Bare skin plus what looks like a scab on bottom of foot near heel :(

[maherwoman]

Well, a vet, for one thing, could tell youEXACTLY what this is, instead of us trying to determine it, when wehaven't seen it. I understand that your bun isn't showingsigns of pain...but buns don't necessarily show that. I hopeI'm not hearing that you don't want to spend money on your bun when hemight be in pain and you don't know how extensive the problem reallyis, or if we're even coming to the right conclusion on this.It could possibly be something different...and the advice on this boardshouldn't be taken as a flat diagnosis...only a vet can dothat.

Like I've mentioned, please take the time to read up on bun things onthis site. And be sure to also compare what you're doing asfar as his setup and how his cage is, etc. Sometimes you'llfind that something you're doing that seems fairly logical is actuallyharmful for your bunny.

Take care, and let us know how he's doing, ok?

 

[maherwoman]

The problem is that the paper towels won'tabsorb enough of the urine to discontinue the problem your bun ishaving. The other things Jim is suggesting are great atabsorbtion and will help your buns feet to be dry and be able to heal.

As far as it possibly being sore hocks...what's the floor of his cage like?

willrobinson1229 wrote:

what about the paper towels with a full layer of hay?

 

[willrobinson1229]

I'll try the newspaper pellets then. He's free roaming, no cage.

 

[JimD]

willrobinson1229 wrote:

I really like to say that I'm going to take him to the vet,but I don't want to spend the money right now. I'm going to fix hislitter pan bedding and use desitin and see ifthe baldspotimproves. I'm not sure what else a vet could do at thispoint.

The bald spot is not sensitive to touch and it doesn't look swollen at all.

As long as the wound is not open or infected, he should be okay.

Benji had bad sore hocks. They healed up very nicely, but the fur nevergrew back completely. He's a got small area on each hock that looks andfeels almost like a calous.

 

[JimD]

willrobinson1229 wrote:

I'll try the newspaper pellets then. He's free roaming, no cage.

One of the differences you'll find is the cost of the different products. I've used them all.

Carefresh is expensive, absorbs well but stays wet. Does not help with odor. Works better as a bedding.

Yeterday's News works well for absorbsion, but is also expensive and does not help much with odor.

Aspen shaving are cheap, but they don't absorb or help with odor.

In my opinion, wood pellet litter is the best by far. It's cheap, excellent absorbsion, and almost eliminates odor completely.

 

[naturestee]

maherwoman wrote:

The problem is that the paper towels won't absorb enoughof the urine to discontinue the problem your bun is having.The other things Jim is suggesting are great at absorbtion and willhelp your buns feet to be dry and be able to heal.

As far as it possibly being sore hocks...what's the floor of his cage like?

willrobinson1229 wrote:

what about the paper towels with a full layer of hay?

I've used paper towels for litter once... only because I was instructedto by my vet so the bun's wound wouldn't get stuff in it. Youneed nearly a whole roll in a litterbox to absorb enough urine that itwon't be wet. I was cleaning that cage 2-4 times a day tokeep her clean. One pee and it was soakingwet!:sweep :yuck

I'm a big fan of wood pellets. I've used newspaper pelletsand Carefresh, but the wood pellets are the best I've used.Plus they're the least expensive if you go to a feed store or farmsupply store.

 

[maherwoman]

Oops...that's right, it's not wood in generalthat's bad...wood pellets are okay. Cedar is a BIG no-no,though, right. Any other woods a no-no?

 

[maherwoman]

Is there a particular BRAND of wood pellet you recommend?

The feed place near me carries the following brands: America'sChoice shavings & bedding, Red Barn Stall Mats, Long BeachShavings, Dry Stall, Cedar Rest, Best Cedar, Straw

Any of them good ones? (I would like to find something less expensive than CareFresh, now that I have two buns.)

Thanks!

JimD wrote:

willrobinson1229 wrote:

I'lltry the newspaper pellets then. He's free roaming, no cage.

One of the differences you'll find is the cost of the different products. I've used them all.

Carefresh is expensive, absorbs well but stays wet. Does not help with odor. Works better as a bedding.

Yeterday's News works well for absorbsion, but is also expensive and does not help much with odor.

Aspen shaving are cheap, but they don't absorb or help with odor.

In my opinion, wood pellet litter is the best by far. It's cheap, excellent absorbsion, and almost eliminates odor completely.

 

[naturestee]

I've tried two brands and I like one better thanthe other. The best way to decide is to try them.Start with whatever is closest/cheapest, and if you don't likesomething about it or if you're curious then try one of the others.

And boy do I know about the cost of Carefresh!:shock: I usedit for Mocha and Loki, then suddenly Fey and Sprite came along and Iwas looking at spending $15+ a week just on litter!:shock::shock::shock:

 

[maherwoman]

Yep, that's about how I'm starting to feel,too. We had just enough litter left when Flower came along tocover the bottom of the carrier she's in. It would havelasted the week otherwise, but man, that stuff goes FAST!! Itwas ok to buy like a $6 medium package that would last a couple weekswith Maisie, but now I see with two that it would take just a few daysto be gone...that's just to much money!

Would ANY kind of wood pellet be okay, is there a particular wood tostay away from? For instance, wood pellets that arecedar-based are bad, right?

naturestee wrote:

I've tried two brandsand I like one better than the other. The best way to decideis to try them. Start with whatever is closest/cheapest, andif you don't like something about it or if you're curious then try oneof the others.

And boy do I know about the cost of Carefresh!:shock: I usedit for Mocha and Loki, then suddenly Fey and Sprite came along and Iwas looking at spending $15+ a week just on litter!:shock::shock::shock:

 

[JimD]

I use Woody Pet.

America's Choice Wood Pellets, Long Beach Wood Pellets, & BarnDry Stall Wood Pellets are all similar to Woody Pet. Stay away fromanything that has cedar in it.

 

[pamnock]

I would use a litter pan with a wire top so the urine and droppings fall through and the rabbit isn't standing in them.

Pam

 

[pamnock]

naturestee wrote:

What a cutie! We definately need more pictures.

Pam, I didn't know that Desitin could be used with bacterialinfections. Would it be best to use something like Neosporinfirst and then put Desitin on top of that?

Sorry, Just saw this post. No -- just theDesitin. It adheres far better to the wound than neosporin.

Pam

 

[maherwoman]

Ok, great...thanks so much! I'll also be sure to check if they have Woody Pet while I'm there.

JimD wrote:

I use Woody Pet.

America's Choice Wood Pellets, Long Beach Wood Pellets, & BarnDry Stall Wood Pellets are all similar to Woody Pet. Stay away fromanything that has cedar in it.

 

[JimD]

pamnock wrote:

Iwould use a litter pan with a wire top so the urine and droppings fallthrough and the rabbit isn't standing in them.

Pam

That what we did for Binkie. However I had to make the screen myself, because I could find one in the stores.

Pebble's litter pan has plastic mesh that work well.

I remember that some used a wire mesh silverware holder and turned it upsidedown.

 

[willrobinson1229]

Thank you all for your excellent advice! I'mgoing to buy Woody Pet today and use that as the main bedding for hislitter box, then cover it all with a layer of hay for him to munch on.If I change that every day and use desitin on the bald spot, I thinkhe'll be ok.

I think the worst part of it all was the thought that I had hurt myTimmy by not following good litter box practice. He's everything to me,now that I've been divorced for 9 months now. He's the cutest, sweetestguy. Here are two pics of him sleeping:

 

[maherwoman]

Aww....how cute. He looks like he knocked out from eating so much. Cute!!

Let us know how things go, ok?

 

[m.e.]

Awwww, I love "dead bunny flops". And look at those cute wittle wips! :kiss:

 

[aurora369]

I use a product very similar to Woody Pet,called "Pine Stall". Basically the same thing but a differentbrand. Can't get Woody Pet very easily where I live.

But I do the litter with hay on top for my bun. I like thismethod. Although I normally scrunch the hay up at the top ofthe litter box, and push the litter to the back. Wildfirealways pees in the same spot, so having litter at the front of mylitter box doesn't do anything. My litter pan is squarethough, as you can see in my avatar.

With the wood pellets, I find with my bun that I don't need to cleaneveryday, I normally do it every second or third day. But ifyou want to keep a nice clean/dry environment to help his hock sores(which Wildfire had when I got her from the breeders), you can justscoop out the wet part, and mix the litter around and add a little bitof new litter.

Pet_Bunny had a really good post on how he keeps his litter box, but I don't know where it is.

Good luck! And what a cute bunny!

--Dawn

 

[willrobinson1229]

Wildfire is gorgeous! I couldn't get Woody Petso I'm using wood shavings that are not pine or cedar but other woods.I will definitely let you know how things progress.

Funny, but since I've been putting desitin on his foot and changing islitterbox, he's been extra affectionate. Bunnys are smarter than werealize, I guess.