• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

New small animal magazine

Laujane

New Kit
Hello, as an owner of a giant continental rabbit I've been asking on the forum for any information regarding rabbit magazines. So thanks for the comments and the information many of you have provided.

I've since found out more about a magazine named Small Furry Pets which is said to launch November 18! I was given this website: www.smallfurrypets.co.uk where you can have a look at a sampler. It's going to be on sale in WHSmiths and Pets At Home.

Thought I'd pass it on, in case anyone else would be interested.

Lau :thumb:
 
I think that was the website for the sampler, so i'm excited to see what's going to be in the issue!

I have a mouse too, and I think it covers most small animals!

Lau :thumb:
 
Hope it gives out good information, seems they are fine with breeding and small animals as kids pets though, hopefully it is a good mag and will certainly reach a lot of otherwise clueless people, P@H and WH Smiths are very popular shops :)
 
I'm after more information on selected rabbit breeds, and the history of the breeds. Fingers crossed it cover this. I'm going to buy it when it comes out, so I will let you know!

Lau :wave:
 
thanks for the info Laujane, been looking for something like this for a while, i noticed it is produced by kelsey publishing, who do practical reptile keeping mag,which i subscribe to, so it should be fab :)
 
looks good quartely at first then from april monthly, cost £3-50, sampler is a sample of 16 pages from issue which should be for sale by sounds of it on thursday
 
Same day as twilight!! <3 ive been after something like this and im frequently heard (very loudly) whinging about the lack of small animal magazines:lol::lol::lol:
 
Hello, as an owner of a giant continental rabbit I've been asking on the forum for any information regarding rabbit magazines. So thanks for the comments and the information many of you have provided.

I've since found out more about a magazine named Small Furry Pets which is said to launch November 18! I was given this website: www.smallfurrypets.co.uk where you can have a look at a sampler. It's going to be on sale in WHSmiths and Pets At Home.

Thought I'd pass it on, in case anyone else would be interested.

Lau :thumb:

The Rabbit Welfare Association provide fantastic magazines. One every three months. Brilliant information, photos etc. Perhaps have a look on their website for lots more information.:thumb:
 
I'm after more information on selected rabbit breeds, and the history of the breeds. Fingers crossed it cover this. I'm going to buy it when it comes out, so I will let you know!

Lau :wave:

I'm currently doing a project on rabbit breeds, colours and genetics and hope to set it up into a website where I can expand and go into breed histories, will let you know if I finish it :)
 
To be honest I don't like the look of it. A couple of warning lights in my head, mention that rabbits with lop ears arent more prone to any health problems, which I am pretty sure members here would disagree with. A q&A about breeding a guinea pig with no mention of the ethics of breeding in the answer, mentioning "calming" rodents by holding the base of the tail. Completely inaccurate and potential dangerous advice. Also some very very controversial so called "research" about hamster cages. Which every member of the hamster forum disagreed with, if you have a proper sized barred cage it is much better for a hamster than disgusting modular systems.
 
My first thought is 'I do wish rabbits weren't always lumped in with small animals' because I think they deserve to be thought of as a category of animal in it's own right and need the space a small dog does.
 
I think it's great that there will be a magazine available through retailers. I have some concerns about the info re: rabbits too. Sad to see that the Lop breeds are promoted as cute and placid, and that their 'special needs' are not highlighted.
"Lops are generally considered to be a gentle natured and relaxed rabbit. Whether or not this is partly due to their inherent nature or to the position of their ears is not known. However, without the ability of the ears to locate and capture approaching sound, they can be startled on approach, unless given a vocal or visual warning that their owner is near. Likewise, their reduced hearing may mean that the perceived ‘calm and relaxed’ behaviour is actually a sign of a cautious animal who is anxious and not able to explore its world… " Source

Sadder to see photos of English Lops used in a positive way. These images create an impression that the English Lop is a suitable pet, when this is far from true, and this type of promotion could see English Lops in a new demand. Currently, it's unlikely that you'll see them at pet stores like Pets at Home, but as they are selling the magazine, I wonder if this will change?

"Carrying such disproportionately large ears means that the normal functions of the rabbit’s ears to detect threat, to communicate and control body temperature are severely compromised. Whilst the former two impact the rabbit in a similar way to a more regular Lop breed, the latter is a particularly serious health and welfare concern for the English. The UFAW website on English Lops addresses this point.

“Poor temperature regulation: Due to their abnormally high surface area, the ears lose heat more readily than normal and the thermoregulatory function of the ears is affected (http://www.clickpets.co.uk/rabbit_breed_guides/english_lop/). During cold weather, this can lead to the extremities (toes, tail and, in this case, particularly the ears) getting so cold that they become frostbitten (i.e. they freeze). This results in tissue damage and necrosis (tissue death) of the affected body part.
http://www.helium.com/items/1764740-what-are-english-lop-breed-facts; http://www.rabbit-cages-and-hutches.com/english-lop-rabbits.html.”

Bacterial
As with other Lop eared rabbits, the English is prone to ear infections.
Obestity
The movement of the English Lop is restricted by their ears, and thus, compared to upright-eared rabbits, or even ordinary Lops, it has a greater chance of suffering from obesity and malnutrition which can be fatal.If a rabbit is too large to reach its anus to ingest the soft nutrient rich caecotrophs, three things happen:

1) It becomes malnourished. The caecotrophs are rich in vital nutrients and bacteria.
2) It becomes in danger of a Flystrike attack. Damp and smelly hair attracts flies. If the caecotrophs cannot be eaten, they will stick to the hair at and around the anus. Without daily spot checking and cleaning, these may go unnoticed by an owner and significantly increase the rabbit’s chances of dying a horrible death.
3) Bone density is reduced. The inability to exercise means that the already weak skeleton of a rabbit suffers reduced bone density, becoming weaker and giving the rabbit a higher vulnerability to injury.
Trauma
UFAW reports that “Because of their excessive length and drooping nature, the ears are at an increased risk of trauma from the animal standing on them or from contact with objects in their environment. This leads to regular advice to owners to house affected individuals in large enclosures and for the rabbits to have their nails trimmed regularly to minimise possible damage inflicted by scratching (http://www.clickpets.co.uk/rabbit_breed_guides/english_lop)”.
Same source.

Given the health problems we now know that Lops live with, personally I would like to see an end to the image of Lops being used in any context re: promotion of rabbits in the media, and replaced with up - eared buns.

I think publications such as these carry responibility to the animals they claim to be helping.

Sorry to wet the bonfire, but the writers and expert seem out of touch with current thinking.
 
They sent me a link to the example a couple of months ago and I wrote back with a list of points I disagreed on. I don't know when it comes out so we'll just have to wait and see how much they took on board.
 
They sent me a link to the example a couple of months ago and I wrote back with a list of points I disagreed on. I don't know when it comes out so we'll just have to wait and see how much they took on board.

thats good they contacted you, hopefully they will have took on board any info you gave them
 
My first thought is 'I do wish rabbits weren't always lumped in with small animals' because I think they deserve to be thought of as a category of animal in it's own right and need the space a small dog does.

:thumb:
 
Small Furry Pets

Did anyone else pick up a copy of the new small pets magazine, Small Furry Pets? www.smallfurrypets.co.uk

What did you think? I'm interested to read what they have to offer on pygmy hedgehogs in the next issue :) My friend has just got herself a pygmy hedgehog and she has named her Bella.

Lau :wave:
 
Back
Top