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When you put your rabbit in boarding...

nessar

Warren Veteran
When you put your rabbit in boarding, do they have exactly the same diet as at home?

I dont mean just pellets, but hays, apple sticks, treats etc as well....

Annabelle gets daily:
1-2 handfuls of readigrass
1-2 handfuls treat hay
normal hay
half a handful of fibafirst
1 fenugreek crunchie, 1 other treat
3 apple sticks
small amount of greens/veg/fruit
few bits of dried herbs
1 scoop profibre pellets
a pinch of multivit powder, an echinacea tablet, a pinch of bisolvon

Barney gets the same as above, plus:
a handful of junior pellets
more greens/veg/fruit
and as soon as I can choose which one, an omega oil

I never really thought about it, but my rabbits' diet is quite complex. Barney in particular needs the extra food to keep his weight up, and needs to be separated from Anna for about half hour every day whilst he eats it. Both can be a bit fussy with hay too, so the treat hays and readigrass keep their fibre-nomming up, as do the apple sticks.

I dont know what to do about boarding, obviously I have to get them on a simpler diet, they are going to be boarding at a rescue and the lady isnt going to have time to do all that. They also may be on medication by then, which will be more work for her. Plus, the boarding place provides SS pellets, veg/greens and baled meadow hay - anything else I'm going to have to take with me on the train for 5 hours, and take a month's worth of it too. I'm gonna swap their fibafirst pellets to SS for this reason, but I cant take all the rest of this stuff with me, as well as toys, a tunnel etc.

How much do I need to simplify this, realistically? And what should I cut out?
 
I tell those who bring me their buns that I will keep their diet and routine as similar as possible to their usual, I see it as my job. I wouldn't be put off but I understand that you feel you don't want to add a burden to someone who is busy. What about asking her if she would be happy to follow your usual diet or if it is too much to cope with.

If you are thinking of things to cut out, the apple sticks could be reduced, treat hay isn't really necessary if they easy the normal things and maybe you could make a small tub of the three powders mixed together with a teaspoon measure. Its hard because you obviously give it all for a reason.
 
I don't think the above list is ridiculously big in itself, I think a boarder would be happy to accommodate. As long as each type of pellet is in seperate boxes and labelled, it should be relatively easy. Apple sticks are easy to give to the buns too. I guess it depends how many times a day they'd need to seperate them to eat?

I'd say forget the fenugreek and other treat, they're not 'necessary' and it'd be too easy for them to feed too much. Plus it's just an extra complication.

If you group them up, like the dried herbs with the treat hay and readigrass, that's a lot easier I think? I'd personally drop the dried herbs too, just an extra complication in boarding.

How important is vitamin powder and how do you give it? Same with the echinacea and bisolvon?
 
I think she would agree to it because she is so nice, but I dont want to burden her more with what are already going to be pretty needy guests what with their snuffles and B's need to be fed separately.

The herbs, profibre pellets, vitamin powder and echinacea is part of my vets plan to try and support their immune system instead of pumping them full of antibiotics, in order to help them with their snuffles. Barney gets a pinch of bislovon and a spoon of vitamin powder sprinkled on his junior pellets in a bowl, Annabella will be having the same when I move her onto SS (fibafirst sticks are too big for this) but at the moment I rub it onto her treats and veg. They just eat the echinacea tablet if you put it in front of them or in their bowls. I dont think the herbs are that important though so will drop them.

They just need to be separated for about half hour once a day, but sometimes B takes longer or decides to have a nap in between eating his pellets. Oooh I just thought, she could just lock him in his carrier for this , that would be easier than having to find somewhere to put him or supervising him.

Hmm yes I think I'll drop the herbs, treats and treat hays, I do worry that they wont eat enough hay though.
 
I would hope so, the only time I boarded mine the lady fed them spinach (never had before) and Mae almost died from a bad case of bloat :cry:
 
Mine are going to boarding for the first time in a 3 weeks and the lady is lovely...i dont think anything would be too much :) she just wants them to be happy and is grateful that there are owners who take the care etc...

ETA I have to fill in a form and she knows that mine dont have veg so is providing fresh herbs daily for them :) I will send apple sticks, pellets, fen crunchies etc with them.
 
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I always try to keep bunnies' food and feeding routine to their normal routine and diet at home.

Never had any problems.
 
I have a form for people to fill in so I can stick to their routine as much as is possible, I also ask if their bun has any foods they can't eat as I give a mix of veg/herbs etc.
 
I'm the same, I take nearly EVERYTHING XMissySJx will tell you :lol: I take their fresh food and new bags of parsley etc as well as bags of hay they are used to. The first few times I wrote everything down about their typical routine, what they eat, when, how much and their different personalities etc. The last time, I went to a new boarder (as S-J has finished :cry:), I even took their hay basket and a wooden shelter as well :lol: my car was packed!! So Im afraid I cant offer any advice as I havent figured how to cut down myself!!
 
Doughnut is boarding for the first time in September, she doesn't have veg but herbs, pellets and hay and bramble leaves so a lot simpler than yours. Could you sort out as much as possible into bags for days of the week rather than individual items i.e. pellets, crunchie etc. Just put a handful of readigrass, treat hay, fibrefirst, dried herbs etc for Monday, another bag for Tuesday etc. That way it may be easier for the woman to keep track of what she's giving and just leave out which you don't think is essential.
 
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