Callouses? Should I worry?

[Reid82]

Today I noticed a light pink dot buried in my rabbit fur on his heel, upon investigating I noticed he has what appears to be a pink callous.

However he is perfectly happy, binkying and zooming all over. Definitely no pain here!

His cage sits on a dog crate mat and when free roaming he is on a soft, plush carpet at all times.

However I have been slacking on cutting his nails which could be contributing to the callouses if he’s leaning back on his little heals.

What i’m asking is are these indeed callouses and should I be concerned?

Photos below: (flash makes marks look more red when in real life they are a pink colour)

[caption id="attachment_1945153" align="alignnone" width="170"] before parting fur[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1945152" align="alignnone" width="225"] fur slightly parted (camera flash on)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1945151" align="alignnone" width="166"] callous? (camera flash makes it appear more read when it’s true colour is pink)[/caption]

[DanaNM]

Some bunnies do have callouses there, especially if they thump a lot. When they are covered by a flap of fur it’s not as concerning as if the callous is easily visible all the time. So as it is now, I would just keep an eye on it and be sure to keep up with the nail trims. If he sits in his litter box a lot, the urine can also contribute, so keeping things extra clean will help.

 

. . . 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.  

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

I’m glad you spotted it so early, now you can keep an eye on it to prevent it from turning into sore hocks. They can be difficult to treat if it catches you by surprise.

It caught us completely by surprise that Breintje had sore hocks. I only noticed it when he brushed past my hand and I felt something wet. Both hocks were red and infected 🙁

We can’t bandage Breintje because he goes completely mental when he has bandages on. He fights you all the way while putting them on, and tears them off as soon as he can. If the bandages are too difficult to rip off he gets scared. He hopped onto the sofa, pressed himself against my leg, and started to shiver and pant. 🙁

We’ve covered our floor with thick soft blankets now, and we put ointment on his hocks. It’s healing but it takes a long time for the fur to grow back over it.

[Author]

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