Sore Hocks or Something Else?

I was clipping George's nails last night and noticed swelling around the nail beds of some of the toes on his front feet. I have never seen this before and it isn't in the usual spot for sore hocks. They don't seem to bother him when he's at rest etc. But although he hates getting picked up, he was squirming and complaining more than usual when I clipped his nails.
Sorry the pic is so big. Any idea how serious this is? Do I take him to the vet today or keep an eye on his feet for a couple days.

fungal infection is my guess

Ok. I should probably take him in then.

Is George an older bun? Have you noticed any stiffness or hopping difficulties with him?

What is his flooring like and have you changed it at all in the last few months? How long have you had him on his current flooring?

Do you keep his nails regularly clipped?

That doesn't look fungal to me due to the skin looking clean and healthy. More like he is putting his weight too far forward and applying too much weight to his front feet which is rubbing the fur off. Could be a flooring issue or possibly a health issue like arthritis.

The room he lives in is carpeted. He doesn't like stairs or hardwood, so he never ventures downstairs. We have lived here for about 2 1/2 years. We clip his nails semi-regularly, so every couple months or whenever they look like they're getting too long. He has very furry feet, and hates being picked up, so we admittedly don't do it as regularly as we should. That being said, I have done it enough to realize this isn't normal for his feet.

He doesn't run around as much as he used to, but doesn't seem stiff or in pain. He is only 4 years old, so I didn't think about something like arthritis.

It might be a combination of things. Four is not all that old. Carpet can cause hair loss due to friction, but you said he isn't all that active. Has he gained weight?

Since he has lived so long on the same flooring without issue, I doubt that that is causing it in itself, though the carpeting could be contributing because a health problem is causing him to hop differently now. Even though 4 isn't that old for a rabbit, they can sometimes get early onset arthritis, so that's a possibility. Or it could be he strained something causing him to shift his weight forward causing the excess rubbing on the foot. Keep a close eye on it and if it doesn't clear up or is looking red and inflamed, it would be good to have your vet check him out. You don't want to let it progress to an open sore that could get infected. So if in doubt, getting him to the vet earlier rather than later is best. If he does have arthritis, daily meloxicam(anti inflammatory) can be helpful.

Got him to the vet on Friday. Apparently I was over reacting and his feet are fine. He did get a good checkup and his ears cleaned out, so all is well.

Our bunny has a similar problem, and the vet said they think it's due to being too dry? They told us to use organic coconut oil, and since ours had one crack and bleed, they gave us some kind of prescription ointment to use sparingly.