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How long have you left your buns for?

Mornin all!

This crimbo were going to my boyfys dads house (about 100+miles away), we'll probs be there for 2 days (xmas eve, xmas day and coming home boxing day mid-day).

Not sure what to do, shall I leave jessica and jasper with enough food etc - we've done this before, they live free range in the kitchen at night anyway, and its a fairly big kitchen and they have all their toys and bed in there.

I could bring them with - but its about a 2 hour car journey and with the 2 kids in the car there is litterally no room for them, also the house will be packed with boyfys sister and her 3 x kids. She also has a rabbit and a dog and a hamster, which she always brings (really annoys me that altho we have 2 x buns and 2 x cats - its us that have to trek all that way and she only lives 30 miles from their dad but still brings all her animals!). So if we bring them - they'll be very scared as it'll be a different environment - they'll be all cooped up in a cage all the time with 5 x screaming kids and a dog running around!

Now that I've written this down - its seems obvious that I should leave them in the kitchen for a couple of days - that sounds really mean - but they do have tonnes of toys and houses in there and they won't get bored.

How long have you left your buns for?
 
I've never left them for more than 8 hours without someone to check on them, when we go away my dad goes round everyday to feed and water the buns and generally check that all is ok, Rabbits health can go down hill very very quickly so they should never be left
 
Leaving the Buns

Hi,

We quite often go away for the weekend although since getting the Buns we have only done Sat morning to Sun evening trips away and so just left them lots of water and hay and fed them Sat morning and Sun night.

We are going to be away Fri morning to Sun in a few weeks so just going to ask the neighbour to pop in to feed and check on them on the Saturday.

For Xmas we are probably driving 2 hours to my parents for Fri evening to Sun evening visit and planning to take bunnies with us at the moment. They have a dog, but there won't be any children or too many people.

I just hope all the bunnies stuff - their big dog cage and run panels will fit into the car behind the front seats with the bunny carrier ok!

I think it is probably best they have someone check they are ok at some point each day.
 
When I go back 'home' to visit the folks, we generally go on Sat morning so I feed them then, leaving two water bottles, and get back Sun eve so feed and check on them then. I don't think I'd be happy leaving them any longer in case there are any probs with them.
 
I never leave them for more than 12 hours.

A friend of mine has parents living a similar distance away and she tales them with her and takes a big dog cage along too so that they'll have somewhere to run about in 8)
 
I think the problem is if you leave them more than one night, they will just eat all their food straight away, and then starve until your return.

A couple of weeks ago i was away from friday afternoon to sunday evening and so my friend popped over saturday to feed/water/check all was ok- but they'd eaten all their food both when my friend visited and when i got home and we'd both left them about 10 times their usual amount of pellets :shock: .

I think they just had a binge!

Im away again soon from a saturday morning to a sunday evening and am debating whether to get someone to pop in. For a while i thought of using one of those clockwork pet feeders as my cat has one, but have realised they'll just chew through it!
 
Hmm not really - all our friends live 80 x miles away. I could ask the neighbours, but they are rarely in at w/e's, I'll ask them if they having xmas at home.

Could I ask them to peer in through the kitchen window to check them, as they are likely to escape if they pop into the kitchen and don't want to burden them with catching them, esp as they won't be used to handling bunnies.

On second thoughts do you think I should take them with - or do you reckon its too much stress for them?
 
I was wondering about this too as I will be going to my parents for Chritmas day and might end up staying overnight. Think is my buns are outside and don't know what to do about covering them up overnight :? Don't really want to leave them covered for the whole day but it's too cold not to cover them at all.

I don't usually let them in the run overnight but maybe I could cover the run and the hutch for the time I'm away and leave them with the run of both :?
 
Ah, this is interesting - my OH and I had a similar conversation last night! A last minute change of plans means that we are now going to my parents in London for xmas. I can't decide whether to try and get Jacob into boarding (possibly too late for that now!) or take her with me. It's a two hour drive and she can go in her big indoor cage (plenty of room for that) but I do worry about stressing her out :( I think we might end up staying in Sheffield with her instead! :D

I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my bun for more than a day (i.e. 12hrs max) without checking on her and topping up her hay, pellets and water etc.

Could you get your rabbits booked into a small animal boarding small orange giraffe? Might be worth a try.
 
Morrigan1981 said:
Ah, this is interesting - my OH and I had a similar conversation last night! A last minute change of plans means that we are now going to my parents in London for xmas. I can't decide whether to try and get Jacob into boarding (possibly too late for that now!) or take her with me. It's a two hour drive and she can go in her big indoor cage (plenty of room for that) but I do worry about stressing her out :( I think we might end up staying in Sheffield with her instead! :D

I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my bun for more than a day (i.e. 12hrs max) without checking on her and topping up her hay, pellets and water etc.

Could you get your rabbits booked into a small animal boarding small orange giraffe? Might be worth a try.

Have you tried Bunnymadhouse on here? She rehomes & boards for BARC in Barnsley. They might have space?

I've left mine 20 hours before now, but I'm down to 12hours now, after finding a floppy bun just in time (She's fine now, but any longer... :shock: )
 
I've left mine 20 hours before now, but I'm down to 12hours now, after finding a floppy bun just in time

This is what I don't get - what difference does it make - is it that they don't have enough food? My buns will have plenty of space and each other for company, they aren't really cuddly buns - just very cuddly with each other, so I doubt they'll miss me too much as they rest during the day anyways, and only active in the evening. They'll have plenty of hay and water and veggies etc.

Having a neighbour look in on them (thru window) will put my mind to rest if they can see them running around etc.

I'm just wondering what they will need while I'm away, so that maybe I can do something about it?

Thinking about this is making me feel stressy - am I naughty for leaving my cats for that long too? They'll have lots of food and water and the catflap, They are quite old now so don't really do much but sleep all day!! Lazy kitties!
 
My personal opinion is that no-Bun should be left un-attended for more than 12 hours. I dont leave mine for more than 4 hours.
I know my life is 100% Bunnies and so maybe I have an unrealistic view.
But I could never leave my Bunnies alone for more than a few hours.
I think a reputable Boarder would be your best option.

Its not just the feeding and watering you need to consider. What if a Bun stopped eating. We all know how quickly a Bun can become very poorly.

Janex
 
Small orange giraffe said:
I've left mine 20 hours before now, but I'm down to 12hours now, after finding a floppy bun just in time

This is what I don't get - what difference does it make - is it that they don't have enough food? My buns will have plenty of space and each other for company, they aren't really cuddly buns - just very cuddly with each other, so I doubt they'll miss me too much as they rest during the day anyways, and only active in the evening. They'll have plenty of hay and water and veggies etc.

Having a neighbour look in on them (thru window) will put my mind to rest if they can see them running around etc.

I'm just wondering what they will need while I'm away, so that maybe I can do something about it?

Thinking about this is making me feel stressy - am I naughty for leaving my cats for that long too? They'll have lots of food and water and the catflap, They are quite old now so don't really do much but sleep all day!! Lazy kitties!

I think it a bit different with cats as they do not go downhill so quickly as rabbits.

Ive left my cat for 2 days before I had rabbits- with a clock work feeder so she gets her meals at the right times anyway. She also isnt greedy like my rabbits, so theres always food left when I get back.

She is locked in the whole time im away though as I want to know she is safe.
 
I would never leave my two house buns alone for longer than 8 hours without getting someone to check on them and feed/water them. However, everyone is different and Im not judging anyone before people get offended.

It's just that I have seen how quickly they can go downhill when they become ill. Also, my two are such pigs if i left them loads of food they would eat it in one go!!! I just don't think animals should be left alone... sorry :oops:
 
I honestly think we worry a bit too much, after all leaving them for 8 or 9 hours during the working day they could easily deteriorate in that time yet no one worries too much about that.

I allow my buns to have a bowl of food available and they don't pig it all at once, generally if I fill up in the morning there's enough left in the evening to last until the following morning. I kind of think it's a bit like me with chocolate, if I don't get much I binge on it when I do but if it's available I know it's always there so don't eat as much. I know many people don't agree with that but my buns are healthy and at a good weight. I also leave tons of hay and again it lasts them, the only concern I have is water as they have knocked off a bottle in the past so I leave them with 2 or 3 bottles just in case. When I check them in the evening I don't normally have to give them food, water or hay if they were topped up in the morning, I just check they're ok.

I suppose it comes down to the risk you want to take with your rabbits. For some people eg Jane leaving them for more than 4 hours is too much a risk, for others leaving them Fri-Sun is ok. I've only left them Sat - Sun and at Christmas I'm trying to find bunny boarding or someone to pop in and check on them. Realistically, to find a vets anyway on Christmas day and Boxing day would be fairly difficult if they did stop eating, well it would up here anyway.
 
I have a cat who is 19 so sleeps a lot and just goes out for a short while for loos and some fresh air but saying that I wouldnt leave her on her own for longer than going out say on a saturday evening and returning sunday morning coz well you never know what might happen. I think 2 days is too long without someone coming to check indoors. Someone looking through the window cant really make sure everything is ok properly IMO.

We have a boarding place close by that takes cats and rabbits :)

Tracey x
 
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