My next several posts are going to be linked together with the theme of rabbit teeth. Today's is an overview, all about rabbit teeth. My next posts will be CAUSES OF MALOCCLUSION, SYMPTOMS OF DENTAL DISEASE, and TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MALOCCLUSION/DENTAL DISEASE.
In the following posts I will be using the terms malocclusion and dental disease interchangeably, as they mean the same thing.
In the following posts I will be using the terms malocclusion and dental disease interchangeably, as they mean the same thing.
Rabbits are hypsodonts, meaning that their teeth never stop growing. Rabbit teeth grow about a millimeter each week. If rabbit's teeth never wore down, they would be a foot long by the time the rabbit is 6 and a half years old. This is why it's so important to keep your rabbit's teeth worn down.
Rabbits have 28 teeth. Their most well-known teeth are the incisors, which are visible when you open your rabbit's mouth. Behind the incisors are the peg teeth, which are what distinguish lagomorphs from rodents. Behind a gap in the rabbit's mouth, are the molars, or "cheek teeth". These cannot be seen by simply pulling up the rabbit's lips; they typically have to be checked using a tool that all vets have. Below, you can see a vet using that tool to check the back molars on a rabbit I used to have, Gracie.
Rabbits have 28 teeth. Their most well-known teeth are the incisors, which are visible when you open your rabbit's mouth. Behind the incisors are the peg teeth, which are what distinguish lagomorphs from rodents. Behind a gap in the rabbit's mouth, are the molars, or "cheek teeth". These cannot be seen by simply pulling up the rabbit's lips; they typically have to be checked using a tool that all vets have. Below, you can see a vet using that tool to check the back molars on a rabbit I used to have, Gracie.
| The picture on the right is of healthy rabbit incisors. The top teeth should always be slightly overlapping the bottom teeth. The bottom teeth are being worn down and resting on the peg teeth behind the front incisors. |  |
When rabbits eat food, the incisors bite and break the food down into manageable chunks that the molars begin to grind down. The molars do most of the work. The molars are relatively flat around the edges, but they have sharp tops. The incisors are pretty short and have slightly jagged edges.
Well, that's all for today's post. I hope you learned something new. See you next time!
Well, that's all for today's post. I hope you learned something new. See you next time!
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