cage bottom question.

[petkeeper]

Hi

Thanks for being here when I need some help guys I really appreciateit! I have a question about the bottom of the cage...rightnow they have nothing on the bottom, they have their litter box andthey have their bed which is a stackable bin, with a wooden houseinside....but Rex has been battling sore feet...I keep his nailstrimmed...my question is would it be better to maybe put a carpet matin the bottom of the cage for him or even a wicker mat? Idon't want to make it worse but I also know that rex's don't have asmuch padding on the bottoms of their feet as most rabbits.

Thanks again for you help!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Anything flat will help. I have heard that sometimes carpet itself can actually cause sore hocks:shock:.

 

[petkeeper]

Okay...so I should just leave things as theyare?? The cage is a flat bottom plastic cage...no wires otherthan on the litter box and he doesn't spend a whole lot of time there!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

That will be just fine. If you want, you could add a blankie though.

 

[aurora369]

Wildfire LOVES her fleecy blanky.She's always sitting on it, I think she likes the way it feels on herfeet.

She had really bad hocks sores when I got her from the breeder frombeing on a wire cage with no resting places. After the soreshealed, the bald patches never went away and sometimes it gets a bitangry looking, especially when she's been on a lot of carpet.

So from my experience, carpet can irrate sensitive feet, but fleece is really nice.

--Dawn

 

[petkeeper]

Thank you all...I was worried the hard plasticbottom was making it worse...I am not sure why he has so feet he hasnever been on the wire and I keep his nails trimmed...but I will go getthem a fleece blanky tomorrow! What if they chew it is thatokay? Mini's feet are okay it is just rex, he is an odd ball!!

Thanks again guys.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Do you have a towel that you can fold up and put down? That would be good too.

No, you really don't want them to consume it. Chewing is fine, but make sure they're not consuming it.

 

[Michaela]

Yeah, towels and blankies are goodAnd grass mats too, I don't think they would irritate the hocks.

 

[bluebird]

I dont like carpet some bunnies eat it and getsick.however when we raised mini rex we would cut a piece of plywoodfor them too sit on ,do not get the treated kind.bluebird

 

[Bassetluv]

I've been recommending this product to bunnyowners ever since I purchased some last December for my disabledrabbit, Raph. It's called Palace Pet bedding, and I've found it to bean amazing product. My particular interest in it was to avoid anypressure sores Raph might get from lying down all the time, as well asto keep him dry, since he urinates where he lies. But it is alsorecommended for rabbits prone to sore hocks as well...it's a thickfleece bedding that you put in their cage and creates an extremely softbed for them. Depending upon the size you need it can be a bit pricey,but I think it's worth every penny.

I just ordered another two of them for Raph soI will havemore clean ones on hand in between washings. It's very durable...youjust toss it into the washing machine - hot or cold water, with orwithout bleach - and it dries quickly. If using it for rabbits whourinate out of the litter box, you would need something absorbantbeneath it, as the urine passes right through, but the top remainscompletely dry. But for a soft bedding to alleviate pressure or sores,this is an excellent product.

If you're interested in it, you can order directly from themanufacturer, or you can also get it through KV Vet Supply (not sure,but they might be a bit cheaper).

Oh, and the company also makes a similar product for kennel crates. I'mnot entirely positive of the difference between the two, but the kennelcrate pads are a bit less in price...I suspect they might be a bit lessdense, but still good.


****I just noticed you're from Canada...you can't order this productfrom the supplier directly as they currently don't ship out of theU.S., but if you go through KV Vet Supply, they do ship cross-border(which is what I had to do, since I'm in Ontario). Just be prepared topay for duty when it crosses the border. :?I wasn't able tofind anyone in Canada who carries it, but for my rabbit's needs...it'swell worth the extra cost.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

For my girls I use vet bed, it sounds like thepalace pet bedding stuff mentioned above ^^. It's so brilliant, it issoo soft and snuggly so is nice and cushioned on their feet and comfyto sleep on.Also I just use newspaper spread out on solidflooring and hay as bedding spread out. Just try to use as much comfybedding as you can, I've always used solid flooring withbedding/newspaper and my rexes have never suffered from sore hocks.

 

[Bassetluv]

Yep, it's the same thing, Bunnys_rule. It sayson the website that this stuff was once called 'vet bedding', as it wasoriginally designed for use in veterinary clinics for convalescing/sickanimals.

 

[petkeeper]

Thank you all so much for the advice.I will have to look into that palace pet bed...that sounds like justthe perfect foot protector!! I just feel so bad that hislittle feet hurt. I put bag balm on them and that seems tohelp...but he really really hates the bag balm!!

 

[RobertsRabbitry]

I use neaosporne on sore hocks makes them heal quicker.

 

[brandon]

use a wire cage:bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:they are happy in it.

 

[Haley]

brandon wrote:

use a wirecage:bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:theyare happy in it.

Was that a joke? wire bottom cages are very bad for bunny feet, especially rexes!

 

[Offspring2099]

We found that simple cotton towels are thebest. Just anchor them down with a strong wire. Youcan change the towel for a fresh one when needed.

I dont like carpet because our Molly likes to eat it. And if its synthetic, it's very bad for them.

But with cotton towel, (hand/face) towels you can just take them outand wash them, plus they can chew on it if they feel like it.

 

[~BunBuns~]

i sujest you put something down.

-April