teeth filing?

[angie-la]

 I had a meeting with this older woman [she’s probably in her late 40’s] the other day, and somehow the topic of pets came up and I mentioned I have two bunnies. she lit up and told me how she had a bunny for nine years, and it seems like she really took good care of him [he was a house bunny]. she asked about their grinding/chewing habits, and I relented about how they chew on EVERYTHING in my apartment, no matter how many things I give them to chew on. she mentioned that she got her bunnie’s teeth filed every once in awhile, and that he didn’t really chew on stuff at her house since his teeth weren’t bugging him. her reason was that bunnie’s teeth can be like ours, and they can have over or underbites and it irritates them, hence the chewing.. sounds legit and similar to articles and tidbits I’ve read. but, I just don’t know about filing their teeth. I was wondering if anyone else does this? or if they know whether it’s a harmful procedure?

[bunnyfriend]

Bunnies can have teeth that are too long or don’t grow correctly and that’s normally when they are taken in to have their teeth filed down. Bunnies chew on things to keep their teeth healthy (filed down) naturally. It really isn’t necessary to go to vet to have teeth filed unless there is a dental problem. It’s stressful and they are usually put under some form of anesthesia for something that they have instict to do naturally. It doesn’t “bug” them. (:

[peppypoo]

I kind of doubt that the bunnies chew because their teeth are bugging them…but I wouldn’t really know.

Sometimes filing is done for medical reasons..because of bad breeding practices some bunnies have terrible malocclusion (often an underbite) so their teeth can’t wear normally . Peppy had a mild underbite when we adopted her…the vet showed us how her front teeth had curved backwards inside her mouth. However, she was so very close to being normal so we crossed our fingers and had her teeth filed every two weeks, and luckily they grew back normally after a while. Milo however had a severe case when he was brought into the shelter…after it was evident that trimmings wouldn’t do the trick for him, they had his incisors removed.

[Sarita]

Chewing on things isn’t necessarily related to dental problems. There are many different signs that your rabbit is having dental problems and sometimes there aren’t any signs. I’ve had many rabbits who have had to had their teeth filed but it’s not done as a regular “maintenance” routine if they aren’t having problems. Some rabbits have malocclusion as peppypoo mentioned that requires them to get their teeth filed. Also as rabbits age and they lose bone density their teeth may shift and they may have to have regular filings so they don’t get molar spurs or points.

The best thing for healthy teeth is hay. Normally chewing on things other than hay is due to boredom more than anything else.

[Beka27]

I have heard of some vets who do routine filing, so it might be a legitimate way of thinking. I also know that filing can be so stressful on a rabbit. It can hinder their eating for a short time after, not to mention the risk of anesthesia. I wouldn’t do it regularly unless there was an issue.

[Elrohwen]

Horses have teeth very similar to rabbits – they grow constantly and can end up with points that cause irritation. Horses do have their teeth filed regularly, so it would make sense to me that bunnies might benefit from the same treatment. However, it’s so much more stressful for bunnies to have it done that I wouldn’t do it unless really necessary. Hannah had it done once and didn’t eat for 3 days – I definitely wouldn’t want to go through that if I didn’t have to.

[RabbitPam]

If you haven’t had your vet do a complete examination of your bunnies’ teeth, it might be a good idea. Filing is done to correct or assist with a problem, so unless there is one, hay is the best for keeping the teeth naturally in check. But if the excessive chewing is an indication of any problem, it might be good to get the looked at to rule out a tooth problem. If both have normal teeth that are growing in fine, you don’t need filing but have a behavior issue. In that case, chew toys which are positively reinforced are a way to start getting them more focused in their chewing.

But if a tooth problem turns up, the vet will be able to advise you on what needs to be done that is specific to correcting it, rather than a preventative procedure.

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