Emergency Kit for Bunnies

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

If you live in California, you’ve probably heard of the HUGE wildfire in Southern CA causing a disaster right now. Over 250,000 people have been evacuated from their homes for far!

This got me thinking about my buns in any type of emergency. I have food/water packed for us in case of emergencies. Since I live in CA, especially in case of any earthquakes. I also have some can food for my cat and dog. 

I also want to pack some stuff for my two buns but I’m not sure what I can pack. I dont think I should pack pellets because they can spoil. So does hay.  Does anyone know any can/dry stuff that can be stored for years without going spoil that I can feed to my rabbits?

[Gravehearted]

I don’t think there’s anything that will stay fresh for YEARS. maybe canned pumpkin? Pellets that are sealed have at least a year’s freshness date, so checking the packaging sounds like a good idea. Hay won’t stay fresh that long, so every few months it’s a good idea to replace it with fresh.

I think like human kits, it’s best to use things and buy fresh for the kit every six months or year.

[Scarlet_Rose]

This is a great discussion you’ve started.  BY the way I edited the Subject from Emergency Kir to Emergency Kit.

I would check the expiration date on canned pumpkin and even bottled water.  Like gravehearted mentioned, there isn’t too much bunny stuff that will hold over for years.  You might want to consider also having an emergency med kit, I have mine in a portable "file box," equipped with the following:

Syringes without needles to force feed

Syringes for subcutaneous fluids – this should only be done if you have experience and your vet has given you the nod to do so.

vetwrap – spongy stretchy self stick wrap

ointment

saline solution – to rinse out eyes and/or irrigate wounds, you might want to have a special narrow tipped syringe for this.

diluted peroxide – to clean wounds

flea comb

styptic power

pedilayte – dehydration

canned pumpkin

clippers – to buzz away fur from wound area

scissors

sterile gauze – for wounds and soaking in saline & wiping a rabbits face free of dust & debris, ears too.

sterile gauze pads

thermometer

aloe vera gel

nail clippers

Critical Care (you might want to check for the shelf life of) it’s made by Oxbow and you’ll need to get it from a vet

baby food (also check expiry date)

hot water bottle

cold ice pack

ear wax remover

mini flashlight

magnifying glass

tweezers

Q-tips

echinacea

lint roller

Rescue Remedy

Here is a little write up from the HRS on including your animals in an emergency plan:

http://www.rabbit.org/care/emergency-planning.html

These are some good write-ups to print out and have in your kit too:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-4/emergency-preparedness.html

http://www.coloradohrs.com/articles/medical_common-problems_generic.asp

I’ve also made a recipe box of ailments and what to do, filed alphabetically.

If I’ve missed anything in my emergency kit list, don’t be afraid to chip in!! This is all off the top of my head.

[BinkyBunny]

Scarlet – wow, that’s great! This is going into go to the FAQ section which I will change to FAQ and Important Info.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

I’m housing a rabbit right now for someone who had to evacuate. He is seriously the cutest bunny ever.

My best friend is over here with her brother right now because their house is right at the edge of one of the wildfires right now.

I hope all this is over soon!

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

Digxmexnow, that’s really horrible. I really hope this fire will be put to stop REAL soon.

What if I air-seal the hay and the pellets? I have those air vacuum for food which works great with storing food. Would that prevent hay from spoiling?

[osprey]

Yikes, digx, that’s horrible.  Hopefully the Santa Ana’s will subside and stop pushing the fires along.  I was reading an article today about the Wild Animal Park.  They have evacuated some of their animals to fire proof building and are waiting out the fires.  It sounds awful, I hope you get through it OK.

[Gravehearted]

digxmexnow – thank goodness you’re able to help out and give that bunny someplace safe to be. Sending lots of good wishes your way and to everyone in the San Diego are for those Santa Anas to stop blowing!

osprey – The Wild Animal park is one of my favorite places EVER, I hope the animals there and the SD Zoo will be ok.

sep1118 – I have no idea about vacuum sealing hay 🙁

[Scarlet_Rose]

Thanks Binky Bunny!  I like to be prepared, especially for an emergency, I don’t want to go into panic mode trying to find anything and instead have everything right there and I know that all I need to do is grab that box and get to work and call the vet.  Oh, I also have my vets business card taped to the box with the emergency # highlighted along with a back-up vet.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Thanks for the wishes about the fires. Luckily, it has moved out of my area and my friends were able to return to their homes. The wind has changed direction and things are looking up.

 

I took some pictures of the bunny I was taking care of. He’s full grown, but he’s so teeny and cute!

 

 

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[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh my, well I am glad you are OK.  There were some others here affected by it or their families were too.  I can’t believe that litte guy wasn’t snacking on that big fat juicy vacuum cleaner cord!

[MooBunnay]

Hello! Thats so nice of you to take care of the bunny My parents live in Ramona (that town that was evacuated) and fortunately our house did not burn down, but my parent’s got stuck in the evacuation because they didn’t want to leave the horses behind – so they went to this Emergency Animal Rescue that was set up. They have about 100 horses there that people had to leave in the evacuation, and then someone else independently stayed behind and has about 200 other horses that he rounded up once the fires passed.

One thing that my rescue recommends is that you always make sure you have enough carriers for each of your bunnies. Also, it helps to have a carrier already set up and kept in a closet, with litter or newspaper already in it so that if an emergency hits you don’t have to spend time setting up a carrier and then filling it with litter etc.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

Moobunny, thanks for the tip. I think that’s really a great idea. I’m going to “pre-make” the carriers and put some food in it along with some toys. I should pack some extra litter too.

[Scarlet_Rose]

I just thought it might be good to refresh this discussion since it is really handy and we’ve got lots of new members!

[Cadbury]

Thanks so much for refreshing this thread, this is GREAT info! Below is a website I found that will calculate the dosage for a lot of bunny meds – you put in the bun’s weight, and it calculates the rest. Obviously, I would always verify this with a vet, but it does have some good info!

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rx/drugcalc.html

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

I just wanted to add this….
In case of need to evacuate , can you keep your animals with you at the evacuation site? Might sound like a stupid question but I just want to be clear.

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’re welcome Cadbury! This discussion is linked from the FAQ section.

Sep1118, in most cases they will not let you evacuate with your animals and they make you leave them behind.  If they do let you bring them, often times they will not allow pets and they must be left at specific facilities separate from yours.  As for vacating to a hotel/motel, it can be difficult to find one that will accept rabbits, unless you sneak them in (not that I advocate that).  A lot of people out there are allergic to rabbits and so it is a concern if you don’t tell them and check out and the nest person that checks in has severe allergies to them.

We also have a discussion on emergency preparedness.  I’ll refresh that too but there is the link as well:
https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&forumid=1&tpage=1&view=topic&postid=17363#17382

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Sorry guys…I’ve been looking and looking,

Scarlet Rose, what is the ecinacea for ?

[Scarlet_Rose]

No worries K & K! Echinacea is an herb that is used to boost the immune system and has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. In complimentary medicine it is often used in conjuntion with antibiotics to help fight infection. : ) My vet happens to be open to complimentary medicine so I keep that kind of stuff on hand.

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