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Dangers of wire floors?

William

Wise Old Thumper
There's someone not too far from me who houses her rabbits on wire floored cages/hutches. She seems nice enough, I suppose she just doesn't know (hopefully). I want to politely explain that it's bad to house them on wire, explaining the could get sore hocks and how it's uncomfortable. I'm afraid she'll just say that they don't have sore hocks and she's been housing them this way for __ years... So are there any other health concerns?

She breeds rabbits (they have a pedigree so it's not just pet shop rabbits or something she's breeding) so I feel bad for the poor babies as well that have to stand on wire.. or even the possibility that the babies could get a paw stuck in the wire :( Also she has them in (I presume small) hutches, and cages with 4 square ft of space. she has over 20 rabbits housed this way. And when I asked about food she only mentioned pellets... So I'm going to try and write a nice reply. :( I feel like it's just a waste of time, but it's worth a try.
 
I have seen a lot of wire floor cages in North America, they seem to be quite common there. They are supposed to be more hygienic, as the rabbit does not get to sit in its wee and poo. They may stay cleaner that way, and look better for the rabbit shows.
I am not sure what they feel like for the bunnies' feet, they always look uncomfortable to me. If owners don't trim the nails enough, the bunny might get stuck and break them. Plus it can't follow its natural instinct of digging. The wire floors always remind me of the cages they use for mink and foxes in fur farms. :(
 
yeah, I don't like it either :( I hope it doesn't cause any harm, especially with growing babies.. I feel like they can't run around and such as well when they're on wire.
 
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