Problems with your rabbit's teeth?

Q: Our vet has had to trim and file our rabbit's teeth a couple of times now, and I'm worried that we're not feeding her the right things to keep them healthy. We do give her hay as well as fresh food, but she doesn't seem keen on it.

A: I suspect it is the front teeth your vet has filed, as you wouldn't easily notice re-growth of the back teeth (a rabbit's mouth doesn't open wide like a cat or dog's). Overgrown incisors can be a sign of problems with the molars. A balanced diet is key to the correct growth of rabbits' teeth. I use the analogy of a cake to describe the balance: the sponge is the hay, the icing a good-quality pellet food (not muesli-type) and the cherry on the top is fresh food. Muesli-type feeds have fallen out of favour because a rabbit kept on its own may consistently leave a particular part of the mix, such as the boring but important mineral pellets! If there are two or more bunnies housed together, the bowl may be cleared but you can't be sure each is eating a balanced diet.

Alison Logan, vet