

Good luck Taz!! Hope the Vet gets your tooth sorted Janex

well, as I feared, the vet said that the problem is malalignment, and will probably recur.
I was feeling very guilty thinking that I hadn't fed enough hay and it was my fault, but he at least reassured me on that front. He had a look at Maisie while I was there and said that although hers look OK at the moment, because they are brother and sister and its hereditary I need to be very watchful of her too.
I know that lots of you have buns with teeth problems, and I have always been lucky to avoid it till now. Poor Taz will need dental treatment regularly for the rest of his life

I`m sorry it`s not great news for Taz but please don`t blame yourself, as your vet said most of the time this problem is down to genetics so it`s not due to anything you`ve done wrong. Yes plenty of hay helps keep a bunny`s teeth down but if they have maloclussion then i`m afraid there`s nothing you can really do to prevent it.

Heres sending buckets loads of hugs to you and Taz.
Su.x

If your bun ends up requiring lots of treatment at short intervals for its front teeth, it would pay to have their front teeth removed. In the long run it can be far less stressful, but should only be considered if they need frequent treatment with the time intervals shortening.

It is very important to get a vet who is used to removing rabbits teeth if this is required.

jrn1310 said:

If your bun ends up requiring lots of treatment at short intervals for its front teeth, it would pay to have their front teeth removed. In the long run it can be far less stressful, but should only be considered if they need frequent treatment with the time intervals shortening.

It is very important to get a vet who is used to removing rabbits teeth if this is required.

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thanks for that, the vet has said that he would consider that if he was needing treatment more often than 8 weekly, but for now just to see how long he goes.
btw how long is too long, I mean, I know it sounds thick, but I obviously don't want him in discomfort from his teeth, but dont want him to have too many dentals more than really necessary :?

Do you mean long in length of teeth or long in time?

If you are looking at length of teeth, you will soon see when a rabbit starts struggling to get its food. I would suggest that you reguarly weigh your rabbit so you know if they are loosing weight. They need to have them cut before they have a problem. As a good bunny mum you will soon get the feel for when they are struggling.

As for length of time, it depends on how stressed you and your bun get when you are off to the vet. Certainly if they need doing every 4 - 6 weeks I would consider it, if not sooner. Many years ago when I use to foster before for another charity I had one which needed them done every 3 weeks, too be honest now I think that we should have pursued having them removed prior to getting to that stage. We are more knowledgable now, techniques have improved and as a fosterer with ARC I now have more autonomy of what happens to my buns than previously.

There are quite a number of people on this forum who have front toothless rabbits who have had their teeth removed for this reason.

jrn1310 said:

Do you mean long in length of teeth or long in time?

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:lol: err both I think, sorry didn't make myself very clear

jrn1310 said:

If you are looking at length of teeth, you will soon see when a rabbit starts struggling to get its food. I would suggest that you reguarly weigh your rabbit so you know if they are loosing weight. They need to have them cut before they have a problem. As a good bunny mum you will soon get the feel for when they are struggling.

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mmm, so true, that's why I took him today, they looked worse than a few days ago, and although he was still happy munching on his hay and stuff, I wanted to get him checked out...seems sadly that I was right

jrn1310 said:

As for length of time, it depends on how stressed you and your bun get when you are off to the vet. Certainly if they need doing every 4 - 6 weeks I would consider it, if not sooner.

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that sort of matches with what the vet said,

thanks