Dental disease is the leading cause of welfare problems in companion rabbits. Prevention through appropriate diet is highly effective and underappreciated by many owners.
Dental disease in rabbits is both common and preventable. The tragedy is that many rabbits suffer with undetected dental pain for months before owners notice reduced appetite or weight loss. By this point, malocclusion may be severe and treatment complex. A diet based primarily on grass hay — the natural diet — keeps teeth worn correctly and guts healthy simultaneously. Owner education about the hayloft approach versus pellet-centric feeding is one of the highest-impact rabbit welfare interventions.