6d • Rabbit Nutrition
Debunking Internet Myths: Claim 2: “Hay is essential for dental health.”
Claim 2: “Hay is essential for dental health.”
Rebuttal:
This claim is directly contradicted by peer-reviewed cranio-mandibular research.
Böhmer & Böhmer (2017) demonstrated that hay is mechanically harder and stiffer than pellets, requiring higher axial bite force. This loading pattern promotes:
*Retrograde tooth elongation
*Apical intrusion into bone
*Periodontal disease
*Malocclusion
“Hay… promotes retrograde tooth elongation and incursion of the apices into adjacent bone… and therefore is not the best nutrition for rabbits.”
— Böhmer & Böhmer, 2017
Citation (verified):
Böhmer C, Böhmer E. Veterinary Sciences. 2017;4(1):5.
DOI: 10.3390/vetsci4010005
PMID: 29056664
Balanced pellets allow lateral grinding, which is the physiological chewing motion for rabbits, without excessive vertical force.
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Debunking Internet Myths: Claim 2: “Hay is essential for dental health.”
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