Bunny Destroying Any Attempt to Help His Sore Hocks

[mdith4him]

I have a ten year old rabbit who is destroying any attempt to help alleviate his sore hocks 🙄

Nibbles (quite the appropriate name…) has chewed holes in fleece blankets, baby blankets, cushy memory foam bath mats, and anything else we put in his pen to try to help the sore hocks that are developing on his back paws.  They don’t look too bad yet, but I want to keep them from getting worse.  The current flooring is an indoor/outdoor rug on top of a standard living room rug.  The pile on the indoor/outdoor rug is too low for him to be able to chew on, thankfully, but the texture is a bit rough, so I’m guessing that’s part of what has his feet irritated.  He is also a senior bunny and has some mild arthritis, so I think he also drags his feet more than he used to.

I was hoping the softer blankets would also give his joints a softer cushion and be more comfortable, but I can’t leave them in there and have him eat the material.  I have a grass mat under one of his hidey boxes, but I don’t think he particularly likes the slick surface those have.

Any other suggestions for what I can put in there for him or how to combat the sore hocks?  Thank you!!

[DanaNM]

What a rascal! I think it can help just to have a variety of textures, and they don’t necessarily have to be soft and fuzzy, as long as they aren’t abrasive like carpet.

Paper, cardboard and seagrass might be the way to go. You can make paper mats out of newspaper that are pretty squishy and cushiony, and safe for eating/shredding. My go-to-tutorial on them was lost in a website update, but if you search “paper mat for bunnies” you will get the basic idea. If you get a full newspaper it is enough for 1 mat.

You also might try these styles of seagrass mat for traction:

I also recently got a few mats made out of water hyacinth, and they seem like they are really nice on the feet. They aren’t too big, but if you add on where you bun tends to rest he may like to sit on it.

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Moonshadow]

You could try using this recycled denim moving blanket. My bunny digs, bites, and pulls at it but hasn’t managed to make a hole yet (we’ve had it over two months). Granted, he isn’t constantly after it, mostly when he feels like it or our cat’s on it. It’s not as soft as fleece but more soft and padded than carpet. If it’s too big you can probably cut it into pieces.

 

 

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