Dental disease is the most common serious health problem in pet rabbits, caused primarily by inadequate hay consumption that fails to wear teeth naturally, leading to malocclusion that causes chronic pain and reduced quality of life.
Rabbit dental disease is almost entirely diet-driven and therefore preventable. The connection between hay provision and dental health is well-established: rabbits evolved to consume fibrous grasses that naturally wear their continuously growing teeth. Pet rabbits fed primarily pellets develop malocclusion progressively, experiencing increasing oral pain that reduces food intake in a downward welfare spiral. The preventive intervention — unlimited hay provision — is inexpensive and eliminates the most common cause of rabbit suffering in captivity.