Owing to a bereavement our Christmas plans are different from what they were. We have made firm plans for all our other pets, but are still debating what is best for our dwarf rabbit. He is 9 months old. A house rabbit (has a huge cage and comes out 2 or 3 times a day for a play/nosy around). He is very sociable and easy going. He is particularly attached to DS (10).
Option 1 - we take him with us. It’s an hour and a half drive from home. We would not be able to take his big cage with us and he’d have to make do with a smaller (not cruel, but smaller than he is used to) for the week.
Option 2 - he stays in my friend’s spare bedroom. He Can have his big cage and will be allowed out each day, but not as long/as often as when with us. My friend and her daughter like him a lot and he knows them a bit. They have a cat so he won’t have the run of the house. I’m confident they can keep him safe. And we have 2 cats so he used to the scent of them in the house (we never allow them in the same room).
Option 3 - he stays at our house and my mother- in-law, who he knows well, comes on to feed him each day. He will have a bit of daily play time but it will be fairly limited. She won’t be able to go in on Christmas Day, so he will have about 36 hours without any company.
We are experienced pet owners (hamsters, Guinea pigs, rats, cats, birds) but he’s our first rabbit. As I say, our plans have changed on account of unforeseen circumstances. We wouldn’t have planned to leave him this year otherwise.
Advice much appreciated.