Would my bunny be ok for 4 days alone?

[PinkBump2022]

I’m going away for 4 nights next week and I plan to bring my rabbit into the kitchen with her hutch and run, leave 4 food dishes and 4 water bottles full of water for her. She will also have hay to eat. She will be completely safe in the kitchen it’s cool in there for her and she has just as much room as she would outside. On the day I leave I plan to give her fresh veggies as I always do every day, then on the day I return to plan to give her them also. Will she be ok on her own for 4 days?

Omg no of course you can’t. How weird.

Do you think a rabbit has the mental capacity to think ‘right, 4 bowls of food here, I’ll eat one a day and that should last me 4 days’. 🙄

Four days out and it’ll probably start going stale. Would you eat food drink water that’s been out for 4 days?

Please don’t do this. You must have a neighbour or a friend you can ask to pop in

Absolutely not. You either need to have someone who comes round 2-3 times a day to check the rabbit, feed, water and socialise, or board the bunny. At this time of year, bunnies can get fly strike…if there’s not a soul looking after the rabbit, she could die. As a bunny lover myself, please don’t even think about this, it’s neglectful.

No you can't do that. What if she knocks her water over, or has a pig out and eats all her food in one day. Plus rabbits are social creatures, they need company and stimulation. You need someone to be going round every day to make sure she's ok. To leave her totally alone for 4 nights is actually quite cruel.

Absolutely definitely not. Except in dire emergency, please dont even consider this.

Talking of things to consider:

• is your rabbit neutered? 80% of unneutered female rabbits get womb cancer so please get her neutered
• very few rabbits are happy living alone. Once she's neutered please contact your local rescues to get her a friend

I have no idea whether a rabbit would survive this (and we had a pet rabbit when I was growing up) but outside of that, it does highlight the sad reality of life for these animals. Confined in a small space, completely alone for almost their entire lives.

No way, mine would get very depressed left alone. Hes very cross with me if I leave him overnight. I'm going away and booked him in at a pet boarder. 8quid a day.

She might be, yes, but it's not worth the risk. Rabbits can fall ill extremely quickly and often need immediate vet treatment. Also, just a thought, does your rabbit live alone? Rabbits have been shown to value companionship from other rabbits as much as they value food. I'd seriously consider spaying/neutering (if you haven't already) and then adopting a friend for your rabbit from a rescue. Rabbits are extremely social and you will vastly improve your rabbits quality of life by allowing them to have a companion. Human companions don't fill the void for rabbits as they simply can't communicate with them the same as they can with other rabbits.

The following websites have lots of good information on rabbit welfare and care, plus how to bond rabbits.

www.ivydenerabbitrescue.co.uk

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

I think 4 days is way too long to leave her alone, could you not pay a pet sitter or have someone pop in to check on her every day?

Plus rabbits need to eat hay every day for their gut. If they go more than a couple of days without it they can have massive gut issues and die. If your rabbit munches all the hay on day 1/2 you will come home to a very poorly rabbit.
you should bring her in, do as you planned but ask a local dog Walker if someone to pop in every day to check and give fresh water/hay.
she sounds very lonely if you are willing to do this :(. Think about getting her a friend or rehoming her to someone who understands rabbit care better. You really shouldn’t be needing to ask this question … you should know better. Rabbits have terrible welfare, people dont look after them properly.

I'm heartened to read the responses, when I first saw your post I thought it couldn't be ok or safe for the bun, but I've never had one. I agree that she could tip out all her water by accident, and she's too small a creature to survive 3 days without water. As someone with dogs, some of whom haven't been able to travel, we've had to make some big life changes to be a good carer of these wonderful little lives.

Leaving a vulnerable animal totally alone for 4 days? You don't deserve a pet! Your poor rabbit! What if it got ill or injured?

I am absolutely disgusted by this thread. The level of intended neglect is shocking.

Also, rabbits should be kept in pairs or small groups. Hutches are barbaric. You clearly don't give a flying fuck.

I really hope you are a troll, obviously that's not OK!

Oh & she won't be safe unsupervised in the kitchen. A kitchen bench is a short hop for a healthy rabbit. Ours trashed 2 toasters, thankfully we knew to switch them off at the socket & he wasn't harmed. But wires we're sport to him at times

No! She won't look at the food and think I'll eat one bowl a day! She's not a human! And in this heat her water will go funny if not changed daily. Also what about if she gets ill? She's just be left to suffer on her own till you got back! That's cruel!

It's risking gut stasis if she eats all the food too fast. I check on my bunnies about 6 times a day and probably feed them that amount if times too. I also rotate them between hutch and run weather dependent. They also have loose on the garden time. My bunnies are separated until db2 is spayed But they can interact between the chicken wire all the time.

My bunnies are more work than my bloody dog.

@PinkBump2022

Can you please let us know that you've listened to the unanimous advice on here and won't be doing this after all?

I keep thinking about your poor bun being left alone.

I actually don't think she gives a shit about the advice and will do it anyway. I hope I'm wrong.

I’m so pleased that everyone is saying no. Have you taken all the advice on board @PinkBump2022 ?
Everything pp have said reinforces my view that rabbits are unsuitable pets for many people, especially for children. They’re quite high maintenance and it’s likely that many of them will suffer illness, injury, lack of exercise and stimulation, and loneliness.

NO for fucks sake. Mine would eat four bowls of food in the first day and tip the water over. They also wouldnt eat four day old hay once they've thrown it around and weed on it. If one gets stasis while you're away it'll be dead when you get back.

Ours trashed 2 toasters

Lol they're such destructive little dickheads aren't they

Really hoping you are reading this op and realizing what a terrible idea it is. Agree that water will get tipped over so there will be none and that they won't eat weed on hay. Stasis is deadly as others have said. I truly hope you get someone to pop around and check each day. Out pet sitter comes twice a day for 10 quid per day, she is worth her weight in gold.

Please get someone to come and check in your rabbit

No I wouldn't, the rabbit will eat all the food in a day, they are not grazers with pellets and eat them immediately. Also its dangerous if its hay runs out. Keeping it in a hutch for 4 days is cruel, rabbits need large areas to hop around.

No. It's too long. Our bunnies don't stop eating if their food isn't regulated and then get poorly.

No of course she wouldnt

You must have a friend. I am going round to do a friends Friday night and Sunday morning/Sunday evening (her Dad is doing Saturday and Monday morning)

Do a bit of tidying up change food and water and say hello!