going away for a week

[jcottonl02]

I personally would just never get someone to look after my rabbits if some important information would turn them off or intimidate them. I would only get a friend or family member who understood how much they mean to me and how much work they involve.

I can't go away and leave my buns without leaving each and every one of these things:

Diet/exercise/ and other important daily things,
Maps to vets and all important places, just in case of an emergency and something goes wrong, and their opening hours
All important telephone numbers
Safe fruit and veggies list (that is at least a page)
List of reputable websites to try in case can't get a hold of me
Symptoms that require veterinary attention soon or immediately. As they don't know my rabbits, I would say take them to the vet at any sign that I might have to monitor carefully for 2 days before taking them, and I would obviously pay for any vet trips,
Any other important info that I always need to keep in mind

If that takes up less than a page, then mmyyy goodness lol. I'd say that would be 4 pages or more, not inlcuding maps etc. I would definately provide all that information, if I was going to be away for a week or more. They are going to have to take my 'role' for a significant amount of time for something to go dangerously or drastically wrong if I was to not provide certain info like safe veggies and their daily diet etc.


And I actually don't agree with rabbits being a low maintenance pet, compared to many- I have 6 dogs and 2 cats and both my rabbits take up more time and effort than all those others put together, so in my humble opinion, I think rabbits are quite a high-maintenence pet :biggrin2:

Jen

 

[jcottonl02]

kirbyultra wrote:

jcottonl02 wrote:

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

1. No huge instruction manual. Trust me when I say that no one wants to find a big pile of literature when they agree to bunnysit. Chances are good that they will not take it seriously and won't read *any* of it, let alone the parts that are really important.

I would personally never leave my rabbit with anyone who I wasn't positive would take on every bit of advice I had given, and who wouldn't 'take it seriously'. Just my personal opinion .

I agree with Jen. If a person can't or won't read 5 pages of information, then they have no business in my home, much less caring for my rabbits. For me, that's the bottom line.

Any decent pet sitter would appreciate a booklet that is carefully written for their benefit. It isn't meant to be "guide to everything there is to know about rabbits". It's meant to be a solid reference for when you are not there. The assumption is that you would have verbally gone over important details like the daily must-do's and how to identify symptoms of a sick rabbit. The written instruction is a fallback for them, not meant to be a step by step instruction..

Thank you very much . You explained it much better than I did.

Jen

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Oh, wow. I consider myself lucky to have such capable and trustworthy friends, then! I've never needed or had any reason to provide more than a visit beforehand and a daily checklist to help them out. My bunnies must be very lucky!

 

[jcottonl02]

I'm sure all of us have capable and trustworthy friends....that is not what we are saying........:?:?

I think I have a feeling that this might turn into a 'war':stikpoke (I do hope I am wrong), so perhaps this topic of who has trustworthy friends and who doesn't, should be left for now, and let's just get back to helping Butsy.



Jen

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Nope, just trying to help Butsy out! If her caretaker requires lots of information, go for it! :thumbup

My suggestions were just what worked out successfully for me.

 

[kirbyultra]

I do think the discussion we've had is worthwhile and we can keep it friendly . Butsy's owner has some different options to consider as well as re-evaluating who should be caring for her bunny. Laura's brought up some helpful info to find places that will board a bun.

 

[jcottonl02]

I just think the talk of bunnies being lucky if their owner has capable and trustworthy friends because they don't need lots of info could perhaps lead to arguements, so I just suggest leaving that. We all have capable and trustworthy friends- some of us may just feel more comfortable if we provide lots of reference info . I know I am a right worry-pots so I have to leave every reference and telephone number, so I can enjoy my holiday, knowing that they can deal with any situation for the best safety of my bun, because I have provided the information right there in a handy booklet

Definately lots of different info for Butsy to consider though.

What did happen to your Aunt, Butsy? If you don't feel comfortable leaving her with your aunt, even with lot of information etc. then boarding might be the way to go. I worry though that they won't get much socialising or exercise time when boarding?

Jen

 

[elrohwen]

I'm kind of with Julie in that I think the care information should be kept to only a couple pages - more of a checklist. I have provided a book on health and links to favorite bunny sites, but those are only if my pet sitter(s) really need the extra info - I don't expect them to read it unless a problem arises.

Generally, I just give a feeding plan - how much and how many times a day. Vet information and info on cleaning up. My friends are extremely responsible and my other pet sitter is a vet tech and experienced professional pet sitter, so I don't feel the need to leave more than a page or two of information.

The only health info I generally give is to check every day for eating and pooping- if either of those stop they're to call me and the vet immediately.

I do think that too much information probably won't be read or understood, unfortunately. I try to stay available via phone or email at least in case of questions, but I let my pet sitters know that if anything seems off they should call the vet and I will pay for a visit.

 

[jcottonl02]

Yeah- I totally agree to stress that if anything seems off, then any visit to the vet would be reinbursed.

If your caretakes has years of experience with rabbits, and knows exactly what they are doing, then perhaps I would leave out the part about 'when a vet trip is needed', because they'll know, but I still like to leave as much info as possible. But like I said, I wouldn't be comfortable unless I left everything I could. They don't have to sit down and read it religiously, but they can know that it is there for them in an emergency.

I'm not sure it's possible for someone to get confused or not understand unless the pages are written poorly tbh. If you write out what you expect to be done, clearly, then there's no reason they should be confused about it.

Jen

 

[butsy]

well, i just dont feel comfortable leaving her with my aunt .. not that she isnt responsable or anything but she just isnt the best pet keeper, she already has my dog and cat to take care of .. and rabbits are totally different ..i've found a pet sitter not far from me, and she also has a rabbit . the only thing i am worried about is she is planning on putting both rabbits ( two girls) in the same cage . should i be worried about fighting ect. ? i'm leaving this friday, so i really need to work all of this out ! and i will wright what i feed my rabbit and what she prefers( toys, playing etc.)but not more than that, she does have a rabbit after all !. but you all made good points !

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I wouldn't suggest leaving your rabbit with someone who wants to put two does in the same cage. That can become a whole mess of problems, and doesn't really scream "rabbit savvy!" to me.

I think if you aunt is taking care of your other pets in your home, it would probably be ok to leave the bunny too and just show her how to do things. Or maybe you have a good friend you can leave her with for the week?

 

[butsy]

oh im soooo confused !!!!!

 

[butsy]

i just asked her is she has a backup plan in case the rabbits dont get along..

 

[kirbyultra]

Tiffany, can you bring Butsy's cage with you to her place? I would absolutely not put two stranger female bunnies together. They may fight and somebunny can get hurt.

 

[jcottonl02]

I'm with Julie and Helen on this one. Is Butsy even spayed? Bonding and introductions should be made slowly- noone should just shove 2 rabbits together, hoping they get along.

Jen

 

[elrohwen]

Agreed with the others - putting two strange females into a cage together is more likely to end in a very bad fight than anything else. If she won't let you bring a cage to set up for your bun, I would not leave her there.

Have you called vets in your area? They often accept pets for boarding.

 

[kirbyultra]

I hope we're not stressing you out with all this advice Tiffany!! I really hope it works out for you and butsy

 

[butsy]

ahhhh . eum yeah butsy is spayed . the only vet close to my house is terrible ( they killed my dog ) .. and butsy's vet doesnt board rabbits .. i'm so stressed !. not only that, but i got home from school today to see that butsy's poop is like all in a clump :S . i certainly hope she isnt sick, specially with me leaving and all ...

 

[elrohwen]

It sounds like she just had some extra cecals - that's usually perfectly normal. If it continues, I would recommend cutting down her treats and maybe cutting down her pellets for a day or two to get her on track, but it probably doesn't mean she's sick.

Can you ask the pet sitter if she can watch Busty only if Busty is kept in a separate cage?

 

[butsy]

yeah she told me she has an extra cage is thingsdont work out .. im gunna tell her not to put them both in the cage anyways.. butsy gets along great with my cousins rabbit, but they cant be in a cage together, to much of a small area .. they willl fight