Whoever heard of such a thing? Do they really exist?

Not only do they exist, but I have one! A female that is in a cage with seven others as potential breeding stock caught my attention one day with a ball of dung attached to her mouth. After cleaning it off, it was plain to see there were two huge protuding "tusks" emanating from the lower jaw that were in total about two inches in length!

Acknowledging this was indeed a cumbersome appendage that would inhibit her from normal eating, I proceeded to cut them short with side cutters. Since that episode, I have continued to cut them down about once a month. Also, I have never notice any loss of weight or otherwise detrimental effect of the abnormal teeth on this rabbit. Upon checking into reports of such a thing, I found the following articles under the title "Malocclusion."

Agriculture Canada's publication 1782E under abnormalities states "Rabbit teeth never stop growing but at the same time they are constantly being worn down by chewing. When the teeth fail to meet at the proper angle, unusual growth will occur. The problem can be corrected temporarily by cutting back the teeth so it can eat properly. Malocclusion can be the result of injury or an abscess, but it is more likely to be an inherited trait."

In House Rabbit Journal, an article on Oral Health in Rabbits states "Malocclusion (teeth that don't meet and wear properly) allows teeth to overgrow and need frequent trimming. Providing a malloccluded rabbit with things to chew will not alleviate the problem. Most cases of incisor malocclusion are heriditary and are manifested before 6 months of age. Check for hair or other foreign objects caught between the teeth."

It is not surprising to note that down through eons of evolution, in the cases of some mammals such as the Walrus, Narwal, bear, and several species of cat, Sabre-toothed aberrations found their niche in enhancing the survivability of their hosts. Whether they are used to dig for mollusks, render a killing blow, defend against predators, or simply to provide an attraction to the opposite sex, from time to time sabre teeth have occassionally been a boon to their hosts. As a fan of the humble rabbit, it is fascinating to imagine that in the distant past, or even in the distant future, the capability of rabbits to develop sabre teeth was (or perhaps will be) critical to their survival on this planet.

Hal MacGregor