Always on a hard floor....

[undergunfire]

Since Morgan is a mixed breed, most likely Harlequin/Dutch/Rex...as I have been told....and he is roughly 5 pounds now, is it good for him to be on hard flooring all the time? Is it good for any of my bunnies?

I think of us standing on hard floors over time, and it makes your feet and legs hurt over a long period of time. What does it do to the bunnies? Could it make them "lame" as they age?


I have always wondered about this. Marlin has a small carpet in his NIC, but does that really protect him much, as he is on the carpet half the time that he is on the hard floor?

 

[Flashy]

Could you try giving him different surfaces to see which he prefers?

My indoor buns all get a tray full of hay to sit in, (some use that as a litter tray, others have a different litter tray), some fleece to sit on (folded over many times to make a soft cushion), and some, those that can be trusted, have rabbit safe fluffy cushions, and they LOVE those more than anything, as well as hard floor.

Maybe experiment and see what he prefers.

Have you checked the backs of his feet where he might get sore hocks?

 

[Bassetluv]

I've always leaned toward providing a rabbit with as much 'soft' surface as possible, esp. if the bunny can be prone to sore hocks (or has the genetics to have thin foot padding). Besides the issue with their feet, I've often wondered if prolonged exposure to hardwood floors can promote leg joint problems down the road. Since most of my house had been hardwood, I went out and got some cheap carpet runners -- Anna refused to set foot on the hardwood surfaces anyway -- and that at least helped in giving traction. If you're concerned, maybe some thicker area rugs would help keep Morgan's feet safe.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

How furry are his feet? Just that I have noticed that rabbits with furry feet have no problems on hard floors and don't seem to mind it (when Becks and Ben stay they loveour hardwood floors), however as Millie doesn't have much fur on her feet she refuses to go on any hard floors. I suppose its the equivalent to us wearing socks versus slippers. Slippers are much more comfortable than sockswhen walking on hard floors!

I'd say as long as he doesn't mind hopping about on the floor then he'll be ok Amy, but it's probably a good idea to give him something soft to hop about and lie on (eg thick blanket, cushion, cat bed etc).

 

[Brandy456]

Is it wood or ceramic.
I find Babii doesn't like ceramic partially because it's cold.

Wood floors can be ' Fun' For a bun with good pawsm Because they can slide but again she cant do it on ceramic because of the gaps.

 

[maherwoman]

All of our buns are on pegboard, and their cages are on a hardwood floor...and we've got weights from under 2lbs to about 8.5lbs...and have never had a single problem. Maisie and SweetPea like to have shreddies (newspaper) in their cages, and I've offered it to all buns, but Trixie (my biggest bun) and Flower (next to her in size) preferred to not have them. So, I'm guessing that it's not necessary, unless your buns tend toward having sore hocks.

Oh, and that's not even mentioning 5.5lb Fiver preferring to sleep on the pegboard when his friend, Sheepy (the wool blankie) is RIGHT next to him. LOL!

So, really, I guess offering something soft wouldn't hurt...but you might find they prefer the hard floor to it.

 

[undergunfire]

Thanks, you guys. I was more asking about the future, though . I have heard that when horses are left on cement or other hard floors, like in their stalls, and they are on them through a good part of their lives...they will have issues with lameness in the future.

I really want to know the over all effect of a rabbit on hard flooring over time. Right now Morgan is on linoleum type flooring, but there is hardwood underneath.



I did go out ealier to buy a rug for Morgan. He thinks it's neat....like to...eat. It is a woven rug and he loves it, but he has been chewing on it. Now I am worried if I leave any sort of carpet in there, he will eat it. I sprayed the areas that he was chewing with vinegar, so hopefully that will stop him.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Personally, I prefer to always have a layer of shock absorbency, it's kinder on their joints especially as the bunnies age. That being said, I have been in the constant search for something that works and up until now I have been using hard surfaces for lack of anything better but today I found my perfect solution.

Mocha, Zoey, and Reeseare not chewers/diggers so as long as no pieces are easily accessible (like an edge or joint) I can use almost anything that is firm enough to keep it's shape. I bought a bunch of those interlocking mats made of foam. They make all sorts -- ones for under heavy equipment like work out machines, ones for garage use, ones for kids, etc. I bought cheap ones for Reese because she is the only bunny that I can truly say will not eat it and the cheap ones are a little softer. I just cut them to fit in her cage. Mocha and Zoey are in a big pen and they will chew if they can so I used better and bigger ones for their floor.

Reese's (1' x 1' grids)

Mocha and Zoey's (2' x 2' grids from Walmart)

These mats also solve the dilemma I was having because Mocha and Zoey cannot walk on choroplast but they can't have blankets because they nibble a bit at them and Zoey is so messy it is just not worth the hassle. They are easy to clean still and they are water resistant but I still recommend some thing like a shower curtain underneath because the joints will leak a bit.

This is also a good solution for bunnies with sore hocks.

 

[undergunfire]

Those are great, MBB, but I am sure Morgan can eat those up. Morgan is a big digger and a chewer. He's back chewing that new carpet as we speak....arg.

I am not sure if those woud hold up to him. It would have to be something to look into when Ryan and I get our own place, since I am sure I would have to cut those to fit inside of the "bunny closet".

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

They are definitely not for destructive bunnies, they are great but not good enough to withstand a destructive bunny. But it's still a good idea for other people and other bunnies perhaps.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Amy - what about rubber mats that are used in horse stables?:? They will provide a softer surface but are a much tougher material so should be very hard for a bunny to destroy. I have heard of them being used for rabbits (especially for rexes in outdoor runs so that they don't get sore hocks of concrete) and I've never heard of any problems with them. That being said I don't have any personal experience with them, although they sound a good idea.

 

[Evey]

Bunnys_rule63 wrote:

Amy - what about rubber mats that are used in horse stables?:? They will provide a softer surface but are a much tougher material so should be very hard for a bunny to destroy. I have heard of them being used for rabbits (especially for rexes in outdoor runs so that they don't get sore hocks of concrete) and I've never heard of any problems with them. That being said I don't have any personal experience with them, although they sound a good idea.

This could be a good idea, but I think the smallest mats (4x6) are pretty expensive, like around $50. I used to use them for my horse, and I remember that they were kind of pricey.

 

[undergunfire]

We have mats at work in the warehouse by the shipping tables that are soft, but strong and I think they would hold up to bunny teeth and nails. I am going to search around on the internet for these types of mats. I have no clue what they are, but I can atleast try to find them...lol!