Please note: We are NOT licensed pet veterinarians and CANNOT give any medical advice about pet rabbits. We are simply sharing helpful pet lifestyle information. All medical pet questions should be directed to a licensed and experienced veterinarian near you.

Domestic pet rabbits are a very delicate pet to choose to care for. Proof of this is how some will develop tooth issues along the course of their life.

For some pet rabbits this issue can come early on in life, as a result of genetics. In these cases, their front teeth may not align properly and end up causing them uncomfortable overgrowth issues in the mouth. In some cases of extreme front tooth overgrowth, eating becomes too painful and this may then also contribute to poor diet, slower gut motility, and even gastrointestinal stasis which then quickly becomes a life-threatening condition for a pet rabbit. 

For other pet rabbits, tooth -- and specifically molar overgrowth issues -- can crop up later in life as they age and get older. This can be a result of poor diet during their life (not enough good quality, fiber-rich timothy hay to grind down the teeth and molars as they chew). Or it may result from dental disease caused by genetics or just from getting older.

Even with great care and proper diet, as some pet rabbits age their molars may still grow painful points in the mouth over time. It can cause more painful chewing in addition to a slew of other potential health issues in the bunny-- like looser stools (messy bum, wet tail, or diarrhea), but especially gut stasis* (slowed or stopped digestion) once eating becomes too painful in their mouth.

*GI stasis (gastrointestinal stasis) or gut stasis (when a rabbit fully stops eating) is a serious pet rabbit health condition that must be addressed quickly within 6-12 hours max, by starting assisted manual syringe feeding at home using Oxbow Critical Care feed mixed with water-- as well as with a prompt veterinary visit-- to avoid it turning into a critical, emergency health situation for the pet rabbit within as fast as just 24 hours. 

Molar overgrowth inside the jawbones may also start to place extra pressure on the teeth roots inside the jawbone. This may then at times also lead to jawbone abscesses and infections. It may show up in the pet rabbit as symptoms of wet chin from over-salivation, and/or eye-weeping from the increased molar root pressure inside the skull near the eye sockets. 

When in doubt, it's very important to get your pet rabbit checked by a licensed AND experienced exotic pet veterinarian. It's best to find an experienced vet who has seen & treated lots of pet rabbits, and one who is also specifically experienced in pet rabbit dental work too.

​While you should always look out for any changes in your bun's daily activities that could signal a change in health (eating / drinking / playing / pooping habits), only a licensed AND experienced pet rabbit veterinarian can determine if your rabbit is having issues due to overgrown teeth or molars (or any other issues)-- and only such a vet can diagnose and treat them. 

There's no guarantees, since many a pet rabbit can encounter tooth issues at some point in their life. But there's a few things you can do to try and help them stay as healthy as possible. Definitely ensure their proper diet as described on our Food page. A healthy diet may also help keep their teeth better trimmed while maintaining their intestinal tract healthier and constantly moving as it should.

You may also be able to help keep their teeth as naturally trimmed as possible by feeding them 1st cut Timothy hay, such as the Small Pet Select brand boxes available in different box weights on Amazon. Again, while it's not an absolute guarantee, it's still a good, higher-fiber, tougher long-strand hay option pet rabbits will enjoy chewing longer both for good digestion and a bit of entertainment.

You can tell 1st cut hay mainly from its longer stems and long flowerheads, plus coarser / stronger strand texture (as compared to 2nd or 3rd cutting, or other safe, dried grasses and hays for pet rabbits).

SPS does sell their hay in several different box sizes. Some of our volunteers find that the 10lb, 20lb, or 40lb sizes offer the best deal for feeding their own pet rabbits at home. You can find a direct link to this product below, and the shelter does earn a small commission if you decide to buy anything from this link: 

This type of 1st cutting Timothy hay does come highly recommended by some of our volunteers. Again, this Amazon link does also help the shelter earn a small commission of any products purchased from this link. All proceeds go to the shelter as funds raised for the care and maintenance of our rescued rabbits. 

​Hope your pet rabbit stays happy and healthy. Thanks for your time and support! 

​Please note: We are NOT licensed pet veterinarians and CANNOT give any medical advice about pet rabbits. We are simply sharing helpful pet lifestyle information. All medical pet questions should be directed to a licensed and experienced veterinarian near you.

The last few years have been tough for everyone. With reduced funds and limited volunteers, Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-Home has still continued its mission of rescuing and caring for as many pet rabbits as we've been able. 

The domestic pet rabbits pictured here are just a few of many rescued, healed, and spayed or neutered before adoption during the past few years. 

With cancelled fundraisers, we've struggled to financially keep up with all the requests for rescue we've had. Your generous donations help us big time in running the shelter. 

​If you're able to help out and donate any amount, it will directly go toward helping us care for our rescued pet buns. 

DONATE SECURELY ONLINE: 
rabbitrr.org/donate

OR MAIL YOUR DONATION CHECK TO: 
Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-home
43311 Joy Rd, Box 478
Canton, MI  48187

Any amount helps, and will help pay for any one or more of these shelter expenses: timothy hay, Oxbow rabbit feed, outside veterinary care, facility rent, and utilities. 

Donations may be tax deductible to you also, since we are a registered 501(c)3 Michigan Charity. *Check with your tax preparer or financial advisor.

We are also a fully licensed and inspected animal rescue under MDARD, the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

We recently had a local pet-loving YouTuber apply for adoption at our shelter, and he went on to generously highlight our mission, our rescued buns, and our immediate fundraising needs in one of his recent YouTube videos. 
​
We just wanted to say a big THANK YOU again to Tyler Rugge, for recently adopting MWRRR alum Olive, and a thank you also to his pet rabbits Olive and Desmond for making a really endearing educational video on applying to adopt a rabbit from us; talking about the weeks-long process of bonding with his existing rabbit, welcoming the new family member home, and how to look after both buns on a daily basis: 

​A myriad thanks to you Tyler and your buns Desmond and Olive, for highlighting the proper pet rabbit care education, and also giving Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-Home a much needed shout-out for donation requests. We couldn't do this without our community of supporters and volunteers, so THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Plus Tyler's video is really cute, and his Pets channel on YouTube is super interesting and worth subscribing and watching here:  YouTube.com/tylerrugge

Adopt don't shop, and choose chocolate or plush rabbits instead!!

Donations are tax-deductible since we are a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit charity here in Michigan. Thank you for helping us continue rescuing and healing abandoned domestic pet rabbits like Rylee, we could not do this without your help.

Please consult your tax professional for any tax related questions.
​

Since receiving life-saving dental care and veterinary health checks totaling close to $500, she has fully rebounded and is looking healthy and happy these days: she eats normally after having her previously overgrown front teeth professionally removed; her coat is now soft, full and fluffy, and she is an alert and friendly young domestic rabbit with a sweet & curious personality, always seeking soft petting from caring volunteers nearby. 

Once Rylee reaches full maturity age (usually 5 months old or more), the shelter will also pay to have her health checked again and then spayed by an expert rabbit veterinarian. Due to rising veterinary costs, our expense for spaying female rabbits now soars to over $200+ per female rabbit, so we are still asking our generous shelter supporters to please donate anything you can to help us cover Rylee's costs, and also so we can continue helping other pet bunnies like Rylee in the future.
Thank you to all generous humans and bunnies who have already donated!

You can donate securely here:
https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/rylees-story

Thank you!
​

Check it out shelter supporters and bunny lovers! Our own hard-working volunteer and fundraising leader Carolyn Philpott, was recently nominated and chosen as a finalist in Small Pet Select's 2018 Rescue Heroes Contest!

Carolyn was originally nominated as an Individual hero along with our enterprising and devoted shelter manager (who is an absolute hero); and the shelter was nominated too in the org category -- however we're thrilled that SPS selected Carolyn as one of their 2018 rescue hero contest finalists, and it's clear to see why:  she is a tireless fundraising leader, volunteer communicator, events organizer, and more...  And in her words, she "does it all for the buns." 

Carolyn has also been the leading force in our recent website redesign and launch, a herculean effort that frankly had most of us other volunteers cowering inside our own human-sized hidey-houses. She led the website effort fearlessly with help from our web-savvy volunteers, and is a proven hero for donating much of her daily and weekly time helping run a nonprofit charity animal rescue and keeping it afloat & thriving.

Please kindly join us in voting for Carolyn daily!  Each unique email address can vote on a daily basis from Oct 22 - Nov 19 here at this web address link:

https://shop.smallpetselect.com/pages/rescue-heroes-contest-vote

HOW TO VOTE:  
1. Click on the above Small Pet Select 2018 Rescue Heroes Contest link.
2. Scroll down the page to read Carolyn's bio (in the Individual Nominees section); not required, but cool to read :)
3. Scroll all the way down the page, and enter your unique email address (one vote entry per email address per day).
4. Select CAROLYN PHILPOTT as the Individual Category Rescue Hero.
5. Select any organization of your choice as the Rescue Organization Category Hero. *(Midwest Rabbit Rescue was not selected as a nominee here, but you still MUST select 1 organization in order for your vote to count. Select any organization you like, there are a few pet bunny and critter organizations to choose from if you like ;)
6. Click on the "captcha" box to verify you are not a robot.
7. CLICK SUBMIT!

*** Don't forget to VOTE DAILY for Carolyn, and also for the overall nominated rescue org of your choice!!!

The winners in each category get a fundraising award of $3,500 to be given to the nonprofit animal rescue of their choice. Carolyn's rescue of course will be Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-Home, so let's help Carolyn win and vote for her daily with your email address!!

You can also ask supportive friends and family to help us vote daily with their own email addresses. They will not receive any additional emails from Small Pet Select unless they specifically choose to enroll in their communications.

Thank you, and happy daily voting!  Woo-hoo!  Go Carolyn!!

​Thanks for stopping by our site!  We're really excited to have a new space to share with you and provide more frequent updates on the shelter happenings.  We've got 50+ bunnies looking for their forever homes right now and we could really use your support to continue to provide medical care, food and shelter.  

Here are a few ways you can help: 
1.  Our Mixed Bag Designs fundraiser has great housewares, storage items, and vegan cruelty-free bags.  

2.  You can sponsor a bunny!  You'll receive status updates on the bun of your choosing, and when he/she is adopted, your sponsorship will transfer to another
bun.  

3.  We are always looking for reliable volunteers to help with everything from cleaning to fundraising.  Check out our volunteer application.

We had our Bunny Spa Day on Sunday, August 5, at Trust and Obey Dog Training.  We'd like to thank Judi for graciously hosting us.  We had lots of our supporters bring their buns in for grooming/haircuts, nail trims and a photo at the end.  We couldn't have done it without your space.  Thank you Judi!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and join our mailing list for more blog posts and updates.  

Please, take a look around our site and let us know any feedback you might have.  We are excited to have you visit!  Thank you for your support!