What to look out for when boarding?

Wasn't sure where best to post this but here goes!

I'm having to look into putting Twix into a boarding/hotel whilst we go on holiday in August as none of our friends or family are available to look after him. Obviously I'm very skeptical about letting Twix stay with someone I don't know and have lots of worries...

Has anyone had a bad experience of boarding? And what would you say are warning signs to look out for?

One of the biggest concerns I have is that Twix has never been around other rabbits, and I'm sure there will be other visitors at these places, but what can I do/ask to ensure that if he is put with other rabbits, it's done in a safe and proper way?

Thank you in advance!

Probably not much help but we spoke to a young lady once, filled out all paperwork and arranged the date. We took buns on the day and she weren't there, we tried calling, no answer, emailed, nothing. There were rabbits there, quite a few unattended in runs in the field and some indoors and a huuuuge pile of rabbit waste in bags so it was running - we were due to go on holiday in the morning! We had no choice but to ask our neighbor who we didn't really know who luckily said she'd love to.

Basically, call up a week or so before too double check, remind them and if you can go visit it before letting your rabbits stay there. To this day I don't know what happened! :s

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Hi,

We recently went away for two weeks and had to leave our bunny at a boarding hotel. I was very nervous too.

Your rabbit shouldn’t be placed with other rabbits, as that would be very stressful. So you should ensure that isn’t the case.

Other things to look out for:

- Are there any other animals around eg dogs? You should ensure they have no context with Twix
- Will he be in an outdoor or indoor cage? How big is the enclosure?
- Will they be able to provide daily updates on your bunny?
- You’ll need to complete a form and include emergency contacts, vet details etc
- They MUST check whether your rabbit is vaccinated. If they don’t ask for the vaccination certificate, I’d steer clear of the place.
- It’s a good idea to visit the place before you commit, to see whether the hutches are clean and also to see how many other enclosures there are. Also ask what they’ll be feeding the rabbit, and whether you’ll need to bring anything- toys, and usually pellets

Do you have the option of getting a company to drop into your house/ flat everyday to feed the bunny? This would be ideal, as Twix would be in his own environment

Hope that helps

I agree with everything zigzaz said above - except the bit about a company coming in to feed Twix: I would need to feel confident that the company came in at least twice a day and were experienced with rabbits so would recognise any sign of illness.
I'm sure I've seen somewhere that the accommodation in boarding shouldn't be on grass - as it obviously cannot be disinfected.

Hi Babsie

Thanks for adding that- it’s what I was thinking- but didn’t write down!

We’ve used a company before that are experienced with rabbits. They pop in twice a day and provide updates and lovely photos. It unfortunately really adds up though

Catherine09, one of the members here, runs Chestnut Corner - which is very highly regarded (and quite rightly). She may be able to give you more idea of what to look for.

Zigzag said:

Hi Babsie

Thanks for adding that- it’s what I was thinking- but didn’t write down!

We’ve used a company before that are experienced with rabbits. They pop in twice a day and provide updates and lovely photos. It unfortunately really adds up though

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Yes, I bet it does add up, but at least you felt confident in them.
I only mentioned it because I can remember people criticising a place for having grass.

Babsie said:

I'm sure I've seen somewhere that the accommodation in boarding shouldn't be on grass - as it obviously cannot be disinfected.

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Yep, infections like e.cuniculi and coccidiosis can be passed on via rabbits sharing the same patch of grass, because they are both transmitted in urine/faeces so any future rabbit then grazing on the grass risks picking them up. And because they can lie dormant for some time, you wouldn't necessarily know they'd picked up an infection for some weeks or possibly even longer.

I would definitely want somewhere that insists on vaccinations against myxomatosis, RHD1 AND RHD2 (so make sure your bun is up to date on all of these - that's nobivac and filavac/eravac) well before the date. A lot of them insist that between 2-4 weeks have passed since the vaccination as well, so you have to plan in advance.

I would also definitely want to visit in advance to check the size and security of the accommodation, how they disinfect between guests, what the normal routine is, whether you feel you can trust the person, etc etc.

My main worry for you would be that anywhere decent will have been booked up for August months ago, so you may really struggle to find somewhere good at short notice unless they have had an unexpected cancellation. Good luck!

Santa said:

Yep, infections like e.cuniculi and coccidiosis can be passed on via rabbits sharing the same patch of grass, because they are both transmitted in urine/faeces so any future rabbit then grazing on the grass risks picking them up. And because they can lie dormant for some time, you wouldn't necessarily know they'd picked up an infection for some weeks or possibly even longer.

I would definitely want somewhere that insists on vaccinations against myxomatosis, RHD1 AND RHD2 (so make sure your bun is up to date on all of these - that's nobivac and filavac/eravac) well before the date. A lot of them insist that between 2-4 weeks have passed since the vaccination as well, so you have to plan in advance.

I would also definitely want to visit in advance to check the size and security of the accommodation, how they disinfect between guests, what the normal routine is, whether you feel you can trust the person, etc etc.

My main worry for you would be that anywhere decent will have been booked up for August months ago, so you may really struggle to find somewhere good at short notice unless they have had an unexpected cancellation. Good luck!

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I agree with all Santa has posted and I would definitely insist on visiting the premises before making a booking. I'd also want to know which Veterinary Surgery they would use, should it ever be necessary. I'd then check them out too to make sure they are 'Rabbit Savvy'.

It is difficult to find good rabbit boarding in my experience, maybe there’s just not a lot near me. Most places I found don’t have big enough hutches / pens for my liking. I have found one I’m happy with but she tends to be booked up months in advance especially over summer so as santa says you might struggle to find space for August.

They won’t put your rabbit in with other rabbits, they will all have their own separate accommodation and they should never allow your rabbit direct contact with any others. If they say they do, avoid at all costs! The hutches / cages / runs will most probably be in close proximity to each other though.

I tend to avoid places that use runs on grass for the reasons mentioned above. I think everything I look out for has been mentioned already so I won’t repeat. Good luck, hope you find somewhere suitable.

Hi all,

Thanks for all your responses, one of my work colleagues has kindly agreed to have Twix for the week. She has a rabbit of her own so I'm more than confident she will be able to look after him. Obviously without putting the two together.

I think I've learnt my lesson that next time I need to plan well in advance!!

Casco said:

It is difficult to find good rabbit boarding in my experience, maybe there’s just not a lot near me. Most places I found don’t have big enough hutches / pens for my liking. I have found one I’m happy with but she tends to be booked up months in advance especially over summer so as santa says you might struggle to find space for August.

They won’t put your rabbit in with other rabbits, they will all have their own separate accommodation and they should never allow your rabbit direct contact with any others. If they say they do, avoid at all costs! The hutches / cages / runs will most probably be in close proximity to each other though.

I tend to avoid places that use runs on grass for the reasons mentioned above. I think everything I look out for has been mentioned already so I won’t repeat. Good luck, hope you find somewhere suitable.

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I'm not sure I could ever give my rabbits up to any boarding establishment, however good :lol:

MightyMax said:

I'm not sure I could ever give my rabbits up to any boarding establishment, however good :lol:

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It is difficult, I’ve came across many I simply wouldn’t use but there’s now one I am happy to use - a very rabbit savvy owner (also a RU member although I don’t think I’ve seen her post recently) and reasonable sized enclosures.

I need to go on holiday though!