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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Questions about mini rex’s

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    • BrunosMama
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        So I know that Rex’s can have foot problems due to thin fur on the bottoms of their feet. Roxie has developed some callouses on her heels, but she doesn’t seem bothered by them. Her and Caesars cage is 80% covered in soft fleece, the other 20% is hardwood. They’re horrible chewers. But would something like a tossed in blanket or pet bed be good for her feet? Something extra cushy to sit in? Other than flooring changes, is there anything I can do to help her feet? She has one tender spot we will probably end up at the vets about with her.

        Also, are Rex’s prone to being fat? She’s not a big bun, but she is quite chubby. Plus, after a failed pregnancy a couple years ago, she has developed a lot of rolls. She looks like a shar pei dog lol. She and Caesar share their food. She’s not grossly obese and moves around fine, just curious really.

        Thanks!


      • Cottontail
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          I don’t really have any experience with rexes (or bunny obesity)… but I know my Pete loves piles of towels, and has a small assortment of them that are “his” and marked by his chew-spots.

          Also, my Zoey cat had a similar development after her spay. She was inflamed at the time of spay and ended up taking longer to heal… but afterwards she went from being a string-bean cat to being quite the plump lady… and it had nothing to do with her food intake or exercise levels.. just hormone changes, I guess. She’s 17lbs and quite “squishy”, but she eats less than most cats half her size. The only thing is that she did develop arthritis at an earlier age in her hind quarters, and I would assume that would be something to look out for in a bigger bunny as well.


        • Stickerbunny
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            Rex bunnies LOOK stocky, but check with your vet on if she’s over weight or not. Mine can look like a little fatty if she’s sitting, but stretched out she looks thin and the vet says her weight is fine. They are just… thicker looking than some other breeds.

            As for the feet, there are ointments you can use, but I don’t know which ones. I think your vet could probably give you a suggestion if you give them a call. Mine has never had any foot issues and she lives on hardwood/carpet. Though, she’s lazy and does more loafing than anything. lol


          • BrunosMama
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              Yeah…Roxie’s default position is loaf. Her exercise is chasing Caesar down to gnaw on his eyes (she’s just grooming them, but she:s obsessive about it)

              Yeah, I think I will see what the vet suggests for her feet’s.


            • Sarita
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                I have heard that rexes tend to gain weight easier…it may be true. I also think that rexes because they are built a bit bottom heavy compared to other rabbits and they have that very short velvety fur just might accentuate the curves too. I’ve only had a few rexes and only one mini rex – my other rexes were standards so they were larger anyway than the mini’s although I do think that most people tend to refer to all rexes as mini rexes because maybe they aren’t familiar with the standard rexes which I guess aren’t as popular for pet rabbits. I also notice that rexes also have wrinkled foreheads so that makes me wonder if people tend to think of them as overweight….they just have some different characteristics that other rabbits don’t have.

                For the feet, try to keep the nails clipped – the good thing about rexes is that because they have short fur it seems easier to see their nails.


              • MoxieMeadows
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                  I kinda want to see a pic of Roxie now?


                • LittlePuffyTail
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                    My Bridge Mini-Rex had bare pink callouses but is the only one out my former trio that never developed sore hocks. Do your buns chew blankets? He did so I was never able to give him blankets. I put shredded paper in his house where he slept and he liked that.

                    My little guy was built like a tank. Rex’s just have that solid build. I see lots of pics of Rex’s with large dewlaps and rolls. I suggest getting a small scale (I use a kitchen scale) and keep track of her weight.


                  • BrunosMama
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                      All that about build sounds right. I looked up some pics and it does seem they’re built stockier than the rest.

                      She seems really hard on her feet. We try to keep her nails in check, but they seem to break off somewhat easily. She has had several broken nails compared to the others.

                      Moxie – I will try to get a pic. She is black so she doesn’t show up well in pics lol.


                    • MoxieMeadows
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                        Try sitting her on a light colored blanket (like yellow, pink or green) while taking a picture. I have the same problem too, Moxie is also black.


                      • Eepster
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                          It’s normal for females of many breeds to have a dewlap. The short velvety fur definitely shows off the curves that longer fur would hide.

                          Brittle nails in humans can be caused by a variety of things, poor nutrition, thyroid disease, etc.  If she does have a thyroid hormone imbalance, it could explain both the failed pregnancy and possible weight problems. So I would look into that.


                        • Nicolene
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                            Mini Rex rabbits are stockier. My mini rex weighs 4.5 lbs when healthy, online says 4-4.5 pounds, but she looks much better at 4.5 lbs. She has bald hocks and was bleeding from both heels when we got her. She made a good recovery and has naked heels to show for it. When they get really red and tender (but not cracked!) we put a coat of New Skin on them to help protect them from urine. But we haven’t had to do that since we bought a specific litterbox from Busy Bunny (I’ll add the link at the bottom). Our cage is lined with linoleum and memory foam bath mats from Costco, but she is NOT a chewer. Our other rabbit is, so he gets a regular bath mat (no rubber side) that he loves pulling apart. We leave her some space on the linoleum because she loves to lie on it when its hot out.

                            Keep her nails short so she can lean forward if she wants to relieve her heels from the pressure (I’ve seen ours do that). If her nails are long they can’t rock forward.

                            https://store.busybunny.com/litter-box-lb-1-p1191.aspx


                          • BinkyBunny
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                              Soft litter like Carefresh or making sure to put hay over pelleted litter can help as well.

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                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Questions about mini rex’s