Last Updated on January 16, 2024 by Admin
Rabbit’s dental structure is adapted to its herbivorous diet that comprises mainly fibrous vegetation and the need for constant chewing. In case you’re wondering how many teeth do rabbits have? then this article is for you. We’re going to talk about a rabbit’s dental anatomy by expounding on the number, type, and functions of each tooth.
How many teeth do rabbits have?
Adult bunnies have 28 teeth in total. This consists of 12 molars, 10 premolars, and 6 incisors, all of which are open-rooted. In other words, they have teeth that grow throughout their life, nevertheless, it’s essential to always make sure that their dental structure is in good condition. This is attainable by providing your bunnies with unlimited hay or rough grass to chew and wear down their teeth.
How many teeth do baby rabbits have?
At birth, baby bunnies have no teeth up until when they reach two to three weeks old. At this age, they normally grow 16 milk teeth popularly known as deciduous teeth. In a few months, the kit’s milk teeth start falling off and in the end, will be replaced by 28 adult teeth.
Rabbits dental makeup
Bunnies are heterodonts meaning that they have more than one type of tooth, four to be specific. They include Incisors, peg teeth, premolars, and molars, six of which are incisors, and 22 check teeth, as we shall expound further.
Bunnies are also hypsodonts, meaning their back teeth also have high crowns that help them chew a fibrous diet. Additionally, rabbits have elodont dentition, meaning that their teeth grow continuously throughout their life. Below are the four different types of rabbit teeth.
1. Incisors
Incisors are a rabbit’s front teeth, two on the lower and four on the upper side of their mouth. The incisors are chisel-like shaped prominent teeth used for cutting vegetation and cropping grass. Lastly, there is a diastema or gap that separates the incisors and premolars.
2. Peg Teeth
Peg teeth are normally positioned behind the upper incisors and they’re usually slightly smaller and less visible. Two peg teeth help align both the upper and lower sets of incisors.
3. Premolars
These sets of teeth are located behind the peg teeth. They’re normally six premolars on both the upper and low rabbit jaws, with the main function of crushing fibrous food.
4. Molars
Lastly, the last type of rabbit teeth is the molars, also known as their back teeth. This set has six molars on the lower jaw and four on the upper. Molars are used for grinding food since they are normally larger and wider.
Rabbit dental growth/ eruption
Rabbit teeth grow continuously throughout their life due to their open root structure also known as aradicular teeth. The dental eruption, therefore, helps replace worn-out teeth for constant chewing and grinding of food. Rabbit’s incisors (front teeth) mainly grow quicker than their back teeth (molars). In addition, their low teeth also tend to grow at a higher rate than their upper teeth.
