One of the most common health problems that pet rabbits have is dental disease. This is often caused by a poor diet but it can also be due to their head shape.
Rabbits who have a small compacted head & shortened nose especially if they are combined with a Dwarf, are particularly at risk of teeth problems. These breeds include the Dwarf Lop, Netherland Dwarf, Lionhead & Mini Lop. The rabbits, like Thumper above, who have a longer & less compacted head more akin to their wild counterparts are less likely to have teeth issues. Below is a comparison of the small compacted head & the longer less compacted heads.
Compacted Heads Longer & Less Compacted Heads
I have rehomed many of the compacted head breeds just because they are the most common head shape of bunnies in rescues as they are so popular or should that be unpopular having landed in a rescue! A lot of them were manageable just having dentals every so often & a decent number of them had no teeth issues at all. However, one bunny of mine in particular who stands out was Woody, a Dwarf Lop. The vet said basically it looked like someone had picked a handful of teeth up & thrown them randomly in his mouth. I mean it was a total mess & with the best will in the world he still had to go through a lot to survive.
After my experience with Woody it did actually put me off rehoming these breeds as the whole experience was stressful & very traumatic especially towards the end for both of us. I am not saying don’t rehome these bunnies because every bun needs a chance & I have had a lot of these breeds with no teeth issues whatsoever. It’s just being prepared & if you’re buying from a breeder then you need to ask the question do the parents or the bunny you want have any teeth problems. It is unfortunate that some breeders do still breed from rabbits with known hereditary diseases. For more information on Dental Disease & Woody’s Story click here.
Mr Wild Bun would not have had teeth issues due to his head shape & the best diet.