Boarding
This is not a profit making business and any money raised through boarding rabbits will only be used for the upkeep of the rescue rabbits on our site and maintenance of housing. It only costs between £5 - 8 per night to keep a rabbit with us, depending in the housing type you prefer. More details are given below.
Introduction to holiday boarding at The Rabbit Residence Rescue
The rescue started in 1996 and the idea of holiday boarding evolved for two main reasons. First and foremost it created a way for the rescue to stay in contact with the rabbits it adopted and to rest assure the new owners would have somewhere safe to bring them when they went on their holidays. It allowed the rescue to check the rabbits were healthy, advise the new owners of any recommend changes and also praise them, as well as offer support where needed. The rescue would ensure the rabbits were fed the correct diet while holiday boarding, kept clean and also given full health checks including grooming, claw clipping and weighing. Caroline, owner and manager now with 16 years experience under her belt also has a sharp eye for fly strike risk and GI stasis as well as having excellent hands on experience in nursing sick bunnies and administering medicines including injections and sub cut fluids.
The second reason was to encourage rabbit owners with rabbits not from the rescue to learn about the rescue, improve their knowledge on how to give their bunny the best and also find many single bunnies friends, spread the word about rescues and stop people buying rabbits from pet shops and breeders.
The Rabbit Residence is renowned for the freedom and space it offers its bunnies and how this brings amazing benefits to the rabbit’s happiness and confidence around humans, increasing the socialization of the bunnies greatly.
We have rescued around 1500 rabbits in the 16 years we have been open, finding new homes for around 1000 rabbits, the others often staying permanently due to old age, disabilities or nervousness. Our facilities range from large hutches, sheds, dog kennels, and hutches attached to runs and natural habitat open areas. Each set up offers its own positive aspects ranging from safety against predators to mental stimulation, environmental enrichment and behavioral benefits.
Our passion for our rabbits to have a happy lifestyle continues to bring us to the conclusion we rather see our rabbits out free behaving naturally than stuck in hutches for months on end, also correlating with the rehoming success.
HOLIDAY BOARDING PROTOCOL
- Full health check on arrival and collection
- Daily spot cleaning of your rabbits hutch
- Wood shaving base to absorb urine and lots of straw to keep your bunny warm
- 3 types of hay used including oxbow timothy hay, spillers readigrass and locally sourced high quality meadow hay
- Fresh vegetables each morning and one handful of Science Selective pellets each evening (if you prefer to give us a diet sheet and provide your own food please feel free to do so.
- Bowls or bottles of fresh water. Warm water when freezing weather
- Rabbits are checked minimum 3 times daily but most of the time staff are down their working constantly with eyes at the back of their heads on the lookout for concerns and ensuring happy lively bunnies
- House rabbit holiday boarding with heating also available
Despite the predator risk with open areas, in 16 years the risk has been minimal. Predators to rabbits include foxes, rats, weasels, stoat, mink, birds of prey, dogs, sometimes cats.
We have spent over £1000 installing predator prevention measures including;
- Electric fencing (soon to be round entire perimeter)
- Solid fence panels (soon to be around entire perimeter)
- Fox sonar devices
- Scoot
- Radios- emitting human voices when we are not about
- Volunteers around for a few hours every day
- Caroline will spend min 4 hours each day at rescue, maximum 12 hours a day
- Advice from experts including John Bryant and environmental health
- Rat poison (safe from rabbits)
- Jessica pet cat to scare other creatures off
- Good hygiene standards/ proper storage of food etc
- Relocation of sheds and environmental enrichment (rats/ weasels don’t like changes)
- Lights left on at night
- Paving slabs around edge of rescue to prevent digging in/ out
- Daily inspection of hutches and sheds for gnawing, weak spots and required repairs
- More exercise spaces to be made with concrete floors and roofs
- Chicken wire changed to light welded mesh
Though we love all rabbits equally it is paramount to us that your rabbits are happy and safe with us on their holiday. We will do our best to keep them warm, clean and dry, medical needs cared for, veterinary attention when required, health checks and love, attention and TLC given however we will ask you to sign a disclaimer and give you the following information on housing your rabbits
We have twelve 16 square foot hutches in a barn- these offer protection from wind and rain, high level protection from predators and a satisfactory amount of space for a rabbits holiday, also with space for tunnels and chew toys
We have four 12 square foot new hutches on our yard- these offer good daylight, positioned for high level observation from staff, are clean and offer high level protection from predators and also have rain covers.
We have two 6ft by 4ft sheds on our yard- these offer lots of space, high level observation from staff, high level protection from predators and are in a prime position with inner mesh doors for fresh air and to allow the rabbits to watch what’s going on safely with bolted solid doors at night. They offer 24 square feet of space
We have an 8ft by 6ft shed- this allows your rabbits to hop around the generous floor space and pretty much what the 6 by 4 sheds offer but often with the company of other rabbits who will be enclosed in plastic cages. Alternatively your rabbit can be safely kept in the indoor plastic cages too. These are only 8 square feet of space but offer full disinfection/ high level of hygiene and are also safe from predators and your rabbit won’t be able to dig or jump out
We have 23 warrens- these offer a vast amount of amazing space and will keep your rabbit occupied for hours. We also train your rabbit to come home when called each evening and develop their responses and interaction with humans heightening their confidence and relaxation. The downside is there is always the small chance the rabbit could dig out or jump out or bump into another rabbit. There has never been a risk of predators during the day but we now put them to bed at dusk where as in the past we did it at our convenience often in the dark, but feel there is a higher risk of predators at night especially in winter when cold and less food about. Staff is not always around and there maybe a few hours within the day the rabbits are alone without human protection. Please note most warrens have sheds with inner mesh doors allowing your rabbit to be kept in shed when staff not around or in snow and rain. All sheds are presently going through a reinforcement programme to make them gnaw proof against rats’ etc. Galvanized metal sheeting or solid wood lengths are being fitted along the sides of the sheds and floors are being doubled up.
Bunny bungalows- these will eventually offer 16 square feet of indoor coziness and around 40 square feet of exercise space with roofs and concrete dig proof bases. To be fenced with 1 by ½ inch 16 gauge welded mesh. At present we only have one with this criteria fox proof but not stoat proof. (full predator protection will be available January 2010) these will become our premium rate accommodation allowing your rabbit a cozy night time shelter, lots of exercise space, mental stimulation, easy observation for staff and full predator protection.
Small warrens- pretty much same as standard warrens but allow smaller space for more nervous rabbits and those more difficulty to train to come home when called reducing stress levels as no chasing or shepherding when required to go to bed. Access to grass and environmental enrichment and daily exercise with option to be left in hutches when staff not around or pouring with rain. Hutches of high standard with great rain and wind protection and sleeping bags for insulation in winter.
House rabbits- we have limited spaces for house bunnies so advise early bookings. Caroline lives with her parents and they have kindly converted their garage into an office and hospital with heating. This doubles up as house bunny space with 2 main floor spaces, lots of blankets and vetbed, both rooms have heaters. There are also 6 indoor plastic cages where your rabbits can be kept warm and safe with the company of Caroline for many hours as she does her office work.
Holiday boarding disclaimer and price list
House rabbit facilities and the two sheds on the yard are charged at £7.00 a night.
Once the bunny bungalows offer full protection come January 2010 these will be charged at £8.00 per night
All other housing is charged at £5 per night and choice of accommodation is at owner’s discretion depending on your requirements for space and security.
In 2010 we also hope to be building some galvanized mesh runs with concrete bases to be attached to the back of the sheds in the warrens. These will also be charged at £8 per night.
Thank you
Caroline Collings
Owner of The Rabbit residence Rescue
