Cleaning bunny hocks?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 15sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 7 months ago by Deleted User.

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- 09/02/2017 at 6:43 PM
  bunnybuns
  Participant
  92 posts
  Both of my bunnies feet are yellow, wet cuz of stepping in their urine. Can i clean their feet somehow? Bella especially has yellow feet and paws because those parts are with white fur. I don’t really see the point of cleaning them if it’s gonna happen again real fast but just wondering if you can clean their hocks.
- 09/03/2017 at 5:43 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  You can wipe them with a damp cloth or unscented baby wipes, but usually the staining doesn’t come out and only goes away when they shed. If it’s a constant problem it might be worth revisiting their litter or housing setup to prevent it happening the first place. I have a boy with white feet and they don’t get urine stained at all
- 09/03/2017 at 7:39 AM
  joea64
  Participant
  1423 posts
  If somebody comes up with a good bunny-safe solution to this problem, I’d be definitely interested. Panda and Fernando both have white feet and the bottoms (hocks) are a rather nasty yellow-brown color which just doesn’t go with how pretty the rest of them are.
- 09/03/2017 at 7:54 AM
  sarahthegemini
  Participant
  5584 posts
  My Buttercup’s feet were yellow at first because I didn’t use litter that was absorbant enough. I asked the vet about cleaning them and she advised that we just have to let the fur grow out. It took a couple of months and of course we switched to a much more absorbant substrate (carefresh, although now wood pellets) Her feet occasionally look a little dirty but she cleans them herself so most of the time they look pristine
- 09/03/2017 at 8:33 AM
  bunnybuns
  Participant
  92 posts
  They both do long cleaning sessions for about 30 minutes, i’ve noticed them cleaning their hocks but it doesn’t come off that easily. I will try the carefresh litter, the litter i use now is pretty absorbent (tho it says on the packaging). Yes Joe, mine have nasty coloured hocks as well.
  I haven’t experimented w/ the wood stove pellets yet. I prefer bedding but my house would be a lot cleaner if i didn’t use the bedding. Will the bunnies try to eat the pellets? I have seen They usually cost 8-9 dollars but i forgot how big is the package.
- 09/03/2017 at 12:22 PM
  sarahthegemini
  Participant
  5584 posts
  Posted By bunnybuns on 9/03/2017 8:33 AM
  
  They both do long cleaning sessions for about 30 minutes, i’ve noticed them cleaning their hocks but it doesn’t come off that easily. I will try the carefresh litter, the litter i use now is pretty absorbent (tho it says on the packaging). Yes Joe, mine have nasty coloured hocks as well.
  I haven’t experimented w/ the wood stove pellets yet. I prefer bedding but my house would be a lot cleaner if i didn’t use the bedding. Will the bunnies try to eat the pellets? I have seen They usually cost 8-9 dollars but i forgot how big is the package.
  
  Mine had a little nibble on the pellets at first but soon realised that they weren’t to be eaten
- 09/03/2017 at 5:57 PM
  bunnybuns
  Participant
  92 posts
  Funny bunny
- 09/04/2017 at 2:29 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  Changing the litter you use could certainly help. How often do you clean out the tray?
  
  All of my buns have tasted the wood pellets when first exposed to them. They have a few nibbles and then realise it’s not worth eating soon after and give up. I think the common size overseas is 50 pound bags.
- 09/04/2017 at 10:47 AM
  bunnybuns
  Participant
  92 posts
  I clean it once in the morning and right before bed. I went to the pet store to get some hay and spotted them. It sells in 50 lbs bags as you said but it’s also available in 25 lbs. Oh and while i’m at it, when Mile wasn’t neutered his pee stinked really bad, when he got neutered it was a “smell”, not really stinky but after a while his pee got back to the normal stink state. Anyone know why did this happen?
- 09/05/2017 at 3:26 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  Neutering can cause a surge in hormones. Hormonal rabbits often have more stinky pee for marking territory etc. So it’s likely that the rush of hormones from his neuter may have caused it and once they settled again his pee went back to smelling normal. Uneutered rabbits often have stronger smelling pee.
- 09/05/2017 at 6:46 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5835 posts
  This doesn’t happen to Wick anymore, but when it did, I’d grab a pie pan and put a towel on the floor. I’d put a tiny bit of water in the pan, pick Wick up, and dab his feet in the pan, then put him on the towel to dry the feet.
  
  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.
- 09/05/2017 at 2:09 PM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  Just seen your other thread about the hay where you mention the urine troubles in that and how your bunnies are stepping in it. What is your set up like? Are your bunnies in a cage where you put bedding/litter on the entire cage floor? Or are you lining the cage with something else and having just bedding/litter in a litter box? I’ve seen on here a few times that having the cage fully covered in bedding means that the bunnies think that they can urinate anywhere in there. Is this what is happening with your bunnies? It sounds like you clean the trays regularly so I can’t understand the amount of urine/staining that you mention on your bunnies. Sometimes my two fully lay down in their boxes and they never smell or have any sort of staining on them
- 09/06/2017 at 2:00 PM
  bunnybuns
  Participant
  92 posts
  Maybe his hormones kicked in again when i got Bella. He’s probably just being territorial, i’ve noticed him peeing out of the litter box sometimes.
  
  Unfortunately i wish i had a bunny condo/penthouse for them but it’s not possible for me to make it at the moment, but i’m thinking about doing it in the future. Mile has a large cage so does Bella. She got the hang of peeing in the litter box but poops everywhere else. When the litterbox gets dirty she pees outside of it, and tbh it get’s poopy in 30 minutes. So In the night i’m not really able to clean their litter boxes but until the dawn and later. I don’t want to put fleece or anything cause they’ll pee on it and it’ll be an endless process of washing it, i mean there’s no point of doing it at all. So i’m forced to put bedding in their cage (which makes a huge mess, i have fuzzy carpets so it takes much time to clean them). After her spay i’ll make sure she learns her litter box habit. About the dirty feet, i’ll let them clean themselves and occasionally get a towel just to dry and kinda clean their feet.
- 09/06/2017 at 2:11 PM
  sarahthegemini
  Participant
  5584 posts
  Posted By bunnybuns on 9/06/2017 2:00 PM
  
  Maybe his hormones kicked in again when i got Bella. He’s probably just being territorial, i’ve noticed him peeing out of the litter box sometimes.
  
  Unfortunately i wish i had a bunny condo/penthouse for them but it’s not possible for me to make it at the moment, but i’m thinking about doing it in the future. Mile has a large cage so does Bella. She got the hang of peeing in the litter box but poops everywhere else. When the litterbox gets dirty she pees outside of it, and tbh it get’s poopy in 30 minutes. So In the night i’m not really able to clean their litter boxes but until the dawn and later. I don’t want to put fleece or anything cause they’ll pee on it and it’ll be an endless process of washing it, i mean there’s no point of doing it at all. So i’m forced to put bedding in their cage (which makes a huge mess, i have fuzzy carpets so it takes much time to clean them). After her spay i’ll make sure she learns her litter box habit. About the dirty feet, i’ll let them clean themselves and occasionally get a towel just to dry and kinda clean their feet.
  
  The problem with just leaving it is the possibility of urine scald. Can you not use a more absorbant litter substrate?
- 09/06/2017 at 2:11 PM
  joea64
  Participant
  1423 posts
  Interesting you should mention your Bella peeing outside the litterbox when it gets dirty. I was changing Panda and Fernando’s litter yesterday and I noticed a small patch of urine nearby. I was wondering why until I read your post and saw what the explanation probably was. I’m beginning to think I really need to get a longer litterbox like I was talking about earlier or up the changing schedule to every day instead of every 2-3 days like previously.
- 09/07/2017 at 1:17 PM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  I really think you should give it a try with fleece to line the cage and stop using bedding in the entire cage. I know you might think it’s harder work and more to clean but it’s really not. You will have less bedding to clean off your carpet and chances are your bunnies will soon realise they are only to pee in the litter box. Any pee on the fleece can just be spot cleaned and you can do a deep clean in the washing machine every other day or so. Also to make it a bit easier try lining the bottom of they cage with puppy pee pads first and having the fleece on the top then it will be even more absorbant. It’s all about trial and error and figuring out what your bunnies manage with the best
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