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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A going on vacation

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    • oh_katiee
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        Hi. so i just got a 10 week old holland lop 2 days ago. he is seriously the cutest thing! our relationship is growing, whenever i pet him he chatters his teeth . he doesn’t like to be held or picked up but is the happiest bunny ever. any time i let him run around my room out of his cage he’s sprinting and jumping around. he name is nutmeg by the way. sadly i have to go on vacation to disney for 8 days…. i leave in 6 days. today is sunday and i leave early saturday morning. i have 2 options for nutmeg; let him live at my sisters apartment for the 8 days with her dog and her fiance, or let nutmeg stay at my house and have a neighbor come over 2 times a day and care for him. my sister and her fiance have had many different types of pets. i don’t know about a bunny, but they are really pet-savvy i would assume. my neighbor only has a dog, and she would end up bringing her 2 year old, 11 year old, and 14 year old kids with her. which option should i pick? the problem with sending him to my sisters is that i’m afraid that after 8 days of being at HER house bonding with HER, that he’ll learn that she is his ‘mom’ since he’s still a baby and will only be associated with me for a week. i’m seriously upset and worried that he will forget me, and when i get back and take him home he will be afraid of me and not like me or my room anymore. does anyone have adivce, words of comfort, anything? because i’m a first-time bunny owner and i love my bun so much. i don’t want him to forget me and not like me anymore. which option should i pick? and will he forget me? please help!!!!! p.s. i’m in highschool so the next 5 days i have with my bun will be cut because i have to be in school and can’t stay up late as opposed to now where i’m with him all day and i stay up late to hang out because of thanksgiving break. PLEASE SOMEONE .


      • Sarita
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          I would chose your sister’s as long as she is secure from the dog. I don’t think you should worry about her bonding with your sister, the important thing is the care. It takes much longer than 8 days to truly have a rabbit trust and bond with you.


        • Kokaneeandkahlua
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            Welcome

            I think your sister is your best option. I wouldn’t worry about him forgetting you at all You’ll have lots of time when you get back to bond with him. Have a great time at Disney-how fun!!


          • oh_katiee
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              thank you! this made me feel better. i made this account just to ask the question; i was so worried! even though i just got him i love my lop he’s such a cutie. even though he’s not that much into cuddling he’s still young ang exploring. i would be devastated to come back and have him not like me anymore after all the progress we made these past 2 days. but this made me more at ease .


            • Hannah
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                Going on vacation with bunnies is always scary, no matter who is watching them! My whole family goes on vacation together each summer, so we actually have to hire rabbit sitters for the bunnies to go stay with. I’m sure your sister will do just fine with Nutmeg, and she can keep you updated. : )

                Also, don’t worry about your bunny liking your sister– rabbits have lots of room in their hearts! My rabbits still remember (and love) my mom whenever I bring them to visit even though I haven’t lived there permanently (college + grad school + now working) in almost 6 years. : ) Most bunnies have good memories for people. Keep us updated on Nutmeg!


              • RabbitPam
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                  First, I love the name Nutmeg. Adorable!
                  Don’t give your relationship another thought. Everyone feels your sister is the best choice, and I agree reluctantly due to the dog. But a dog that is supervised at all times, or shut out of the room with the bunny is better than 3 kids who will want to hold Nutmeg so I think your sister is the safest option.

                  Your bunny hasn’t really bonded with anyone yet, so it’s actually easier for her to move around now than later on once she’s settled into her new home. In fact, I once read that puppies, children and bunnies who are acclimated to change from an early age handle changes much more easily than those who are not moved for years and then have to. Nutmeg will get used to several people, different smells and places and they will be folded into her “norm”. When you get back she probably will take to you again too. If she isn’t affectionate right away, it’s more caution (and bunnies can pout – they learn fast that it gets them treats ).

                  One caution: don’t expect her to be a cuddly pet. They are soft and look cute and small, but they do not like to be held, at least not for long, and are not really lap pets. They love your company, but are more likely to snuggle with you on the floor on their level than up high while you carry them.

                  Have fun at Disney. Down here in Florida everyone refers to it as “The Mouse”.


                • oh_katiee
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                    thanks to everyone! i named him nutmeg because he has that sort of color (a light brown on his back that fades into a deep gray on his stomach, ears, and nose) and it’s around christmas time so he’s my little christmas bunny . i have actually decided to go with my neighbors instead of my sister because we would have to move his entire (and very large) cage over to her house and it would just be a lot of added stress with the dog and everything. i’ve never been to their apartment, and they have a little dog named scrambles and i don’t know if he’s a yippy dog or not. i have requested that my neighbor not let her 2 year old upstairs, and i’ll ask that only she or her 14 year old (he’s in my bio class so i’ll talk to him in school) handle my bun. she seems very nice. the only holding of nutmeg they’ll do is to pick him up from his cage and put him in his play-pen so he can exercise while they clean the cage. nutmeg usually has free run of my room when i let him out but i don’t trust anyone else with that so i bought a playpen which is safer. i don’t think nutmeg will do very well in his cage for the entire 8 days, he loves to come out and hop and run, when i put him back in his cage he comes up to the bars and scratches at them! he knows he’s too cute!


                  • Pandorachik
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                      I love reading replies!


                    • oh_katiee
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                        just thought i’d include a picture of my first bun! i love him! he’s adorable


                      • tobyluv
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                          Make sure that your neighbors are well versed in bunny handling and care. You could give them some lessons on how to safely and securely pick up and carry Nutmeg. (That’s a very cute name!) That would also get Nutmeg used to them and hopefully feel more comfortable with them.

                          That’s a good idea for the 2 year old to be in a different part of the house. Children that age can make high pitched squeals, which would probably upset Nutmeg.

                          Write down detailed instructions regarding his care and feeding and see that you have plenty of food to last for him while you are gone. Tell them not to feed him anything else other than what he is getting now, which I assume is hay and pellets. They should make sure he has fresh water every day. If they let him run around in your room at all, they should be aware that rabbits are chewers, so the room should be “bunny proofed”.

                          Also make sure that they have the name of your vet, just in case. And they should have your phone number too, since they may have a question about Nutmeg. It would be good if you checked in with them a time or two while you are gone.


                        • Stickerbunny
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                            Tips for bunny sitters:

                            Make a LIST of what should be looked at daily / what chores need done. It would be best to do it in 8 pages with a check list option, that they could go through the check list and tear off the page and throw it away then have another check list the next day to do again. Bunnies aren’t dogs, so a lot of people get confused. Make sure you CLEARLY label the food vs the litter etc, I remember one person had a sitter feed their poor bun the litter instead of pellets because it looked similar. Show them before you go how to securely hold him so he can’t hurt himself, maybe introduce your friend from school and the neighbor to the bun a few days before hand so he is used to them when they come over. And be sure to stress that NO veggies, since a lot of people want to feed cute bunnies carrots since we see it in the movies all the time, but he’s too young for that.


                          • Sam and Lady's Human
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                              I’ve left my buns a couple times now, one time was 2 weeks the other was 4 days. I make their xpens as large as possible using walls as some of the walls, made some new “toys” for them (newspaper jelly fish, filled a mini haven with several different types of hay and a couple treats, hay bags etc), and left a list for my friend. She came over daily, spent some time with each bunny, checked water, fed pellets and salad, and added hay. They did fine

                              ETA- also make sure you check the weather and set the a/c / heater accordingly, or leave instructions for your neighbors to change it if it does get too hot/cold there.


                            • oh_katiee
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                                do you guys think having her come over 1 time a day is okay? or is twice needed?


                              • Stickerbunny
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                                  Once should be fine if that is all she can manage, so long as she makes sure the water / food / hay is all fine and you want to give your bun backups of water in case he tips / spills something. Like, if he uses a bowl, give him a bottle as backup just in case, or at least a couple of bowls. Or if he uses a bottle, give him a second one just in case one starts to leak or something.

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                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A going on vacation