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Petsitters v Bunny hotels

Jonny

Warren Scout
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.
 
I think in your case i'd go for the bunnysitter :wink: Although I've used both, and in future think I'll use a bun hotel, as they get more attention there. But if your buns are nervous, then maybe the less attention from strangers the better :? X
 
i would actually go for bunny hotel

the reason i say this despite the distance is - when i first got betty she was very very nervous. we took the bunnies to bunny camp in bradford when we went on holiday (and it took over 1 hour to get there) but she came back a much calmer bun as sonia there had far more experience than me and so she could actually help betty

this might work for yours??
 
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
 
I have to agree with Adele. But I am going away this weekend and fairyangel will be looking after the buns and my dogs and it is nice to know I can go away and know that they will be in really good hands and well looked after.
 
The petsitter I was thinking of using is from petpals. Certainly all their internet stuff looks very good. Have spoken to the chap on the telephone though I haven't met him yet. My instincts are saying I should go with him rather than the bunny hotel, since I feel the buns are starting to settle now in their new home and I really don't want them to get upset by moving them again. A trip to the vets last week resulted in a lot of hiding in dark corners the next day!

That said, I take on board the points made by Sarah and Adele that some time at a bunny hotel may actually help them.

Will give it some more thought! :?
 
A petsitter is ok for a weekend, but if I go away for longer,( and my ex does not stay here to look after his kids and the bunnies ), I'd choose a bunny hotel. They'd have access to a run there and not sit in the hutch all day.
 
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