Checking for pinched hips....

[tm_bunnyloft]

Just curious how you all check your kits for pinched hips and at what age you check for this in your litters before culling the nonshowables?

 

[skysthelimit]

Flip em over, the feet should be parallel ||, if they are V shaped \/, then the hips are pinched. With real bad ones you can tell around 3-4 weeks, I've never seen them change if they looked like that at 4 weeks.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Oops forgot to share how I check. lol

I flip them on their back and tickle the bottoms of their back feet. They are usually quite quick to tuck them up so you can get a look at them. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get them to calm down and stop trying to flip back over.

 

[skysthelimit]

pinched-hips-t10000.html

No one gets culled till at least 8 weeks, but you can tell pretty early<br /><br />__________ Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:57 pm __________<br /><br />I've been fighting pinched hips and low shoulder all summer long, which is why I have so few jrs after all of those litters.

 

[ZRabbits]

tm-bunnyloft, thanks so much for sharing how you check for pinched hips. Did the tickling thing and have to say no pinched hips with my kits.

Karen

 

[BlueLove16]

Is pinched hips something all breeds have? or just smaller ones?

and how do you know if soulders are pinched?

 

[skysthelimit]

Yes all breeds can have those faults.

Here's a nice illustrated guide. http://citrus.ifas.ufl.edu/4-H/pdfs/rab ... _guide.pdf

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Thanks. I find that when I flip babies to check, they wiggle around all over, with feet going all over the place. So when I give them a little tickle they pull there feet close and then I can tell if they are pinched or not.

 

[Peach]

I tickle their bellies or another helpful way in to run them on a flat surface as you would with an arch breed.