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Boarding or Pet Sitter?

ZoePD

Warren Scout
In the summer, I'm going to be going on holiday for 2 weeks and I'm thinking about what to do with the bunnies. They're house bunnies and are used to 2 big rooms to run around in.

What would be better, a pet sitter or a boarder?

Getting a pet sitter would mean that the bunnies would be in the same environment and wouldn't have to be moved to a new place which could be stressful (though they didn't seem to mind this at all when I took them home for the first time). But pet sitting does mean that they won't be given a lot of attention during the day and if something happened to them, the pet sitter wouldn't know untill they came in.

A boarder could potentially be more stressful and they would be confined to a smaller space than usual apart from when allowed in a big run or a room supervised. But boarding does mean that they would be given more attention and they would be checked up on more often so if they became ill, they could be seen to more quickly. Their feeding schedule would be easier for a boarder to stick to aswell because a sitter would have to see the rabbits early in the morning (7am) and in the evening too (7pm).

I might be going to see a couple of boarders tomorrow to see what their accomodation is like.

I don't really have any friends who have experience with rabbits so I wouldn't really trust them to look after them when I'm away.

What do you think would be the best option for two mini lop house bunnies? I also have two hamsters so those would have to be looked after too! Thanks :D x
 
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When we went away for a weekend we used a sitter, mostly because we were having trouble finding a boarder that had suitable accommodation (one who offered a 'fairly large rabbit cage' turned out to have a 3ftx2ft more suitable for a hamster :shock:). I'd say go and have a look at the places, if they're bunny only and seem nice then it's not a bad option :thumb:
 
When we went away for a weekend we used a sitter, mostly because we were having trouble finding a boarder that had suitable accommodation (one who offered a 'fairly large rabbit cage' turned out to have a 3ftx2ft more suitable for a hamster :shock:). I'd say go and have a look at the places, if they're bunny only and seem nice then it's not a bad option :thumb:

I'll go and look at some and that might help me decide. One of the places I have looked at only does smaller animals like bunnies, rodents and guinea pigs. No dogs or cats! :D x
 
I have 3 dogs and 10 rabbits, 2 indoor, 8 outdoor and always have a house sitter. I have tried some of the rabbits in boarding before, but a couple of them go into a serious sulk when moved and refused to eat, so now I always have a sitter. Saves me a lot of hassle moving them all, and the house is looked after too!
 
I have 3 dogs and 10 rabbits, 2 indoor, 8 outdoor and always have a house sitter. I have tried some of the rabbits in boarding before, but a couple of them go into a serious sulk when moved and refused to eat, so now I always have a sitter. Saves me a lot of hassle moving them all, and the house is looked after too!

I'll maybe see how they react and decide. They didn't seem to be affected at all when I took them home for the first time but we'll see! Thanks for your help. :D x

See if they'll do a job lot, pay for 2 bunnies and get 2 hamsters free :lol:

lol. I think one of them has an offer of getting every seventh day free but nothing to do with boarding hammies for free! :lol: x
 
I have a pet sitter come to mine. I've just been away for a week, and I have used the company before for weekends away.
They are fab, come twice a day and follow my instructions to the letter and leave a note for me everytime they've been to say what they've done and how the bunnies were. They've cleaned them out for me and I don't even think the bunnies know I've been away!
I have 3 rabbits - a single and a pair - and it's just so much easier for me as I don't have to take them anywhere or pick them up again, and it's less stressful for the bunnies as they get to stay in their own environment.
I'm not sure of the price difference between them, but I don't think it's that much.
And it was lovely to get back from my hols to have the bunnies here waiting for me.
 
I can't decide what to do with my two when we go away this summer. The dog goes to kennels because she loves it there, mums friend pops in and feeds the cats and hamster but the rabbits are much more delicate. A member here who I pet sit for has offered to be on hand if anything seems to be off but I can't decide if they should go and stay with a border just in case. Last time I boarded them Mae had bloat though :? if they stay inside over the summer I can watch them via my camera but dad wants them out :(
 
In my experience of doing both boarding and pet sitting, I would meet your prospective bunny carers first, ask as many questions as you like and gauge then if you which service you would prefer to use and obviously which would be best suited for your bunnies.


Every client has different needs and ideally any carer should try to meet them accordingly.


Best of luck.:thumb:
 
Have a look at the boarding services local to you. There are some with very impressive bunny set ups where they have a big pen all the time, heating etc. so it's not too big a change for a house rabbit as spending two weeks in a hutch.
 
Whereabouts in London are you? I've always had problems trying to find boarding near me. When I went on holiday in 2011 I had to take them all the way to Dagenham which was a nightmare, though the boarding itself was great. Last year they were closed when I was away so I had to find an alternative. Found one place in South London (I'm in North London) but they insisted on picking the buns up from me and I wouldn't have been able to see the place! A friend offered to look after them instead, for a price, and while I'm sure the buns were looked after well enough, my flat wasn't treated as respectfully as I would have liked and we fell out. This year I think maybe I won't go anywhere :(

Are you usually home with them all day? Are they sickly buns who are likely to be unwell? If they're normally healthy then it should be fine to have a pet sitter. My two are on their own all day as I work full time and are fine.

If you're anywhere near me I'd be happy to help out.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice. I'll have a look around and decide on what to do!

Whereabouts in London are you? I've always had problems trying to find boarding near me. When I went on holiday in 2011 I had to take them all the way to Dagenham which was a nightmare, though the boarding itself was great. Last year they were closed when I was away so I had to find an alternative. Found one place in South London (I'm in North London) but they insisted on picking the buns up from me and I wouldn't have been able to see the place! A friend offered to look after them instead, for a price, and while I'm sure the buns were looked after well enough, my flat wasn't treated as respectfully as I would have liked and we fell out. This year I think maybe I won't go anywhere :(

Are you usually home with them all day? Are they sickly buns who are likely to be unwell? If they're normally healthy then it should be fine to have a pet sitter. My two are on their own all day as I work full time and are fine.

If you're anywhere near me I'd be happy to help out.

I've had them for a just over a week now and they seem to be healthy bunnies! I have been with them most of the day because of the holiday but I'll be going back to school soon. My mum will be with them during the day sometimes but other than that, they'll be on their own. I do know of some boarders near me and will be visiting them soon, maybe even tomorrow.
And I live in SE London, Lewisham which is quite far away from you but thanks for the offer. :( x
 
Let me know if you do find a good boarder - Lewisham may not be near me but it's still nearer than Dagenham!
 
I found a boarder called Rabbit and Squeak and it looks quite good. It's the closest one to me and it was on the RWAF list of borders so I think it will be good. When I went to visit, it looked very good and clean and the women was talking to all the animals in that animal lover kind of way (if you know what I mean! :lol: ).

She also told me about one of the rabbits that was there when I was visiting:
Apparently, the owner had left the rabbit with their mum when they went on holiday. But the mum of the rabbit owner had a big dog that was getting a bit too close too the rabbit so the mum decided to move it outside in the shed even though it was a house rabbit. This caused the bunny to get really stressed and start pulling its hair out. The woman then decided to bring the bunny to the boarder where she took it in and gave it lots of attention. The bunny looked really healthy when I saw it so that reassured me that she would be a good boarder because she managed to bring this poor bunny back to good health!

And I get one hammy free. It's only £3.00 a day for a hamster anyway so it shouldn't be too bad! :) x
 
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