Are soft rugs ok for sore hocks?

[Roo and Doe]

Hi all,

Recently, I have noticed that my rex-mix roo has developed small pink hocks. No sign of fur-loss yet, but the pink is making me freak out.

I think its due to a variety of factors:

1. I haven’t been on top of her nail-clipping lately, our previous vet told us it was fine to clip their nails three months apart, which I have found to be untrue. We had their nails clipped last month, but since their quick had grown out, we only clipped the tip! I will be trying to clip them tonight, as I can see that the quick has receded since last time. Will be clipping them every other month from now on..

2. Roo and Dohwa had a fall-out recently due to us babysitting another rabbit in our house. Since then, they have been bonding in an enclosure with a rattan flooring, which I have now realised could be a major cause to the hock issue!  I have now placed several soft rugs in their enclosure to try and help with that.

3.  I had been using recycled paper-pellets combined with wood pellets in their litter tray. They also get hay in their litter tray as a final layer. However, I’m wondering if the wood pellets are too harsh on Roo’s feet? I have just now ordered Kaytee paper-bedding to use with the paper pellets and hay…

Here comes the question: Before their fall-out, they were free roam and we had a variety of soft high to low pile rugs for them to run around on. Have never experienced any sore-hock issues then. I will be moving house soon. Will free-roaming them again (their relationship has become a lot better due to careful bonding)on rugs worsen sore hocks? 

I will be trying to pad their new eating-area with memory foam bath mats and fleece…however it will not be feasible to cover my ENTIRE house with memory foam…will placing memory foam + fleece just in the areas they are most active such as their eating area be suffice to prevent sore hocks?

 

Thank youuuuuuuuuuu 😥 😥

[Bam]

Rex rabbits are v prone to sore hocks, and as they age, they pretty much invariably will develop bald spots/calluses on their hocks. As long as the skin stays intact this needent be a huge issue.

So, it is good to trim the nails often, it is good to have a layer of hay or straw on top of the absorbant matter in the litterbox, and it is good to offer a variety of surfaces for the bun to roam on. I think free roaming will be very benefical for your buns, bc they wont have to sit still in one spot for prolonged amounts of time and they’ll be getting excercise. Moving around is obv good for the peripheral circulation, plus the buns have a good chance of finding perfect spots to lounge in.

Too soft surfaces can be bad for the hocks  so I think a mix is best. I have a free roam mini rex rabbit, so I try to avoid abrasive surfaces -a tip is to test the surfaces with your elbows. Put some pressure on your elbows and try to feel if the mat or rug or floor surface “burns” your own skin. If it does, it’s likely to be too abrasive for rex feet. A surface that feels soft to our fingers or feet might not pass the elbow test.

It’s obv also important to keep a close eye on your rex’s weight – but we should of course always try to keep all our buns from becoming overweight, not just rexes.

Congratulations on the successful bonding!

 

[Roo and Doe]

Thank you Bam!! The elbow test is genius…I must try it.. 😯

[LBJ10]

Everything you have mentioned is good. But I agree with Bam that a variety of surfaces is probably the best way to go. And yes, nothing too abrasive! Calluses are not necessarily a bad thing. Many rabbits will develop them as they age.

[Roo and Doe]

Thank you LB! I had their nails cut tonight, and took a look at Roo’s hocks, you’ll need to push away hair to see them which I take as a good thing..slightly flakey, but dry and hard pink spot…Will be keeping an eye on them!

 

 

[Bam]

It is good that you had to push away hair to see them. Preferably the hair should cover the bald spots as “best it can”. That is why fat creams and ointments aren’t very good as long as the skin is intact, creams tend to make the surrounding hair tacky and less proctective (my very rabbit savvy vet has told me this, I beleive it to be true).

If you do see broken skin, treatment will be different. For broken skin, antibibiotic cream and bandages lined with rabbit fur are often of the essence. Tip: when you brush your other bun, save the brushed-off fur for potential future use as a liner in bandages or sore hocks booties. (Not much use to try and save rex fur bc its so short and tends to just fly away, but do try if you can).

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