Sore hocks?

[AshAndMaple]

Hi,

I've noticed that all three of my bunnies have started to develop these on their back feet. Ash and Maple's are the worst (theirs are pictured). They've been staying at my parents house for the past month on puppy pads over laminate flooring. They're now at my new house and are on laminate again (I've been planning on getting them rugs - it's just hard because they love to chew/dig at everything, and they think fleeces are for weeing all over).

I'm taking them to the vet on Wednesday, but in the meantime, are they suffering from 'sore hocks'? And what can I do to treat them/prevent this from happening again?

I'd really appreciate any flooring ideas that are practical for indoor rabbits (they won't forget they're litter trained and wee all over), and safe for them to chew.

 

[Mileybun]

When Miley had sore hocks vet bed was really good for flooring - even carpet can sometimes be too abrasive. Some people recommend putting those foam floor tiles for kids that look like jigsaw pieces underneath for extra give.
Now she's on a soft rug with "bunny boots" aka sore hock socks on. I got them from etsy, they've been a life saver. You make a pad with the rabbits own hair to put in the boot, and slip them on. It took the pressure off her hocks and allowed them to heal. The hair has also started growing back and forming sort of a mat (the vet called it a "Donald Trump combover ).
They took a while to arrive for me as they were from Australia - definitely worth it though!
We did apply some flamazine cream when they were at their worst, but only for a few days as it seemed to dry them out a bit.
Here she is snoozing on her bed showing them off!

 

[Diane R]

Yes, initial stages of sore hocks. I would just concentrate on sorting out flooring for now. Laminate is pretty bad. Try stable matting or cushioned textured non-slip vinyl. Keep nails short and bunnies slim.

 

[sgodblacknet]

You can try some rabbit-safe flooring options like rubber mats or special rabbit flooring tiles

 

[Preitler]

I had the rooms covered my rabbits have access to in corrugated cardboard for half a year, not pretty but better for their feet than hard floors.

 

[JBun]

It's hard to find a good flooring choice for indoor buns that are prone to sore hocks, that tend to pee on soft surfaces.

I ended up using foam tiles that have the faux wood veneer on the surface. The veneer seemed to help deter them from trying to chew up the tiles as much as the plain foam tiles. I also had to seal the seams where the tiles connect, with mat tape, so pee accidents didn't seep under the tiles. You can see a little of it in the photo, though at this point I had pee pads down on top, for my old incontinent bun.

It wasn't the perfect solution, but it was the best I could find for my buns living environment.

 

[MooseMouse]

I went down the same road of constantly changing the flooring type for my bunnies. For some of them changing the carpets helps but for my sensitive guy who likes to thump a lot or my lil lady who never stops zipping around I found having them wear hock socks helped the most.
www.onetwohop.com
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OneTwoHop

 

[AshAndMaple]

Thanks everyone - the vet gave me flamazine to help their feet heal and some painkillers (though I haven't used those, as they seem okay - they just get cross when I part their fur and touch the sore skin!), and recommended I just try to keep them on softer flooring and they should heal.

I've given Ash a hemp mat which is 40cm x 100cm x 1cm and I think that's quite good - but they're £10.50 each and I'd need a lot to cover his pen + the girls room I'd consider doing that if I didn't think the girls would wee on them and I'd have to throw them out

 

[MooseMouse]

Oh! If you are worried about the little piddlers destroying your rugs Gelli mats are great. Gelli mat is just the brand I use by fisher price but you can find something similar in all sorts of brands and places even on Amazon. They are meant for babies/toddlers playmats and have a foam center with a washable exterior. When it's time to clean mine I literally just mop them or hose them down. They dry quickly and provide good cushion.

 

[AshAndMaple]

Oh! If you are worried about the little piddlers destroying your rugs Gelli mats are great. Gelli mat is just the brand I use by fisher price but you can find something similar in all sorts of brands and places even on Amazon. They are meant for babies/toddlers playmats and have a foam center with a washable exterior. When it's time to clean mine I literally just mop them or hose them down. They dry quickly and provide good cushion.

Oooh okay - how resistant are they to digging/chewing? Mine love to rip up things like puppy pads and fleece

 

[Bunnyman61]

When I had the same problem with one of my lovelies, I purchased cheap but relatively durable throw rugs from Walmart - 3' x 5' for $20 and 5' x 7' for $50. I would avoid shag carpets. Depending on your rabbit's nature, it may or may not begin to "attack" rugs by shredding them, but it should take it a very long time to degrade one to the point of needing to be replaced. It is important not to purchase a rug with materials that can be ingested, so regular checking and maintenance may be required on your part.

 

[MooseMouse]

Oooh okay - how resistant are they to digging/chewing? Mine love to rip up things like puppy pads and fleece

They have been pretty resistant to digging but There is one part of them where I can tell Nimbus likes to chomp the mat. There are no big tears or anything just little visible holes. The ones I have are white and a light grey so I just put a white ducktape patch over it and fixed haha. I have had them for about 5 years now with 4 little tyrants thumping around on them

 

[Catlyn]

I tried the kiddo foam mats and my boys absolutely wrecked those. Dug underneath, shredded them to pieces. I then went ahead and got two 1mx1m gym floor mats, hoping that they would fare better with a sturdier type of foam- it worked wonders. The one i got even had the edge-pieces to cover the zig-zags and my king and queen didn't touch those for a very long time, until she was left alone and got a bit agitated. Then she started digging at the edges but a ceramic tile fixed that issue. I didn't, however, have any luck with linoleum coating- the sir snatched the tiniest piece, from the middle of the floor, and ripped it apart. Some people have also tried waterproof bedsheets to cover flooring the rabbits might try to mess with, but it may or may not work depending on what sort of rabbits you have. Some like to dig at sheets, others will never bother. It's just a bunch of trial and error with the floors. We usually have to reset the method or try all over again when our resident rabbits change.

 

[AshAndMaple]

I tried the kiddo foam mats and my boys absolutely wrecked those. Dug underneath, shredded them to pieces. I then went ahead and got two 1mx1m gym floor mats, hoping that they would fare better with a sturdier type of foam- it worked wonders. The one i got even had the edge-pieces to cover the zig-zags and my king and queen didn't touch those for a very long time, until she was left alone and got a bit agitated. Then she started digging at the edges but a ceramic tile fixed that issue. I didn't, however, have any luck with linoleum coating- the sir snatched the tiniest piece, from the middle of the floor, and ripped it apart. Some people have also tried waterproof bedsheets to cover flooring the rabbits might try to mess with, but it may or may not work depending on what sort of rabbits you have. Some like to dig at sheets, others will never bother. It's just a bunch of trial and error with the floors. We usually have to reset the method or try all over again when our resident rabbits change.

Mine LOVE to dig haha - especially at fleece blankets, but any loose clothing I wear is a lot of fun too! And they enjoy biting edges of vinyl and stuff like that and tearing chunks off with their teeth little monsters!

 

[AshAndMaple]

They have been pretty resistant to digging but There is one part of them where I can tell Nimbus likes to chomp the mat. There are no big tears or anything just little visible holes. The ones I have are white and a light grey so I just put a white ducktape patch over it and fixed haha. I have had them for about 5 years now with 4 little tyrants thumping around on them

This sounds like a strong contender then