Sore hocks?

[Easy Ears]

I was wondering...how long does a rabbit have to be on wire to develop sore hocks? And is their any known cure?

Right now, I have my rabbis on the wire because I just cleaned out their large hutch. (They are in small cages in my garage, until de-worming is over, then they will go back to their wood floor, bigger hutch outside.) They both have plastic lids they can sit on (the only thing they don't really chew. ) But they still have some room they can be on the wire. My buck doesn't seem to want to leave his lid, (not that their is much room elsewhere to go) but my doe has a little more room, and she doesn't seem to stay on the lid as much....am I being to paranoid? :roll: I'm just so protective over my babies. :lol:

Thanks rabbit family!

 

[HendricksHearth]

Sore hocks is a problem where there is insufficient padding/fur on the rabbit's feet in my experience.. if the rabbit is on appropriate gauge wire. It doesn't take a certain amount of time to develop exactly- most of the time it is a problem with the individual rabbit. I wouldn't keep a bun on anything smaller than 14-16 gauge wire myself. Your rabbits might not be used to or like the wire floor if they have been living on solid wood. Do you see any problems on their feet/hocks or are you only looking at their behavior?

 

[Easy Ears]

Sore hocks is a problem where there is insufficient padding/fur on the rabbit's feet in my experience..

Oh...I just thought it was caused by wire?

if the rabbit is on appropriate gauge wire. It doesn't take a certain amount of time to develop exactly- most of the time it is a problem with the individual rabbit. I wouldn't keep a bun on anything smaller than 14-16 gauge wire myself.

Hmm....14--16 gauge wire.....? Could you put up a pic? Sorry!

Your rabbits might not be used to or like the wire floor if they have been living on solid wood.

They haven't lived on solid wood all their lives....only for a few months, if even that. They used to live on wire that rested on the grass (in tractor cages) hence the worms.

Do you see any problems on their feet/hocks or are you only looking at their behavior?

No problems at all. Just wondering in case it would cause problems. I think I'm way to over protective. :roll:

 

[Zass]

Sore hocks are not caused by wire. Most breeds can be kept on well supported wire their entire lives and never have a problem.

Rex coated rabbits and overweight animals are more likely to develop sore hocks, as are animals kept on thinner gauged wire. With rex it is interesting because it seems to have a strong genetic basis. That goes back to it being more of a problem with insufficient foot fur than the wire itself.

 

[Miss M]

Zass is right... sore hocks are not caused by wire. Rabbits can get them on solid flooring, too.

Even large breeds like Flemish Giants, for which the conventional wisdom is that they must be kept on solid floors so they don't get sore hocks, there are those who have them get sore hocks on solid floors, and those who keep them on wire and never see sore hocks. It really does seem to be way more dependent on the foot padding of the individual rabbit, rather than what they are being kept on.

Giving a rabbit that is prone to sore hocks (or a breed, like the Rex) a solid surface in addition to the wire seems to help their feet stay healthy. Having resting mats of some sort (or some of MSD's Bunnybuckets) would probably help prevent any foot problems. Here are some resting mats that have little tabs that slip into the wire, to keep them in place: http://www.woodyswabbits.com/ez-mats-p-4296.html

You can also get sink mats from the Dollar Tree. I have a few... only downsides are that they don't lay very flat, and so you really have to (or, at least, I did) zip-tie them to the floor. But they do in a pinch, and I was in a pinch.

I actually have one rabbit I keep terrycloth toddler socks on, to help her with her feet.

Hmm....14--16 gauge wire.....? Could you put up a pic? Sorry!

Below, you will find a pic of Bass Equipment 16-gauge wire (left) next to 14-gauge Klubertanz wire (right):

No problems at all. Just wondering in case it would cause problems. I think I'm way to over protective. :roll:

It's a genuine concern. You want your rabbits to be healthy. That's a good thing. It's pretty likely that if you stick resting mats, or 1' x 1' tiles, or chew-safe wood slabs, or something similar in there, you'll never see sore hocks. Not a promise, but it just gives the rabbit options.

-- Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:43 pm --

By the way, foot fur padding can be selected for when breeding, as well.

 

[EnglishSpot]

I read a thread earlier where a gentleman would find old toilet tank lids for his rabbits to rest on. In the summertime, the porcelain was cooling to the rabbits. Also, any urine or clackers rolled right off and didn't stain the lid.

 

[Zass]

*Pssst*

Miss M,
you have my name to quoted for something easy ears said...

 

[Phacelia]

Why is it, exactly that a smaller gauged wire, like hardware cloth, can hurt their feet? Does it have to do with the size/shape of their foot pads?

I've read over and over never to use hardware cloth because it will tear up their feet. (Not that I do, I'm just curious.)

 

[cmfarm]

Why is it, exactly that a smaller gauged wire, like hardware cloth, can hurt their feet? Does it have to do with the size/shape of their foot pads?

I've read over and over never to use hardware cloth because it will tear up their feet. (Not that I do, I'm just curious.)

I have had a few rabbits on hardware cloth before and never had a problem. It doesn't really make good flooring though because it sags really badly because it is thin wire.

 

[HendricksHearth]

I knew a local pet person that built her cages with 19 or smaller gauge wire- she had sore hock issues, but I don't think it was due to insufficient fur (though I guess it could have been- I didn't closely examine her rabbits). It looked like 1 1/2 or maybe 2 x 1/2 and felt very thin and sharp on my fingers. I could see how it could actually cause a problem where a rabbit may not have one. Hardware cloth around here is usually much smaller spacing- like 1/8 x 1/8 and I don't think poo could get through a fine mesh in addition to the sagging, etc. I have a few cages with 1/2 x 1/2 and the big rabbits like the Elops couldn't be housed in them for that reason. Interesting thread!

 

[Miss M]

*Pssst*

Miss M,
you have my name to quoted for something easy ears said...

Weird! I fixed it.

Why is it, exactly that a smaller gauged wire, like hardware cloth, can hurt their feet? Does it have to do with the size/shape of their foot pads?

I've read over and over never to use hardware cloth because it will tear up their feet. (Not that I do, I'm just curious.)

The thought on smaller gauge wire seems to be that it can press deeper into the foot fur because it is thinner, but I'm not positive.

Hardware cloth itself tends to be rough, and can even have sharp nubs on it. Even the wire itself can feel sharp, just because it is thin wire. I've never seen hardware cloth in a heavier gauge than 19. I've seen it as thin as 22 gauge. :shock:

I have had a few rabbits on hardware cloth before and never had a problem. It doesn't really make good flooring though because it sags really badly because it is thin wire.

Yes, we do have a few members who keep rabbits on hardware cloth. From what I've seen, it will sag in between any support you try to give it. That said, it can be done with success.

A lot depends on the quality of the wire. I've never seen hardware cloth that is good enough quality that I would think I could use it for flooring. That said, the first floors I had (the Bass Equipment 16 gauge wire you see above) sagged horribly, even though we put the clips closer than the instructions said to. I even had a broken wire in one cage! MamaSheepdog has Bass cages with 16 gauge floors, and doesn't have a sagging problem (perhaps they changed their wire?). She put the clips on every two inches.

I currently have a cage with a 16-gauge floor that I made from wire from a hardware store. In spite of my putting clips on every two inches, the floor sags very badly, and I can't wait to replace it. My Klubertanz 14 gauge floors have never sagged.

I knew a local pet person that built her cages with 19 or smaller gauge wire- she had sore hock issues, but I don't think it was due to insufficient fur (though I guess it could have been- I didn't closely examine her rabbits). It looked like 1 1/2 or maybe 2 x 1/2 and felt very thin and sharp on my fingers. I could see how it could actually cause a problem where a rabbit may not have one. Hardware cloth around here is usually much smaller spacing- like 1/8 x 1/8 and I don't think poo could get through a fine mesh in addition to the sagging, etc. I have a few cages with 1/2 x 1/2 and the big rabbits like the Elops couldn't be housed in them for that reason. Interesting thread!

Yes, I wouldn't chalk up sore hock problems on 19 gauge wire to insufficient fur very quickly. In that case, I would suspect the wire of causing the problem... especially with it feeling sharp like that. Hardware cloth around here is usually 1/2" x 1/2", just large enough for most poops to go through. <br /><br /> -- Mon Dec 08, 2014 9:42 am -- <br /><br /> Just thought I would add... GAW wire (galvanized after weld) tends to be smoother than GBW (galvanized before weld). Also, in GBW, the welding process damages the galvanizing at the welds, and would tend to rust where it comes into contact with urine much sooner than GAW would.

 

[Prisma]

My very first cages were made out of nothing but hardware cloth and J clips, they held up years more than the ones I purchased through Bass :/ I'm not sure what it is, but the wire doesn't seem to hold up as well. I've bought some used seemingly good condition wire from Klub/Bass and they still don't hold up. So with my new cages I'm getting ready to add (the old ones finally just aren't feasible to repair again), probably going to go with hardware cloth and see what happens. For the cost, I can do easy 5 cages for about $65.00 (wood for frame, hardware cloth for entire wire portions, bolts/fasteners for doors). I plan to put supports in between to prevent sag. I've looked into PVC framing on other wire, but doesn't look like I can make drop pans work as well on those when the time goes (planning a move in 2015 to new area and pans will be a must most likely).

 

[Easy Ears]

Wow, thanks guy's! This has turned out to be a very interesting thread!
They're doing good, and seem to stay on their lids most of the time anyway. I took Prin in yesterday to get some exercise inside. She's more restless than Harvy.