I have two Mini Rex bunnies. Got them at 8 weeks old. Put them in two separate wire cages in each of my girls\'s rooms. After time the droppings and urin kept comming out of the cage so I bought two deep pan plastic bottom cages. This helped a ton!! But after about 2 months my boy Rex Domino lost his hair on his paws and started getting soars (soar Hocks). I made sure he had a dry place, changed litter twice a week and when that did not help I took him to the vet. She put him on antibiotics which did not help. The other bunny is fine. Could he be alergic to the plastic? Any other ideas?
Placing smooth board or buy a resting mat (for rabbits at TSC stores) could help. Once in a great while our does will get sore hock from being pregnant. I have used bactine (spray on), neosporin and blue lotion (for horses). All will work and it is over the counter. Keep the cage bottom clean and DRY! sORE HOCKS IS NOT A DISEASE, BUT IT CAN LEAD TO SECONDARY INFECTIONS. Rex rabbits, as read from my 4-H book, seem to be especially prone to sore hocks. Good luck and keeps us posted!
Thank you. I will try the resting pad and bag baum.
I forgot to tell you that if you do use the blue lotion, it is a dye. So be care not to wear good clothes or you will be looking like an easter egg.
Does your bunny jump down from upper heights? Like from a chair or the sofa onto hardwood floors? From an upper level in it\'s cage? Rex\'s a very prone to sore hocks. This is what my friend who has mini rex\'s says- I was told by my rabbit savvy vet not to use neosporin because it can intefere with their digestion. I only know this because Joey and Kira get sore hocks and the vet told me not to treat it with neosporin. I use something called Silvadene or somthing like that or you can use something call Rescue Remedy. Make sure you get the creme kind of the Rescue Remedy. I have talked with Marci who is the HRS SF chapter and she agrees that neosporin is not the best choice. Rescue Remedy can usually be purchased at a really good pet store or a natural suppelment store.
Another suggestion would be- purchasing a natural grass mat from either Petco or Cost Plus for your bunny to lie or stand on instead of the plastic one if you think that one is making the sore hocks issue worse. Make sure the mats stay dry though because moist or wet grass mats can create a mold issue and that can cause a huge repiratory problem. I keep at least two sets of mats and alternate them. If one gets wet, I wipe it off with just water, wrap it in a couple of paper towels and set out in the sun to dry. Replace them when they are soiled or too ratty. You can expect your rabbits tol chew on them. I like them because they\'re functional and inexpensive.
I don\'t get sore hocks in my barn very often but when I do, the best thing I have found to use is (now don\'t laugh) is Vagisil made for women with yeast infection. An older breeder told me she had been using it for years and that it works better than anything she ever got from her vet. It really does work. Rex and Mini Rex are predisposed to sore hocks because they lack the guard hairs that the other breeds have which help protect their feet. Alot of the Rexs also have very poor fur coverings on their feet which also add to the problem. If you have a breed of Rex that consistantly gets sore feet, sometimes the best thing to do is to put them is a solid bottomed cage or to go get those large ceramic tiles made for floors. Alot of times the home improvement places will have tiles that were rescued from broken boxes for very cheap. The rabbits like these as they stay cool and they hose off very easily when dirty.
Yes, Mini Rex (and Rex) are more often to get sore hocks because of their fur being shorter and softer. Like has already been said, don\'t panic because it isn\'t a disease or anything.. but you want to get it taken care of so it doesn\'t lead to other things (and for the comfort of the rabbit). I recommend using some neosporin.. also, do keep the cage clean and dry. I haven\'t had too much of a problem with it.. I guess all bunnies are different, but if yours is really prone to sore hocks, I would recommend one of those resting mats.. those can really help. Or sometimes I line my mini rex\'s cages with straw to make it easier on their feet. Another idea is, at the dollar store you can usually find plastic dishpans for $1... these work good for giving rabbits a place to hop into and rest their feet. I put these in my bunny cages sometimes for my bunnies just to sit in, and to give them a solid surface to rest their feet on (sometimes I even use these as nestboxes).
Good luck!
Sara Ritchie
Ritchie Rabbits
Holland Lops and Mini Rex in NC
My rex lost all the hair on the pads of his front paws and his paws were very itchy. He also would get cracks between his toes. He has a solid bottom cage. After many visits to different vets, it was discovered that he has a rare genetic defect. I give him an omega 3 solution everyday and the problem has not returned, and it has been 9 months. Just thought I would add this to the discussion, just in case something different was going on.