This is a specific conversation about Rabbit housing — space and setup that works — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Most rabbit hutches sold in pet shops are far too small — rabbits need space to do at least three full hops, stand fully upright, and have separate areas for sleeping and toileting. That said, your Rex's sore hocks make flooring the most urgent thing to sort out, because Rex fur is shorter and thinner than other breeds, which means their feet get far less natural protection against hard or wire surfaces. Before I point you toward a solution, can you tell me: is your setup indoor or outdoor, how many rabbits do you have, and roughly how much floor space are they living on?
It's indoors, just the one rabbit. He's got a large C&C style pen, probably about 2 metres by 1 metre, but the base is just a plastic tray with fleece on top and he keeps getting sore hocks despite the fleece.
inparticular.ai
That's a good setup size-wise, and fleece is a reasonable instinct, but on its own it doesn't provide enough cushioning — it's thin and it compresses quickly, especially in the spots your rabbit sits most. With Rex rabbits the hocks need something that genuinely absorbs pressure, not just covers a hard surface. Can you tell me how severe the sore hocks are right now — are we talking redness and hair loss, or has it progressed to open sores? That'll affect whether flooring alone is enough or whether he also needs a vet check.
It's redness and some hair loss, no open sores yet. The vet said to improve the surface he's on and keep it dry, but didn't get specific about what to use.
inparticular.ai
Good — caught at the right stage, so better flooring can genuinely turn this around. The product I'd recommend is Vetbed Original. It's a thick, woven veterinary-grade bedding that was designed specifically for animals recovering from surgery and pressure injuries. Unlike fleece, it has a deep pile that distributes weight properly, and it's designed to wick moisture away from the surface so his feet stay dry even if he urinates nearby. Cut it to cover the full floor of his pen and layer it two pieces deep in the spots he rests most — corners and favourite lounging patches. It's machine washable at 60 degrees, which matters because you need to be washing it every two to three days to keep bacteria down while his hocks recover. You'll find it sold by the metre on Amazon UK — search Vetbed Original and buy the non-slip backed version so it doesn't shift around the tray.
That sounds really practical. Should I remove the plastic tray entirely or keep it under the Vetbed?
inparticular.ai
Keep the tray — it contains mess and gives you a solid base. Just make sure the Vetbed sits flat inside it with no bunched-up ridges, because folds can actually create pressure points of their own. If the tray edges are hard plastic that he leans against, put a folded strip of Vetbed along those edges too. Once his hocks have healed fully you can go back to a single layer, but while he's recovering, two layers is worth it.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order some today.
inparticular.ai
Good luck with him — Rex rabbits are prone to this throughout their lives so it's worth keeping a couple of spare pieces so you always have a clean dry one ready to swap in. If the redness hasn't improved within two weeks of consistent Vetbed use, go back to the vet as some cases need a topical treatment as well as the surface change.
