Bunnies and the Holidays!

Thanksgiving is so close! Is it just me, or can you almost smell the turkey and hear the family spats? :)

If you are going out of town for the Holidays coming up, there are several things to consider.

First- who is going to feed my bunnies?!

If we have to be gone for an extended period of time, we ask Malena to feed and water for us- or, a friend from one of Tim's churches. A responsible neighbor is a great idea too. Try to minimize the work load for the folks helping you out. For example, I wouldn't ask anyone to add in oats or to feed hay while we're gone. That just adds to the time they have to take out of their day to do me a favor! I also try to make sure there are no babies due around that time, so they don't have to check on little ones, give hay, or clean up DOAs.

If we have to be gone from- let's say Thursday through Sunday, I make sure we feed earlier on Wednesday. Then, Thursday morning we feed and water. We also make sure to let our bunny helper know we'll take care of feeding Sunday night when we get home. So, we cut two days off the favor!

If we are going to be gone just overnight, we don't even bother with a bunny babysitter. We just follow the plan above- feed and water before we leave, and then again when we get back.

Do not...I repeat, Do Not, post on your website or say in your emails that you will be leaving from X day to X day on a trip, especially to someone who knows where you live. No one needs to know this except you and whoever is helping you care for your animals. I know a lady who let it slip she was going to be gone overnight to a show- came home and her son's baby rabbits had been STOLEN! How sad is that? Of course, there are certain friends who know where I live that I wouldn't mind saying "oh yeah, we'll be gone a week". Your average joe wanting to buy a pet rabbit- nope, they do not need that information.

I'm going to visit Goodwill soon and look for some nice thick woolen socks. I've been told slipping those over your bottles will help to keep them from freezing! An inexperienced rabbit person might not pay attention to the ice in the bottles, or realize it IS ice and not water. Unfortunately, they may also be lazy and not feel like trying to defrost the bottles. A week without anything to drink will be detrimental to your rabbits. If you have crocks, I'd recommend putting them in before you leave- that way if they DO freeze over, they can be easily dumped and refilled.

Good luck guys! :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry