Preventing sore hocks in a pen

[BlackRabbits]

I have a Flemish bunny who lives in a big pen due to her size. The pen sits on a large heavy duty tarp that's folded in half. The floor underneath is hardwood.

I'm a bit concerned that she may develop sore hocks from living on a hard floor. Do I need to worry or will she be OK on two layers of tarp on hardwood? Should there be some kind of padding underneath the tarp? Or should I provide mats? (which I know she would chew)

 

[BlackMiniRex]

fleece is good to use, you could also get small pet beds (or dog beds since its a flemish)
bathroom memory foam mats with fleece on top as well. From what i'v read, mini rexs are prone to sore hocks, so i keep 2 layers of towels in his cage (very soft)

 

[BlackRabbits]

fleece is good to use, you could also get small pet beds (or dog beds since its a flemish)
bathroom memory foam mats with fleece on top as well. From what i'v read, mini rexs are prone to sore hocks, so i keep 2 layers of towels in his cage (very soft)

I'll take a trip to the dollar store. They have all sorts of rubber backed mats made of carpeting that only cost a couple of dollars. I use a couple of them on the ramps in my little bunny cage. When they get chewed I toss and replace them. I'll see if they have the memory foam kind, as long as they're non slip. Otherwise the bunny drags them around and they end up in a ball in a corner. That's what happened when I tried putting a couple of big beach towels in.

 

[JBun]

Carpeting can actually sometimes be more abrasive on a rabbits hocks, so rugs aren't always a good solution unless it's really soft or a soft cotton rug. Even then soft rugs could still cause problems for some rabbits. Carpeting/rugs can work out fine depending on the individual rabbits hock issues and the texture of the carpeting, so it doesn't need to be immediately ruled out. Also need to consider the safety of using it if your bun is a chewer. Ingestion of fibers can be dangerous.

Memory foam mats would probably work well, but can be expensive. You could stick with the tarp and just keep a close eye on the hocks for red irritated skin(a little patch of pink skin can be normal), checking weekly for several months to make sure the flooring isn't causing a problem. You'll need to keep checking regularly since your bun is still growing. But a tarp may work out just fine for your bun, unless she is already showing signs of sore hocks.

If you end up needing to provide a softer surface that is still easy to clean, foam puzzle mats might work. If your bun is a chewer, maybe underneath the tarp would work best. Some of the foam tiles can have a somewhat abrasive surface as well, so if it's going to be a primary surface be careful to get tiles with a smoother surface on them. I like the ones with the smooth laminate applied to them, but they can be expensive, and I'm not sure how they would hold up with a flemish. The most affordable tiles I've found are at costco for a pack of 8 2x2 grey foam tiles for about $14. It's not available online, but if you have a store locally you could check to see if they have them.

If you use the foam, you just have to watch for chewing as ingesting the pieces could be potentially dangerous. I use both the costco kind and the laminate foam tiles. The costco ones can be a little abrasive so not my favorite, but could work well if flipped over to the less abrasive side, or with a tarp over and just used for the cushioning effect. I like the laminate tiles the best. They are really easy to keep clean(unless bunny pees where they connect together) and provide cushioning, but they are more expensive. I use them with my dwarf bunny group, so don't know how well they would work for a much larger bun.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

I'll take a trip to the dollar store. They have all sorts of rubber backed mats made of carpeting that only cost a couple of dollars. I use a couple of them on the ramps in my little bunny cage. When they get chewed I toss and replace them. I'll see if they have the memory foam kind, as long as they're non slip. Otherwise the bunny drags them around and they end up in a ball in a corner. That's what happened when I tried putting a couple of big beach towels in.

could you put weights on the beach towels? like a heavy rock (for some reason my bunny loves to dig at rocks)

 

[RavenousDragon]

I personally use a bunch of memory foam kennel pads (for dogs) in my rabbits cages (I have a dwarf who sits stupid and puts a ton of weight on the outside of her feet and gets sores if I'm not careful). At this point, even my chewer hasn't been able to get to the foam part (he pulled a little bit of the fuzz on top off) and both rabbits now refuse to sleep on something that isn't their memory foam (e.g of we are washing it). They are quite expensive, but in my case at least, they are a one time buy and are thus worth it for me. I had to buy a bunch since their cages are so large (they have to be locked up for 8 hours a day while I'm at school and then work and my boyfriend is at work), but I bought a couple at a time and made it work that way.

 

[BlackRabbits]

could you put weights on the beach towels? like a heavy rock (for some reason my bunny loves to dig at rocks)

Nope. I tried putting the edges underneath the panels of the pen, she just grabs them in her teeth and yanks them out. Same thing when I put a brick in the middle of the towel. I'm just waiting for her to figure out how to grab the pen panels themselves and move the pen around. Even Zelda the dwarf can do that now!

Yesterday when I entered the room, she stood up on her hind legs to greet me with her paws hanging over the top of the pen, which is over 3 feet tall. I think her moving beach towels or the pen panels is about to be the least of my concerns! :rollseyes

 

[BlackRabbits]

If you end up needing to provide a softer surface that is still easy to clean, foam puzzle mats might work. If your bun is a chewer, maybe underneath the tarp would work best. Some of the foam tiles can have a somewhat abrasive surface as well, so if it's going to be a primary surface be careful to get tiles with a smoother surface on them. I like the ones with the smooth laminate applied to them, but they can be expensive, and I'm not sure how they would hold up with a flemish. The most affordable tiles I've found are at costco for a pack of 8 2x2 grey foam tiles for about $14. It's not available online, but if you have a store locally you could check to see if they have them.

If you use the foam, you just have to watch for chewing as ingesting the pieces could be potentially dangerous. I use both the costco kind and the laminate foam tiles. The costco ones can be a little abrasive so not my favorite, but could work well if flipped over to the less abrasive side, or with a tarp over and just used for the cushioning effect. I like the laminate tiles the best. They are really easy to keep clean(unless bunny pees where they connect together) and provide cushioning, but they are more expensive. I use them with my dwarf bunny group, so don't know how well they would work for a much larger bun.

I already use the locking foam tiles for my two little buns and the pen for my small dogs. Even though one of my dogs chews everything, she hasn't touched the tiles so far.

My small buns do dig in one corner of the tiles, when their hole gets a bit too deep I flip the tile over or switch with another. Eventually they all get holes in them and I buy a new set. I've never noticed any chewing. I put the tiles underneath the sides of the pen so the edge of the tile is outside of the pen. I think that's why they don't chew them, they can't get at the edge.

Since my big girl has a heavy duty tarp that she hasn't shown signs of being able to chew or scratch holes in, I'll put the foam tiles underneath the tarp, that should work. I'll get enough so they're bigger than the area of the pen and no edges are available to be shifted around or chewed. I've also seen foam tiles made for workout rooms or garages that have a rubbery, textured coating on top. They are a bit more expensive than the foam ones, but I can always try them if the foam ones don't last.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

I already use the locking foam tiles for my two little buns and the pen for my small dogs. Even though one of my dogs chews everything, she hasn't touched the tiles so far.

My small buns do dig in one corner of the tiles, when their hole gets a bit too deep I flip the tile over or switch with another. Eventually they all get holes in them and I buy a new set. I've never noticed any chewing. I put the tiles underneath the sides of the pen so the edge of the tile is outside of the pen. I think that's why they don't chew them, they can't get at the edge.

Since my big girl has a heavy duty tarp that she hasn't shown signs of being able to chew or scratch holes in, I'll put the foam tiles underneath the tarp, that should work. I'll get enough so they're bigger than the area of the pen and no edges are available to be shifted around or chewed. I've also seen foam tiles made for workout rooms or garages that have a rubbery, textured coating on top. They are a bit more expensive than the foam ones, but I can always try them if the foam ones don't last.

and you could also try yoga mats