Underweight rabbit

Question
I've had a Dutch rabbit for about 10 months.  I believe he is around a year and a half old - I was not the first person to have him.  My family got him from the shelter, where his first family brought him after he was not eating.  The reason for that was that his teeth are deformed - originally the bottom and top basically grew into each other and he couldn't open his mouth.  A vet corrected that problem before we adopted him, however, he still needs his teeth clipped ever two weeks or so, as they are not straight, so they just keep growing without grinding down.  Also, the bottom teeth are in front of the top, and stick out of his mouth.

My concern is that he is underweight.  I've read that fully grown Dutch rabbits should be 3.5-5.5 pounds.  When we got him, he was just under 3 pounds.  Now, he is at 2.4 pounds.  I don't understand what the problem is.  He has access to pellets and fresh water, which is mainly what his diet consists of.  Most fruits and vegetables are too hard for him to eat - he likes bananas, which are soft, but he doesn't seem to understand what to do with things like apples and carrots.  He also likes these treats that come in his pellets - I think they are dried carrots, but they're soft, plus we tear them apart for him so he can eat them.    But he gets plenty of food, and the weight just keeps coming off - I can feel his bones under his coat.  What can we give him to make him put on weight?  

Answer
Dear Pamela,

A rabbit with malocclusion of the incisors is also likely to have alignment problems with the molars.  Sharp spurs can develop (the molars, like the incisors, grow continually), and make it difficult or impossible for the bunny to eat normally.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

You will need the help of a very experienced rabbit vet for molar work, and you may be able to find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

In the meantime, you can get him to eat higher calorie foods by making pellet "fluff":  cover his regular pellets (no seeds, nuts, dried fruit etc!) with a bit of warm water and allow them to sit until softened.  Then just fluff them into a moist pile and he'll be much better able to eat his fill without much discomfort.  You also can grate carrots and other higher-calorie foods into very fine strands that he can manage.  But be careful with high-calorie foods, as these can upset his GI tract flora, causing runny stool.  Please also read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

for complete information.

I hope this helps!

Dana
P.S. - Sorry for the holiday delay!