Glossary · 🐾 Anatomy & biology

Open-rooted (continuously growing) teeth

Also called: elodont teeth

Open-rooted teeth grow continuously throughout life — rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, degus and the rodents all have them, so their diet must constantly wear the teeth down.

For grazers, hay does the wearing; for rodents, gnawing on safe materials does. Without enough wear the teeth overgrow (malocclusion), causing pain and difficulty eating.

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