-
Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
How long have you left your buns for?
- Thread starter Small orange giraffe
- Start date
youngbunny2
Mama Doe
of course "they can" but it is not very likely.I have had bunnies for 14+ years and never had anything happen.
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
Well I guess we all have our own personal standards as to what is acceptable. Like Kay, I would never enjoy time away if I knew my Bunnies were left unattended. Sadly people often assume Rabbits dont need as much consideration as a dog when it comes to holidays etc. But I do not agree. I took on my Rabbits and in doing so made a comittment to their lifelong needs. I knew at the outset that this would mean I would not be able to go away without making arrangements for their care. My PERSONAL interpretation of 'care' is not just that they have food and water.
Again, I am not judging anyone but could not personally ever leave a Rabbit in my care unattended for long periods of time.
Janex
Again, I am not judging anyone but could not personally ever leave a Rabbit in my care unattended for long periods of time.
Janex
youngbunny2 said:
It's very likely! All the rabbits i have lost bar about 4 have died very suddenly and within 12 hours, i woke up tuesday morning last week to find Gwen my foster dead! She was fine on monday night and dead by 7.30am! Rabbits can die very very quickly! They do not always show signs of illness and therefore you will not notice there is anything wrong until you came back after a weekend to a dead rabbit
I think that its unreasonable to suggest that a rabbit may die because it is left unattended for a few hours. Sadly, this can happen to any rabbit.
Some people have to do 12 hour shifts. People have children and jobs and other considerations too. It really isn't fair to imply that anyone that spends several hours away from their rabbits does not have their best interests at heart.
Some people have to do 12 hour shifts. People have children and jobs and other considerations too. It really isn't fair to imply that anyone that spends several hours away from their rabbits does not have their best interests at heart.
Alfie_and_angel
Alpha Buck
Phill said:
I totally agree. I hope you never have anything happen in future too but unfortunately it IS likely. Even from reading the posts on here, I think that almost everybody has experienced the sudden deaths of rabbits who appeared healthy only hours earlier.
Of course it is difficult and for some people going away for periods of time is unavoidable. I am not keen on boarding my babies as a personal choice but I book a professional petsitter when I go away for Xmas. It is quite expensive that time of year but I wouldn't be able to enjoy Xmas worrying about them. The petsitter i have texts me to put my mind at rest and as I am paying him, I don't feel it is an imposition for me to detail EXACTLY how I want things to be done. :lol:
I have woken up to find Alfie unwell several times because being asleep is the longest she is alone for. Two of bridge buns died overnight. Lots of people notice their buns are not right in the morning - so to me, this even more supports not leaving them alone when avoidable. Unfortunately, going to sleep every night is an unavoidable risk.
Leaving the bunnies alone for longer is often easily avoidable if you know you have to be away in advance. Petsitters, boarders or friends/family. And if none of the above are availible, maybe organise with an acquantance to petsit for them when they're away and perhaps they won't mind watching the buns at Xmas. We have done this in the past also and it worked well.
Don't feel guilty because of peoples different responses though - obviously you would never want to put your buns at risk which is why you asked the question in the first place. hope you can work something out.
Spacegirl said:
I know people probably havent meant it that way, but yes that is how I feel now, and I didnt even start this thread.
Ive never actually left the rabbits for longer than overnight without having someone round to feed them and for the last couple of weeks I have been searching for a pet sitter for when Im next away so there is the least disruption to them- I dont want to use a boarders. I had someone booked to come round tonight to discuss it with me, but am going to cancel it (thats just reminded me now!) in favour of my work mate looking after them instead, as it is a worry allowing a stranger into your home.
I hate leaving them and spend much of my time away worrying about them- I arranged for my friends who stayed last week to come to me so i didnt have to leave the boyfriend to look after them (we usually take it in turns to visit each other.)
Unfortunately I do have a lot of other commitments- I dont think it makes me a bad bun mum. Id love to be with them all day :lol:
Edited to add: it has given me some food for thought though, and perhaps I will use a sitter/work mate when Im away just for the night in future (which is probably about once every 2-3 months anyway :lol: )
At the moment my youngest daughter is still at home, so when I go away she looks after them. But she is cabin crew so is also often away and so we have to work around her. It is difficult to find a friend that is interested in rabbits enough to agree to clean them out and feed them. Last year I had to ask the neighbours 16 yr old daughter to look after my mini lop as I was let down at the last moment by a friend. When we got back from holiday my bun was fine, but apparently the younger daughter of my neighbour had brought her friends into my garden and had broken my husbands weather station and somehow turned off the filter of my husbands Koi pond and the pump had burnt out and the pond was in a bad way. Never again, I was amazed that my neighbour had allowed it as I had paid his daughter £50 to take good care of my bun. So now if my daughter is away, we don't go!!! Pam
Harly's myxi symptoms came on so, so fast, and it was vital 2 get him on meds straight away. If Id of left him frm a sat aft 2 a sun nite Id of prob came home 2 a very sick bunny - so yes, it can happen, and it happens fast. I dont think any1 is really saying people who work shouldnt have rabbits, - but thr is a big difference between doin a 12 hour shift and leaving ur bun alone for 24 - 36 hrs.
I work as well, this week Im working every day as doin loads of overtime, min 7 hrs shift max 10 hrs shift, BUT I am here 2 feed and water thm and check thy'r ok morning and nite (and at the mo do their med's 2). 1 time had 1 cpl of nights away planned with the bf thn realised my mum was away at the same time - refused 2 go as was not leavin buns, in end got my step-mum 2 do it, but I would not have left thm no matter what. If Im away thy still have someone here evening and morning as tht is wht thy r used 2.
I work as well, this week Im working every day as doin loads of overtime, min 7 hrs shift max 10 hrs shift, BUT I am here 2 feed and water thm and check thy'r ok morning and nite (and at the mo do their med's 2). 1 time had 1 cpl of nights away planned with the bf thn realised my mum was away at the same time - refused 2 go as was not leavin buns, in end got my step-mum 2 do it, but I would not have left thm no matter what. If Im away thy still have someone here evening and morning as tht is wht thy r used 2.
norrielian
Mama Doe
Small orange giraffe said:
Please don't feel guilty, it is totally obvious that you care and love your bunnies as much as everyone else. There is no right or wrong, just individual opinions! I leave my bunnies overnight no problem.
I'm sure if we could, we would all love to be able to check on our rabbits every 4 hours but a lot of people work full time and it just isn't possible. It does not mean that we are less committed to them or they are less cared for.
youngbunny2
Mama Doe
Spacegirl said:
exactly!
Caz
Mama Doe
Phill said:
No simply because my dogs would try and hold onto their pees and poos for that long and would be very unwell and the dogs' food doesn't keep but rabbits that are litter trained can relieve themselves and hay will last for days.
Rabbits can survive perfectly happily without pellets as long as they have plenty of hay and/or access to a secure run with plenty of grass, I have yet to find a bun that can munch through all their hay that quickly. In fact it does more harm than good to leave a large quantity of pellets out as they gorge themselves and then can become unwell with loose stools etc.
I have left mine overnight before Saturday morning to Sunday evening and they have been fine, even my sickly buns yet Athena passed away during the night when it had barely been six hours before I had seen her last - I don't think there was anything I could have done to prevent her death even if I was an insomniac.
Where stasis is concerned a rabbit can go downhill rapidly but plenty of available hay and avoidance of triggers (banana with Zeus) and they will have a stasis free time, my rabbits certainly don't seem bonded enough to me to get stressed by my leaving, however a change of scenery could do more harm than good as I found out when my parents took them for 24 hours during the house move! In my case there is noone rabbit savvy enough I would want to check on my rabbits if they are being left for a weekend, the last person who tried to help me out fed my rabbits stuff that made them ill instead of just doing the checks they were supposed to!
The only time I have been away longer my in-laws took care of them and all that amounted to was a once a day check for 30minutes with some hay/pellets/water added to their runs as appropriate, now I live too far from them I have been checking out a local boarding place, where they would be checked more regularily.
I love my animals but at the end of the day they are pets and my human family have to come first.
Caz
Hiya, I think that everyone has a different perspective on what time span is acceptable to leave your rabbit unattended for.
There are no right or wrong answers, just as long as you base your decisions on common sense.
My own view, having cared for many rabbits , is that if we are planning to be away for more than 4 hours, I get someone in to do a visual check of all the rabbits. From years of bunny care experience, I have learnt that rabbits go downhill so rapidly, and need urgent intervention if they should get gut statis for example.
My perspective may be different to someone with only a couple of rabbits in their care, we have 36 here, many of whom have special needs and are more prone to problems than normal.
I feel that bunnies do need at least two checks a day, every 12 hours in any circumstances.
What the individual decides to do is entirely up to them, but I would not leave rabbits unattended for very long, as I have found time and time again, that being on the spot to sort things out quickly really makes a difference should rabbits become ill.
I dont want to make any one feel guilty for not being able to do what I am able to do though, as long as you do your best, that is all anyone can expect of you.
Best wishes
There are no right or wrong answers, just as long as you base your decisions on common sense.
My own view, having cared for many rabbits , is that if we are planning to be away for more than 4 hours, I get someone in to do a visual check of all the rabbits. From years of bunny care experience, I have learnt that rabbits go downhill so rapidly, and need urgent intervention if they should get gut statis for example.
My perspective may be different to someone with only a couple of rabbits in their care, we have 36 here, many of whom have special needs and are more prone to problems than normal.
I feel that bunnies do need at least two checks a day, every 12 hours in any circumstances.
What the individual decides to do is entirely up to them, but I would not leave rabbits unattended for very long, as I have found time and time again, that being on the spot to sort things out quickly really makes a difference should rabbits become ill.
I dont want to make any one feel guilty for not being able to do what I am able to do though, as long as you do your best, that is all anyone can expect of you.
Best wishes
That is very true. Everyone has different lifestyles and at the end of the day we can only do our best. If some bunny owners have to work long hours or have lots of family commitments, they are in a totally different situation to someone who is home all the time. I think we just have to weigh up things and do what we all feel is right for ourselves. We all love our buns or we would not spend time on this forum. It would be great if we could always be there for our buns, but life is not always straight forward is it?
I personally there's a whole spectrum of bunny owners as there are bunnies and what's a 'risk' for one person may not be for another. I think people like Jane and Adele who have elderly and sick bunnies in large numbers have a different perspective to someone with a couple of 'pet' bunnies and this is understandable.
On one end of the spectrum there are the owners who don't check on their bunnies at the end of the garden from one day to the next :x and on the other we have people who live with them and check on them 4 hourly. I think as long as we are providing good care and food for them I honestly don't think they suffer if I check on them once a day or leave them for a 24 hour period. But then I have to accept the unlikely scenario of them getting ill, although I do think that could happen from 5 pm on a Saturday night when I feed and check on them through to say 10 am on Sunday morning when I see them again once I'm up and dressed.
I think this thread's been really useful to see different opinions and situations so 'small orange giraffe' don't feel guilty about starting, I think we all enjoy an 'argument' as long as all opinions are respected and we can learn off each other.
On one end of the spectrum there are the owners who don't check on their bunnies at the end of the garden from one day to the next :x and on the other we have people who live with them and check on them 4 hourly. I think as long as we are providing good care and food for them I honestly don't think they suffer if I check on them once a day or leave them for a 24 hour period. But then I have to accept the unlikely scenario of them getting ill, although I do think that could happen from 5 pm on a Saturday night when I feed and check on them through to say 10 am on Sunday morning when I see them again once I'm up and dressed.
I think this thread's been really useful to see different opinions and situations so 'small orange giraffe' don't feel guilty about starting, I think we all enjoy an 'argument' as long as all opinions are respected and we can learn off each other.
