Trimming a rabbits teeth- malocclusion, BunnyCentral.com

[Locomotive84]

I don't recommend this way to fix rabbit's teeth. At least not like this. There is lots of cases when cutting of teeth is not painful, but in other hand there would be few cases when there is some random exostosis (bony growth) around the teeth in the bunny's mouth. If you cut the tooth with a bony growth, it would be shocking for a bunny. If you need to fix your rabbit's teeth make an X-ray picture by a doctor. And if your rabbit's fore-teeth shut wrong, don't hesitate to get rid of them.

[nikkinkris]

Wow! This is the worst advice ever! Do not do this to your rabbits teeth it will cause the teeth to crack, your rabbit will end up with abscesses and even more problems. Take your Rabbit to a vet who knows what they are doing, don't listen to people dressed up as vets!

[lucasthedogman]

@nikkinkris Hi do you know if you take a rabbit to the vet for this how often they have to be trimed or does the vet fix the peroblem permanently? my little guy is starting to get this and it is not from what he eats because i give him everything he needs and some. thanks

[nikkinkris]

@lucasthedogman He has to go back every month or 6 weeks depends on how bad the problem is. This is because rabbits teeth grow continuously up to 2.4mm per week. Also becareful when buying food from pet stores especially when the packs say "for rabbits and guinea pigs" as these contain grains which are high in energy for rabbits. Lots of hay is good to keep him grinding the teeth down.

[saltwater349]

thanks my rabbit has the same thing know i will know how to trim it 

[WhySo0Seri0usBxtchxD]

Is there another video that has HD of showing how To Trim Your Rabbits' Teeth? And is this painful for your rabbit???

[Au5music]

that seems painful as hell

[6macy6]

I have a friend who has a rabbit that has malocclusion (wolf teeth), which is what the rabbit in this video has. One of her bottom teeth sticks out over her lips. I know if they have this "disease" then you have to trim their teeth, but I've been looking all over on how to do this. Thanks this video was really helpful!

[skullywully666]

i just got a lionhead rabbit O.o this scares me because i'm not sure if i'm supposed to trim the teeth as a monthly thing...

[sleepywarlord]

@skullywully666 No, usually nature takes care of things if you feed the rabbit properly and give them lots of hay and chew toys (appropriate wood blocks, etc). Please, if you're unsure take your rabbit to a vet! :(

[poizon4]

I can't believe how much of the teeth had to be trimmed! A rabbit I adopted a month ago was raised almost entirely on vegetables for his first several months. He had almost no hay and no chew toys so his teeth grew and became misaligned. He is a total pig for hay now, but he is at the vet getting his teeth trimmed for the first time.

If I end up having to do it myself going forward, this does not seem so bad.

[JulianHD1]

MARINA<3

[bunnycentral]

@JulianHD1 : What does this mean? Is it a game or something?

Georgia (site "owner")

[JulianHD1]

@bunnycentral

The pop artist Marina Diamandis, or better known by her stage name Marina & The Diamonds, shared this video on a social network site, so many of her fans (including me) checked out this video :P

[bunnycentral]

@JulianHD1 : Oh, cool, thanks. G

[Celinebabeify]

@bunnycentral are you sure that this won't hurt them and are you an expert on rabbit's for this??

[jennydunnYEAH]

MARINA SENT ME HERE :D!

[becca2233]

Haha I meant to say I used bunny nail clippers

[bunnycentral]

@becca2233 : That's good as you actually grip the one or two teeth and hopefully avoid the lips.

[becca2233]

I just wanna say that I was really scared to do this because I thought I would hurt my bunny, but surprisingly enough, it didn't hurt her at all. Instead of using wire clippers.. Owed bunny nail clip

[ggmrtnz]

Marina<<<33333 lmao

[xXMiniMonsterXx]

I'm so scared of hurting my rabbit! I think the vet has to do it ..

Oh and by the way: Who's here because of Marina? ;D

[daniluvsu2228]

Does it hurt them?

[bunnycentral]

@daniluvsu2228 : It could if you cut too short. Read the comments below. This method is for the people who cannot afford the vet, or if their vet uses this method already.

[Y0B0YCHRIS]

Won't that hurt him?

[bunnycentral]

@Y0B0YCHRIS : It could if you cut too short. Read the comments below. This method is for the people who cannot afford the vet, or if their vet uses this method already.

[baarbear]

Does that mean that rabbit teeth, like beaver teeth, constantly grow and have to be worn down lest the animal die from starvation from not being able to eat?

[05181949]

I have been paying $300. every 3 months to get my rabbits teeth trimmed. I live in Flowery Branch, GA, I would like to find a vet in my area that does this kind of trimming, I would think this would be less stressful than him being put to sleep and him having to stay in the hospital over night. If you know a vet in my area that does this please email me. Thanks

[bunnycentral]

@05181949 : I live in California, maybe you should call around. Perhaps your rabbit needs more complicated care than a simple trim. See all the comments. Some have commented that my method is harmful. I'm sure it depends on the type of mis-alignment. I have been lucky for this simple method to work with the few cases I've seen. Luckily few of my breedings have caused misalignment. Bunnies I demonstrated on were not my breedings.

[iwsmith6969]

@05181949 ever get the feeling that you're being ripped off? :P

[ClassyKari90]

Thank you for this video!

I know a lot of people don't agree but a rabbits teeth are not the same as ours.

[OrindaHorsemensAssoc]

@ClassyKari90 : Of course they are not the same. But - he is right, if you cut too close you could crack them. Perhaps one can do this themselves if their vet uses the same technique. I learned from a person who learned it watching her vet. In any case it sure is not cheap in California.

[IndependentFilmmaker]

This is a terrible idea. Using a central force tool like the wire cutter can actually crack and shatter the tooth causing severe bleeding and will definitely lead to infection. I've been to about 5 different rabbit specialist for my bunny Bean (he has the same teeth problem this bunny has) and they all say this lady is bonkers. If you value your bunnies life, take him/her to the vet and have them professionally trim the teeth with a special diamond edged saw they use. Cheap, effective and SAFE!

[bunnycentral]

@IndependentFilmmaker I agree in many ways. This vid is for those who would have to choose to put their bunny down or do it themselves. The owner of the bunny I did the video on was paying $500 every two months for the service. Many people would opt to not pay that money every few months, some will. Many malocclusions can be handled simply, many cannot. I would suggest one have their bunny examined by a vet first then decide, considering that information.

[fidelling]

NEVER KEEP A RABBIT WITH MALOCLUSION

[bunnycentral]

@fidelling , Actually the better comment is: NEVER breed or sell a rabbit with malocclusion. It is unkind, cruel to the rabbit and a big disservice to the new owner. My vid here is only for people who ended up with one either from damage, cage pulling or a congenital reason. Some people love their bunny but do not have to money to give it the vet care they really need. The alternative is putting the rabbit down. That is possibly the better solution but that is up to the owner and their vet.

[fidelling]

@bunnycentral You never want to keep a rabbit in your herd that carries maloclussion its just not safe and isnt fair for the rabbit. Nut i understand it is a different story if it isnt heredity. thank you

[bunnycentral]

@fidelling , This is correct, a breeder should never continue to breed an animal that produces bunnies with malocclusion. 

[whiterose077]

wow what if your bunny dosent even let you pick it up, i wish you could clip my bunnies teeth, if you live in southern california ill pay you to do if for me,. :(

[bunnycentral]

@whiterose077, I have a video on picking up a rabbit and another on putting them down ...

[bunnycentral]

@whiterose077, I live in No. Cal. Have someone help you hold the bunny.

[Kaede069]

Please AVOID doing this by yourself, this video make it sound easy but professional vets would never use DIY tools on such fragile creatures! Look for a vet that specialize in exotic animals (i know it's expensive, but don't you want the best for your pet?). There's some big risks of fracture of the tooth (very painful) and even worse of the jaw. Those can lead to major problems if not handled by a professional, you might end up spending much more in a surgery.

Better be safe than sorry

[bunnycentral]

@Kaede069 I agree in many ways. This vid is for those who would have to choose to put their bunny down or do it themselves. The owner of the bunny I did the video on was paying $500 every two months for the service. Many people would opt to not pay that money every few months, some will. Many malocclusions can be handled simply, many cannot. I would suggest one have their bunny examined by a vet first then decide what they can do, considering that information.

[kkontad]

Not a good idea...The problem is on the molar teeth....

Cutters like this one can cause severe longitudinal fractures to the teeth.

[xXxBueatyByHaileyxXx]

i did this with toe nail clippers the bunny was soo happy after i did iit one was sooo long it was growning into his eye

[mzvolk]

Hi...If one of the teeth is long & pull out, what happen to the rabbit? Cus just now i found that one of the long teeth is missing

[bunnycentral]

I have only seen this twice but once the tooth grew back. The other owner took the opportunity to press the tooth two times daily to help re- align the tooth. I never heard from the person if this helped re-align the teeth but it could not hurt to try.

[mzvolk]

@bunnycentral but...one tooth is long, the vet doctor is lazy to trim my bunny tooth, he just say to me " u can trim his teeth using nail clipper" & only my nanny know who to that, but she already go back to Philipine. Any idea what other method to trim my bunny teeth?

[bunnycentral]

Did you watch the video? Have someone help you do it.

[mzvolk]

emm...is it normal if other bunny pluck hair of other bunny?

[goldcarbon1]

@mzvolk I know rabbits sometimes pluck their *own* hair out if they are making a nest. I don't think it's normal to pluck out the hair from other rabbits though. I have seen rabbits grooming each other by licking but not by pulling out hair. Are they normally friendly towards each other or do they fight/attack each other?

To break off teeth with this condition use either wire clippers or long nose pliers.

[mzvolk]

@goldcarbon1 they normally friendly towards each other.

[goldcarbon1]

It may just be over-grooming by the rabbits then, as long as they don't hurt each other it shouldn't matter too much. Make sure they aren't creating bald spots on each other though. If they are pulling out a very large amount of hair you might want to separate them.

[mzvolk]

@goldcarbon1 ok. Thanks

[puppygal2278]

heavily and is bleeding in that area slightly, my parents still claim him to be fine. He is not fine. I gave them an animal hospital number and they said they will have to pay. I don't know what to do. Will my bunny be okay? please help

[bunnycentral]

Gosh, poor thing. It sounds like he has a very bad malocclusion if they have to trim every week and 1/2. I'm afraid he probably should have those teeth removed and this is very expensive. I do not know how your bunny will survive from the tooth falling out. I have heard of this happening before and the bunny was OK, but it does hurt and is stressful if the root is involved or the tooth is cracked. This is the down-side of doing it yourself.

[bunnycentral]

MIKEDVM below, a vet, cautions about this. Unfortunately many people do not have the money. Then is a choice of doing it yourself or putting the rabbit to sleep. If you were an adult you could save up and have his teeth removed - but you are a kid and limited. If you do not have the money for removal, perhaps your parents can cut them (longer) more frequently. It is hard for anyone for their pet to hurt, especially for a child. Bless you and I hope this turns out OK.

[puppygal2278]

hello, I have a bunny whos teeth grow up to his nose and cross too. My parents trim his teeth and hold him very painfully while they do this every week and a half. i feel so bad I can't even watch. Then one day i decided to tell them we might need to bring him to a vet to figure out what's going on with him. I said this nicely and I GOT PUNISHED! Then just yesturday my mom was trimming his tooth and the whole entire tooth just fell out. He has a runny nose, breathing

[MikeDVM1]

Trimming rabbit teeth can be dangerous for them. You can cause microfractures of the tooth that can lead to abscessation and other complications. It is best done with a moderate speed dental drill, not a clipper/wire cutter. Rabbits also have cheek teeth that often have hooks or points when malocclusion is present. These points can only be managed safely with sedation and specialty instruments. I strongly recommend having your rabbit's teeth examined by an experienced veterinarian!!!

[winkz420]

my vet who is a rabbit speacialist just uses clippers to trim my rabbits teeth.

[xxsoutherncowboyxx]

Hello i just found my rabbit has this and i trimmed his teeth just as you have shown but behind the front teeth are another two teeth and they almost go down his throat in a way should these be trimmed as well?

[bunnycentral]

Yes, they have 4 teeth in front, they should be trimmed too. G

[Onyxvixen]

Our rabbit has this condition and hates to be on his back for teeth clipping so we put him on a towel and I hold back his lips and tongue while some one else cuts his teeth. It works really well for us. We went from Truamatized rabbit who stays away from the front of his enclosure to happy friendly bunny.

[bunnycentral]

Great idea, this is what I suggest to people who come to me for trimming and want to do it themselves. G

[fireincarnation2]

Thanks for the wonderful video. You sure make that look easy, much easier than trimming our rat's teeth! Our clippers are jewelry-sized, and rat teeth are tiny. Do your bunnies ever struggle? Our rat is a big faker, he learned long ago that we are softhearted, and he starts eeeping long before the clippers are near him. We use a small towel to restrain him; do you have any better ideas? We didn't hold him firmly enough once and he jerked his head back with force, nearly ripping his tooth out.

[bunnycentral]

Yes, they sometimes struggle. Luckily I do not have this problem with my buns (we do not breed buns with teeth problems) but sometimes a customer will have another bun with this problem. G

[gcoochy]

That is exactly how we trim our two rabbit's teeth, and it is every two weeks! there must be something that makes them wear down naturally?

[bunnycentral]

Apple branches, other wood chew toys. The problem is your bunnies teeth do not line up correctly anymore so even the chewing will not help completely.

[GoldHoney89]

I found a wild rabbit with it's bottom right foot fractured (almost in half) about half way down the foot. The paw is basically dangling (I couldn't really get a long enough look to see if it was still attached to any bone). At least some of bones are sticking out. I have him/her lying in a box outside on a blanket. Taking it to a vet would be too expensive, should I attempt at bandaging it or should I "put it down" myself?

[rolandska2]

He could have rabbies! I found a black rabbit in trails by my house with a broken leg. Rabbits have a high metabolism & heal increadibly fast. I spilnted the leg, bandaged it tight w/ace bandage & kept it stationary for over a week, & fed it high nutrient foods. There's a thick solid spot around the healed break but It can hop. Wild rabbits are often diseased, but I kept him as a pet. If break is bad, amputate it, use neosporin & bandage well, change frequently. AVOID shock & He'll live.

[haleyhottness]

bandage it correctly and it will heal ...we accidentally slammed a metal door and we didnt know the bunny was following us out the house...and so we accidentally closed it on nanis paw....we simply bandaged it and pet him ALOT while doing so and todays hes the fastest bunny you'll ever see hes doing great...dont ever put an animal down take them to the humain society theyll take care of them

[ilovemygoldfish]

My rabbit has this problem, but there is no way he'd ever let anyone do that to him. Just getting his nails trimmed upsets him! We had to get him anaesthetised to get them done last time... now it looks like we'll have to do it all over again as they've grown back so fast... Have you had any experience with having rabbit incisors removed? It doesn't seem good for him to have him sedated every 4-6 weeks just to keep him able to eat, let alone the amount our vet will charge us for it.

[bunnycentral]

I've heard of people doing this, removing the incisors. It is very expensive but if you have to get him sedated every few weeks that will be even more expensive! It is probably a good idea to go ahead and have it done. Possibly shop around or see if you have a local teaching vet hospital that can do it cheaper.

[GoldFloride]

I have been trimming my rabbits teeth for about three years but this time I didn't get the tooth correctly in the clippers and I accidentally knocked the tooth partially out of the roots. It is now loose and I'm not sure what I should do. Will he be able to get it out himself or should I try and break it out (Ouch!) of the remaining roots?

[bunnycentral]

I had to think about this. If it were me (personally - MY tooth) I'd want the tooth pulled out so the wiggling would stop hurting. I do not have enough experience to know what would be best for your rabbit. As I mentioned in my original video text. It is rare for me to have to do this. Sorry I cannot give you a definitive answer. G

[bunnycentral]

If the bunny will not eat afterwards, offer them a few dark green leafy vegetables (only a few if they are not accustomed to greens), and dry oats. There is a product called Critical Care which is a powdered food that is complete and you can feed it with a syringe. Your vet might sell it.

[tashokukisune]

All four of my rabbits come from a pet shop that very likely didn't contact a reliable breeder. However, we have no reliable breeders in the are so it was the only source to get rabbits (and is now out of business). However, due to the "bunny farm" genetics, my bunnies tend to get some problems. I'm more than happy to take care of them, but I expect all four will need to be clipped at some point. 3 Netherland Dwarfs and 1 Holland Lop. It's GONNA need to be done. lol Thanks for the help!

[bunnycentral]

Sorry to hear that you cannot get to a reliable breeder or a rabbit vet. Good for you for trying to care for so many. Thank you for telling your story.

G

[bunnycentral]

I have not had problems as I do not cut them too short. I have been lucky I guess and very rarely have to clip teeth. The rabbits I breed rarely have this problem because we do not breed rabbits with bad teeth. I clipped a friends bunny's teeth too close once and the bunny still ate afterwards, she did not get an infection. I'm sure it is possible.

[tashokukisune]

I've got some critical care. My problem is living in the rural south I have to travel nearly 100 miles to go to a vet that actually treats rabbits. Needless to say I hesitate to use the critical care. I'll try tempting him with his favorite soft treats, too. He got his teeth clipped yesterday, they bled a little (no one tells you that), and he seems to be having some mild difficulty adjusting.

[tashokukisune]

My bunny barely eats hay. His bottom teeth don't overlap the front, but they are growing crooked. I'd like to clip them myself and I think this video might help. But I'd like to know about the dangers of this procedure done at home. Is it likely to split the tooth, cause infection, or cause jaw problems? Can the pain after clipping prevent him from eating and cause GI stasis? I think this happened to a friend of mine and her rabbit. What do you do if your bunny won't eat afterwards?

[savoth91]

I'm glad I watched this. It just saved me 318 a month in vet cost and to think I payed that for 4 years when I had the tool this whole time. I also feel more comfortable doing it to because they use anesthetic and from what I just seen and did he never needed it. Thanks a lot for the vid!!!

[hlokaty]

Thanks for the advice/info! I did take him to the SPCA to get them trimmed and the vet said that his lower jaw was too long so he'll need reg. trimming. But the vet I would take him to cost is outragous(est of $130)....I simply cant afford it so hopefully he'll be adopted by someone who can care for a specialneeds bunny.

[bunnycentral]

Yes, he could have a long jaw. In any case, you will need to trim the teeth so he can eat. If you can get them to be "even" after trimming there is a possibility that he can chew them into the correct position. keep an eye on it and trim regularly. round brqnches, like apple branches can help re-align. Or a vet can use a dremel tool to ramp the teeth if they are not too mis-aligned. If they are very mis-aligned you will need to trim the teeth regularly.

[hlokaty]

btw- I do and always have given him things to chew on, play w/ and hay. I've notice him not eating as much hay these past 2 days.......and lots more pellets (softer food) Could he be a bun thats born w/ too long of a lower jaw?

[hlokaty]

HELP I have a concern about my near 6 month foster rabbit. I've notice that his bottom incisors are over top the upper incisors ones, they look very long. Now he is a larger breed w/a big head, so I dont know whether he might simply grow into his teeth or not. If anyone can comment I would greatly appreciate it!!

[bunnycentral]

He will not grow into his teeth. They need to be trimmed. See my next comment.

[bunnycentral]

She's right, hay is great and needed.

However, sometimes they are born with too long of a lower jaw (from a bad combination of parents) or pull the teeth out on the wire cage sides. Be sure to adopt from a reputable breeder. Inspect the teeth of a rescue rabbit before adopting. Rotating toys frequently helps with boredom - that may prevent pulling. Georgia

[YourFaceSucksAlot]

EVERY ONE!!!hay every day prevents this problem!!!!!!:D

[Mareeezie]

How do you make sure the trimmed tooth parts don't fall inside of its mouth?

[bunnycentral]

If they do the bunny just spits it out, no problem.

[bunnycentral]

The tool I use is a wire cutter.

[secretkia]

hi,

that is very interesting for me because I have one rabbit with maloclussion

I don´t understand what you say in the video because I´m not english...but

with what do you cut the teeth??

thanks, and sorry for my bad english

[maxinerzz]

Thank you so much for this video. It's so convenient! The vet was going to show me how to do it last time we were there, but my schedule doesn't really have a lot of time to fit in vet appointments.

One question, though. What exactly is the tool you're using?

Thanks again!

[bunnycentral]

A wire cutter. you can use a wire stripper too, it grips the tooth really well before cutting. G.

[DieSushiBitch]

That looked too easy, my rabbit has the bottom teeth in the front which makes the top grow too long and I was told to get surgery. This is very expensive..I can not pay for surgery every 2 weeks but I heard that just clipping teeth like that is too painful.

[maxinerzz]

If your vet has recommended surgery, it's probably to remove the teeth completely, therefore it's a one time surgery. Trimming teeth is what happens every two weeks. It is not painful for rabbits...it's just like clipping their nails. They don't have nerves in their teeth.

[camutoe]

thank u soo much!

now my bunny is so much more peppy!

he likes the rabbit biscuits i give him!

[bunnycentral]

Denada.

[StalynBSH]

por favor traducirlo es muy interesante y buenoel video

[XxNitallaxX]

Does it happen to all rabbit's?? my rabbit is still quite young and I am not so sure about it. And thanks for this video so I know that you have to trim their teeth! I love you guys!

[bunnycentral]

No, it is rare for this to happen. Sometimes it happens because of an injury or pulling on the cage wire. Sometimes it is genetic. Always check the teeth of a rabbit before you adopt. GW

[bunnycentral]

This is a reply to an inquiry elsewhere: If your bunny has mis-aligned bottom teeth, you need to clip the bottom teeth short then provide chewing items. They will not re-align without them being in the correct position before chewing. He may have to be clipped for life as he is not an adult but if they are only slightly out of line you may be able to correct it.

Georgia

[2k7eyazz]

cool... fanks! x