Vacation and rabbits

[laughaha]

It's getting hotter outside and we may be going to FL for a week on vacation next month and I don't have anyone super reliable to take care of the rabbits and chickens. I can get someone to check on them daily, but I'm out there 3 times a day minimum.

Chickens I'm not worried about as their feeder holds over a week of feed and a couple kiddie pools full of water will take care of their water needs for that long EASILY. So all someone has to do is check on them and gather eggs.

I am super worried about the rabbits as it's hot out and I don't trust that someone will give them frozen jugs of water or their noon frozen watermelon consistently. We have a metal shed that I was thinking of laying wire fence on the bottom and then spreading a few bales of hay and making a stand and putting an air conditioner in there to run for the entire week. I plan to buy a small kiddie pool for their waterer. I figured I'd colony the flemish's in there for the week as they do NOT handle heat well. I don't like that it doesn't have any windows and they would be in the dark for a week but at least I know they would stay alive. Hmmmmmmmm, maybe I could cut a small door and build a small outside pen so they could at least have some sunlight and fresh air.

I think the dwarfish mutts will be fine with normal daily care- they don't seem to suffer in the heat like the flemish's do.
What do you think?

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

No Light + No Ventiliation + Heat + One Week = Dead Rabbits....

Hire someone to come care for your rabbits the way you would. You can find someone on craigslist. Have someone stay AT your house to care for your animals. Better than having to worry about them driving there daily or mulitple times a day.

A metal shed is going to be like an oven with no windows.

 

[redhen]

I also would hire someone to care for them... Can you ask a neighbor to do it and tell them that you'll pay them?
Espically the Flemish's... they can not take much heat at all ....

 

[RiverOtter]

Contact the local 4H chapter and see if there's a local teen with a good reputation who could pet sit. Or ask if they know any pet sitters, I used to pet-sit for a lot of 4H families when I did it for a living. Also, ask at the local vets office if they know anyone.

 

[missy_cbell21]

I'm glad you posted this, we are going to Ohio in Aug. and I have no plans as of yet. I may have my neighbor check on them during the day and then have the breeder I got them from feed, water and cool them. I hope it works out that way atleast.

 

[laughaha]

Ok, I guess I didn't explain it very well so I'll try again......

There will be someone coming everyday, however, I am with my buns 3 times a day (minimum) and Flemish's are notorious for not dealing well with heat so mine get frozen gallons of water daily around 10 am (and another one around 4 pm if it's hot out still) and at noon they get frozen slices of watermelon. That's at least 3 times a day for someone to come and just deal with them oh and they would have to be hauling these jugs of frozen water up and down a hill (I live on the side of a mountain). I don't mind hauling the water (about 20 gallons a day) and the frozen jugs (at least 8 daily) but I like my friends and want to keep them. If the frozen water or watermelons are skipped, there is a good chance that at least one would die on a hot day. Heaven forbid if they run out of water for drinking! I'm not expecting my friends to spend 1/2 hour each day picking fresh edible weeds/grasses/etc for the rabbits or chickens or geese. I think everyone will be fine on commercial food only for the week. The kiddie pool is so that my friend shouldn't have to haul much water daily to all the pens- I'm trying to lighten the load so to speak.

I was thinking that I could use my metal shed, cover the bottom with welded wire mesh and then a good 6 inches of hay. AND put in an air conditioner (which would run CONTINUOUSLY) up high enough that the buns couldn't get to it. Cut a small pop hole in the side of the shed and build a small outside run (in case the air conditioner kicks off for some reason). A small kiddie pool so there is no chance they would run out of water and have my friend check on them daily.

Is there anything that I should be doing in addition to this? I'm freaking out cuz last year we lost a couple buns to the heat when we went on vacation so I'm trying to figure out how to cover every base.