What are the red patches on the bottom of my rabbits back feet?

Question
I noticed the other day that my male rabbit has furless red patches on the bottom of both his hind legs.  They are very red and although fur is covering them, there is no fur growing out of this section.  He does not seem bothered by them, but they look bad.  He is housed in my bathroom which has linoleum floor.  He also has a two story hut made of wood (it had towels covering the inside, but he threw them out). He gets out regularly to exercise and runs around without seeming bothered.  I am just worried they look red and irratated. Please let me know what you think this is and if it is something urgent. Thanks, Jaimie

Answer
Dear Jaimie,

What you describe could just be calluses on your bunny's heels, but the fact that you can see them is a bit problematic.  It means that the bunny *could* be on the road towards a condition called "sore hocks".  

The skin of the feet is naturally very red (the feet are very vascularized!), but excess redness can indication irritation.  If you see any sign of swelling or broken skin/open sores, then the bunny must be seen by a good rabbit vet ASAP.  You can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

You can also read more about sore hocks and how to treat it here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

Hope this helps. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana