Jonny said:
Which would you go for?
I'll be leaving my new buns for the first time for a week over the New Year. I'm torn between leaving them in a bunny hotel and getting a petsitter.
I'm leaning at the minute towards the latter as the buns have only been in their new home for a few weeks and are very nervous, so I don't want to disrupt them. The bunny hotel is also a 40 minute drive away which might also cause them an upset. That said, the person who runs the bunny hotel seems to be very professional and knows what she's doing. I think she would spend quite a lot of time with them. The pet sitter is also professional and very nice, but I don't think he's had a lot of experience with rabbits and is only going to call in for a few minutes every day.
Hiya Jonny
firstly it depends what you want from a pet sitter I guess
There are no right or wrong answers, but you need to consider the following:
What time can the individual give to caring for my rabbit(s) each day.
Could the pet carer cope if the bunny(s) became unwell, or spot illness before it becomes serious.
Running a Pet Hotel is something I take very seriously, as I want every Client and their bunny(s) to have a positive and happy experience of our service.
A properly run Hotel will have Insurance, be Registered with the Council as a temporary boarding place, understand and have proper hygiene practices in place, ask for vaccinations cards, ask you to give all the bunny(s) details from health matters, to diet, to daily routine, request an emergency contact number for you (or a relative) and ask you to sign a boarding contract.
A professional Pet sitter should have most of the above in place, but in reality most only visit twice a day which is alright, but not ideal.
Having worked with bunnies for over 30 years now, you have to spot and act swifty if any problems arise, so I guarantee the bunny(s) in my care are checked every hour during the daytime.
As for your concern regarding bunnies travelling, if transported carefully, we find all the bunny(s) settle in here absolutely fine, most having had a one to two hour journey. We send clients some tips for transporting their bunny(s) with as little stress as possible, and with over 500 bunny(s) visiting us, we have never had one adversely affected by travelling, nor a change in environment. In fact, bunnies seem to thrive on a change, as long as it is a similar set up to home and they have some items brought with them from their own home
I help with bunny behavioural problems here, offer a bunny bonding service and give diet advice etc. This again is the extra things you may get from using a bunny hotel
People running rescues or sanctuaries deal with bunny health problems regularly, and therefore have a lot of experience to use in helping care for your bunny(s) properly. I feel it is good for your bunny(s) to be handled by people other than yourself, as it helps develop their confidence and socialisation skills.
It is your bunny(s) so you need to decide what you feel is best for them, and also that you will be happy and can relax when on holiday :wink:
Hope this helps.
Best wishes