Questions
The things people ask me most, answered plainly. If yours isn't here, just ask me.
Sitter or boarding
Not quite, and it's worth knowing the difference before you book either one.
A rabbit sitter comes to your home for drop-in visits, usually once or twice a day, to top up food and water, clean the litter box and spend a bit of time with your rabbit. Your rabbit never leaves its own space.
With boarding, your rabbit comes and stays with me for the length of your trip. Both are good options. Which one suits you depends on your rabbit and your setup, and I'd rather help you work that out than talk you into the wrong one.
Boarding tends to be the better fit if you want someone with your rabbit all day rather than twice a day, if you're away for more than a few days, or if your rabbit is elderly, on medication, or has had gut trouble before.
A drop-in sitter is often the better fit if you have a group large enough that travelling together isn't practical, or if car trips are genuinely distressing for your rabbit. It's also the better call if your rabbit is recovering from surgery or illness. Recovery goes best with as little stress as possible, and a new environment is a stress of its own, so a rabbit healing up is usually better off in their own space with someone checking in than settling into an unfamiliar house.
Free roaming at home isn't a reason to rule boarding out, though. The guests I've had so far all free roam, and they settled into the pen quickly.
If you're not sure, send me a note describing your rabbit and I'll tell you honestly what I'd do.
The honest difference comes down to time and care.
My husband and I both work from home, so your rabbit would be in a house with people around all day rather than alone between visits. That matters a lot with rabbits. GI stasis can go from "they seem a bit quiet" to a real emergency in a matter of hours. When I'm near the pen all day I get to know their baseline behaviours, and every rabbit is different, so I can catch a change early. If a rabbit is normally up and busy at the same time every afternoon and one day he's tucked into a corner not moving, that's the kind of thing I'd spot straight away, and I'd be in the pen looking him over. Someone dropping in once or twice a day doesn't have the same chance to learn what's normal for your rabbit.
The other piece is company. A bonded pair has each other, which helps a lot, but rabbits are social with people too, and a week in a quiet empty house is a long week. Yours would get daily attention from me.
The house
No. Rabbits and nothing else. There are no dogs, cats or small children in the home, so there's no barking, no predator smell and no sudden noise for your rabbit to worry about.
In a spacious pen in my living room on the main floor, beside sunny windows. It's the room I spend most of my day in, which is the whole point.
My own rabbits are kept completely separate from guests. They don't share space, and they don't meet.
No, guests stay in their pen for the whole stay. It's roomy, and instead of letting guests loose in a house they don't know, I get into the pen with them for at least 30 minutes every day.
That's deliberate. An unfamiliar room means cables to chew, furniture to get stuck behind, and my own rabbits' scent on everything, and none of that is worth the risk with someone else's rabbit. Getting in with them means they still get company and attention, which is the part that actually matters to them. Some want to be petted, some just want to binky around and ignore me. Both are fine.
Yes, and bonded pairs always stay together. Separating a bonded pair is stressful for both rabbits and risks damaging a bond that took work to build.
Booking and care
Yes. I only board vaccinated rabbits, with no exceptions. It protects every rabbit in the house, including yours and my own.
Please bring the vaccination record to drop-off, or send me a photo of it ahead of time. If your rabbit isn't vaccinated yet, book that with your vet well before your trip, since the vaccine needs time to take effect.
Yes, enough hay and pellets to cover the whole stay. Sudden diet changes upset a rabbit's gut, and a holiday is the worst possible time to find that out, so guests stay on exactly what they eat at home.
Fresh romaine every day is included, so that's one thing you don't need to pack.
I contact you straight away and get your rabbit to a rabbit-savvy vet if it's needed. At drop-off I'll ask for your regular vet's details, an emergency contact, and what you'd like me to do if I can't reach you.
Yes, and I'd encourage it. You're leaving your rabbit in someone's house, and you should see the room and meet me first. Message me and we'll set up a time.
Spaces are limited, so holidays, long weekends and March break fill up early. Outside those, a couple of weeks is usually enough, but it's always worth asking.
The south end of Ottawa. I board rabbits from across the city, including Barrhaven, Riverside South, Greely, Osgoode, Kanata and Nepean. I share the exact address once a booking is confirmed.
Get in touch
Send your dates, how many rabbits, and anything I should know about them. I'll get back to you quickly.
Call or text, whichever you prefer.