do rabbits' teeth ever stop growing?

Question

if a rabbit doesn't eat enough high-fiber foods, its teeth may grow uncontrollably, piercing the roof of its mouth and knifing the base of its brain.

is that true? any verification?

Answer 1

I raised rabbits for years as a kid in 4-H. Rabbits need to gnaw (usually on wood) to wear down their teeth. Otherwise the continually growing teeth become a problem.

Answer 2

A rabbit's teeth will always continually grow. If you see that the rabbit is in paid, loud grinding of teeth for no reason which is different than tooth purrs, then you should check out its teeth. If they are long take it to a vet to have them trimmed. You can avoid this problem by giving your rabbit things to chew like untreated wicker baskets, paper towel tubes and dried apple branches.

Answer 3

It's true of all rodents. Is a rabbit a rodent? I don't know.

But I'm wondering how you would prevent your rabbit from eating high-fiber food. Everything they like has fiber in it. Do you really think you can talk your rabbit into eating yogurt and ice cream? I doubt it.

Answer 4

Yes.
It is the case for many rodents too including rats and chinchillas.

"All of the rabbit's teeth grow continuously throughout its life to compensate for the pronounced wear created by long periods of chewing on abrasive foods."
http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/health/dental_disease.html
That site also states that dental diseases for rabbits are one of the most common problems seen.

However, it also states that the most valuable key to treatment and management of dental disease is early detection.

The high-fiber foods part I haven't heard of before. The same source states that a diet full of food items that require chewing is essential. Another source (http://www.vrra.org/dental.htm) says to feed your rabbit "low-energy, high-silicate vegetation that will require hours (literally) of chewing."

I also suggest you buy some of those chews (make sure they are safe) that they usually sell in pet stores and things to keep your rabbit chewing. Usually we give our rabbit a little box (I usually try to use one that foods come in, but avoid boxes with lots of colored ink on the outside) to hide out in and chew up. It usually lasts about a week or two and then we replace it. But in 11 years, we've never had any dental problems with any of our rabbits.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

they keep growning. don't know about the brain thing being accurate but it sure caused a graphic image in my brain to appear. give your bunnie those alfalfa compressed cubes and whatever else hard they sell for this at the pet store. all rodents teeth grow their entire lives. look up on the internet about animal oddities concerning their teeth . I bet some vets out their have some text books with some examples.

Answer 6

Nope their teeth do not stop growing and the same thing goes for other rodents (rats, mice, etc) which is why they like to chew on things a lot. It is also why people buy wooden blocks for rodents so they can wear down their teeth instead of chewing on something else like the cage.

Answer 7

No they do not stop growing. When I used to work as a veterinary Tech, we had several people that would bring their rabbits in regulary to get their teeth trimmed.

Answer 8

they don't stop growing so you need to put wood chews in there cage so the rabbit can trim its teeth on its own.good luck

Answer 9

i dont know about the whole fiber thing but i do know that its like a beaver if a beaver didnt chew on wood its teeth would grow into the brain so i guess if you give the rabbit something to nibble on besides regular food the teeth shouldnt grow like that

Answer 10

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