Rabbit Dental Treatments Treble In Five Years

Vets are treating record numbers of dental problems in rabbits, three times the number treated five years ago, says veterinary charity PDSA.

Over the last five years, PDSA vets have seen a 230% increase in dental procedures on rabbits. Over the same period the total number of rabbits seen increased by just 16%. Last year, PDSA vets carried out over 1,100 dental procedures compared to just 335 in 2004.

The figures mean that the ratio of rabbits undergoing dental treatment soared from approximately one in 17 five years ago to one in six last year. Many of these were suffering from problems attributed to their poor diet.

PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon Sean Wensley:

"Despite being the UK's third most popular pet, with over a million currently kept, the welfare needs of domestic rabbits are widely misunderstood by their owners. Hundreds of thousands of rabbits face an unhappy, lonely existence in cramped accommodation, whilst being fed an inappropriate diet and suffering from a range of painful diseases. We should re-evaluate the ways in which we have traditionally kept pet rabbits and start providing them with what we know they need to lead healthy and happy lives."

This is a view which now carries legal backing, under the Animal Welfare Act (2006).

According to the Act, owners must ensure five key needs are met:

  • A suitable environment

  • A suitable diet

  • To be able to perform normal behaviour

  • To live with, or apart from, other animals (depending on the type of animal)

  • To be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease


  • Sadly, rabbits frequently fail to have their welfare needs met, often through ignorance rather than deliberate neglect:

    1. A suitable environment
    Rabbits should have a hutch that is as large as possible. A hutch should be at least spacious enough for rabbits to do a minimum of three hops from end to end and high enough for the rabbits to stand upright on their hind legs without their ears touching the top. A good size for many rabbits is 6ft x 2ft x 2ft high. Many rabbits, possibly over 80%, are kept in hutches that are too small. Many hutches sold for rabbits are too small.

    2. A suitable diet
    The commonest health problems seen in rabbits are caused by their diet. Rabbits should be fed at least their body size in hay each day, a handful of fresh vegetables morning and evening, and one tablespoon of commercial rabbit pellets once daily for rabbits under 3.5kg, or one tablespoon twice daily for rabbits over 3.5kg. At least one in three rabbits (and probably more) are still being fed traditional muesli-type rabbit mixes which can lead to painful dental disease. A fifth of all rabbits (more than 200,000) may not be receiving enough hay in their diet. A rabbit’s diet should always be changed gradually to avoid digestive upsets.

    3. To be able to perform normal behaviour
    In the wild, rabbits have a home territory that can be the size of 30 tennis courts. They therefore need a large exercise run; a recommended minimum size is 8ft x 4ft x 2ft high.

    As well as lots of space, they also need suitable toys and objects so that they don’t get bored. They should have shelters and tubes where they can hide and feel secure, and an opportunity to dig (e.g. a planter filled with potting compost). Half of all pet rabbits may not get daily access to an exercise run. Of those that do, the exercise run is frequently too small. Less than half of all pet rabbits may be given toys or objects to prevent boredom.

    4. To live with, or apart from, other animals
    Rabbits are very sociable animals and need company from their own kind. The best combination is a neutered male and a neutered female from the same litter. Care is needed when introducing a second rabbit and it’s always best to seek veterinary advice. Nearly half of all pet rabbits in the UK (500,000) may be living alone, without a companion.

    5. The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease
    Because they are naturally prey species, rabbits hide signs of pain and 'suffer in silence'. They are susceptible to a number of painful and distressing medical conditions.

    Less than half of all pet rabbits may be vaccinated against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic diseases, two deadly but preventable rabbit diseases.

    Every summer rabbits are presented to veterinary surgeons with 'flystrike' – a condition where rabbits have become dirty and soiled, flies lay their eggs in the dirty fur and maggots hatch out and eat the rabbit’s flesh. It is important to check under the tail of rabbits at least twice a day in summer. Some cases can be associated with unhygienic living conditions, so the hutch should be cleaned out frequently.


    Siobhan Mullan, a veterinary surgeon and animal welfare researcher at the University of Bristol:

    "A study undertaken at the University of Bristol showed that the way some people are keeping pet rabbits is unlikely to be meeting their welfare needs, which leads to rabbits experiencing a poor quality of life. In particular, there is growing evidence that rabbits need company from another rabbit, but nearly half of the rabbit owners we surveyed kept a rabbit on its own. We hope that such findings, together with awareness-raising by animal charities and organisations, will lead to changes in the way that pet rabbits are kept, so that they can lead healthy and happy lives."

    Rabbits have an average lifespan of five to ten years but many live longer, so unfortunately the initial novelty of owning a rabbit may wear off. This is when rabbits can become forgotten and neglected.

    Rabbits may also cost more to look after than people expect. A typical lifetime cost can be over £3000. This money is spent on necessary things such as food, bedding, vaccinations and veterinary treatment when they become sick or injured.

    Over a thousand vets will be holding FREE rabbit health checks during Rabbit Awareness Week (26th April – 2nd May 2010). To find participating veterinary practices in your area visit and take your bunnies along for a check-up to make sure they are in tip top condition!