Our injured buck isn't injured in the way we thought he was. It turns out, after a careful examination of his mouth, he has a split tooth. His teeth aren't overgrown or any such thing, but he split one of his front teeth to the gum anyway, so now he can't properly chew. This usually only happens when a rabbit has overgrown teeth, something we watch for with this rabbit constantly. We don't have the problem with the other rabbits, the greens seem to file most of their teeth nicely. There seems to be nothing wrong with his back and he is now gaining strength and walking, as we are getting him to gain some weight, but it will still take time. As he is my associate's rabbit, I have urged her to take him to the veterinarian to have the offending tooth removed, but she has, of yet, refused. There is still time. We are getting him to eat and he is gaining weight and strength daily, so he is in no immediate danger. We are currently giving him a special "mash" (recipe below) to encourage him to eat more, but it will be a long, difficult journey. He still has some pain on his back, but we believe it is from some scar tissue from the mites and will heal on its own.
Split tooth Mash:
1/4 c rabbit food fines(or 1/2c rabbit food, soaked in just enough hot water to soften)
1/8c applesauce
Instructions:
Add all ingredients together in an open bowl. Mix thoroughly. Give to your rabbit along with plenty of clean, fresh water IN A BOWL at all times. The reason we do not use water bottles for our rabbits with injured teeth is simple. Bottles will hurt their teeth and discourage the rabbit from drinking. These rabbits need as much water as they will drink.
3 comments:
I too switched to exclusively water dishes (tried both ball tip bottles and lixit valve stems). My bunnies seem happier and here is why: a rabbit is not a rodent. It is a large animal and it gets frustrating for them to only get a trickle or one drop of water at a time. The only time I noticed "repetitive" behavior and upset body language I swear was because of their frustration with valves. The bowls do get dirty and require at least daily changes but you will notice that they are drinking WAY more with the bowls. I'm glad I am not the only one who feels this way. Save your money and spend only $1-7 for a nice water dish instead of $5-12 for the bottles. More cost effective and if you live where it freezes you have to use bowls in the Winter anyways, or buy at least 2 of each water bottle which again is more money.
I agree. They did seem frustrated, and who wouldn't be, if one had to drink their water one drop at a time? I am training the bunnies I am selling to use a bottle and a dish, as well, but they have both available at all times. I simply don't want them to not know what a water bottle is when they are sold, which can cause problems for the new owner who may prefer bottles.
I am not too concerned about daily changes, as their water was changed daily even with bottles.
Thank you for commenting, Newly! I appreciate your input. :)
I have a couple of bottles on some of my cages in addition to my bowls. The ones that seem to be in danger of running out if I'm away for a while, mainly because of having kits or because they dump the dish. One day, I was watching a rabbit getting a drink from one and something seemed odd to me. I then realized he was sticking his tongue into the bottle and letting the water flow directly into his mouth! I had to laugh, but it was quite clever, really. I had to share it. :)
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