How dental disease causes significant suffering in companion rabbits and why hay-based diets are the most important welfare intervention.
Rabbit dental welfare is the most preventable major welfare problem in companion rabbit care. The rabbit dental system requires constant hay consumption — not just for nutrition but for the mechanical tooth wear that prevents molar spur formation and malocclusion. When rabbits eat predominantly pellets or mixed seed diets — as most pet store guidance historically recommended — their dental health deteriorates in predictable ways. Dental disease causes chronic pain that rabbits conceal through stoic behavior until the condition is severe. The solution is simple: unlimited high-quality hay must form the majority of the diet from the earliest possible age.