A decorative rabbit in the house is a joy for all family members and pleasant chores. But how not to make a mistake in choosing? How to find out the age of a rabbit? What diseases do they have? And many more are interested in the question of how many rabbits have teeth. Often there is an opinion that in two - the lower and upper, because it is in this way that they are depicted in the pictures. This will be discussed in the article.
Teeth and age
Often you can hear the question: "How many teeth does a rabbit have (an adult)?" In addition to long incisors, a domestic rabbit has four additional and twenty-two molars and pre-radical teeth. In total, an adult rabbit has twenty-eight teeth: six incisors, twelve molars and ten false (premolars). The main part of the teeth is located deep in the oral cavity, so they are not visible. Sixteen teeth are located on the upper jaw, and twelve below.
When buying a rabbit, you must pay attention to how many teeth the rabbit has and what they look like. In a one-year-old individual, they begin to acquire a yellowish tint, and the older the rabbit, the more yellow it has on its teeth.
Milk teeth and their change
In young rabbits, teeth change up to a year. They, like other animals, have milk teeth. Of course, it is important to know how many rabbit has milk teeth and how their change occurs. The beginnings of such teeth are formed in utero at the twenty-first day from the moment of conception.
When rabbits are born, they already have sixteen milk teeth, six of which are incisors. The remaining ten teeth are false (root). Replacement of teeth occurs from the eighteenth day until the end of the first month of life.
What is important to know about bite?
Of course, you really need to know how many teeth a rabbit should have at birth and in adulthood. But it’s even more important to know that domestic rabbits are different from those that live in the wild. Wild rabbits have the ability to constantly nibble something - branches, tree bark, shrubs. Homework is often kept in a cage. If they have nothing to gnaw, then their teeth grow back quickly, which affects the bite.
Knowing how many teeth a decorative rabbit has and that his teeth need constant work, the owner of the animal must observe a number of rules.
- To avoid bite problems, the rabbit needs a lot of hay and objects to be able to gnaw. For such purposes fruit tree branches, special sticks from a pet store are excellent.
- If tree branches are taken, then make sure that they have not been treated with pesticides.
- The animal must have solid food in sufficient quantity. If this is absent, then the front incisors grow noticeably and can cause a malocclusion (otherwise, malocclusion). With this pathology, the teeth grind poorly, the rabbit's mouth does not close tightly, and the sharp edges of the chewing surfaces damage the soft tissues in the mouth. The rabbit experiences severe pain while chewing. Then the development of other diseases occurs. Abscesses and digestive problems occur. This problem can be solved by cutting teeth.
When is it important to consult a veterinarian?
The veterinarian should be consulted if the rabbit saliva flows abundantly, the hair near the mouth is moist and tangled, his eyes watery, he refuses food or chooses only soft.
Also, the reason for visiting a specialist is abscesses on the cheeks and jaw, the animal is hurt when touching his cheeks, he has red or, conversely, white gums, smells bad from his mouth, the pet loses weight.
So, the age of the pet can be determined by the color and how many teeth a rabbit has. The features of rabbit teeth are that they are thin. Therefore, some owners, saving on veterinarians, at home cut rabbit teeth with nail clippers. After trimming, they are filed with a nail file for the same nails. Such a method is possible, but it is dangerous. The tooth may crack. In addition, there are cases of exposure of dental pulp, which causes pulpitis.
There is still an important point: the rabbit is hurt, and he can react unpredictably to this procedure. Therefore, the best way to solve the problem of overgrown teeth is to go to an experienced veterinarian. There the doctor uses a special tool.
There are times when a rabbit breaks a tooth. This is not a big deal; they grow very fast with him. But in this case, it is necessary to shorten the second to the appropriate size.