It depends on the bunny somewhat. Some of our buns scarf all the food as soon as they have it, so it might be more of a challenge to give enough for 2 days. Others eat just what they need and move on to other activities. The concern is that buns can get sick and require vet attention in as little as 12-24 hours. I’ve heard of folks lieaving them for 24 hours, but I would not go longer than that without having someone stop in to check on them or boarding somewhere.

Are you big travellers where you are regularly gone for long weekends or other periods of time? Depending on where you go, you might also try to take the bunny with you… Many members have vacationed or gone to visit friends/family with a bunny (or 3) in tow. They can do pretty well on car trips up to several hours.

Altered buns usually do not smell. They are stinky and messy as babies/teenagers, but if you adopt an already spay/neutered adult rabbit, that’s something you could likely avoid altogether. If there is a smell to the bun, it is usually due to neglect of the cage/litterbox rather than the bunny itself.

I wouldn’t be comfortable, and I don’t think anyone here would be much different, leaving my rabbit alone for longer than 24 hours, and that’d be stretching it.  I used to have hamsters, so I know where you’re coming from with the gerbils – I could be gone for a week and they’d be fine so long as the food dish and water bottle were full when I left.  Rabbits just aren’t like that, though.

When I went out of town over Christmas the rescue I got my bunny from put me in contact with a woman who then volunteered to watch him while I was gone.  She was awesome and didn’t even charge me (!!).

Without a better option, the best default would be boarding at the vet – AFAIK most offer that service.  But for the short weekend get-a-ways, it would be completely realistic to bring your bunny with you.

Oh, and tell the fiance that gerbils stink worse than a rabbit ever will (and they’re much more cuddly)!
 

It’s great you’re doing this research first! A way to trial having a bunny and your fiance can get some 1st hand experience is to be a temporary foster home for a rabbit rescue. This way, you’re not completely committed long term, and if you both find it successful, you can even adopt the bunny you are fostering. Plus you’ll make contacts with rabbit people, gain more knowledge, possibly be recommended a good rabbit vet, and be helping in a service that NEEDS volunteers!

You’ll probably find once you have a bunny, you wont want to leave it behind. You’ll become its slave. Believe me, they have a way about them. You could use a small travel pet carrier for the car and a collapsible cage or pet pen to temporarily house them while you are guests in another home.

I really hope you’ll be welcoming a bunny to your household soon!

I’m not really sure. I guess it depends on the Rescue. Unfortunately, where I live, we don’t have much in the way of Rescues. Many members here have had more experience with this though, so I’m sure they’ll advise you. I imagine as they need carers, they’ll try provide things but on the other hand, many are volunteer run and money is likely tight. Best just to ring and ask I guess. They likely need to do an assessment anyway to see your suitability etc. Glad you’re considering it!

Hi and welcome Elrowen!    I’m so happy to see you here asking questions ahead of time.   I would not recommend leaving a rabbit unattended for days at a time.  They are very sensitive and really any kind of change in their routine will cause them stress and they could potentially go into GI stasis which is very serious.

Here is some info on GI stasis to tuck away in an info packet:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

I usually drive 45 minutes to take my two to a house rabbit sitter that I found through my local House Rabbit Society.  However, I usually only leave them with the sitter when I am going to be gone for a week or more.  Otherwise I take them with me wherever I go.  Have you considered taking them with you?  If you find a pet-friendly hotel, rabbits can stay in a collapsable wire dog crate, x-pen or even put them in the bathroom and use a baby gate or shut the door.  I will warn you thought that it is difficult to find a pet-friendly hotel that takes rabbits.  Most places think they make a big mess so be super careful with the hay & clean-up.  I made sure to empty the litterbox every day and take the trash out to the dumpster myself and brought a hand-vacuum and placed a vinyl tablecloth underneath the cage and plexi-glass on the sides to protect the walls.  It is a lot of extra work, but I got to bring my babies with me.   Oh I almost forgot to mention that all the stuff you have to lug along: the cage, them in the travel carrier, the litter, the hay, the food, their toys, the emergency kit, and all of this stuff will take up more room and you may have to sacrifice most of your luggage space.   So you learn to take along a few fewer clothes, wash them more often and make do. Or just travel somewhere where you won’t have to have too many warm winter clothes that take up a lot of space.   Seriously though, it is a lot to consider.

I also have left my buns over night and just feed them before I leave and when I get back and leave an excessive stock pile of hay for the interim. I have friends that come by to petsit for me if I’m gone for any longer than that. None of the vets in my area will board rabbits, so that’s something you should maybe look into in advance.

For travel cages – you might invest in an xpen, even to use for your regular cage instead of a traditional cage. That way it folds nice and flat to travel and (at least the one I have) can be made smaller or bigger to fit the space wherever you’re staying. That way the bun gets maximum space with minimal hassle for you.

And to reiterate what the others have said, bunnies do not smell at all. Even their little poops don’t smell, unlike dogs and cats (yicky!). There is a smell when you clean out the anal glands, but that’s temporary and self induced. But ordinarily, no smell at all. The hay has a smell, but certainly not an offensive one.

Hope this helps and doesn’t repeat the others too much! Good luck!

I’m not too comfortable leaving them, as they can’t exercise without supervision, I wouldn’t leave them unsupervised outside their cage. They can do the most unusual things! I’d probably come back to them nesting in the sofa or something. However if you have to leave them for a period of time say overnight. Stockpile hay for them to eat in their enclosure, any longer than that and they might have health issues that go unnoticed or something. I’ve learnt theyre fairly delicate animals!

You’re welcome and that’s very cool the vet did sugery on your gerbil and also specializes in rabbits and boards them. I’m just curious, what kind of surgery was it that was performed on your gerbil?

I don’t know where you live, but where I live (southern ca) there are quite a few rabbit-only boarding places, usually at rabbit shelters.

You could ask your local rabbit rescues about that, or check their websites for information.

It’s safer than leaving rabbits home alone, as they’ll have someone to make sure they’re evacuated in case of an emergency, and they’ll have someone to make sure they have food and water at all times. Because those places specialize in rabbits, you’ll know your rabbits are in good hands, too.

A vet or other animal boarding facilities would have other animals that rabbits might be scared of. This way, they’re only around their own kind, or sometimes other small animals like guinea pigs.

Wow, I am really impressed and you sound like a wonderful animal lover like the rest of us. I would shell out $500 for a pet in a heartbeat to give them a good quality life and I know I am not the only one here that would do that, so you are in good company here. A rabbit does take considerable thought and preparation. It’s too bad you don’t live in a more densely populated area, otherwise I would suggest volunteering at your local rabbit shelter to get a glimpse of what you be getting into. I did that when I wanted to adopt rabbits and it was invaluable experience for me ahead of time and I got to really know what I was getting into. I thought they would be all cuddy and such, but each rabbit is different and has their own personality. Another thing to consider would be to go get an allergy test to rabbits and hay. This is something I also did before adopting my pair. Otherwise, your life can be miserable.

p.s. These rabbit boarding places look quite good, they make a bit of cash and the bunnies seem to enjoy it. There is one near here with massive enclosures outside for the day, and they take them in at night. You must make sure they have all their vaccinations, wormed, etc, though, they do suggest that, but if you have some holidays planned they’re quite good value I’ve found. I’m lucky as my Mum takes them when we go on holiday, she eats a lot of veg so they get spoiled rotton. She even bought them cuddly toys last time.

I would never leave my bunns alone for more than 24 hours. There is just too much that I would worry would happen. If hubby and I go away for a day or two, we usually have someone to step in and feed/check on them. Any longer than that and we take them to a bunny sitter.

I think the idea of fostering for a rescue first is a great one. Firstly, you will be helping a rabbit in need and most likely saving it’s life. Secondly, it’s a great way to “test drive” a rabbit to see if they are the right pet for you. I don’t know about all rescues but the one I volunteer for supplies the cage, bowls, litter bin and all vet costs. You just provide the food, litter and love. This way, if you find a bunny is not right for you, you are not obligated to keep it. If you do fall in love, you get to adopt it! And thirdly, fostering will give you the perfect opportunity to connect with other rabbit-lovers in your area and by doing that, you may be able to find many people out there who could bunnysit for you.

Good luck with your search. Bunnies make awesome pets! BTW, rabbits don’t smell, but their litterbins do!

And if I can offer any sort of advice – adopt a bonded pair. Trust me. I have seen it time and time again. Someone starts with one rabbit, they fall madly in love and then they want to find them a friend. Then comes the “bonding ritual” that must be followed in order to make it work. There is nothing more beautiful than two bunnies in love – and nothing easier than starting with a bonded pair!