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Rabbits & staying at home

TheThreeB's

TheThreeB's

Mama Doe
Hi all,

I've been thinking a lot about the fact that I often avoid going out because I want to be able to check on the bunnies.

Tbh I don't go out an awful lot and I'm here during the day anyway, by choice. But usually if we want to do something as a family, we end up with someone staying behind to keep an eye on them.

I'm worried that they could escape mainly or that they might hurt themselves or be ill, the usual. But it definitely does impact on what we do and when.

Do others find this?

Thanks x
 
Yes, definitely! I live alone and have no-one near to watch/feed them if I go out for long periods, or go away from home. My ex will come across to feed them in emergencies, (like my days with FHB!) but I wouldn't trust him to notice if anything was wrong, like stasis. It's a tricky situation isn't it?
 
I had this a lot when I first started out - I'd go to the gym for an hour and be convinced that I'd come home to find a horribly mangled bunny who'd died in horrific circumstances. But I'm getting better now, and I don't tend to worry - I know Monty's routine, I know there are no rabbit traps or things he can injure himself on/eat that he shouldn't/etc. My main concern nowadays is that I'll come back to find the bed covered in urine!
 
I work full time so I have no choice, but I've used up a lot of my holiday days when I've decided that something didn't seem quite right and I wanted to stay at home to keep an eye on them.
 
I used to be like this but OH helps to push me to go out. With just me and him we can't leave someone behind to keep an eye. Mainly as I struggle to go out by myself. No one local we know or trust can come look after them if we go away for a night so we don't do that at all.
We have two cameras set up, one front room and one in their bedroom so we can check on them quickly if we're out and worried.
We tend to only be out for a few hours at a time and often pop back to check up on them. Both work but I don't have issue leaving them home when we go to work.

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No: we both work and although I don't work all week, I have work to do which means I can't be distracted (they're asleep most of the day anyway XD). Being outside is a bit 'out of sight, out of mind' (but not in a neglected way!), but then again I don't have the relationship with them a lot of people on here do: I've got them to make their lives better, not mine really! :)

I only worry if we're leaving them more than 24hrs: even if I'm leaving them for a while (I do holidays/travel, Matt doesn't!), I know Matt does a great job :D They're young, fit bunnies who've proved they can't get out of their current enclosure (provided WE'VE done everything right! :lol:). Also they're happy with each other's company :thumb:

If they were indoors or elderly or had a chronic illness I'm sure it'd be different :) But I doubt that would stop us going out to e.g. boardgaming all day on a Sunday, or roleplaying on a Thursday night!
 
I wont leave my Rabbits unchecked for more than a couple of hours :oops: It's just as well that I have an awful sleep pattern as I check on them throughout the night too :oops: I know that I am being totally OTT and neurotic about it all though. I am sure it is not a 'normal' way to be but there isn't anything about my life or about me that is 'normal' !

Last holiday I had was in 1994. 4 years before I started to keep Rabbits x
 
My whole entire life revolves around rabbits and medication and everything else has to fit in with it (this includes two jobs, my finances, my evening and morning routines, my bedtime and time I get up, my voluntary role, my training, CPD, where I live, whether or not I can date, pretty much everything).

I love my rabbits dearly, but they have FAR outlived their life expectancies (the longest by 7 years and the shortest by 3 years), and I got my life ready for not having them and I now have my new life and they are still here and it makes things incredibly difficult. However, they still come first and I never begrudge the things I miss or can't do because they are here. It will be easier and very different when they are gone, but I will also have lost my only friends, so whilst a whole world of freedom opens up, so will a whole load of deeper and more painful loneliness.

They cause me so much anxiety and whilst I can't imagine never having rabbits, I'm not sure I can face it again.

For now, they will continue to be as staple in my life as sleep, and they will continue to come first, before everything and everyone else.
 
Oh yes, I can really relate to this. I get awful anxiety if I'm out of the house for any length of time, which tbh, isn't that often. Treacle bun is indoors, and tends to nap most of the day, don't think she really notices if I'm out :roll: My housecat George, on the other hand, has terrible separation anxiety, he won't eat or drink if I'm not there, and is usually sitting in the hall looking at the front door when I get in, right where I left him ! It is a real tie, but they are my world so wouldn't have it any other way. I guess it's a lot easier for me than some folks on here, I am retired so don't have to be out, just makes visiting family very difficult :?
 
I live alone and work more than one job so my fur family are used to being left for long periods of time. I do shifts so they have no routine but seem to have adapted as they know no different. I do stress about leaving them overnight and have only just started going away for a couple of days. When I had 11 bunnies, with elderly buns and/or those that were poorly I wouldn't leave them overnight, apart from the couple of occasions where I was in hospital and had no choice and I was very fortunate then to have RU members who took care of them for me.

I will only go to visit Mrs Bunnykins for one night because of the animals but she has said I can take the buns and piggies with me, so that could be a solution, depending on how well they travel. The buns have all been adopted from BARC so have all had a long journey to reach me in the first place. I am much happier about leaving my cats for someone else to feed - it is the bunnies who really stress me out as they get sick so quickly. Having said that, I have to work and just hope they will be OK.
 
I'm also anxious about leaving them for long periods of time. When I used to go into the office I'd be away at work for at least eight hours, plus the commute which would add on another hour and a half each way, making it around 10 or eleven hours they'd be alone during the week. I always used to be convinced they'd go into stasis as soon as I left for work and they'd be really poorly by the time I got home.

Now I work from home full time I feel so much better about things as they're no longer left for long periods of time. I also feel more comfortable about going out in the evenings again. Before I had the bunnies I used to go out a lot after work a lot and not come back until late in the evening. Then I stopped doing that as I couldn't leave them for such a long period of time.



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catherine09 said:
Id be happy to look after your lot Karen if you wanted to spend longer at Di's :wave:

Just shout if you ever need me
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My fur babies loved staying with you - they didn't want to come home - but, as always, finances are a problem. I'm trying to access a pension to get the hole in my roof fixed but it is proving problematic and time consuming. I am entitled to it legally as I am over 55 but finding a financial advisor who is able to process the relevant paperwork is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack!!!!

Thank you though.
 
I guess it depends on your set up and stuff. When no one is in the house my rabbits are kept in a large secure cage inside so no risk of them escaping. I think if they were prone to stasis or something I would feel nervous about leaving them but they don't stop me living life. With me and my partner being students one of us is almost always home, but if we need to visit family then we will leave them for a night with a CCTV camera set up so we can see the rabbits and their hay/water levels. The camera moves too so you can get a good view of them, if anything was wrong we'd rush straight back but they've always been fine and never run out of their hay or water. If I'm going to see family for more than one night then I take them on the train with me and I have spare food, bedding, hay etc. At home.Maybe have a look in to CCTV camera's, mine is a camnoopy one and was pretty cheap, you just download an app and you can view the footage wherever you are, there's even two way audio if you want to talk to them (or scare the life out of any people staying in the house :lol: ).
 
*sigh*

One or two days, or even a weekend are ok, there's another rabbit breeder down the road, a somewhat special 70yo guy, who will feed my rabbits.

But any longer is difficult, 2 years ago I went to the USA for 10 days over christmas, the plan was that a friend of mine, my former neighbour, would come with her dog and stay at my house while I'm away, but she got sick (always a problem because of underlaying heart problems) and had to leave, so the two other rabbit breeders in my street took over. The old guys bike was stolen while he fed my rabbits (we have a problem with bulgarien, rumanian and hungarien thiefs coming here, grabbing what they can and leave - there's no risk for them here, compared to where they come from). The other breeder, a very nice woman, came to find one hutch ripped open by a fox and 4 rabbits missing, worst thing that can happen when you care for someone elses animals...

I'm really, really wary to ever ask for help again. :(
 
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Oh gosh Preitler that is really sad I'm so sorry :(

I am scared of leaving them too. Mostly it was a learned behaviour as before I got like it, and if when we did have a rare full day out like the time we spent a fortune on Olympics tickets, & had a great day, we came home to find our late bunny Frankie with bloat and had to race to the emergency vet. Or the time me & OH had a night out to a concert, the kids were staying at my parents and we can home to find Frankie again with a severe case of diarrhoea. I used to feel my stomach churn on the last road before we got to ours thinking what we would come home too. I've mostly managed to shake off that feeling now but do find myself saying we need to get back for the rabbits quite often! Especially if the weather is warm. I've even came home from events and gone back again just to check on them before.
 
I'm already panicking about pending 2 day, 1 night trip away. The last time I had more than 1 night away I left my bunny an extra night at the vets (when FHB was still there) about 7 years ago. Before that I would go away for a week or 2 once or twice a year - rather than aspire to doing that again I beat myself up about what did or could have happened under the care of holiday sitters. I'd rather be a little less mental about it all. I can cope with leaving them for a working day. Anyhow I'm waffling....

short answer: you're not alone ;)
 
I don't go anywhere anymore :( Mine have had various health issues over the last year and I've had to cancel so many plans because one of them has been poorly. I was meant to be going for a meal/theatre last month, half way through the meal I got a frantic phonecall from my o/h telling me to meet him at the vets. I missed the show and had to leave my poor friend to see it on her own... I'm also considering cancelling my 30th Birthday cruise next year because I'm too worried that something will happen when I'm away. They have made me very anxious. I've even asked my o/h If I can work less so that I can keep a closer eye on them... It's probably not healthy but I can't help how I feel. The first thing that I do when I walk through the door is check that they are eating. I'd never forgive myself if I did relax and something went wrong though :/ They are my life!
 
DemiS said:
I guess it depends on your set up and stuff. When no one is in the house my rabbits are kept in a large secure cage inside so no risk of them escaping. I think if they were prone to stasis or something I would feel nervous about leaving them but they don't stop me living life. With me and my partner being students one of us is almost always home, but if we need to visit family then we will leave them for a night with a CCTV camera set up so we can see the rabbits and their hay/water levels. The camera moves too so you can get a good view of them, if anything was wrong we'd rush straight back but they've always been fine and never run out of their hay or water. If I'm going to see family for more than one night then I take them on the train with me and I have spare food, bedding, hay etc. At home.Maybe have a look in to CCTV camera's, mine is a camnoopy one and was pretty cheap, you just download an app and you can view the footage wherever you are, there's even two way audio if you want to talk to them (or scare the life out of any people staying in the house :lol: ).
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I think usually there's a way to fix things like with the set up and with CCTV. I think it's only healthy to be able to have a life around your pets, like I love catering to mine but I also want to be able to do my own thing too. :)

I do understand though because sometimes I can't go anywhere, much less vacation, because of my pets like lately it's been because of two of my ducks fighting so I have to keep an eye on them. I need to fix my set up so that I can separate them if need be and also have CCTV. I did get an outdoor webcam but then there was complications of setting it up with our internet connection not reaching that far or something. My parents also are like this with worrying about what the cats and dogs are up to when they're out if no one else is home.
 
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