Rabbit Teeth: Why Hay Is Non-Negotiable
Dr. Anika
📅 Aug 31, 2026
⏱️ 5 min read
Rabbits have open-rooted teeth that grow continuously - up to 10-12 cm a year! In the wild, endless chewing of fibrous plants keeps them worn down. In captivity, the wrong diet is the #1 cause of painful, overgrown teeth.
The golden rule
Your rabbit should eat a pile of hay roughly the size of their body every single day. Timothy or orchard hay, not alfalfa (except for babies) - it's the long, fibrous strands that do the grinding. There is no substitute.
- 80% of diet: unlimited grass hay
- 10-15%: fresh leafy greens
- 5% max: pellets
- Treats: a slice of fruit, rarely
Signs of dental trouble
- Eating slowly or dropping food (chinning food)
- Weight loss despite a good appetite
- Fewer or smaller droppings
- Wet chin or drooling - "slobbers"
- Grinding teeth (not the soft purring kind)
Beyond hay
Offer safe chewables - apple wood branches, willow balls, cardboard - to add grinding variety. And have a vet check the teeth at least yearly, more often for lop-eared and dwarf breeds, which have inherited jaw problems.
Hay is the entire foundation of rabbit dental health. Give unlimited hay, watch for the warning signs, and those famous teeth will stay perfect for life.
Dr. Anika is a veterinarian specialising in small mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. She writes Pawsome’s pocket-pet guides and is on a mission to make sure hamsters, rabbits and parrots get the same quality care as cats and dogs.
