A good boarding stay starts before the carrier comes out. Rabbits usually cope best when their routine, food and bonded relationships remain familiar, while the boarder has clear information about their normal behaviour.
This guide explains Applewood's practical preparation steps. It supports, but does not replace, advice from your rabbit-savvy vet. Contact Applewood before booking if a rabbit has a current condition, recent treatment or any change in eating, toileting or behaviour.
Four weeks or more before the stay
Check the boarding requirements before paying a deposit. Applewood boards neutered or spayed rabbits who are litter trained and fit to stay in a non-clinical setting. Bonded rabbits should have been living together calmly for at least three months.
Look at the dates on the vaccination record, not only the reminder from your practice. First vaccinations and overdue boosters need at least 21 days before arrival. Routine boosters need at least 8 days. Protection must remain in date throughout the whole stay.
- Confirm the lodge and dates are appropriate for your bonded pair
- Check myxomatosis, RHD1 and RHD2 vaccination dates
- Tell Applewood about current and previous medical conditions
- Discuss recent surgery, dental work, stasis or medication before booking
- Arrange suitable travel and holiday insurance where appropriate
Keep food familiar
Do not introduce a new pellet, forage mix or feeding routine just before the holiday. Bring enough of your rabbits' usual dry food or pellets for every day of the stay, with a little margin for travel delays. If they normally eat dry forage instead of pellets, pack that too.
Applewood provides premium Timothy and meadow hay, fresh herbs, a few healthy treats and rabbit-safe apple or pear twigs. If your rabbits are unusually selective about hay, discuss this in advance and bring their preferred hay if asked.
- Measure and label the usual daily amount
- Keep bonded rabbits' food together if they share meals
- List foods that must be avoided
- Write down any normal quirks, such as eating herbs before hay
Write a useful care profile
The most helpful notes describe what is normal. Include appetite, drinking, droppings, litter habits, favourite resting places, grooming needs and how each rabbit behaves around people. A change is easier to spot when the usual pattern is clear.
Provide your own contact details, a trusted emergency contact who is not travelling with you, your registered vet and permission for urgent veterinary care. Make sure the emergency contact could collect the rabbits if your return is seriously delayed.
Make the carrier ordinary again
Use a secure hard plastic carrier that can be disinfected and safely belted or braced in the car. Fabric bags, backpacks and cardboard boxes are not accepted. The carrier may also be needed for a veterinary visit or emergency evacuation during the stay.
Leave the carrier open in your rabbits' space before travel, with familiar hay inside, so it is not only associated with vet trips. Bonded rabbits should usually travel together in a suitably sized carrier unless your vet has advised otherwise.
Do a careful check before arrival
Watch eating, drinking, droppings, breathing, eyes, nose, movement and the condition around the bottom. A rabbit who is quiet, eating less or producing fewer droppings needs prompt veterinary advice, not a wait-and-see boarding arrival.
Tell Applewood about any veterinary visit or new concern before travelling. Rabbits showing signs of contagious illness, injury, a wet or matted bottom, or another condition that cannot safely be managed may be refused for the welfare of that rabbit and every guest.
On arrival day
Keep breakfast and medication timings as close to normal as possible. Bring the labelled food, vaccination record, medication agreed in advance, written care notes and the hard carrier. Arrive at the booked appointment time so the handover can be calm and unhurried.
Mention any change since booking, even if it seems small. Honest detail helps Applewood decide what is safe and gives the best chance of spotting a meaningful change during the stay.
Plan a quiet homecoming
Have the familiar home space cleaned and ready before collection. Return to the normal diet and routine, and give the bonded pair room to settle without unnecessary handling or introductions.
Monitor appetite, droppings and behaviour closely after travel. If anything concerns you, contact your vet promptly and tell them about the recent journey and boarding stay.