A calm lap session once a week gives you a close look at the three places rabbits hide trouble: the undersides of the feet, the hocks, and the area under the tail. Work on a towel so the rabbit feels secure, keep the session short, and finish with a favorite leafy green so handling stays welcome. Compare each side with the other as you go, because a difference between left and right is often an early clue that something has changed.
Feet and Hocks, Checked Closely
Start with the feet. Stroke along each sole and spread the toes gently, looking for redness, small cuts, thorns or grit worked into the fur, and nails that have grown long enough to catch or twist a toe. Matted fur between the toes can hold damp against the skin, so tease mats apart with your fingers rather than pulling them free.
Then turn your attention to the hocks, the angled backs of the hind feet that carry much of a resting rabbit's weight. Part the fur and study the skin underneath. A small pale patch of thinner fur can be normal wear for some rabbits, especially Rex rabbits and heavier rabbits whose coats protect the hock less, but sore, pink, inflamed, or broken skin is different and should be routed promptly to your vet. Pressing on hard flooring, damp bedding, and extra body weight all raise the pressure on this small area, so note what the rabbit has been sitting on if the fur is thinning. A rabbit who kicks, flinches, or guards one hind foot during this part of the check is giving you information worth writing down before you call.
The Bottom Check and Flystrike Risk
Finish underneath. Part the fur around the bottom and around the scent glands on either side of the genitals, where a waxy buildup can collect and can be softened and lifted gently if it is loose. The skin here should be clean and dry, and the fur free of stuck droppings. A rabbit who repeatedly soils the bottom may be struggling with a diet that is too rich, dental discomfort, arthritis that makes posturing hard, or weight that prevents proper cleaning, so a bottom that stays dirty between checks belongs in a vet conversation rather than in a bigger grooming effort.
In warm months this check carries real urgency. Flies are drawn to a soiled bottom, and flystrike develops when eggs laid in dirty fur hatch and maggots begin feeding on the skin. Check the bottom daily in hot weather even though the full grooming session is weekly, and look for tiny white eggs in the fur as well as any maggots themselves. If you find eggs or maggots, treat it as a same-day emergency: contact a vet immediately and do not attempt home treatment, because damage under the fur can be far worse than what the surface shows and a rabbit can decline quickly.
Making the Weekly Set Stick
Keep the order identical every week, feet first, hocks second, bottom last, so nothing gets skipped when the rabbit is wriggly or time is short. Note anything you find in plain words, such as left hock pinker than last week or bottom needed cleaning twice, and bring that short record to any appointment. Between sessions, dry bedding, a solid resting surface with soft material over it, and prompt spot cleaning of soiled corners all protect the skin you are checking. If two people share rabbit care, split the set openly so one person knows the hock check is theirs and the other owns the bottom check, rather than each assuming the other looked. Relatives sharing rabbit care can see inside KinsLe which tasks remain open, since Care Teams timestamps every finished duty for the whole household.