Dental disease is the most common serious health problem in pet rabbits, causing chronic pain in the majority of animals over 3 years old — and is largely preventable through diet.
Rabbit dental disease is perhaps the most clearly preventable chronic welfare problem in companion animal keeping. Rabbit teeth are designed to grind coarse fibrous material — wild rabbits spend 8+ hours per day grazing. Pet rabbits fed pellets and vegetables spend a fraction of this time chewing, causing continuous tooth overgrowth and malalignment. Molar spurs (sharp points on overgrown molars) lacerate the tongue and cheeks. Dental disease causes chronic pain that rabbits cannot express vocally — they simply eat less and lose weight. The welfare solution is entirely dietary: unlimited grass hay as the core of the diet maintains dental wear and prevents the disease.