Whether or not you personal a pet rabbit otherwise you’re watching them in your backyard, one of the crucial fascinating elements of a rabbit is their enamel. At first blush, they don’t look all that completely different from ours, and in some ways, they could seem the identical.
However whereas rabbit enamel are just like ours in some ways, in others, they’re fully completely different. The extra you be taught, the extra fascinating they develop into. With that in thoughts, we’ve highlighted 10 of probably the most shocking and fascinating details about rabbit enamel for you right here.
The ten Information About Rabbit Tooth
1. They By no means Cease Rising
The explanation it’s essential to present a lot grass and hay on your rabbit isn’t solely as a result of they want all that meals. It’s additionally as a result of in any other case, their enamel will overgrow! They want grass and hay continuously to assist them safely and effectively digest meals, utilizing many of the in any other case indigestible fiber, however maintaining their enamel in verify is an enormous a part of it.
2. Rabbits Have 28 Tooth
Whereas cartoons actually solely spotlight a rabbit’s entrance enamel, they’ve a mouthful of chompers! They’ve incisors, premolars, and molars to assist them tear meals aside and chew it up. Their entrance enamel are pretty sharp and assist them chew via and chunk off items of meals, however as soon as it’s torn up, the enamel of their cheek space grind it up into one thing smaller for them to securely swallow.
3. Rabbits Want Fiber to Put on Down Their Tooth
Rabbits want meals with tons of fiber. Not solely is all this fiber mandatory for his or her digestive well being, nevertheless it’s additionally a key element in what wears down their enamel. The fibrous portion of their eating regimen does an awesome job of grinding away at them, which your rabbit wants so their enamel don’t overgrow.
4. Rabbit Tooth Can Break
Rabbit enamel are removed from indestructible, and all it takes is for them to chew on some arduous meals the unsuitable approach or get right into a battle with one other rabbit for certainly one of their enamel to interrupt. Already broken or unhealthy enamel are extra simply damaged.
Dental fractures in rabbits will be incidental or very severe, and in the event that they contain the pulp, the tooth might develop into contaminated and die. Both approach, they are going to must be checked by a veterinary dentist, as some enamel could also be eliminated or want sufficient remedy.
5. Rabbits Tooth Develop Curved
Whilst you would possibly assume an overgrown rabbit tooth would develop straight down, that’s not the case. Rabbit’s enamel are cylindrical and have a pure curve. If a rabbit’s tooth begins to get too lengthy, as a result of malocclusion or lack of ability to satisfy the alternative tooth straight on, it begins to curve much more, which creates all types of issues for them. It’s type of how human nails will curve after being too lengthy—they don’t simply continue to grow straight out! This may trigger sharp spurs, the tongue can develop into trapped, and the rabbit will probably be in ache and will battle to eat.
6. Rabbits Use Their Tooth Simply Like Us
Whereas rabbits have completely different dietary wants and distinctive enamel, the best way they use these enamel is fairly easy. Their incisors within the entrance of their mouth tear away on the meals to make it simpler to suit into their mouth, and from there, the premolars and molars within the facet of their mouth grind the meals up into smaller bits.
That’s the identical approach our enamel work. So actually, a rabbit’s mouth isn’t all that completely different from ours. Or is it?
7. Rabbit’s Higher Incisors Solely Have Enamel on One Facet
One factor that’s extraordinarily distinctive, fascinating, and necessary with a rabbit’s higher incisors is that they solely have enamel on one facet of them. Enamel is difficult and helps shield your enamel, however a rabbit wants to make sure their entrance enamel at all times keep sharp and grind down a bit so they don’t overgrow.
That’s why their incisors solely have enamel on the surface. This protects the enamel from exterior elements, nevertheless it permits them to continuously keep sharp and put on down once they’re chewing.
8. You Don’t Have to Brush Rabbit Tooth
One benefit of grinding their enamel down little by little every day is that there’s no good motive to brush them. And most would probably not enable it, anyway. You sweep your enamel so that they don’t rot, however no specific a part of the rabbit’s enamel will keep of their mouth for lengthy sufficient for this to be an issue, as they’re at all times rising.
So, the following time you see some pet toothpaste within the pet care aisle, depart it there—your rabbit doesn’t want it!
9. You Can’t Neglect Rabbit Dental Care
Simply since you don’t have to brush their enamel doesn’t imply you may neglect their oral hygiene. You want to guarantee their enamel keep sharp, wholesome, and at the right length; in any other case, your rabbit goes to be in a world of bother.
When you suspect that your rabbit is having some form of dental subject, it’s essential to take them to a vet immediately to allow them to handle it. Rabbits don’t need ache of their mouth any greater than the remainder of us, and they’re notably delicate to it, and it’s as much as you to make sure their mouth stays pain-free day after day. In any other case, they could get digestive points, as they aren’t capable of eat their meals comfortably. This may result in one other severe sickness referred to as intestine stasis, which can be life-threatening if not handled promptly.
10. Rabbits Chew Tremendous Quick
When you’ve ever paid consideration to a rabbit consuming, you’ve in all probability seen them chewing like loopy. That’s not a trick of the attention. A rabbit could make as much as 120 jaw actions a minute, which implies their mouth goes facet to facet and entrance to again in a round type of movement twice a second!
All that motion permits them to grind their meals up into extraordinarily small items and put on their enamel down, each of that are mandatory for his or her long-term well being.
Conclusion
Whereas a rabbit’s enamel would possibly look and performance equally to ours in some ways, their distinctive options assist guarantee they’ll have a contented and wholesome life whether or not they’re within the wild or in your house. Now that you know a bit more about them, you may look after them a bit higher if in case you have a pet rabbit and admire them a bit extra should you’re at all times seeing them chomping on one thing in your backyard!
Featured Picture Credit score: Roselynne, Shutterstock