Hi everyone,

I’m going out of town for five days and leaving the buns with my friend who has two rabbits of her own and is a vet tech. Normally I would have someone stop in at my house a couple times a day, but Nona needs so much care now that there is really no choice but to do this change of location. (Friend can’t stay here because she has dogs and rabbits of her own to look after).

I’m wondering what I can do to reduce their stress, make sure they keep eating/drinking after I’m gone, etc.

I will be using the same set-up I have for Nona here, a 4×4 area, and Piper will just have to deal with not having a ton of space for a few days (she normally has access to Nona’s area, the living room and kitchen). So they will have a familiar area with the usual linens. I will also be sending along their usual treats, and Critical Care and lactated ringers just in case.

I bought some Rescue Remedy and am wondering whether I should have my friend keep giving it the whole time. How much/how often? I have heard two drops per dose, but is that once, twice a day? Should I administer any before we leave, like the day before?

Are probiotics used only in conjunction with antibiotics or could they be dosed just to help their gut feel good in general? They may be prescribed antibiotics tomorrow so they might need it anyway, but if they don’t need meds, would probiotics still help?

Should I anticipate a low appetite and buy parsley/cilantro ahead of time (I don’t normally feed these, in order to keep them ‘special’ for the times they have poor appetites) or should I just give her their usual greens?

Any other stress relievers I should know about? Or general tips?

I worry over them so much already, I’m not sure how I’m going to handle being away from them for five days, especially Nona (and Piper if she’s on meds… but her congestion seems to be gone right now). Guess I’M the one who needs some stress relief…

Thanks,

Megan