Ok, I\'ve been reading all of your post and I think I know what is the problem with my our buck. But, would always like more input. Friday evening, I noticed our buck looked kind of off his rocker. He was moving his front feet very fast and didn\'t appear to feel good when he sat down. We live in Houston, so it\'s very hot here. I have them on a timed mister that goes off every 2 hours for 1 hour each. (so I don\'t think it is a heat issue). The buck does have a little bit of sore hock and I am treating that just to make sure. (I\'ve seen alot worse on other rabbits, so I don\'t think this is the issue) However, it doesn\'t appear that he is going to the restroom very much (except on ME). ha ha ha. I\'ve been giving him Pedialite, simethicone and hair ball remover. He will drink me out of the house if I let him, but he\'s just not eating much. We\'ve been giving him pleanty of excercise daily and also massaging his belly. He weighs 12 lbs so he\'s not a small rabbit to say the least. It appears that he is kinda gassy (if you know what I mean). I also noticed that he was going through a molt. He doesn\'t have ear mites that I can see.
Do you have any ideas?
Thank you
FFA DAD
I used to give them mineral oil thru an eye droppe- put it in the side between their teeth- give him natural foods for a few days- I think House Rabbit society has a list of what they can eat- mine got grapevine leaves, apple tree bark- lots of fiber to move things along
be sure you are feeding a good quality feed like Ace Hi or Purina and not a Wal Mart type rabbit feed- (its made cheaply- tons of filler)
molting is hard on their system so be sure to brush him and get it off before it goes in his belly
and alfalfa hay- lots of it
What you are describing does sound like your rabbit is experiencing sore pads. What happens with sore hocks is that they will develop first on the hind feet and as they become uncomfortable, the rabbit begins to shift most of its weight on the front feet. Then the front feet become sore. The rabbit can be observed moving the feet rapidly back and forth as a reaction to pain on pressure. The pain will significantly reduce the appetite as the rabbit needs to support its weight while eating at the feeder.
When you run the misters, make sure that the cage floor is not getting wet as this can create conditions that promote sore hocks. Also, if possible, let your rabbit on the ground in the cool of the day (early morning or evening) and feed him then. Being more comfortable may induce him to eat more.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
i always did preemptive planning to prevent sore hocks so never knew that- thanks Charlice