New Zealand Rabbit

Question
My daughter has three New Zealands she is to show at the fair for 4-H and two of them have red sores at the toe nail. One of them has it on the left front paw right at the edge of the toe nail it is red and puffy, and the other one has one on the hind leg also on the edge of the toe nail this one does not look as swollen. Thank You  

Answer
Dear Brandi,

If there is any crustiness associated with the swelling, then the bunnies likely are suffering from the early stages of mange.  You can read more about the proper diagnosis and treatment of this common condition here:

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

I can't really judge what else this might be without seeing a picture.  But if the rabbits are constantly on wire and if their nails are too long, they could be catching their nails on the wire and injuring themselves, causing inflammation of the soft tissue around the nail.  If you're not sure exactly what's going on, then it would be best to take the bunnies to a rabbit-experienced vet who can properly diagnose and treat the problem.  If you don't already have a good rabbit vet, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps.

Dana