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Bunny Boarding...

XMissySJx

Wise Old Thumper
Is getting so competitive now. When i first started in 2007 there was only 2 or 3 in the whole of essex, and now theres so many. We still get alot of bookings and all our regulars still come here and are very loyal, but its getting so competitive now were struggling to get extra boarders.

I did consider closing the boarding as my allergies are so bad, but they seem to be under control for now.

Easter is 50% full and im normally turning people away at this point. Not going well currently.

Its such a shame i love doing it, and have always had happy boarders+happy owners, but its getting so competitive now i hope we can keep up

:(
 
awww hun it might just be people cant afford to go away right now.. like you say you have loyal customers who will recommend you to thier pals. but if people cant go away they wont use boarding :(
 
Hope it picks up for you soon. It may also be down to the fact that people don't have money to go away at the moment so might just be planning summer holidays instead.
 
People just dont have money to go away at the moment :? We normally have 2 holidays a year, yet this year we cant afford to go at all :(
 
People just dont have money to go away at the moment :? We normally have 2 holidays a year, yet this year we cant afford to go at all :(

This is very true :(
We were supposed to be going skiing this holiday, and tis is the first time we haven't been in YEARS :(
 
hope it picks up soon for you, it may as others have said be because many people havn't got the money to go away now, im going to my sisters wedding in september, and im soo happy to have the peace of mind that my bunnies will be well cared for at bunnyhops with kayj :) im just glad that she is nearby, and if it wasn't for this forum, don't know what id do :)
 
It has been slower this year in certain months, but for February we have had one hutch empty compared to 5 last year, so I think things are picking up.
We are over half full already for the summer too and easter and May bank holiday are doing well. We do tend to find that people leave it till last minute to book their buns somewhere. We turned people away last year we were that busy so am sure things will improve uk wide soon. You also might want to consider advertising further afield.
We have people who travel to us, even though they live on the same street as other boarding places, as our hutches meet minimum requirements and are clean and we have bunny knowledge and a rabbit savvy vet at hand. The furthest comes from over 100 miles away every year, so dont give up hope.
 
Well Im doing my bit ;) altho you might regret it!!! I wasn't aware of any new bunny boarders in Essex I know of one in Braintree but Im sure that one is associated with a breeder *shudder* There was one opened near me but they also take cats, dogs etc When I was looking for a place I would never have entrusted my babies to anybody who takes on other pets as well! You have a fab website with excellent comments Im sure anyone looking for a boarding place for buns would come to you first! The downturn must be to do with people not going on hols, Im sure it will pick up!
 
thats the problem, we get enquiries and then they phone up and say they found somewhere cheaper. and i dont think were massively expensive, you get what you pay for, we include hay, veggies and toys and everything is new, new boarding room, 6 x 2 x 2 hutches, big metal runs but it all comes at a cost.

One person who came to me said they looked somewhere £3 a night and it was 3 ft hutches but it was full, and then she came to me and saw you get so much more for you money she would never go there, but i guess people just want cheap!

i spose if an owner has a 3ft hutch, they wont mind if the boarder does will they!
 
thats the problem, we get enquiries and then they phone up and say they found somewhere cheaper. and i dont think were massively expensive, you get what you pay for, we include hay, veggies and toys and everything is new, new boarding room, 6 x 2 x 2 hutches, big metal runs but it all comes at a cost.

One person who came to me said they looked somewhere £3 a night and it was 3 ft hutches but it was full, and then she came to me and saw you get so much more for you money she would never go there, but i guess people just want cheap!

i spose if an owner has a 3ft hutch, they wont mind if the boarder does will they!

That is terrible!
If they are soo cheap, surely the quality of care cant be that great?
like you said, £3 for a 3ft hutch, that isnt even big enough for a piggy let alone a rabbit :(
Places like that should be shut down :evil:
 
That is terrible!
If they are soo cheap, surely the quality of care cant be that great?
like you said, £3 for a 3ft hutch, that isnt even big enough for a piggy let alone a rabbit :(
Places like that should be shut down :evil:

very very true!

we charge £6 for a hutch with a pair, £4 for a single. hutch is still 6 x 2 x 2. its the care that makes it go up.

We charge £10 a night for the indoor accomodation now as its been made bigger, newly repainted etc.


i personally dont think its too expensive!
 
very very true!

we charge £6 for a hutch with a pair, £4 for a single. hutch is still 6 x 2 x 2. its the care that makes it go up.

We charge £10 a night for the indoor accomodation now as its been made bigger, newly repainted etc.


i personally dont think its too expensive!

i dont think thats expensive either.. :?
I think thats about right, plus you give them fresh veg, hay etc

But i guess people who dont really care too much about how the buns will be living while they are away, probably sitting in a nice hotel will go for the cheapest option going :(
Poor little buns.
 
I think thats really cheap. I know for a fact if i ever went away i would want all 7 of mine somewere like yours. Just a thought do you advertise in the vets? I got some really useful numbers and information from mine.
I'm sure it will pick up soon when people can afford to go away.
 
That is terrible!
If they are soo cheap, surely the quality of care cant be that great?

This isn't always true. Where I boarded my lot in Jan they charged £90. That was for 6 buns and 2 piggies for 10 days. They were in large hutches, with run access everyday lots of hay and veggies. The lovely people that run it do it because its something they enjoy, they don't make any money from it at all.
 
thing is, i find you either have to be cheap because you dont want to make money, or cheap the quality of care isnt great.

I personally do not want to get up at 7am to start my boarding day and be busy all day with it, for no profit, its my business, its how i earn money, and im happy to say that.

I dont know, its not terrible but it just makes you feel a bit naff when theres so many people doing it now, especially so cheap and i pride myself of being good at it.
 
thing is, i find you either have to be cheap because you dont want to make money, or cheap the quality of care isnt great.

I personally do not want to get up at 7am to start my boarding day and be busy all day with it, for no profit, its my business, its how i earn money, and im happy to say that.

I dont know, its not terrible but it just makes you feel a bit naff when theres so many people doing it now, especially so cheap and i pride myself of being good at it.

Are you just open when you're home, or does your mum do it when you're not there?

Could you advertise more?
 
were open all year round but to a quarter of the usual capacity when its just mum. But we only ever have one or 2 a week while its not peak time.

We did run a promotion over summer where you got free pampered piggies goodies which went down well :lol:
 
We go from Barnsley to Sheffield for £3 per night for our 2 buns , 8ft hutches for rabbits, outdoor runs and great care , with rabbit savvy vets on 24 standby. I have been more than happy to take them there , sadly the attitude of some Barnsley boarding places isn't what it should be, and they don't have outdoor bun runs for long periods of the day, where as where my buns go they are out into runs at 7.30 am , with water and hay etc, they come in again early to late evening, also they are supervised , checked on regulary throughout the day.
 
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