A week-end away

[JamesK]

Hi All,

Am planning to go away for a week-end Friday -> Sunday. I was wondering what to do with the two buns. Last time we left them with a friend and it didn't go very well. I think they prefer to be in our kitchen which is where they spend most of the time. Any tips for me?

I figured I'd leave out several boxes of hay and plenty of water bowls. I don't know what to do about pellets, because one is much greedier than the other, so if I bought an automatic feeder it may not be all that fair. Maybe I just deliberately over-feed them for the time away to be sure they both get some?

I'm also wondering can I get away with just hay and tree bark for a short period, I have plenty of apple tree branches I could leave them with and they take a longer to get through them.

Thanks for any advice,
James.

 

[InspectorMorse]

You can’t leave Rabbits not being checked on for a whole weekend. Rabbits can become unwell very quickly. They need to be checked on at least twice a day. Is there a family member or friend who could call in twice a day to check on them and do their feeds and change their water.

Professional House /Pet Sitters are another option, but you are likely to struggle to find one that isn’t fully booked up at this time of year.

Some Vet Nurses do Pet sitting to top up their salary, so you could enquire at your Vet’s surgery.

 

[Shimmer]

I definitely wouldn't leave extra pellets down, either. It's more likely to cause issues than leaving just hay.
Is there anyone that can call in? You could also set up some form of CCTV (eg baby monitor / spare phone on an App) so you can keep an eye on them remotely, in case you need arrange an extra visit. That way you can guide a less experienced person as well, if things don't seem quite right.

 

[Barn Yard Bunnies]

Neighbour, family, friend ?

 

[Pets mum]

I don't think being left alone is a good idea either. Maybe try a pet sitter to pop in, or maybe a vet nurse ?

 

[JamesK]

I have someone who can check on them, just don't want to hand over the keys to the house. The other option is leave them outside, I have a secure enclosure but was wondering how they'll do outside if they are used to sleeping inside. I normally only put them out there in the day. Do you think it's better outside with regular checks vs inside without?

 

[Shimmer]

It depends on how secure the enclosure is, and if you trust the person to make sure they are safe in it. If they are not used to being out at night, they are likely to get spooked by all sorts of things. Stress isn't good for bunnies. The are also at risk of different predators - foxes, dogs, cats, people....

 

[JamesK]

You're right, I noticed they're not all that happy if I leave it too late at night before bringing them in, particularly if it gets dark, so I built a burrow in the run. I've experimented with this for a couple of nights and it seems to be working well. The central chamber is surprisingly warm when I reach my hand in, even when it's cold, wet and miserable outside. When we brought them back in today, they were straight back into their usual routine, no different to if we'd just been out for the day so I think it's going to work fine.