How would you go about this?

[Tipsy Bunny]

 So you all may not have seen me as often this weekend, as I was in Los Angeles.  So I had my parents watching my bun.  I gave them strict instructions to follow “Unlimited hay at all times, 2 handfulls of food, couple large leaves of lettuce, constant water, scoop her poop but leave a little, scoop all pee, check her incision for anything wrong (her spay) and call the vet heres number ****, make sure she is eating, if her poop is minimal for so many days or hours call the vet, blah blah…”  And I taught them how to properly pick her up if they wanted to put her in my small bathroom for some exercise  So I just got home, came into my room so excited to see my bunny, and I find her just plain insane.  She is chewing at the bars like mad, her litterbox has NO hay and there is poop everywhere because her litterbox is too full and I am surprised she decided to pee in her litterbox because there was so much in there, she had no food and no water.  I was just, in a way, furious.  So I collected myself and set off to work before I ask you this… How do I tell my parents about this?  Like how would you confront your family about how they have treated your bun while you were gone?  I dont want to just walk up to them and say, “what the heck were you doing?  sitting on your butts while my bun sat in her poo?”  Cause thats just mean and I dont want to yell at my parents… I just want to find the right way to calmly tell them that what they did was not right, but, I am not exactly sure how to go about it.  Any ideas?

Poor baby, she was so excited I came home she practically pushed the kennel door open before I could unlock it!  Now she is quietly eating her vegies.

[longhairmike]

dump the litterbox in their bed… then for next time get a few giant bolt-on water and food dishes,, and stockpile enough food, water, & hay to last twice as long as you’ll be gone. who cares if they throw the hay all over, just cram the whole bag in there. We haven’t taken more than a 60-hour vacation since we got our buns in 2004

[Monkeybun]

Wow. I’d be right pissed. I don’t care if they are family or not, if that happened to me, I’d finding out exactly why they neglected my pets.

[Tipsy Bunny]

I actually had a brand new bag of hay for her and it was not opened. But it would be a good idea to get an extra big water and food bowl, but I am not sure when the next time I will be vacationing, I know my bun wont be up for me doing that. Aww heck she can just come with me darnit!

[LBJ10]

To be honest, I wouldn’t say anything. No need to have tension between you and your parents. Tipsy is fine. Probably a little pissed at you for leaving, but fine. And just know for next time your parents aren’t a good option and try to find someone else.

[longhairmike]

are you in the valley?

http://www.tranquilitytrail.org/Bunny_Sitting_BISY.html

[Tipsy Bunny]

Wow that is great!!! If I lived at my old house it would be like a 5 minute drive but hey, as long as she gets the care she needs the next time I ever take a vacation, I wouldnt mind the extra 20 minutes at all!!! Thanks Mike!!

[jerseygirl]

They did renege on an agreement. I’d want to bring that up.

[meow1]

Although I’d be pissed, I would try to not show it to them, and just explain what they did wrong so next time they will do it right. Last time I left for vacation, I had my dad come on some days, and my brother-in-law came and stayed some nights. When I got home, there were like a hundred dried papaya pieces all over his condo! I told them he could have a COUPLE a day. it looked like someone dumped the whole bag in there! Yeah I was super pissed at first, mainly because I was worried that sunny ate too many, but then when I talked to both my dad and BIL, I kinda chuckled a little bit and explained to them that he was only suppose to get a couple. My dad said he thought they were CARROTS!lol…but I was just happy Sunny was ok.

[bunnyfriend]

I would want to calmly question them, not being mean or offensive, but then explain to them why that wasn’t okay.

[Kate Monster]

Poor bun. I can’t lie, I’d be mean, there would be no nice, calm, and respectful about that. But you should probably be nicer and calmer than me about it, although I disagree that you shouldn’t seem at all angry, you have a right to be angry, and they’ve earned you being angry at them. And stress why that neglect could have been so bad, especially in light of a fairly recent surgery. I’d work out what I wanted to say before hand so it can’t get out of hand and then say it in whatever form (be that in person, on the phone, in a letter, in an email) you’re comfortable with and can accurately get across why you’re angry and why what they did was wrong. Then I’d find new pet sitters, whether it’s a friend, some kind of pet sitting service, or boarding.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

I’d definitely have a talk with them. Open communication with the parental units is important, and if you don’t it’ll just fester. Take your anger out here, then go to your parents and just let them know you’re very disappointed in them. Make sure to use words they use with you when you screw up

ETA did you write down all your instructions? 

[Sarita]

I doubt they mistreated her purposely. Perhaps they didn’t quite understand the instructions or your expectations.

Sometimes I find too that making it as easy as possible on those who are helping you is to make it goof proof for them. Especially if they have other responsibilities such as work and other priorities that they must attend to.

I would discuss it with them and ask them in the future what would make it as painless as possible to help take care of Tipsy when you are out…would a full litterbox to replace the dirty one (that can be left for you to clean when you get home help). You know things like that.

[Stickerbunny]

Calmly bring it up and ask them if perhaps your instructions weren’t clear or something came up that prevented them caring for her (though they should have called you if that were the situation) – the fact she had no hay, no food and no water makes it hard for me to believe that they didn’t purposefully mistreat her though… I mean, no hay OK, litterbox a bit dirty, OK maybe they don’t get rabbits but no water and no food at all? Anyone knows animals need food and water of some sort.

And next time, I would see if they’d let you get a pet sitter for her instead. I wouldn’t trust them with my rabbit again. The fact is, they shirked a responsibility they agreed to, family or not, that isn’t forgivable when it comes to pet care.

[Huckleberry]

If it were me, I would be more hurt than anything, that my parents thought so little of what matters to me that they just brushed it off. I would be offended that they took my rules and guidelines and just tossed them out the window. I bet you didn’t do that when they were raising you, they told you to do something (ex, do the dishes) and you did them, because you had respect for them. They should show the same respect for you.
When I left for 2 wks to New Mexico, I had my mom coming across town to check on my bun while BF (who was still at home) was at work. I was so terrified that she would feel uncomfortable about me being gone that she would freak out. I left very detailed instructions and my mom and BF followed them to the letter. They also called to tell me how she was doing each day. This might be a bit overboard but imo, that is how family should react. If they know it is something you care about, they should care about it and they should want to help you. They should be there for you.
I think I would say something like “Parents, I am hurt and confused about why you did not take care of my rabbit while I was gone. I left instructions for you and when I returned, I could see that you did not follow them. Please, tell me why?” Maybe they had an emergency or something and were unable to deal with it, or maybe they forgot… you can decide if their reasoning is acceptable. At least now you know though, they are not the people to ask when you need a bunsitter.

[Joyfull_music]

Knowing Joe and I, family or not we would flip out on them for neglecting our pets. Thankfully enough Joe’s friend who watches our pets is very animal savvy, having several of his own and is also familiar with exotics.

[Tipsy Bunny]

Thank you for all of your advice!
I talked to my mom. Firstly, miscommunication on both of their parts. One day she got double her dose of romaine lettuce because my dad gave her some, then my mom gave her some! My mom was afraid to give her anything else because she wasnt sure what she could have and couldnt (I now have a printed list on the fridge) so she just fed her lettuce. She did clean her box, but was out at work all day monday so she didnt clean that day or give her hay or water during the afternoon, she also did pick her up to put her in my bathroom and I saw the evidence of pee that wasnt picked up… now I just know that if I ever go on vacation again during a weekday, to board her. So it is good to know that they did try, I just need a professional to handle it from now on.

Mike, I visited the place! It is simply amazing!! The staff is sooooo nice! I bought a bunch of great inexpensive toys and they even have American Pet Diner and Oxbow foods! All proceeds to go the sanctuary too! I saw where they board the vacationing buns and the adoptable buns! It is unbelievable!! LARGE X-Pens, tons of toys, and lots of love! They get free nail clipping, grooming, and a chance to chill on the comfy couch hehe. I just love it! There are so many bunnies there, I just couldnt stop smiling! I have never seen so many bunnies in one place, I was in my own little haven and didnt want to get out! The ladies said I could even volunteer there with grooming and cleaning which I would so do in a heart beat! I told my dad about it and first thing he said was, how much do they charge? Had no idea he would even think of boarding her for me! Would be just great next time! I think he realized its a little more work than he thought.

[Kate Monster]

I’m glad that you got everything worked out with them.

[Cassi&Charlie]

I’m glad that you talked to your parents about it and that you’ve found an alternative for your bun.

[Sarita]

I’m glad you discussed it with them and it sounds like they genuinely tried and I suspected they did. It’s best not to jump to conclusions without hearing their side and accusing them of neglect. They are only human after all and they have never had a rabbit. Glad you found an alternative as well – that will probably alleviate the stress from your parents of caring for an unfamiliar pet.

[Tipsy Bunny]

Also, I just dont think they really know her and how fast and how much she eats. A couple handfuls of hay goes within an hour and they were working a 7 hour shift. So it is understandable. In a way, I am pretty thankful that Tipsy was spayed so that she had to be quarantined to the kennel for most of the day. If she wasnt, I dont think she would get the amount of exercise she needs. But at least she is without problems.

[Author]

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