Boarding my bunny for a week-long trip

[Jess]

I am so scared to leave my rabbit for a week but am forced to go on a week long vacation with my family (who already booked AND paid for everything, and did not even ask me if I wanted to go). So because of that I am now obligated to go and I don’t even want to, if it means possibly putting my rabbit’s life at risk. 

I know I suffer from severe anxiety and am probably freaking out over nothing, but still- it scares me, because my rabbit is the most important thing in my life. He is staying at his exotic vet’s office the entire time. I would not trust his life with anyone else, not even my husband LOL… seriously though!

Because Thumper & I are so attached to each other, I am worried about him being away from me for that long and am so terrified of losing him due to GI stasis or complications from that. He has already shown me that he doesnt eat, drink, pee or poop when he is scared (like before/during vet trips or grooming sessions, won’t even take his favorite treats until he is back home or feels “safe” again).

Another thing, he sleeps with me in bed every single night too, so I know spending 7 nights alone is going to be so scary/lonely for him, and that breaks my heart knowing he is going to be wondering where I am and why I left him in an unfamiliar place with strangers. He is such a sweet boy and just wants love and attention.. He even waits for me to get home from work every day..  I don’t want him to think I abandoned him :'(

I trust his vet but because my rabbit means absolutely everything to me, I am so anxious about being away from him. I fear the worst, that when I drop him off for his stay at the vet, it will be the last time I ever see him. I am so scared that something bad will happen (such as a random illness or him going on hunger strike) and I will be saying goodbye forever

Has anyone else experienced this and have some tips for taking trips without your bunny, or some coping skills to deal with this horrible separation anxiety? Am I worrying too much?? I know my anxiety is taking over, but I just love him SO much and don’t him to suffer mentally OR physically because of this. He is my baby and he means everything to me. Like I said, I don’t want to go on this trip. I feel forced, and my parents have already spend thousands of dollars on this trip. All they want is their (not-so-)perfect family vacation, and because I am stuck working with my mother, I do not want to get on her ‘bad side’ because she will happily make my life a living hell when she wants to. But that is another story… 

Just wanted to stress that I am obligated to leave my bunny .. I would NEVER choose to do this. I probably need him way more than he needs me. But If they would’ve just asked me before buying everything, my husband and I would have politely declined the invite.

Jessica

[Asriel and Bombur]

Taking a trip without him isn’t the end of the world. You have to live at some point. You can’t go 10+ years without a vacation just because he’s alive and you’re anxious.

That said, my first trip without my boys was quite nerve wracking as well. We had my husband’s uncle watch them and he wasn’t the best (so you’re already doing better!) Bombur is a poorly bun who was diagnosed with chornic EC just months before we went on our first trip, and he’s prone to Stasis and gets stressed over just changing the setup of the room. Bombur is pretty dependent on us because of his EC and his vision issues. Asriel, although independent, gets free roam at night and sleeps at my side every night.

Yes, the first few days without each other is a bit hard, but it does get easier. Write out a detailed schedule/list of his activities and things he loves so he can always feel comforted. My boys love Star Trek, so we had his uncle put on Star Trek while he was supervising roaming times. Ask for pictures and an update every day just so you’re satisfied things are going okay. He’s at the vet so if anything goes wrong he’s already there, so it’s not like someone has to bring him from somewhere else to the vet. So he’ll be closely monitored, and they’ll actually know what to do for almost everything. If anything he’ll get some gas from the disruption in routine, but that’ll pass quickly. And he’s honestly not going to be suffering at all. It’s just a week stay in a comfortable place. When you get home he’ll either be super excited to see you (like my boys were ) or he’ll give you the butt and ignore you for a few days like some other bunnies do.

So main points to help/cope:
write a detailed schedule of his activities and a list of his favorite foods/treats, sounds, shows and things like that
ask for a photo and a brief update every day on how he is doing and behaving
try to enjoy the trip, you don’t often get to go on vacation, and to be honest your bunny isn’t really going to be doing a whole ton different than he would if you were together at home.

[Meg]

Hi there! I totally feel your pain; I’ve always been nervous leaving my bunnies. I agree that with Asriel that you still need to live, and I’ve noticed that the vacations I’ve been happiest on, my bunnies have done great with their sitter, even if I was away for several weeks. They seem to support human happiness. (;

But first of all — I know this is far afield from the bunny care topic, but are you sure you’re “forced” to go on this trip? You’ve been very clear that you don’t want to. I’m not saying you should stay home for your bunny, I’m asking whether you’d be more loyal to your*self* if you were to say no. I totally understand that you feel obligated, and I’m not saying your family wouldn’t be upset. But most of the happiness in my adult life has come from the baby steps I’ve taken toward listening to my heart and then obeying it, even if it surprises, disappoints, or angers other people by upsetting their expectations. I’m not talking about doing anyone any actual harm — but neither are you. : ) I’m not saying it would be easy or smooth, but is it possible that saying something along the lines of “I love you and I’m grateful for your generosity in paying for this trip and it’s not something that’s going to work for me” might be liberating for you? They will have spent the money whether or not you go. (see http://time.com/5347133/sunk-cost-fallacy-decisions/)

Re: your mother, I have similar questions: is it 1000% true that you’re “stuck” working with her? Are there any other opportunities on the planet that you might be happier with? I’m dealing with similar-ish issues with my in-laws (their demands to be pacified by calling all of the shots, or else being mean to us), but I kind of think that if they were going to threaten us with that, then those dynamics were always there anyway — our deciding not to play by their rules only brings them out into the open (it doesn’t *create* them).

OK, but back to the bunny topic:

My two bunnies have been pretty nervous, so I’ve always gotten a sitter for them who comes by twice a day, rather than boarding them. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with boarding, and braver bunnies do just fine. If he’s super social, he might do better at someone’s house or the vet, where he’d get more company — whatever you think would fit his personality best. I leave literally 3-4 pages of instructions, haha, so they know basically everything I know about what the buns need and like. They send me pictures and updates every day, and that’s really heartwarming. During a few long trips, with my sitter’s permission my partner set up a bunnycam that streamed to YouTube so that I could see what they were up to at any time, and that made a big difference in my homesickness. But for the most part, they never seemed to mind when I was replaced with a friendly sitter. They even seemed disappointed when I came back and their favorite ones left, haha! (;

So, I think he will be okay. But your love for him might be an impetus for you to stand up for yourself for his sake if it’s been (understandably) harder to do that just for your own sake.

[DarthVadar]

Going on a vacation when your bunnies are at home is nerve racking, even after doing it multiple times over a few years. I’m always waiting for a text saying that one isn’t eating, or has mites, or got loose, etc. You’ve already done the most important thing: getting a competent sitter. You going on vacation is not a time for someone’s kid to learn how to take care of bunnies. Whenever I have to go somewhere, I have the sitter over to teach them what to do; if you have the same sitter for a while, it gets pretty easy.
Rabbits are pretty darn resilient. Panda has been fed the wrong crap, handled by children (I love having cousins lol), and lived in quite a few different arrangements, and she’s one of the happiest buns I know. Even if your bun doesn’t like having you gone, he will be ok. Remember that rabbits don’t think like people.

[BunMom#1]

I am sure that everything will be fine-especially since you’re taking him to the vet’s to be cared for. whenever my parents take me on vacations like that, I normally get a bunny sitter to come over, normally one of my friends. The stress was terrible at first, because I was afraid we’d become unbonded or something. But then i read on line that if you rub a towel or something with your scent ( your deoderant or favorite perfume ) that it will make your bunny more comfortable when you are gone, and not as lonely. Prehaps you can do this with your bun just to take some of the stress off.

[Author]

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