Once food is swallowed, it passes through the esophagus. In addition, rabbits utilize saliva secreted into the mouth to moisten the food to help with lubrication and movement through the gastrointestinal tract. Their primary function is to grind the food to a smaller particle size to allow for the food to be swallowed. The rabbit has three upper premolars and two lower, along with three upper and three lower molars. Premolars and molars are the back teeth, sometimes called the cheek teeth. Incisors function to tear and grab the food. You may notice only two upper incisors when looking at your rabbit’s teeth and this is because two of the upper incisors are smaller and behind the other pair. Its adult teeth consist of four upper and two lower incisors (front teeth) as well as 22 total premolars and molars (back teeth). For more information, see Dental Problems in Rabbits.Ī rabbit has 16 deciduous (baby) teeth and 28 permanent teeth. This is a serious health concern in rabbits and may require veterinary treatment. If fed a diet with too little fiber or plant material, the rabbit’s teeth will continue to grow without being worn and may become overgrown or develop malocclusion.

Because this plant material can be coarse and abrasive, the rabbit’s teeth grow continuously to account for tooth wear. The rabbit uses its lips to grab food and pass it back to the teeth to cut and grind the plant material. The first part of a rabbit’s digestive system is the mouth. The digestive tract plays an important role in waste removal from the body, as well. In addition, the immune system is closely linked to the digestive system to prevent infections. The environment in the stomach kills many bacteria and enzymes (proteins that break down large molecules in foods to smaller particles) and acid may destroy many toxins. This provides nutrients for the animal to use for daily needs or for production, such as during growth, pregnancy, and lactation.Īnother function of the digestive tract is protection from toxins, or bacteria, in the food. Digestion is the process of breaking food components into small enough units that they can be absorbed across the digestive tract wall. The primary function of the digestive system is to digest food and absorb nutrients. It is important to consider the roles of the digestive system before looking into its parts in more detail. Their digestive system is designed to make the most efficient use of the nutrients found in their diet. So to accommodate large amounts of plants, food moves through the tract relatively quick. However, their gastrointestinal tract is small compared to other herbivores, such as horses and cattle. Because rabbits consume fibrous plant materials, they must eat a lot to meet their nutrient needs. Understanding your rabbit’s digestive, or gastrointestinal, system will help to choose the best diet for your pet.

However, the rabbit’s digestive system makes it able to consume these plants and make the most of their nutrients. This means that humans and many other animals cannot utilize the nutrients found in these plants. The plants that rabbits eat are high in fiber, which is indigestible to mammalian digestive enzymes. The rabbit, as an herbivore, is uniquely designed to consume large amounts of plant material.

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