Elderbun

Question
We have an adorable dwarf who just turned 11 yrs. old. He use to be perfect with his pottybox but now he just goes where ever! He's blind and his hind legs are arthritic so we cut down his box but he doesn't like slipping on the potty (Yesterday's News). He had a few sore hocks but I kept putting  little round bandaids over them and they've completely healed. At the moment we have a liner, then soft flannel covered with papertowels that we can remove. We clean him morning and night. My concern is that come Spring, we will hire a bunny-sitter while we leave the country to visit my honey's elderly parents. We will be gone three weeks and I'm trying to think of an easier way to keep Bun clean and dry without asking "too much" of the sitter. I've thought about a large cage where things could drop through as he doesn't travel very much now but I'm worried about the  bars on his little feet. Have you any ideas? Many thanks!

Answer
Dear Wilna,

Caring for a disabled bunny is often beyond the scope of an ordinary bunny sitter.  Since I can't see your setup, it's hard for me to make suggestions, but one very valuable thing we use for our disabled buns is the excellent artificial fleece beds made by PalacePet (www.palacepet.com).  If you buy several, the pet sitter can change them out daily, putting an absorbent cotton mat under the fleece to prevent urine from damaging anything underneath.  They are easy to launder, and the pet sitter can just toss them in the laundry and dryer so that they'll be ready for the next day.

The fleece is also very cushiony, and should help prevent any sore hocks.

But my real suggestion is this:  Why not take your little guy with you on your trip?  You're really the only ones who know how to take care of him properly, and since he's disabled, he certainly won't need much room!  :)

Several airlines allow pets *in cabin* (NEVER put a rabbit in cargo!) for a small fee (Delta comes to mind right away), and that way you will have complete peace of mind knowing that your little guy is right under your watchful eye, and safe as can be.  Rabbits are actually very good travelers, and if you decide to go this route (which I recommend), then write to me at dana@miami.edu and I'll send a post on how to fly with a bunny.  :)

Hope this helps.

Dana