Leaving bun behind when going away

[Benjiboy13]

I was wondering is someone would be able to give me some advice..

I have a 6 month old mini lop x British spot bunny called Benji and we have had him just over a month now. I originally had him in a cage over night but he had full use of the home when we were in. I’ve always wanted him to be free roaming as much as possible, so over the past few weeks we have been trying him by leaving him for a few hours at a time to see how he gets on, and over the last two nights he has been in the kitchen over night (I have made it as comfy as possible by adding lots of toys and boxes and his cage is also in there but open at all times) and he has been getting on really well! (although he does chew bits of wall paper off the walls) 

But my question is, I live with my boyfriend and we aren’t originally from the city we live in, so we are going home for a few days over Christmas. I have arranged a sitter for Benji but they are flexible in having him at their home or coming to mine and spending a few hours a day with him here. I was originally really up for having him go to their home, as he is used to having lots of company as I am usually at home because I’m a uni student with minimal hours of lectures, etc. but now I have him free roaming day and night, I’m a bit apprehensive to have them keeping him in his cage (they have said they will let him out for a bit each day) as he is used to having his cage open 24/7 and being able to do what he wants. On the other hand though, I feel because I spend a lot of time with him here, he may get sad and lonely with only having someone come in once a day to feed him, show him affection, etc. He is a really affectionate rabbit towards me and my boyfriend and I’m not necessarily thinking he would be with a sitter as he doesn’t know them, but a little bit of human interaction would be nice for him throughout the day. 

If you could please let me know your thoughts, I would greatly appreciate it. 

Thanks!

[Bam]

I moved your post to the Q&A section.

I think I’d prefer to have him stay with the sitters. Even if he will have to spend most of time i his cage, he’d still have humans around him. If the sitters have a dog or small children, he might do better alone though.

[Q8bunny]

Where would he have the least stress + where would he benefit most from a hoom = your choice

Basically, being under the same roof as the sitter is not the same thing as quality interaction time with the sitter.

[Annabelle's mommy]

I’ve been in the same position as I’m a university student as well. I normally take anna home with me (its only a two hour drive from uni to home), although for short trips, or if i go on a vacation with my family, I leave her behind. If your bun is used to being in a cage, then i would say take him to the sitters, and have them interact with him as much as possible. Anna however is far too big for a cage, and so it would be too much of a hassle to set up a hutch for her in a new house. The benefit to having the sitter come to your house is that your bun would not go through the potentially stressful trip to a new environment. Anna got GI stasis the second time I brought her home with me to my parents house, which may not have been about to move, as she seemed happy regardless. If you could set up a hutch area in your house, so bun has suitable area to play and with his cage in it, and then get him used to that pen before you leave, then have the sitter come to your house, and a few times a day to interact with bun. That way as little as possible changes for him. Anna has had that set up, where a sitter would come a few times a day (luckily a fellow bun mom friend), and would hang out with her. She seemed good with that.

It may be less stressful for bun to stay in a familiar environment than to move but have interaction. I know anna is wary of new people and despite being a huge snnuggler would rather stay in her hutch and chill than be hassled by a stranger.

[Benjiboy13]

Thank you for your reply. I want to take him home with me, but I don’t drive so I wouldn’t be able to get his cage back and we also have a cat at home (he is an old boy, so he isn’t too boisterous anymore) but I was looking in to getting him a cage for back home too, so if we ever go on holiday then it may be easier. I’ve read online that rabbits can get easily stressed by being moved around, which I’m definitely worried about.. I just worry about him being here on his own for a lot of the time.. I’m a really paranoid bunny mom hahaha  

[DanaNM]

I think if it is only for a few days, I would have him stay in your home and make sure the sitter spends enough time with him during his active times of day. Maybe you can have your sitter come twice a day?

They do tend to adapt to new places, but I know mine take at least a couple days to calm down after traveling, so I usually only take them to a sitter’s house if I will be gone more than 4-5 days.

You might consider setting up an extra pen that you could attach to the cage (with something to protect your floor if he chews carpet), to give him more space since he won’t be getting as much free-roam time. Or maybe even give him free-roam of your kitchen?

I also usually give mine lots of new extra boredom buster toys to chew and play with when we’re gone.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Benjiboy13]

Thank you. Yeah, he’s pretty much free roaming the kitchen whenever we’re not here now and at bed time. The sitter is an international student who only lives down the road from me, so she isn’t going home over Christmas so I guess I could ask her to come a few times per day just to check on him. She did say she would be able to let him out of the house whenever she’s in, which I guess would be beneficial.. Ugh, it’s such a stressful situation because I just can’t decide what would be for the best 

[Annabelle's mommy]

I definitely think if you keep bun at your home, in a set up he is used to, it will cause him less stress than having him go to a new place for a few days. The firsst few days in a new environment for anna are always stressful for her and i, and i think that bunnies are able to handle being alone for a bit of time. when im in class anna is alone for up to 8 hours, and she seems completely fine doing her own thing, snoozing and playing.

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