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Splayed hind legs?

A

AilsaDS

Warren Scout
Just a question really.. bunny is booked in to see the nurse who specialises in bunnies @ my vets on Monday (I trust her too & she's great with them).
After that she'll be having a vet health check & vaccs but I'm wondering if I should book her in for a health check earlier 'cos of her legs.
She's approx 4/5 months old (not 100% sure), but very timid - scared of her own shadow.. poor thing.

Anyway..
I rescued her & brought her brought home yesterday; she has some dietary problems.. tiny poos & not eating caecotrophes, I'm not overly concerned about that though as I know how to deal with it, her previous diet has a lot to do with that... but she also seems to have splayed back legs.

Her legs are strong (she kicks well lol) but her legs stay in the same position whether she's sitting, hopping or running - they're out to the sides & it looks really strange.

She was cooped up in a guinea pig cage for the last 3 months, didn't have any room to periscope, she couldn't stretch up on her back legs.. & was only let out of the cage when the dog went for a walk.

She has also been eating guinea pig food & I wondered if the extra vit c could cause her any problems?

Should I be concerned about her legs & could she be in any pain from them?
I'm not sure if it's normal for some bunnies to have splayed legs & how it may affect them as I've never seen it in a bunny before.

Ohh... & just in case anyone wonders, she's now in Phillip's old cage where she can stretch out & periscope & is getting regular freerange time. She also did a couple of binkies tonight :love:
The guinea pig is still in his cage (the one he lived in with the bunny) - it's plenty big enough for him.. & he's being rehomed to a good friend.

Not a great photo but you can see how her legs stick out.
19874_1253039999646_1038921393_30648429_7600820_n.jpg
 
:shock: OMG she lived in that size cage with that guineau pig! That's so unfair on both of them, how lovely she is now getting a chance to be a bunny, I am no expert on growth or formation of bones etc but, I would hazard a guess that lack of exercise and room to stretch etc could contribute to a deformity of this type, particularly if from a young age. It could of course be genetic's but, if she spent a lot of time hunched she may have developed the 'splay' as a way of taking pressure of her leg muscles. She is so lovely aswell. Whats the story with her, is she going to be paired with another bunny and the guineau with one of it's own kind to live out the rest of their lives?
 
ok.. here's the story....


I saw an advert in preloved a couple of days ago where someone was rehoming a piggie & bunny as she's pregnant (the owner, not the animals) & said she wouldn't have the time to 'devote to them'.

After speaking to an experienced guinea pig friend I decided to take a look @ them, & after seeing them & talking to their owner I brought them straight home.
I was concerned that if someone came along that didn't know much about keeping them they'd believe that how she was loking after then was the 'norm' & the poor things would live out their lives in misery.
I just couldn't leave them there... & she really didn't think the way she was keeping them was wrong :(

Apart from not being able to exercise, the previous owner has a westie who barked constantly & (so I was told) wanted to eat the rabbit... & has a 1yo girl who kept opening the cage & picking up the rabbit.

She didn't think anything of keeping a piggie & rabbit together & they ate each other's food, were fed hay 'as a treat' & the only veg they ate was carrots (because the owner doesn't eat many veg).
She also told me she bought the rabbit for company for the piggie & that they get on really well.. often curled up together & grooming.

At least she was sensible enough to know they weren't happy living with a dog & a baby who wouldn't leave them alone.

When I got them home I watched them together for a couple of hours & it was obvious the rabbit was bullying the piggie, pushing him out of the way when he was trying to eat etc. & I never saw any affection between them, so I split them up.
Also, as the bunny is sooo skittish (they both are) they both kept diving in the little guinea pig hut to hide.. but it wa soo small the bunny would push the piggie out & push past / jump over/under the piggie to hide :(

The piggie seems a lot happier not being with the rabbit & having more space to run around. He's very vocal but extremley timid because he's not been handled.
I've been talking to him a lot & he actually took some readigrass from my fingers tonight :love:
He's going to a friend of mine this weekend who will be pairing him with another boar for company & she's experienced in handling piggies so will be able to help him overcome his fear of being touched.

I'll be keeping the bunny & bonding her with Phillip & Jessica (the 8wo bunny who I'm bringing home this weekend).
I have accommodation to keep all 3 buns seperate until bonding time :)

She's not been handled much either & is soo scared of everything. She's also not taking being seperated as well as the piggie though :(
She's such a sweet natured & gentle thing... very very timid though. It's going to take time to build up her confidence & gain her trust.
 
Last edited:
AilsaDS said:
ok.. here's the story....


I saw an advert in preloved a couple of days ago where someone was rehoming a piggie & bunny as she's pregnant (the owner, not the animals) & said she wouldn't have the time to 'devote to them'.

After speaking to an experienced guinea pig friend I decided to take a look @ them, & after seeing them & talking to their owner I brought them straight home.
I was concerned that if someone came along that didn't know much about keeping them they'd believe that how she was loking after then was the 'norm' & the poor things would live out their lives in misery.
I just couldn't leave them there... & she really didn't think the way she was keeping them was wrong :(

Apart from not being able to exercise, the previous owner has a westie who barked constantly & (so I was told) wanted to eat the rabbit... & has a 1yo girl who kept opening the cage & picking up the rabbit.

She didn't think anything of keeping a piggie & rabbit together & they ate each other's food, were fed hay 'as a treat' & the only veg they ate was carrots (because the owner doesn't eat many veg).
She also told me she bought the rabbit for company for the piggie & that they get on really well.. often curled up together & grooming.

At least she was sensible enough to know they weren't happy living with a dog & a baby who wouldn't leave them alone.

When I got them home I watched them together for a couple of hours & it was obvious the rabbit was bullying the piggie, pushing him out of the way when he was trying to eat etc. & I never saw any affection between them, so I split them up.
Also, as the bunny is sooo skittish (they both are) they both kept diving in the little guinea pig hut to hide.. but it wa soo small the bunny would push the piggie out & push past / jump over/under the piggie to hide :(

The piggie seems a lot happier not being with the rabbit & having more space to run around. He's very vocal but extremley timid because he's not been handled.
I've been talking to him a lot & he actually took some readigrass from my fingers tonight :love:
He's going to a friend of mine this weekend who will be pairing him with another boar for company & she's experienced in handling piggies so will be able to help him overcome his fear of being touched.

I'll be keeping the bunny & bonding her with Phillip & Jessica (the 8wo bunny who I'm bringing home this weekend).
I have accommodation to keep all 3 buns seperate until bonding time :)

She's not been handled much either & is soo scared of everything. She's also not taking being seperated as well as the piggie though :(
She's such a sweet natured & gentle thing... very very timid though. It's going to take time to build up her confidence & gain her trust.
Click to expand...

Awwww I had logged off but, it came up in my emails, I am so pleased you have done that for them that is amazing and lovely for them both. I can imagine the bunny will miss the guineau but, not necessarily for the right reasons. You have done the right thing I think in separating them. It's lovely that you have found a nice home for the guineau aswell. I look forward to reading how it goes, it will take time with her I am sure, maybe spaying her will help aswell. Best of luck and with lots of TLC I am sure she is going to make a lovely little friend for Phillip and pet for you. She is lucky as is the little guineau. x
 
That's soo sweet of you to come back & read my reply :D

I'm sure it's what any of us would have done, rescued animals in need. If I hadn't have had the room I'd still have tried to find her another home, I just couldn't leave them like that.

She is much more timid since I split them up but then she's had a huge culture shock too with moving house & strange people & animals etc.
she'll settle down with lots of tlc :)

My main worry is her legs though. I'm sure she's ok but I just wonder if she's in any pain, ie muscles.

I found another pic I took yesterday that shows how her feet are 'turned out'

19874_1253041119674_1038921393_30648430_191139_n.jpg


19874_1254162427706_1038921393_30649827_2098228_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
From the pictures her legs don't look too bad. I wouldn;t describe them as splayed :)
It may be muscle weakness from the conditions she has been kept in :(

The vet will be able to tell if there is any permanent damage :?
 
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