Gummy bunny owners...

[charl86]

Sooty is having his front teeth removed on Wednesday I know there are lots of people with gummy buns on here so just looking for any advice...

My OH took Sooty to the vets yesterday as his teeth were overgrown again and the vet said she thinks they would be best coming out, I wasn't there so I've not spoke to her about it yet, I'm going to try to phone and speak to her before he goes in but until then I thought I'd see what advice I can get here.

I know they tend to cope well without them but does anyone have any any tips/tricks or help with things I may not of thought about?
I chop his greens anyway as his molars are a problem, so I'll be doing that, but is there anything else I might have to do?

How quickly do they adjust to it? Does it take a while for them to get used to eating without them? Also I imagine it will be quite painful at first, am I likely to be struggling to get him to eat or syringe feeding when he first comes home?

Lots of questions sorry but just wondering what peoples experiences are really so I know what to expect.

 

[Jenova]

It's sore at first but they adjust so well. Think about how difficult it is for him to use them as they are right now, they're more in the way than useful.
Make sure you have painkillers to take home and if he doesn't seem to want food you could try offering pellets that have been soaked in water and softened, but I would just go for all his favourites to begin with.

How old is he? Younger rabbits tend to adjust much quicker, but Grim's teeth were taken out when he was bout two or three and he does fine. He can't eat hay because of his molars but my sister's rabbit who is gummy eats hay just fine.

Things to think about... to be honest there isn't much you might need to chop up veg but my sister's rabbits eats whole cabbage leaves with no front teeth. :lol: I would offer a water bowl if they have a bottle as it's probably going to be less painful to drink from while he heals and I would try and avoid syringe feeding if you can just as his mouth will be sore for the first few days to a week.

Lots of luck.

 

[charl86]

Hi :wave: thanks for the advice, it's good to be reassured that they adapt well.

I hadn't thought about making sure he's got water in a bowl, too busy thinking about him eating that I hadn't considered problems with drinking

He's 4 and a half, so not very young, but we've had terrible problems with his teeth for years and he's always been very resilient, hopefully he'll be the same with this.

Sooty doesn't eat hay due to his teeth either although since some of his molars have come out he's started eating some readigrass recently, so it's good to know it shouldn't effect his hay eating if by some miracle he deciedes he wants to start :lol: I though maybe everything might have to be chopped up for them to be able to eat it, so that's good news, it's amazing that they cope so well without them.

 

[barbara forster]

:wave:
Hi, one of my bunnies had his front teeth taken out last year and is doing great. In fact since he had his front teeth out his back teeth havent been a problem (fingers crossed) so he must be able to close his mouth and grind his back teeth better. I chop up his veg for him as he gets really frustrated trying to pick big things up such as carrot. I also slightly moisten his excel pellets.
I am not far away so let me know if you need any help x