Bun Chewing on Bedding

[EdieRabbit]

I have a problem...Edie Rabbit likes to chew fabric. I gave her a towel and she tried ripping it to shreads. I saw the unraveled threads and immediately took it from her. Then I gave her a pad made of microfiber. It was fine for about a week and then I noticed that she started shredding that, too, so out thepen it went.

I also gave her one of those cat tunnels, which she would chew, rotate it, chew, rotate it,and chew somemore. So I took that away from her last night.Poor bun is sleeping on a hardgarage surface with no way to get comfortable. I don't know what to do? Is there anythingsoft that she can have that won't hurt her if she decides to turn it into a bunny snack? I don't know that she is swallowing whatshe is chewing, but it doesscare me that she might.

Thanks in advance...Owner of one hungry bun!:happybunny:

 

[tundrakatiebean]

Wash does the same thing! He's a freak for fabric... when he had sore hocks I had to put blankets under his cage and he chewed through 3 blankets :grumpy:Right now I have a mat made to put under exercize bikes under his cage and I made little flat pillows to put on his shelfs. It's just a half inch of quilt batting with ties in the corners so that he can't pull it down. If you tie it down they can't get to a corner to start chewing...

I'll try and take a picture for you when I get home if you're intereasted.

 

[maherwoman]

One thing I've noticed about a few of my buns...I've given them soft things to lay on, and they actually PREFER to lay on the bare floor. I've never felt bad for them not having towels (because more often than not, those were the same ones that would eat or pee on anything fabric).

Take Fiver, for instance. He has this little piece of fleecey type material that he loves as a friend...bathes him and such...but he doesn't lay on it...he lays NEXT to it, on the bare floor:

:biggrin2:

 

[EdieRabbit]

tundrakatiebean wrote:

I'll try and take a picture for you when I get home if you're intereasted.

Yes, please send pics!:camera I would love to see what you have done! Thanks a bunch!!!

~Sandy :biggrin2:

 

[EdieRabbit]

Ohhhh....he is soooo cute! He loves his blankie! I wouldn't worry so much about giving Edie comfy bedding, except I worry about her getting sore hocks.

 

[maherwoman]

Oh! Has she had sore hocks before?

(Want me to take out your double post?)

 

[EdieRabbit]

No, but I keep reading lots of posts about it, so I worry...I worry too much...yes, please remove my second post! Thanks!

 

[maherwoman]

Oh! Hehe...

I get it...well, let me tell ya somethin'...

I have five buns...and they all have plain pegboard for flooring, and I've NEVER had a case of sore hocks. The times that buns usually get sore hocks is when they walk on wire flooring. So, as long as you don't have that going on, she'll be fine...not to mention, even if you DO have that going on, you can get pegboard from any home improvement store and get it nice and inexpensively (8' x 4' sheets are $10 by me), and most places will cut them to the size you need in the store for free.

But...if you've already got something as flooring that's not just plain wiring, they should be just fine.

Another thought: why not get them some grass mats? That would serve the same purpose, be nice and cushy-ish, and if they eat them, it's totally fine!

 

[EdieRabbit]

maherwoman wrote:

But...if you've already got something as flooring that's not just plain wiring, they should be just fine.

Oh...that is good to know! I have her in an X-Large Marshall playpen out in my garage. I bought the floor matt for it, too. So, pretty much, she is on concrete with a vinyl cover. Is that okay? I don't have a cage for her, b/c I don't have the heart to put her in something that small. She is a BIG bunny...9.8 lbs...bigger than twoof my cats!

:bunnybutt:

 

[maherwoman]

That's about the size of my Trixie, and she's on just straight pegboard, no cushioning whatsoever. I think what you have is wonderful...to my understanding, straight wires are what's bad for bun feet and gives them sore hocks. So, I think your girl will be just fine.

Not to mention, Trixie's not just on straight pegboard, we also have hardwood floors that were basically put in right over concrete, no padding at all...and we've not had a single problem with Trixie's feet.

And again, if you're worried, you can get her grass mats to put on her floor...she'll probably chew the heck outta them, but she'll have LOADS of fun.

 

[EdieRabbit]

maherwoman wrote:

And again, if you're worried, you can get her grass mats to put on her floor...she'll probably chew the heck outta them, but she'll have LOADS of fun.

Ooooohhhhh...I LOVE buying bunny toys! I'll have to get one straight away. I buy those grass balls with the bell in the middle and she devours those. It is sooooo funny!:bunnydance: Quite a nibbler!

 

[tundrakatiebean]

I think I should clarify about Wash's sore hocks a little. He got sore hocks because he was on bare wood (we think he might have been getting tiny splinters) I thought it was fine because I'd heard that wire was the big no-no. I put blankets down while he was healing because he had no fur on an area of his foot, so he had no cushioning. After he healed, I just changed the flooring to something he couldn't destroy and his sorehocks haven't come back yet... Keep in mind that peg board is not the same thing as bare wood!

I'll try and take a picture of the pillow a little later for you

 

[EdieRabbit]

tundrakatiebean wrote:

I think I should clarify about Wash's sore hocks a little. He got sore hocks because he was on bare wood (we think he might have been getting tiny splinters) I thought it was fine because I'd heard that wire was the big no-no. I put blankets down while he was healing because he had no fur on an area of his foot, so he had no cushioning. After he healed, I just changed the flooring to something he couldn't destroy and his sorehocks haven't come back yet... Keep in mind that peg board is not the same thing as bare wood!

I'll try and take a picture of the pillow a little later for you

Thanks for clarifying that. I'm not so worried now. Yes, I would still like to see your pillow...Edie looks positively depressed sinceI took away her pad...dunno if it is b/c she misses laying on it or misses chewing on it, though. :biggrin2: