Leaving Instructions for Holiday Care

I'm going on holiday in two weeks time and I've started to think about Stephen's holiday.
He's booked into a cattery, it's not the best place (nowhere is going to be as good as you want it to be really is it - especially for a free range bunny) but we can't leave him at home or with friends as we'll be gone almost 2 weeks.

Anyway, I've written out some instructions to look after him and included:

• Instructions on feeding pellets
• Information about hay and treats
• Water bowl rather than bottle
• Vegetables he likes
• Vegetables to avoid
• Vaccination status
• Vet information
• Information about his eye (blocked tear duct)
• Forage food he likes (in case they have any in their garden)
• Grooming information

I also included a little bit of information about the set up he has at home, and that I'd like him to be out of his hutch as much as possible as he isn't used to being confined. The OH thinks I'm being a bit over the top leaving so much information (it's about 1 side of A4) and that the cattery lady will be offended because I think she doesn't know anything about rabbits, but she doesn't know Stephen, or how he's fed, or what he likes, or how he behaves normally etc and it is a cattery and not a bunny boarders so I don't think I'm being over the top at all.

I was also thinking about what sort of stuff he should have with him:

• Pellets
• Hay
• Treats
• Toys - willow ball/ baby rattle
• Teddy bear
• Blanket
• Water bowl

Is that too much stuff?

I just want to make sure he's cared for properly. I haven't been away from him for more than 2 days in the year I've had him and learning more about bunnies and how quickly they can go downhill, how delicate their tummies are etc I just want him to be ok.

Am I being a bit OTT?

:?

i don't think you're being 'ott'!
You want the best for your bunny, and the care provider should be able to provide this while you're away!
I'm sure they'd much rather have instructions than have to guess!

It's not OTT at all - we went away for 4 days and I left 3 A4 sheets of instructions about my two - they stayed at home in their shed, and our landlady / friend went in twice a day to see to them.

I left the insurance number just incase, and two numbers of friends incase she wasn't sure of anything (but I did this cos shes not a bunny person).

What about giving him something that smells of you? I wore old pjs and then left the pjs in their shed (so they felt safe and could still smell me when Karen went in).

Give as much info as needed to make you relax (altho I know its hard, I couldn't relax :roll: ).

Just remember, you're not the only one who will leave this much info

I leave that much info for our petsitter every time she comes! I wouldn't want to assume she can remember the specifics of my bunnies amonst all the pets she deals with. And also - things change.

Better that they have too much info IMO than that they are left guessing what to do and get it wrong!

Rupert & Tia said:

It's not OTT at all - we went away for 4 days and I left 3 A4 sheets of instructions about my two - they stayed at home in their shed, and our landlady / friend went in twice a day to see to them.

I left the insurance number just incase, and two numbers of friends incase she wasn't sure of anything (but I did this cos shes not a bunny person).

What about giving him something that smells of you? I wore old pjs and then left the pjs in their shed (so they felt safe and could still smell me when Karen went in).

Give as much info as needed to make you relax (altho I know its hard, I couldn't relax :roll: ).

Just remember, you're not the only one who will leave this much info

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Thanks I've included his policy number, who it's with etc and which vets her normally goes to. She's insured as a business as well though.
His teddy bear will smell of me, he has a couple, they're both mine and he has one and I sleep with the other one (yes... I still sleep with a teddy bear :lol so they always smell like me

I don't think I'm going to be able to relax, this is his first holiday, I'm just panicking. He's never been outside, and I'm worried he's not going to be litter trained when he gets back. :? I hope he'll be ok.

I actually took pictures of how many pellets in their dish, how much litter and hay in the litter tray etc. and inserted these into a word document so it was a step by step pictorial giude of what to do when we were away. That might have been over the top

That's not OTT it just shows you care and love him

Not OTT, I would be the same.

I wouldn't leave him with someone that wasn't bunny savvy though, especially since he is going to be away from home.

You need to be confident with who you are leaving your pets with.

Our neighbour sorts out our 4 cats, 2 rabbits, 3 goldfish when we go away. We get together in January with our diarys and sort our pet care. She has 2 dogs which go away with the and then a cat that stays at home.

I leave 'War & Peace' for her every holiday, everyones likes and dislikes, what to feed to who and when, where the cats hide. I leave a number for the vet and I leave a letter for the vet giving permission for them to make decisions on my behalf and that I will pay any bill on my return.

the only thing I have ever had was I mis counted the tablets one of the cats needed and my neighbour had to go and collect some, she insisted on paying the vet and I just paid her on our return.

By doing all this I feel more confident in leaving my animals. My hubby just shakes his head at me

RedFraggle said:

I actually took pictures of how many pellets in their dish, how much litter and hay in the litter tray etc. and inserted these into a word document so it was a step by step pictorial giude of what to do when we were away. That might have been over the top

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:lol: Maybe a little bit, but it's now something I am considering doing!! :lol:

FudgeTort said:

Not OTT, I would be the same.

I wouldn't leave him with someone that wasn't bunny savvy though, especially since he is going to be away from home.

You need to be confident with who you are leaving your pets with.

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The place he is staying has been recommended by bunny friends and to be fair she did seem to know a fair bit about rabbit care when I went to have a look around, I just compare everywhere to here and obviously nowhere is he going to be able to run around someone's front room completely free range, as an only pet with almost constant attention.

I'm not going to be confident and happy wherever I leave him at the moment, I went to several places before here and she was the best out of the lot.

I do think I was OTT but pictures make it very clear how something is done an I felt it would eliminate any chance of error, particularly where food was concerned. I am a bit daft, but it made me feel happier.

That sounds ok to me we always tell customers to bring their bunnies favourite toys, or blanket anything they want with them that makes their bunnies feel at home. Some bring their bunnies grooming brushes so I can brush them which is a good idea

RedFraggle said:

I do think I was OTT but pictures make it very clear how something is done an I felt it would eliminate any chance of error, particularly where food was concerned. I am a bit daft, but it made me feel happier.

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And there's nothing wrong with that! I would do it but I don't have a printer so wouldn't be able to print the pictures out :lol: maybe I'll do a demonstration and set his hutch up for her when I get there

Tuckerbunnies said:

That sounds ok to me we always tell customers to bring their bunnies favourite toys, or blanket anything they want with them that makes their bunnies feel at home. Some bring their bunnies grooming brushes so I can brush them which is a good idea

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:thumb: Thank you. I don't have a brush for Stephen, still deciding what would be best but I think I need one, I don't remember having this much extra fluff last year!!

Ah well to answer your question no it doesn't seem OTT at all and as long as you are confident with them (as much as you can be) then that's great.
Enjoy your holiday.

Cari said:

:thumb: Thank you. I don't have a brush for Stephen, still deciding what would be best but I think I need one, I don't remember having this much extra fluff last year!!

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If your rabbit is a normal dutch rabbit it is unlikely that you need to invest in grooming equipment, when rabbits have a normal moult it is often easier to groom them with a pair of wet hands, the loose fur will stick to your hands which is easy to get rid of.

FudgeTort said:

Ah well to answer your question no it doesn't seem OTT at all and as long as you are confident with them (as much as you can be) then that's great.
Enjoy your holiday.

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Thank you

janice said:

If your rabbit is a normal dutch rabbit it is unlikely that you need to invest in grooming equipment, when rabbits have a normal moult it is often easier to groom them with a pair of wet hands, the loose fur will stick to your hands which is easy to get rid of.

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He is a normal dutch rabbit as far as I am aware, he definitely looks like one :lol: I didn't think I would but he must have moulted before I got him last year as I don't ever remember being able to pull clumps off fluff out of his fur! Never had to deal with a rabbit moult before. I'll definitely try that tomorrow though, thank you

I left 2 sides of A4 for my Dad. I was only away for 1 night :lol: I also put the pellets into 2 plastic cups for him; one for dinner time before bed, and one for breakfast in the morning!

helennnnnn said:

I left 2 sides of A4 for my Dad. I was only away for 1 night :lol: I also put the pellets into 2 plastic cups for him; one for dinner time before bed, and one for breakfast in the morning!

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I did this for my OH when I went away, as well as making up 6 litter trays so all he had to do was take out the dirty one and put a clean one in :lol:.

helennnnnn said:

I left 2 sides of A4 for my Dad. I was only away for 1 night :lol: I also put the pellets into 2 plastic cups for him; one for dinner time before bed, and one for breakfast in the morning!

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:lol: I don't feel so bad now!! I can't do that but I have measured out all of his food already (he's not going until September....) and I know roughly how much should be left in the box when I get back so if it's wrong I know she's fed him wrong. That sounds like I'm testing her, I'm not really, I just don't want him being overfed so I have only put in just over the amount of food he should have so she can't overfeed him.

AnnieElms said:

I did this for my OH when I went away, as well as making up 6 litter trays so all he had to do was take out the dirty one and put a clean one in :lol:.

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:lol: well as this is a cattery I think she's in the wrong job if she doesn't want to clean out litter trays!!!

RedFraggle said:

I actually took pictures of how many pellets in their dish, how much litter and hay in the litter tray etc. and inserted these into a word document so it was a step by step pictorial giude of what to do when we were away. That might have been over the top

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I printed out pics and pinned them on the wall I had pics of how much veg to feed and a step by step guide on how to put panacur between two basil leaves I only took them down recently as they'd got a bit tatty. I had instructions on how to care for every animal, printed out and in plastic wallets, stuck around the walls of the utility room

Glad I'm not the only nutter here! :thumb: :lol: