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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Chewing nothing?

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    • Rain
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        I have a fourish month old Netherland Dwarf male and he sometimes just sits there and grinds his teeth. It’s usually when he flops and I’ve heard that rabbits tooth purr (it’s crazy how similar rabbits are to cats!) but his purring is exceptionally loud! But he eats his hay and drinks water and runs around and binkies and stomps his feet when he’s mad and does all the normal bunny stuff. I absolutely love the little guy and I am worried if he was born with a dental problem of some sort! If so how can I tell for sure that he has a dental problem? And I also have another thing gnawing at me. The pet store I got him from told me he’s a male rabbit but I’ve heard tales that they get it wrong sometimes so how can I know if it’s a boy rabbit and not a girl? He looks like a boy but then again if I thought it was a girl I would say it looks and acts like a girl.


      • Wick & Fable
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          Yes nethies are the most prone to dental problems. Teeth grinding, which is the loud variant of teeth purring, is a sign of pain and discomfort. It’s good that he’s still eating, but whether it’s dental or something else, he should see a vet.

          Also, a vet will evaluate his sex if you’re unsure. The older he is, the easier to identify correctly.

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • DanaNM
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            Loud grinding usually means they are in pain

            Happy grinding is usually very quiet and hard to hear, I can really only feel it as a vibration when I’m petting my buns on the head.

            If it’s something that comes and goes, it could also be a gas attack, possibly due to something he ate. What veggies does he get?

            A trip to the vet is likely in order…. It’s good that he is eating and drinking. Pooping normally? Dwarfs are prone to dental issues, so it’s worth having the vet take a look. It’s also good to establish a relationship with your vet early on, so you have one lined up if something really bad happens.

            Bunnies hide their symptoms sooooo well, it’s important to take even one symptom seriously.

            Also, your vet can confirm whether it’s a boy or girl. At four months though, you should be able to see his testicles easily if you lift him up and take a peek. Unless he’s neutered?

            My boy has dental issues, and the main signs were that he drank a lot of water and was eating less and less hay, but was still ravenous for everything else. Every bunny is different though. Usually a change in food preferences is the first sign.

            . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


          • Rain
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              Orgh that’s so scary okay he eats nothing but hay Oxbow young rabbit pellets and Oxbow treats such as the carrot cookie treats. And an alfalfa treat stick and a smidge of oats. His poop is big round dark and I can see the fiber strand thingies in it. And his pee is fine too. He eats a LOT of hay he loves it! He drinks a normal amount of water. Really at four months? When I see there’s this small pink thing. This sounds so weird I’m sorry. But I don’t see those. Another thing that might have to do with it is sneezing! I don’t see a runny nose or runny eyes but he sneezes sometimes! I think it might be because he goes behind the couch and that is a dusty place so maybe it’s nothing to worry about. I sure hope he doesn’t have a dental problem. When I get a peek of his teeth they are aligned short and there is four of them I think two big ones on top and smaller ones on the bottom.


            • Rain
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                Yes! He does it mostly when I pet him on the head or pet him in general. But he also does when just sitting there.


              • joea64
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                  I keep an ongoing concern about my own buns’ teeth too; happily, they were certified A-OK when the vet inspected them this past weekend. Going forward, your Netherland Dwarf should be encouraged to eat grass hay (timothy primarily, but other kinds of grass hay work too) as the great majority of his daily diet (at least 75%). Eating a lot of hay daily promotes not only dental health, but also good GI health.


                • DanaNM
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                    He really doesn’t need any starches, but overall his diet sounds good. Do start slowly introducing greens though. There is a list on this site of safe greens to feed.

                    If he’s still eating lots of hay his teeth are prob OK, but as I said, a check-up is a good idea to rule it out. If it is a dental issue, it would likely be with his molars, that can only be seen by a vet with a special instrument to look in their mouths. Rabbits have 22 molars in that tiny little mouth, all of which grow continuously!

                    Netherlands and lionheads have been bred to have a cute smooshed face, which has lead to them being pre-disposed to dental issues due to tooth crowding.

                    When he grinds, is he sitting in kind of a hunched position? Or more laid out, relaxed? Bunnies with gas pain will often sit kind of hunched, and will grind their teeth and squint their eyes.

                    . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                  • joea64
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                      Posted By DanaNM on 11/06/2017 10:18 AM

                      He really doesn’t need any starches, but overall his diet sounds good. Do start slowly introducing greens though. There is a list on this site of safe greens to feed.

                      If he’s still eating lots of hay his teeth are prob OK, but as I said, a check-up is a good idea to rule it out. If it is a dental issue, it would likely be with his molars, that can only be seen by a vet with a special instrument to look in their mouths. Rabbits have 22 molars in that tiny little mouth, all of which grow continuously!

                      Netherlands and lionheads have been bred to have a cute smooshed face, which has lead to them being pre-disposed to dental issues due to tooth crowding.

                      When he grinds, is he sitting in kind of a hunched position? Or more laid out, relaxed? Bunnies with gas pain will often sit kind of hunched, and will grind their teeth and squint their eyes.

                      I’d add that it’s important to distinguish the “hunched” posture DanaNM described from the “bunloaf” position that relaxed bunnies adopt. The differences are subtle but important – among other things, the bun’s whole body will look relaxed and comfortable as opposed to uncomfortable; their eyes will be normally open, or if sleeping, semi-closed but not squinted or bulging, and their ears will be either back in a relaxed way, partially upright or upright.


                    • Rain
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                        Oh yeah he’s relaxed when he does it. But before it was hunched too. Now it’s not anymore like that. Maybe he was stressed because that was when earlier on when I first got him a month ago? Also the day after I got him I had a party and a bunch of people were interacting with him even though I tried really hard to keep him safe and in a quiet area. He eats plenty of hay! And his eyes are always kind of closed when I hear it. Maybe he or still possibly a she is just a loud purrer? And aww I didn’t know that his heartbreaking cuteness actually caused him pain! Awwww that’s so sad. Or potential pain I guess. I give him a good strong chew stick that he can chew and eat at the same time. It takes him a good five minutes if chewing sometimes more. I think I was overreacting but it’s still good that I did because now I know that Netherland Dwarfs can easily get dental issues! Thank you guys for informing me!
                        ( for the gender issue my parents said that they aren’t going to wait in a long line to find out my bunnies gender especially when the pet store employee said it’s a boy but i don’t see nothing but a pink thing poking out. Maybe he is a he. )

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                    Forum BEHAVIOR Chewing nothing?