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Inside or Outside better for sore hock buns??

Azraelm

Wise Old Thumper
Sorry for yet another question on sore hocks :lol:

Ive been reading a bit about the causes of it, and just wondered what peoples experiences were/thoughts on whether they are better off outside or in?

At the moment Im leaning towards outside, because then they could be bedded on thick hay and have a run on grass, and if they were house buns then when out free range it would be pretty impossible for them not to be on a hard/abrassive surface.

What do you think?
 
I'm in agreement with you Mandy, I think outside. Would their run have a shelter over it? Only I'm thinking when it's wet would the wet grass make sore hocks worse? Peter's scabs have almost all fallen off now and he's spent the last month with me outside but the weather's been pretty good, but his was an extreme case and sore hocks often don't actually have broken skin to scab over I don't think. So yeah, outside!
 
chloaster said:
I'm in agreement with you Mandy, I think outside. Would their run have a shelter over it? Only I'm thinking when it's wet would the wet grass make sore hocks worse? Peter's scabs have almost all fallen off now and he's spent the last month with me outside but the weather's been pretty good, but his was an extreme case and sore hocks often don't actually have broken skin to scab over I don't think. So yeah, outside!

that thought occured to me too :? and its a bit of a problem really with winter coming up.
Yep she'd definetly have proper shelter.

TBH i think Audrey is going to be one of those buns who has to live with her sore hocks, so just thinking of how to make her more comfortable.

thanks x :)
 
I'm intrested in this too. Mhairi is a mini rex and I know rex's are prone to sore hocks, their run is slabs, could this cause a potential problem?
 
I think with rexs it could cos they don't have much fur on their hocks. My four have lino on the bottom of their coop, well they did have, munchability factor aside :roll: , and they run around on grass as well as slabs. The slabs can aggravate sore hocks as they don't allow the front of the rabbits foot to sink as they hop and so more pressure is put on the back of the foot and hence the sore hocks. Another thing to do is to make sure their nails are as short as possible as this helps keep pressure off their hocks.

This is a quote off a website -
"The wild rabbit spends it's time moving about on grass and earth. These surfaces are compliant: they allow the toe nails to sink into the ground, encouraging the whole bottom of the foot to contact the ground and hence reducing the pressure on the foot (pressure = force divided by area).

In contrast, hard flooring means that the rabbit's toenails can't sink in... Because the toe nails can't sink in, the front part of the foot is lifted off the ground, and the majority of the weight of the bunny is thrown onto the hocks, causing problems rather like a pressure sore."
 
I think I'd have to agree with you Mandy. My rexes have lived outside their whole lives (5 years) and never suffered from sore hocks so maybe it is more natural for their feet? :?
 
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