Dental disease — particularly cheek tooth malocclusion and incisor overgrowth — is one of the most serious and common welfare problems in domestic rabbits.
Rabbit dental disease causes some of the most severe and prolonged welfare suffering in companion animals. Cheek tooth spurs lacerate the tongue and cheeks continuously, causing pain with every chewing movement. As the condition progresses, affected rabbits eat less, lose weight, and may stop grooming — leading to flystrike in outdoor-kept rabbits. The condition is almost always related to insufficient hay consumption, which is itself caused by inappropriate feeding of pellets and vegetables as primary food sources. Prevention through correct feeding is far more effective than treating established disease.