Pet-sitting a friend’s bunny

[Yilina]

Hi guys,

How are you? I have not been here for a long while, but Tambor is doing fantastic and growing into a more and more confident bunny ! He even sits on us on his own accord and lets us pet him, we could have never believed he’d one day do that .

I’m writing to ask for advise. The bunny of a friend (Mimi) will be living with us for a week, while my friend is on holidays. Mimi is not fixed and a female, while Tambor (a male) is not fixed either. They are not fixed (I explained this in my old messages) because we live in a part of the world where there are no qualified rabbit vets.

I wanted some advise on how to handle this whole thing. We are going to keep them separated -that’s for sure-, but both of them are free-roam (actually, Mimi is a registered zootherapy bunny). I’ve 2 bedrooms in my house and big dining room/kitchen. Everything is bunny-proofed. Should we keep them confined to their own spaces? Will they be able to smell each other and get anxious?

Any advise will be welcome .

Hugs,

Yilina

[kurottabun]

It would probably be wiser to keep them away from each other as they are both not fixed. All you need is a few seconds of humping to happen and your friend’s bunny may end up with unwanted litter. I’ve read that bunnies can even mate through wire fences!

Since it’s only for a week, would you be able to let the bunnies roam separately without seeing each other?

[Yilina]

Yes, I could let them roam separately without them seeing each other. I fear that they smell each other and get anxious or mad (especially Tambor, he things the whole house is his).

[kurottabun]

You mentioned you have two bedrooms? Could you house them separately in each? That way the smell of the other bunny will probably not be as obvious. You could also clean the house thoroughly before welcoming the new bunny.

[Luna]

Hey Yilina! I’m glad to hear you and Tambor are doing well . I think the best way to keep the peace between both buns and prevent any accidental encounters is to let Tambor continue to be free-roam, with the exception of 1 area of the house where Mimi will stay. Even though Mimi is free-roam, your house will be new to her so if she is restricted to 1 area of the house, I’m sure she won’t mind because she will be used to being free-roam in her own house and not your house. As long as she has plenty of space to move around and play, she should be fine .

The best spot to set up Mimi would probably be the area that is most on the edge of Tambor’s territory. For instance, if the dining room is in the middle of the house, then I would set her up in one of the bedrooms. Also, Kurottabun makes a good point about mating through bars, so you’ll have to make sure you have a good barrier set up between Tambor’s space and Mimi’s space.

[Yilina]

Thank you so much!! I had missed this community, you guys are wonderful!

We cleaned everything this morning with vinegar to erase any odour and we are placing Mimi in one of the bedrooms (the office) and Tambor in the living-dinning room (he’ll have access to the whole flat, except Mimi’s room). It is not ideal, as Mimi’s room is usually Tambor’s room, but we cannot put any of the bunnies in the other room (it’s our bedroom and already super full). Tambor, though, is used to living in the living-dinning room when we have guests over, so I guess he won’t be too mad about that..

[Yilina]

Mimi is already home (and she’s a cutie!!). We learnt a few things.

•     She’s fed once every 2 days a “handful” of bunny muesli thingies. And some scraps of of vegetables and fruits from time to time  (yes, the horror!!)
•     She doesn’t have a litter tray and her owner filled her cage with those wood shavings that can harm bunnies’ lungs
•     She has hay but not a hay rack (I don’t know where the owner places her hay, in the garden?)
•     She’s not free-roam (she lives in a garden but spends most of her time in a hutch) and is not scared of anything!

As she’s only staying for week, we wonder the following this:

•     Should we change her diet to pellets and veggies (the standard diet recommended here and the House Rabbit Society)?
•     Should we keep on feeding her once every 2 days or change to twice/once a day?
•     Should we change her litter material to wood pellets, or keep on using those wood shavings?

I fear that any change could cause her harm, but, also, I think that wood shavings and once every 2 days feedings are not good at all.

Thanks! <3<3<3

[Luna]

In your first post you said Mimi was your friend’s bun? If you are comfortable talking with her, I would definitely bring up these points to her in a polite but informative manner. Is she reachable by phone before she returns?

1. First, I would give her unlimited hay. Second, since non-hay diet changes must occur gradually in order to not upset the bun’s digestive system, I would try to stay close to the veggie/pellet schedule she has now. I would continue with veggies once every 2 days. With the pellets, unfortunately I think you are forced in continuing to feed her the muesli since there won’t be enough time to switch it out completely, though you could start to mix 25% of Tambor’s pellets in 75% of Mimi’s pellets so that Mimi’s transition can at least begin.

2. Are the wood shavings pine? Aspen shavings are ok. If the wood shavings are pine, then I would switch her to Tambor’s litter material. However, I would watch her for a while to make sure she doesn’t try to ingest Tambor’s litter. Buns are curious, and when I tried to switch Luna’s litter material multiple times, she kept eating the litter so I had to keep her on the Carefresh reclaimed paper.

[Deleted User]

When your friend picks Mimi up, could you maybe provide her with a list or printout of proper bunny diet and general info? How long has she has the bunny? The diet, as you know, is not what a bunny should be receiving at all. I’m surprised Mimi hasn’t had any GI problems or isn’t overweight. I think the best thing, in my opinion, but I know others probably would disagree, is to keep her on what she’s eating and educate your friend. So many drastic changes could stress Mimi out. If she also doesn’t continue eating the way you’re feeding her it could end up affecting her as well. I think giving her a litter box and and proper litter is a good idea. I’m really unsure about the diet though. Usually new pellets are introduced gradually and vegetables as well.

[Yilina]

She’s the friend of a friend, actually, and she’s a “lover of animals” (she’s always posting pictures of lost dogs and rescues, etc. on her Facebook). I don’t know her well and I fear that suggesting any changes could create tension. Anyway, we’ll see how the week goes and, when she comes pick Mimi up, I can tell her “oh, she loved these pellets and they are so cheap!” (actually, good-quality pellets are cheaper than rabbit muesli here).

She has had her for a bit over 2 years and she is not overweight at all. I think she doesn’t feed her that much and she lives mostly on hay and those seldom scraps of veggies. Btw, we found an old hay rack we used to use. We’re using it on her and loves it . Also, I don’t think she’s ever been to the vet either. I sometimes cannot understand those self-proclaimed animal lovers that don’t look up anythin on how to care for their animals. It’s not that hard to find the info!

[Deleted User]

As you probably already know, if you’re going to start her on pellets, just monitor her poops for changes and anything concerning. If you’re going to do that, I’d switch her to twice a day feedings. A pellet one and a greens feeding. Once every two days is so sad, poor girl is probably really hungry.

I wonder if there’s a way you can be discreet about the other things too, like bedding and a potential litter box?

[Yilina]

Thank you, Luna! <3

Unfortunately, the shavings don’t have a list of ingredients (this happens a lot here). So I don’t know if they are aspen or not. However, Tambor’s first owner used those with him and, when the vet saw them, she advised us to change them then and now. We’ll try with Tambor litter material (she a big chewer, we’ve found :S), so we’ll keep a very close eye on her.

As for the food, she was receiving muesli only once every 2 days. The frequency of her veggies/fruit intake is “when there were scraps left” :S. Not much help there. As you said, even if it hurts me, we need to continue with the muesli and try to convince our friend to change it in the future. She weights 2 kg/4,5 pounds, how much muesli should be getting per day? She was getting a “handful” once every two days, whatever that means.

[Deleted User]

What breed is she? I know people say it doesn’t matter, but for instances like weight I think it’s important to know. If she weighs what she should weigh at 4.5 pounds, then 2 tablespoons of pellets a day is appropriate. The general rule is 1/2cup pellets per 6 pounds of bunny.

[Yilina]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 3/30/2018 10:05 AM

What breed is she? I know people say it doesn’t matter, but for instances like weight I think it’s important to know. If she weighs what she should weigh at 4.5 pounds, then 2 tablespoons of pellets a day is appropriate. The general rule is 1/2cup pellets per 6 pounds of bunny.

She’ a black and orange lop, do they diet changes? Out bunny is a lionhead.

We weighted how much a handful of that muesli weights: 40gr. She was getting that once every 2 days.

[Deleted User]

That’s the right amount, but typically that’s given everyday, although there are some people that don’t feed pellets at all because they think they’re unnecessary.

[Yilina]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 3/30/2018 9:58 AM

As you probably already know, if you’re going to start her on pellets, just monitor her poops for changes and anything concerning. If you’re going to do that, I’d switch her to twice a day feedings. A pellet one and a greens feeding. Once every two days is so sad, poor girl is probably really hungry.

I wonder if there’s a way you can be discreet about the other things too, like bedding and a potential litter box?

I could tell her about how expensive vets are, and that I know because Tambor once got a lung infection “probably” because of the wood shavings in his litter box… maybe that could make her rethink about that. This girl is an expat, like me, from exactly the same city! I always say that animal care is very bad in this island, but she has not excuse coming from a country with excellent vets.

[kurottabun]

If you don’t mind, you can probably give her the things (e.g the spare hay rack) that you are not using anymore. Then instead of phrasing it as a piece of “advice”, casually say something along the lines of “Oh I used this for Mimi and she loved it!” This might get her to continue using it. Same with the other stuff like litter etc. heh.

[Yilina]

Hi guys,

We’re half way in our pet-sitting duties, and falling more in love with Mimi every day. She’s such an outgoing bunny, she hardly gets scared of anything and loves to be around people. I’m going to cry when she has to leave us on Friday. It’s hard work to take care of 2 buns that cannot be in the same area, but, oh, the cuteness! Have you ever pet-sitted? Was it hard to let the pet go?

We’re learning about her bunny quirks and figured out a good feeding schedule. I must be honest with you guys, I’m very impressed with her; she litter-trained in 1 day! We feel much more knowledgeable with bunnies now than we were when we first got Tambor. Thanks to this community we’ve learnt to fix problems in a brim.

For instance, we found out the things she likes to chew on (she’s a horrible chewer, while Tambor -bless his kind soul- doesn’t chew on anything but wire) and we protected them/got out of her reach. Now, she is safer and we are relaxed . She’s also learnt the meaning of the word “no!”, he he. She is a hay monster as well. I’ve always read bunnies need to eat their volume in hay per day… well, she eats much more than that! I guess that, as we wasn’t feed often enough, she learnt to rely on the hay that was available.

Is it allowed to post a picture of her here? I guess no because she’s not my bunny, right?

[Luna]

That’s great that she is settling in nicely . And you can post a pic of other buns. I posted a pic of a bun I fell in love with at the rescue I volunteer at.

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