breed advice on Otter Rex rabbits please

Just been looking at my local FreeAds online and there are several ' free to good homes ' bunnies Having given the matter some thought I have decided that I will take one of these buns - although haven't decided which yet. Does anyone on here have an Otter Rex rabbit and if so do they have any breed associated problems like the Velveteens, ie, poor foot pad cover leading to sore hocks ? I've never had a rex rabbit before and all the stuff I found by searching online hasn't mentioned any particular problems. Thnx in advance.
Taz

I have a rex and he gets sore hock, such a lovely boy though. I think as long as your aware what to look for and treat it they are fine.

Sarah is a Black Otter Rex




Rexes can be prone to sore hocks. Depends on their breed line. A Breeder should not continue to breed from effected Rabbits.

I *personally* also believe that Rexes can be prone to Heart problems, again due to poor Breeding. There does not appear to be any documented evidence to support my theory. I am just basing it on my experience with 5 Rexes who developed Heart Disease.
David and Becks were two Rexes (brothers) whom I lost to Congenital Heart Disease at the age of 2-2.5 years



I have also found Rexes can have a more delicate GI tract than other Buns, again no documented 'proof' as such.

Orange Rexes can have poor eyesight

Despite all this I adore Rexes !!

Janex

I'd say all rexes can be prone to sore paws, as they have less fur than other rabbits:?
I have two rexes, and they're wonderful. As long as you keep their cage clean and keep them on soft bedding it can be avoided.

Thnx for the advice everyone I haven't decided which bun I'm going to have yet. I am not put off by taking on a bun with problems or the potential to develop problems. I currently have a crossbred doe who has a delicate tum and poor eyesight and have had several others in past with similar issues, so I have some experience in those matters. I don't really have any experience with heart disease in rabbits though .....

Question for Jane .... how was your buns heart problem diagnosed ? Was the problem recognised and treated beforehand or did they just suddenly have a heart attack ? Do you know if your 5 rexes were related at all ? I have had a few elderly buns suddenly drop dead and one of my younger buns died of a suspected heart attack vey suddenly a few weeks ago. He had no symptoms of any kind of illness at all and was eating, drinking, pooing quite normally, but he was quite highly strung and nervy kind of bun. I didn't get a PM done, but did have a chat to my vet about it.

Taz

hey,
i have 16 mini rex, i used to breed and show them. They are more prone to sore hocks but that is due to not having much fur on the feet, i only have 1 rabbit that has bad hocks but that is due to old age. I have 2 more whos feet are bare in some places but are not sore. Some rexs are more prone to is than others if there coat is either very soft or thin. Rex breeders should aways keep a buck with a harsh coat therefore a buck that has lots of guard hairs as they help the coats to be better and the fur on the feet to be more durable as the fur on the feet will be harsher, i have a doe with a harsh coat and she has never had a problem (touch wood) there are well coverd. Also helps to keep them on soft ground therefore shouldnt be kept on the patio ect and carpet doesnt help either because of the friction.

Other than that iv never expericenced any health problems with mine (touch wood) and they are all strong and healthy. My oldest is 5 years old and there are no signs of her stopping except she is moody and she is the one with the feet probs but i have othes that r nearly 5 and u would never guess, i find that they tend to live longer.

BTW none of my otters have feet probs, its jus my opal and 2 of my chins and thats probs due to the fact there coats r softer/thinner

hope this helps

Luciuslop said:

Question for Jane .... how was your buns heart problem diagnosed ?

Taz

Click to expand...

Two of the effected Buns were related (Brothers)
They came from a breeder in Devon. David was the first to show symptoms-lethargy/increased respiratory effort. I was with a different Vet at the time and had to fight *very* hard to get more out of them than a course of Baytril
A full blood profile showed impared Kidney function. This can be secondary to heart disease. I looked into a referal to Bristol to get a full Cardiac work-up (ECG,Ultra-sound, Bloods etc) but at over £900 I just could not afford it
I eventually persuaded the Vet I was with to do a conscious Xray as I felt if she, the Vet, had 'proof' of a heart problem she may agree to treat 'off licence'. As I expected the Xray showed an enlarged heart and fluid in the chest and abdominal cavity The Vet agreed to treat David with daily Frusemide injections (to clear the fluid) and a drug to lower David's Blood Pressure, thus reducing the strain on his heart and Kidneys. David coped on this treatment for about 6 months. But eventually the meds stopped working and I had to let him go
6 months later the exact same thing happened with his Brother Becks Thankfully by then I was registered with Christobel and so did not have to fight tooth and nail to get appropriate treatment for Becks.

That is just one example of the Heart problems some of my Rexes have had.
To get a more precise diagnosis the relevant tests ( ECG, Ultra-sound etc) need to be done. But unless the Bun is insured I suspect the cost would be out of many peoples affordability range. Especially if they have several other Rabbits.

Please dont think that I am saying a Rex is *very* likely to develop a heart problem. Its just that the only cases of Heart Disease I have seen have all, without exception, been Rexes. I may have just been very unlucky.....

Janex

Thnx Jane, your comments are much appreciated To be honest I am not so much concerned as to whether a rabbit ' might ' develop a heart problem ..... if I thought that way I would have no animals at all I am concerned though as to the foot pad problem. If I take this rabbit she will be a house rabbit and as such she would have the run of the house and garage, both of which are carpeted.The dog crate where she would live is also carpeted. I am therefore wondering if the friction from the carpet might cause irritation. What do you think ?
Taz

Luciuslop said:

Thnx Jane, your comments are much appreciated To be honest I am not so much concerned as to whether a rabbit ' might ' develop a heart problem ..... if I thought that way I would have no animals at all I am concerned though as to the foot pad problem. If I take this rabbit she will be a house rabbit and as such she would have the run of the house and garage, both of which are carpeted.The dog crate where she would live is also carpeted. I am therefore wondering if the friction from the carpet might cause irritation. What do you think ?
Taz

Click to expand...

Again I can only speak from my own experience. I find Rexes do not do well on carpet. Some people say this theory is 'out-dated' and that hard flat surfaces such as concrete/Vinyl/ Wood flooring is more of a problem. The theory here being that its not carpet friction that causes fur loss and subsequent sore hocks, but constant pressure on a hard surface.
All I know is that any Rex I have wont have much, if any, access to carpet as it has always caused a problem

Janex

I have 3 rexes, Monty (6yrs), Dexter (5yrs) and Dennis (6mths).

The eldest two have never had problems whatsoever. They have lived outdoors in hutches in the past and are now free-range in a shed. I have them on MegaZorb and hay in their litter trays and a huge peice of vetbed.

Dennis however came to me at 5mths with bald heels and he still has them, despite being on the same as above but in an indoor cage. He does come out every night for a run around on my bedroom carpet for about 2hrs. My vet was not overly concerned when she saw them last week when he had his VHD as they are not sore or open wounds.
I don't know if the carpet is stopping them from getting better but I certainly can't pen him up. He goes mad now if doesn't come out every night!

Lea-Anne said:

I have 3 rexes, Monty (6yrs), Dexter (5yrs) and Dennis (6mths).

Dennis however came to me at 5mths with bald heels and he still has them, despite being on the same as above but in an indoor cage. He does come out every night for a run around on my bedroom carpet for about 2hrs. My vet was not overly concerned when she saw them last week when he had his VHD as they are not sore or open wounds.
I don't know if the carpet is stopping them from getting better but I certainly can't pen him up. He goes mad now if doesn't come out every night!

Click to expand...

Poor Dennis - but as you say he doesn't have open wounds on his feet.

The rabbit I have seen on FreeAds is free to a good home, but I don't know anything about her other than she is 8 months, lives alone and is ' quite friendly ' . Been thinking about it all day and the more I think about it the more concerned I am that my living accomodation would be unsuitable for her. I could get vetbed for the dog crate, but the room where the crate is has non-slip vinyl on the floor, which is textured and the house and garage have carpet ( there is a vinyl mat in garage too ). I am not at all bothered about any health issues that she may or may not develop its just the sore feet problem that I cannot see a way past.
Taz

Lea-Anne said:

I have 3 rexes, Monty (6yrs), Dexter (5yrs) and Dennis (6mths).

The eldest two have never had problems whatsoever. They have lived outdoors in hutches in the past and are now free-range in a shed. I have them on MegaZorb and hay in their litter trays and a huge peice of vetbed.

Dennis however came to me at 5mths with bald heels and he still has them, despite being on the same as above but in an indoor cage. He does come out every night for a run around on my bedroom carpet for about 2hrs. My vet was not overly concerned when she saw them last week when he had his VHD as they are not sore or open wounds.
I don't know if the carpet is stopping them from getting better but I certainly can't pen him up. He goes mad now if doesn't come out every night!

Click to expand...

My mini rex Cuddles had bald heels too. She also had some fur missing by her toes too. My vet wasn't too concerned either. Other than that I haven't really had much problem but I have a mini rex not a full-size rex so I wouldn't know.