Sitting in the rain led to wet feet, then baldness

[nicolevins]

My 2 rabbits, Corey (Flemish giant) and Luna (albino) live in the back garden. The garden is paved. They have a shed full of blankets, their litter dishes and bowls which provides shelter. I like to leave them free range but I'm not sure anymore.

Whenever it rains, they usually sit in the rain. If it's heavy rain, they go inside the shed and when the rain lightens up usually they will come out again and roam around. Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed that Corey's hocks/back legs have been soaked from sitting in the rain, which has led to bald spots on his hocks. Corey is less sensible than Luna. Luna will walk around the puddles but Corey will run right through.

I obviously don't want to aggravate the balding, so should I just be locking them into the shed at night when it rains?

 

[Aki]

I might be wrong but pododermatitis caused by rain sounds strange to me - rabbits' feet are made to run under all kinds of weather. It might also be linked to the pavement which is rough under the feet (some types of flooring are known to provoke or aggravate feet problems) or a genetic predisposition. Or maybe it's a mix of the 3 ! One of mine had pododermatitis some years ago (the zone stayed bald after the inflammation was gone) and the cause was just that he held himself in a way that put all of his weight on one part of his feet. His environment was perfectly clean and dry. Big bunnies are more prone to that kind of problems. I would keep an eye on it, but as long as it's not red, inflammed or painful (you'll see it if it is, it was for my rabbit even though it was an early stage and was treated pretty easily and he would jump weirdly to avoid putting weight on the painful part of his feet - it was immediately noticable) I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[Charmander]

I read somewhere that water can cause bunnies to go into shock-which might cause baldness? Not sure. I would ski, if its inflamed and looks in pain take them to the vet otherwise just keep an eye out.

 

[nicolevins]

I might be wrong but pododermatitis caused by rain sounds strange to me - rabbits' feet are made to run under all kinds of weather. It might also be linked to the pavement which is rough under the feet (some types of flooring are known to provoke or aggravate feet problems) or a genetic predisposition. Or maybe it's a mix of the 3 ! One of mine had pododermatitis some years ago (the zone stayed bald after the inflammation was gone) and the cause was just that he held himself in a way that put all of his weight on one part of his feet. His environment was perfectly clean and dry. Big bunnies are more prone to that kind of problems. I would keep an eye on it, but as long as it's not red, inflammed or painful (you'll see it if it is, it was for my rabbit even though it was an early stage and was treated pretty easily and he would jump weirdly to avoid putting weight on the painful part of his feet - it was immediately noticable) I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Thank you for your reply it isn't so much on the sole of his hocks, but more on the back of the legs. He is completely normal otherwise! He is doing his normal thing, very attentive and active. It isn't inflamed or red, just typically pink as the skin is. I was a bit concerned when I noticed it though.

Corey was a gift to me, and when he got home I seen straight away that he had something wrong with him. I brought him to the vet and he had an ulcer. He was treated for 7 days and I hoped that was the end of his vet trips until his neuter!

Anyway, I will keep a close eye on him. I don't believe it's stress because he appears to be satisfied. I figured it was the wetness because it's something we have noticed within the past week or so. Thank you so much again, it's really appreciated.

 

[nicolevins]

I read somewhere that water can cause bunnies to go into shock-which might cause baldness? Not sure. I would ski, if its inflamed and looks in pain take them to the vet otherwise just keep an eye out.

Thank you. I have heard that rabbits can go into shock during baths and such, do you think rain/puddles could cause the same reaction?

Thankfully it's not inflamed or red and doesn't appear to have any other issues but I will be sure to keep a close eye on it!

 

[Akzholedent]

If they can't get warm and dry off, yes, rain and puddles do basically the same thing. If they're soaked to the skin, they also have an increased risk of hypothermia. If it's raining, and you do have the opportunity to put them inside, I definitely would. Sure, they might be angry little fluff balls since they're being put inside, but I would much rather prefer mad fluff balls, than sick ones.

 

[edwinf8936]

It does not sound like the rain. May be allergies stress or a number of things.

 

[Thumperina]

my rabbits try to hide when it rains havily. They have several shelter opportunities where they can go, and they do. They don't like to get very wet.
In my opinion you should probably lock them up when it rains bad (light rain should be OK)
Is rain a regular thing where you live?