Meet Canberra’s bunny babysitter
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We’ve all heard of dog sitters, cat sitters (and even plant sitters), but did you know Canberra has its very own dedicated bunny babysitter?
And while it might not sound unusual—after all bunnies are a very common and adorable pet—for 28-year-old bunny lover Renee, her business The Pampered Bun was born out of a desire to provide proper care for Canberra’s cotton-tailed community.
As a bunny mum herself, she knows firsthand the misconceptions, misunderstanding, and misinformation around how to care for rabbits—including what to feed them and how to help them bond—which makes going on holidays and leaving your little buddy behind even more stressful.
“If you move here and you have a dog you’re completely inundated with options for boarding, socialising, grooming. It’s the same for cats—there’s not as much but there are still options. But for rabbits and other small animals, there’s just absolutely nothing and even trying to find a rabbit-savvy vet, that’s also really difficult.” says Renee.
“For some reason, they still have a reputation as being low maintenance and cost-effective, that they’re just cute and fluffy and easy to take care of. That’s not true, they’re actually very high maintenance.”
Launching her business in 2020 to provide mobile grooming services, bonding services, and sitting services for bunnies and other small animals, the idea behind The Pampered Bun goes beyond, well, pampering. It also acts as a guide for owners looking for advice on proper rabbit care.
For Renee, the most important part of her business—apart from having dedicated playtime with the bunnies she’s babysitting—is educating the local community about how to always keep their pets happy and healthy (because the answer isn’t carrots and lettuce).
Working in partnership with The Rabbit Sanctuary—a volunteer group that rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes animals’—she says she’s seen countless rabbits abandoned because they can’t receive the quality of care they need.
“People think they’re good starter pets which contributes to them too often being dumped or abandoned because they’re not the cute, easy-to-care-for pet that someone thought they were getting themselves into,” says Renee.
“One that stuck out to me was somebody leaving three rabbits in a Woolies freezer bag on the side of the highway zipped up. I don’t know why people do it, but it’s really common, especially with small animals like rabbits and guinea pigs.”
With more bunny parents reaching out for extra support when heading off on a holiday (or just to learn about what their pet needs), for Renee her ultimate hope is to open a boarding and grooming facility—but right now she’s just happy to be working her dream job as she continues to pamper buns around Canberra.
“It’s really about teaching people and helping them about how to look after their animals—most people that I’ve come across, they get bunnies to look after it, to have it as a pet and as a part of their family,” she says.
“They don’t intend on doing the incorrect thing but because there are so many misconceptions and misunderstandings about how to look after rabbits properly, I find there’s a big gap in that information and knowledge.”
One thing is for sure: your bunny is sure to leave Renee’s care feeling hoppy (sorry).
For more information visit thepamperedbun.com.au
