Toofless Wonders
Westley’s Maloccluded Incisors
The main reason that rabbits need their incisors removed is Malocclusion - which is where the rabbit’s teeth do not align properly and therefore do not wear down as they should.
Maloccluded Incisors like Westley’s are usually due to either genetic factors often the result of poor breeding, or behaviours such as bar pulling.
There are two options to deal with Malocclusion -
* Regular trimming by a vet every 3-6 weeks (depending on the growth rate of the individual rabbit’s teeth). The teeth should be burred off and NOT cut with clippers. Using clippers is no longer accepted as best practice and can cause the tooth to fracture. You should NEVER trim your rabbit’s teeth yourself - please see legal information at the end of this post.
Never Trim Your Rabbit’s Incisors Yourself - EVER! - MediRabbit
Factors to consider include the on going cost over many years and that regular trips to the vet and the trimming procedure can be stressful for your rabbit and lead to other problems such as GI Stasis etc.
Depending on the cause of the malocclusion - especially bar pulling, if the teeth are trimmed regularly and if the causative factor is addressed, there is a chance that the malocclusion will correct itself in time. I know of one rabbit who had trimmings for two years and at the end of time, its teeth had returned to normal.
* The other option is to have the incisors surgically removed. With my bun Westley, I decided that the sort term stress/risk of the surgery was better than the long term stress of having his teeth trimmed every 3 weeks for the rest of his life.
Factors to consider are the upfront cost of incisor removal and the risk (minimal with a rabbit savvy vet) to your rabbit of surgery. You’ll need to seek an experienced rabbit savvy vet to have your rabbit’s incisors removed and to be aware that rarely, a tooth can grow back and will need to be removed again.
You can read more about Malocclusion and other dental issues in the Dental Problems section.
There is more information about pre-op preparation and post-op care in the Surgery section.
Toofless Wonders and Poopy Butt
A common problem with toothless buns as they can't 'snatch and grab' their cecos properly as they arrive and often end up sitting on them which results in poopy butt. My Toofless Wonder Westley has this issue, and being a long haired bun makes it even worse. He will often start scooting around in circles and I know this means he’s done a ceco but it has gotten stuck and he can’t get to it, so I remove it for him before it gets smooshed into his fur. There may also be more than one cause for their poopy butt - perhaps there are some dietary issues in addition to being toothless, which in a toothed bun wouldn’t be too obvious but in a Toofless Wonder, causes frequent problems. Our Toofless Wonders can often struggle to eat enough hay which of course can make the poopy butt problem worse. You can read more about Poopy Butt and its causes in the Poopy Butt and Cecal Disbiosis section.
Feeding a Toofless Wonder
Some say that Toofless Wonders manage fine with no extra care or attention and maybe some do, but that has not been my experience with Westley. Whilst his GI issues make managing him difficult, this is compounded by his lack of incisors because he has trouble picking up and eating some foods - hay in particular. He does eat it but he is slow and inefficient and he gets frustrated. To this end I am always looking at ways to improve and optimise his diet, especially his fibre intake. In addition to his hay and pellets he is fed Chaff, long fibrous grass, foraged and home grown ‘greens’ - weeds & herbs etc both fresh and dehydrated, in a controlled portion.
Here are some tips for managing your Toofless Wonder -
* Keep the bum area trimmed short, even in a short haired rabbit. This leaves less fur for cecos to get stuck to.
* If you are feeding a lower quality pellet, changing to a high quality pellet may help reduce poopy butt. Feed a pellet which is lower in protein and sugar and as high in fibre as possible. Westley’s pellets have a Crude Fibre content of 19%-23% and whilst his gut is still 'broken' he now has just a few excess cecos vs regular full blown poopy butt and his cecos are fully formed, normal, firm and beautiful. More on pellets can be found in the Pellets section.
* I would keep the treats/sweet foods like fruit to the absolute minimum to reduce the risk of excess cecos. If you do feed things such as apple and carrots they will need to be grated.
* Free access to quality hay at all times.
* Feed long, fibrous grasses. They count towards your rabbit’s daily hay portion. Westley manages to pick this up and eat it with no problems at all.
* Offer Chaff along side their hay. Maybe mix their pellets through the Chaff to encourage them to eat more of it, and hence increase their fibre intake.
* Aim to feed a controlled portion (about 1c greens to every 2.5kg of rabbit) of nutrition dense greens such as foraged/home grown weeds and herbs; with a low water to fibre ratio, to reduce the chance of poopy butt. You may need to chop/rip them up a bit but Wes manages quite well for the most part, and having to figure out how to eat that big fat Puha leaf is good enrichment for him! Too many greens - especially vegs: which often have a low in fibre to water ratio, can cause Ceco issues and lead to hay resistance. You can read more about feeding in the following files -
*Veges! Proceed with Caution
* Weeds to Forge, Grow and Feed
* Herbs to Grow and Feed
* Grasses and Pasture Plants - ID and Growing
* Trees, Shrubs, Vines & Flowers
* Making Dehydrated Food.
Many toothless rabbit are slower eaters than their buddies and this puts them at a disadvantage. If your Toofless Wonder lives with another rabbit, consider having them separate overnight (but still within their setup, alongside their bondmate to preserve their bond) so you can more closely monitor their input and work out exactly what they are eating. Separating at night gives an opportunity to alter their feed or offer special food etc. This way, you know they are getting it, not their bondmate.
*Finally and VERY importantly - frequent butt checks (minimum daily) to make sure they are clean to reduce the risk of fly strike.
For peace of mind WW has a product called No Fly Zone, which will stop any fly eggs that may get laid on them, from hatching.
The Law as it stands in relation to the trimming of maloccluded incisors -
Unfortunately there are still people that claim it is safe and ok to trim maloccluded incisors - either with clippers or a dremel. Not only does this run the risk of cracking or shattering the teeth, it can also shatter the jaw.
In NZ it is illegal to trim a rabbit's teeth unless you are a Veterinarian and doing so can incur a fine of $3,000 for an individual.
