The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Teeth Grinding

There are at least three ways a rabbit uses teeth grinding to express very different things. Some are good, some are normal, and one is most definitely not a happy thing. Let's delve into the differences between them and make note of what is typical and what is a cry for urgent help.

In a normal, healthy rabbit, the grinding of teeth is typically only noticed as he/she is munching and crunching anything being eaten. Ingesting hay, in particular, involves quite a bit of grinding, which is a good thing. The grinding helps to wear the teeth down to a healthy and useful length. If your bunny is maintaining a healthy weight and eating a satisfactory amount of hay each day, you should rest assured that all is well with this type of grinding.

However, if you notice that your bun friend is losing weight and isn't eating with her typical gusto, there may be dental problems causing each attempt of chewing or grinding to be a painful experience, Bunnies who suffer from some form of malocclusion, which means the teeth aren't aligning properly and will need dental care to allow the bunny to eat properly, will be more hesitant to eat. The teeth could have grown too long, or they could be growing in the wrong direction, causing misalignment. This misalignment can lead to teeth rubbing the inside of the mouth in a painful way. The bunny may even be biting itself every time it tries to chew. Even more difficult to bear is the fact that a misaligned tooth can become embedded into the side of a bunny's mouth. OUCH! No wonder the bunny doesn't dive into food or hay with a healthy appetite and desire to eat.

Thankfully, most dental issues can be treated with a trip to the vet, where the teeth can be clipped down to a proper length. A change of diet, the addition of first cutting hay, and some good chew toys can help in keeping the overgrowth of teeth from recurring, but some rabbits are predisposed to fast-growing teeth and will need regular trips to the vet to keep them trimmed to the right length. Occasionally, surgery may be needed to remove a tooth that has taken a painful turn and grown in the wrong direction. Once a diagnosis is made, you will be better prepared to watch for symptoms and get your bunny back to the right kind of productive tooth grinding.

Some very happy, relaxed bunnies express their love and contentment while their beloved human rubs their jaws in a special way. They grind their teeth in a gentle manner that resembles a cat's purr. If you have found just the right spot to induce your bun to this type of grinding, you have the magic touch. This purr-grinding is an absolute joy, so no worries about this one!

The last type of grinding is the ugly one. This grinding is your bunny's way of expressing that he's in excruciating pain and needs immediate veterinary care. Do not stop. Do not pass Go. Load your bunny into his/her carrier and get to the vet NOW! This type of grinding is often accompanied by the rabbit sitting in a hunched over position in a far back corner. If you have ever heard a bunny grinding its teeth in pain and absolute misery, you will never forget the sound or the look on your bunny's face. Your bunny is having a medical emergency and needs your help. He could have a severe blockage, GI Stasis, liver lobe torsion, a broken bone, it doesn't matter what is causing the pain, but your bunny is telling you in the last way he has left that he needs a rabbit-knowledgeable vet.

(Because rabbits have an innate ability to get sick as soon as your regular veterinary practice has closed for the day, your veterinarian is away on holiday, or your clinic doesn't have after-hour emergency staff, we urge all of our clients to have the phone numbers of at least two emergency animal veterinary practices that have exotic pet vets on staff that you can call in the event of an emergency. Call the first one and ask if they have a bunny vet on call that night. If they don't, try the other one. If neither does, go to whichever one is closer and ask if they can call a rabbit vet to consult on the case. If they can't, you're going to need to ask them to euthanize your rabbit, because that much suffering cannot and should not be endured for very long.)

The last part was really rough to write about because we have been there and done that. We hope and pray that the only grinding you ever hear from your bunny friends are the normal eating grinding and the happy bunny purr grinding. The painful grinding needs to be mentioned for your awareness and your bunny's overall well-being. If you pay attention to your bunny's more subtle cues about how he/she is feeling, you should never reach the point that your pet is in that much pain. When something feels "off" about your rabbit's behavior, trust your instinct and call the vet.