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Preventing sore hocks before they happen... Any advice??

loobie_lou

Mama Doe
Cleo, the rescue mini rex, is living in the Nero 4 cage as lent to us by Hilda :love: The first day I had her I put vet bed in half of it and a litter tray in the other side, with megazorb and lots of hay... needless to say she pee'd all over the vet bed :roll: Then I replaced the vet bed with a fleece pet blanket and same again. What should I put on the floor of the cage to prevent sore hocks?

Lou xx
 
they say layering it up with hay helps. but keeping it clean ie cleaning regularly is supposed to prevent x
 
Thanks hun =]

How are H and A?

xx

they;re fantastic thanks lou, very well behaved, henry is such a snuggle bun and annabelle is a nutter...

they love to stare at marsha and casper!! :lol: its like they're like what on earth are those crazy creatures!
 
Hi Lou:wave: Let her wee on the fleece then cut out the wettest area and put it in her litter tray on top of the megazorb to see if she get the idea! Just cover the base with loads of megazorb meanwhile. Things *should* improve when she settles down and is spayed.
 
Hi Lou:wave: Let her wee on the fleece then cut out the wettest area and put it in her litter tray on top of the megazorb to see if she get the idea! Just cover the base with loads of megazorb meanwhile. Things *should* improve when she settles down and is spayed.

You know I never thought about doing that!! Thank you Hilda, I've got to say she has improved since she came here... especially in the last few hours, pooing mostly in her litter tray :) xx
 
they;re fantastic thanks lou, very well behaved, henry is such a snuggle bun and annabelle is a nutter...

they love to stare at marsha and casper!! :lol: its like they're like what on earth are those crazy creatures!

Aww bless them!! I'm glad they love to stare at Marsha and Casper... my outdoor 2, Jamie and Sapphire, used to wind them two up something chronic :roll:

Give them a nose rub from me xx
 
Make sure the cage is always clean and not too damp. I've always used shaving for my rexes and they did fine.
Don't avoid cleaning and outdoor cage because its raining (I did that mistake once:cry:)

Don't leave them on a hard surface or wire floors.

Lots of exercise. Its not good for a rabbit to sit still for a long time.

Proper diet. Overweight can also lead to sore paws.

I'm not saying you're doing anything of the above wrong, but these are all the things I can think of that prevents sore paws.
 
Keep her toenails short
Dont exercise her on concrete or carpet
If you use Vetbed cover it with a cotton sheet. Vetbed alone can also be too abrasive
Deep soft hay, changed daily is the best substrate
Keep her at a healthy weight
Check her feet daily, especially if she has no guard hairs at all on her hocks
Always seek prompt Veterinary attention at the first signs of soreness

:)
 
I find vetbed gets peed on instantly too :roll: :lol:
All the rexes I have here at the moment are on a layer of megazorb topped with a thick layer of hay - it does mean I get through the hay, as Silas & Cortez are in a 6x4 shed, and Naomi is in a 48" crate, but it seems to work :)
 
This is what I do:

- Keep run and hutch clean and dry (24 hour access to both)
- Change the loo daily (of course). I am having dramas with their toilet training as well at the moment :roll:
- Lots of obstacles for them to move around, sit on, jump over
- Two washable baby matresses in the run (it is covered)
- Fleeces everywhere, fur and hay brushed off them regularly and changed as often as possible. I have 7 fleeces out there at the moment :oops: During the dead of winter it was 9 :oops::oops:
- Fresh hay in three different areas (a whicker basket, a flower pot and a travelling case) which each get refreshed every day.
- Keep claws trimmed short

Touch wood, since the matresses and fleeces have been in such abundance we haven't had any further probs with Rambaldis hocks (we never had any with Huppie). When we did have a problem we took him straight to the vets and they said 'oh it is just very small, the medicine is really preventative'. Basically, keep a good eye on them!

Good luck

Emma
 
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