Rabbits in the wild live in cozy burrows dug in soft earth, they lounge during the day in grassy fields or forest floors covered in leaves. This is the life that rabbit feet were designed for. Their claws were meant to dig into the ground to provide the traction to help them run, hop & dig. It can be hard to provide those conditions for pet rabbits. The unnatural cage flooring can cause a potentially serious condition known as “sore hocks”.
The medical term for sore hocks is ulcerative pododermatitis. If you keep chickens or ducks, you will recognize this term by it’s more common name in the poultry world, bumblefoot. The same bacterial infection & inflammation that can effect your bird’s feet, can also effect your rabbit friends. Similarly to bumblefoot in chickens, sore hocks in rabbits, if left untreated, can cause a potentially fatal staph infection.