Suitable bed for bunny with sore hocks

I've got my friend's house rabbits to stay again. The large doe unfortunately arrived with sore hocks - she's had them before and they were healed. My friend thinks this is because she didn't keep her toenails short enough the couple of weeks before she came.

They are kept on vinyl with a litter tray filled with hay- it's all kept spotlessly clean. She's a big, solid bunny, but only a couple of years old and is not overweight. They're in a puppy pen and get out quite a bit at home, and I've tried to give them an hour's run a day while they've been here.

The problem is that any attempt to give her a soft bed causes problems.

She's normally given a piece of fleece, or at the moment she has one of my old fleece jumpers, to sit on. She merrily destroys this and we are concerned about how much she is injesting.

I bought her a lovely bumble pad from Hammocky Hammocks which she loved, but unfortunately it is lined with quite fibrous material and she ripped it open in a few hours flat. So it had to be removed.

I tried a low box filled with hay but sadly they both cheerfully used it as a second litter tray.

Can anyone think of a soft bed that would be safer to destroy than fleece and wouldn't be mistaken for a litter tray? She's healing up well but is obviously going to need a soft bed permanently.

Paula

What about shredded paper?

If not, I put my lot on an old duvet when Inky had a broken toe and was indoors.

Alternately, I'm sure someone said they took the stuffing out of the cushion and filled it with hay, if that makes sense?

An old cotton pillowcase stuffed with hay might do the trick. Best thing of of all is to put her out on grass during daylight hours if that's possible.

A cardboard box filled with this

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=63&pf_id=3160

Janex

Vet bed?
http://www.petlifeonline.co.uk/Store/Dogs/Bedding/Vetbed-Original-Vet-Bed-Pet-Bedding

Thanks for the replies. I'm a little nervous of any kind of fluffy bedding or even vet bed because I know that they can get intestinal blockages and I worry that it's so fibrous and indigestible. I suspect shredded paper woudl be too close to a litter tray but might be worth a try. The pillowcase with hay sounds like a possibility as I suspect that she wouldn't eat cotton, just tear it up.

They're out on the lawn at the moment - but amazingly they are really unimpressed with being outside. I've had them out a fair bit this week although my pen isn't big enough really. Sadly we're in fox country and I had a sick fox living in the garden a few weeks back and coming out by day so they can't go out unless someone is physically out there with them.

Mind you now they're healting she's not really sitting on her fleece today which is frustrating as they won't heal completely if she doesn't stay on the soft stuff.

I've clipped her toenails again but the quicks are quite long so it's not easy to get them short enough.

She's going home tommorow so I'm pleased that they've improved while I've had her. With luck and care it won't come back again.

Paula

Floss says "What's this? - ooooh look I can rip a hole in it and there's hay!"

:lol: :lol: perhaps it's the name that causes the naughtiness...my Floss is exactly the same!