I have a year and a half old Lionhead Rabbit that has no back toe nails. I just noticed it today when I went to cut his nails. The nails are completely gone all the way down to his skin. I got him from a pet store when he was about 8 weeks old. I have always noticed his back feet have pronated outward. I don't know if this is some kind of inbreeding problem or not. He does play with our other rabbit everyday, she is a female and they are both fixed. We called the vet and they will be getting back to us shortly whether or not they think we should bring him in or not. Please let me know if you have ever hear or seen anything like this. Thank you for your time. 

-Hillary

Hi Hillary, nails are important for bunnies as it helps them keep balanced and feel comfortable on the ground since it gives them from grip. The only time I've seen this is when Ruby accidentally pulled one off - if he just doesn't have them it's obviously not as urgent as tearing it off but they do have veins going partway through the nail so (I can't be sure, but others will likely have input) it seems strange to me.

I would take him to the vet either way just so the vet can at least tell what caused it or if it is in fact a breeding thing

That is very odd! This sounds like something genetic. However, I am assuming this is his first nail cut?? You had said you had him for a year 1/2 but you only noticed it today. Let me know if I am getting that mixed up somehow. So if that is the case, it could be possible that his nails got too long and broke at some point??? I am not saying this to make you feel bad, it's just that normally you would want to check his nails every 4 - 6 weeks and trim as needed. (however, the fact that they are ALL this way makes me lean towards genetic issue).  Do the nail stubs look reddish or dark?

I could see how his foot position may be affected if the nails to do offer support.

This is very a interesting case -- so when you do bring your bunny to the vet, please be sure to update this thread. Whether it's genetic or not, it would just be educational and helpful for everyone.

They could be inverted too. I think a vet check is a great idea. They can get a real sense of what's going on and maybe an xray to know for sure.

He has had his nails cut several times before. This is just the first time his nails have been totally gone!

That is VERY strange, they can get torn off but he would have been bleeding each time one came off... when Ruby had torn one off it bled a lot. I would definitely take him to the vet and have them check it out!!

It's possible that his nails came off from a kind of injury in the night when you weren't there, and healed by the time you saw him again. There may be an aberration in his growth that made them not grow back. Whatever the cause, I think it is a very good idea to get a general check up with the vet. If it was an injury, the vet will be able to see if it's a healed wound, and if it's genetic, the vet will be very interested to learn about it. It needs to be noted so if he gets ill in the future, you have a record of this and when. Since it's been a while since he was examined, it's a good idea to get a clean bill of health otherwise.