October 2026
A rabbit who leaves the hay and picks at soft food is often telling you about the mouth, not about being picky. Dental disease is extremely common in pet rabbits. It is a frequent reason for a smaller appetite, drooling, weight loss, and a gut that slows down.
Rabbit teeth grow continuously throughout life. Chewing is what wears them. When the teeth do not wear properly, often because of diet, genetics, or injury, spurs, overgrowth, or root problems can develop. The incisors are the teeth you can see. The cheek teeth and the roots are where disease usually hides.
In my practice, the rabbits who do best are the ones whose families notice a change in hay before the rabbit looks obviously sick. Rabbits hide pain. The early signs are easy to explain away.
Watch for a preference for soft foods, less hay, drooling, or a wet chin. Weight loss can be the only clue for a while, so a kitchen scale once a week is more useful than a glance. A smaller pile of droppings often follows the drop in hay, because the gut is built to keep moving on fiber.
A careful look in the awake rabbit is worth doing, and it often misses the problem. Diagnosis usually means an oral exam under sedation or anesthesia, plus dental radiographs. Treatment can range from coronal reduction, which is a trim of overgrown tooth, to extraction when a tooth cannot be saved. Pain control is part of every dental procedure, not an extra.
Afterward, the plan is a high-fiber diet that encourages natural chewing, and rechecks. Dental disease in rabbits is often managed over time. Many rabbits live comfortable lives with consistent care. The measure I use is a return to hay and to normal behavior, not a single perfect mouth.
Between visits, the daily treatment is a high-fiber diet. Unlimited grass hay is what wears the teeth and keeps the gut moving. Rechecks are part of living with this disease. A rabbit who is comfortable after a procedure can stop eating again if the mouth is not looked at on a schedule.
Call now if your rabbit has stopped eating, is drooling heavily, is hunched, or has produced few or no droppings. A rabbit who is not eating should be seen the same day while the clinic is open.
Book soon if hay intake is sliding, the chin is wet, or weight is down even though the rabbit still looks bright. Regular exams that include a careful oral assessment are one of the better ways to catch this early.
If your rabbit is eating less hay, drooling, or showing a change in appetite, call Priest Lake Veterinary Hospital at (615) 361-4646.
This article is general information, not medical advice for your pet. Reading it doesn't create a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR). Please talk with your own veterinarian before making changes to your pet's care.