Winter Warnings for Outdoor Rabbits…
There are of course many reasons that a rabbit may suffer from sore feet or hocks but I always like to be extra cautious in the winter particularly if a rabbit is housed outdoors as many people choose to do. When the weather is cold and frosty or worse, wet and windy, bunny himself is likely to spend quite a bit more time sitting inside his hutch. Couple this with the fact that it is all too easy to think, ooh look at that weather, I’m not going out there! But he’s okay isn’t he? Of course he is. Because you know that bunny has food and water; that you have cleaned his cage quite recently and that he has company in the shape of another rabbit – or at least I hope he has.
Sore hocks can strike seemingly out of the blue. It is a painful condition to say the least. But there are things we can do to try and lessen the instance of it occurring.
FLOORING: A deep clean litter bed will mimic the qualities of the earth.
A wire cage is unthinkable and a plastic one even worse – if that is possible. Rabbits need traction to walk and move about properly as do we; imagine if you had to constantly fight with the equivalent… an ice rink perhaps??? Apart from just being immediately difficult to negotiate, the rabbit will begin over time to compensate with other parts of the body not naturally used in walking. This puts unnecessary stress on the body and can be a cause of skeletal malfunction, premature arthritis being a major concern.
WEIGHT: keep your rabbit at a healthy weight. Again this can be more of a problem in winter if your rabbit is not getting as much exercise as usual. Weight can cause other ailments as well. And a fat rabbit is not agile. He will find it difficult to keep his rear end clean and rabbits hate to be dirty. This will make him miserable; it can even lead to depression. All this adds to the cycle. A depressed rabbit is even less active. An inactive rabbit gets even fatter. And that dirty bottom means a dirty cage. And the dirty cage means more problems for those poor little bunny feet.
BREED: Some rabbits such as the Rex Rabbit are more prone to sore hocks than others. Why? The Rex rabbit has fine fur that does not offer as much protection as some other breeds. So what breed is your rabbit and may this be a contributing factor? If so then forewarned is forearmed – you can plan ahead for possible problems.
My advice though and not just for those with vulnerable breeds, but for all of us, is this… check your rabbit’s feet everyday; look for any small signs of inflammation or redness. Notice if your rabbit is unsure about you going near his feet. He is amazingly good at communicating with you if you take the time to observe his behaviour properly. Try also to make sure he gets out and about – in winter we turn our garden shed over to our buns. Of course it has to be completely cleared out before they take occupation and my husband groans every year about the upheaval… do I care??? Not a jot… because in my mind it’s absolutely worth it.
* Snow day donated by Nina Karnicnik
About chrissy smith
Chrissy is a 34 year old mother of 2.
She has always had pets and been around animals her whole life. She loves all animals but has a special place in her heart for rabbits and cats! Currently she has 2 cats and 4 rabbits!
The Rabbit Hutch Shop
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