25d • Health and Wellness
Healthy rabbit teeth
Healthy rabbit teeth are maintained through normal lateral grinding (bruxism), not by chewing stiff stems or abrasive roughage. Rabbits self-regulate tooth wear through side-to-side jaw motion during routine feeding, and this process does not require loose hay when a diet is properly formulated. Cookies is a clear, real-world example: at 6 years old, raised exclusively on a balanced pellet diet, she has excellent tooth alignment, normal crown length, and no signs of malocclusion.
This outcome aligns with cranio-mandibular research showing that excessive chewing of mechanically stiff foods (such as stem-heavy hay) increases axial bite force, which can promote retrograde tooth elongation, apical intrusion, and periodontal disease rather than prevent it. In contrast, balanced pellets allow physiologic lateral grinding without excessive vertical loading on the teeth.
Dental disease in rabbits is multifactorial—driven by skull morphology, genetics, and diet balance—not by the presence or absence of loose hay. Long-term dental health is best supported by consistent nutrition, appropriate fiber fractions, and stable intake, not by forcing rabbits to chew increasingly abrasive material.
Cookies’ teeth are not an anomaly. They are exactly what the research predicts when rabbits are fed correctly.
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Healthy rabbit teeth
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