Hi! :wave:
Im in hertfordshire too...and know a wonderful rabbit rescue...its called The Rabbit Residence. Its owned & run by a wonderful lady called Caroline.
She has over 150 buns all looking for forever homes...all rescue buns...all types and ages....and the best thing is she acts as support for care afterwards. Her experience is huge and she ensures you know what you need to know about caring for rabbits. They have an adoption process where they make sure you have the correct and of course safe (from foxes etc) set-ups for the buns to ensure they have enough room to get exercise etc.
She is based in Royston and also does do home visits and can transport rabbits.
She asks for £40 donation per rabbits.....BUT all the buns will be neutered/spayed and also vaccinated...also if you want a pair..which is recommended for them to have their own company....she has pairs already bonded.
By rescuing a neutered/spayed pair of buns means that you can have a male / female pair - which often goes best and you dont have to keep them separate until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered and you dont have to pay for that or take care of them post-op. It also means you dont have to re-bond them into a pair after their ops.
It usually costs about £40 to get a male (buck) rabbits neutered and about £60 for a female (doe) spayed. So getting them from a rescue where they are already done - its cheaper and you dont have to worry about cancers in the doe's either..and the bucks are less hormonal and wont spray wee everywhere!:lol:
I do hope you are able to rescue from her..she does wonderful work and relies on volunteers...have a look through their requirements and giver her a ring...there are so many gorgeous buns that really need loving homes...you'll get an idea of what size accommodation they need....(the bigger the better to leap and play in!
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We also have a wild forage thread on this forum which enables us ot pick wild foods for free form hedgerows etc and are the best foods for the buns tums and teeth. Seem as their teeth never stop growing - its essential they always have fresh branches to chew on and to help keep them down and also hay is 98% of their diet and its essential that they are good hay eater for teeth, tums and to stop dental issues occurring which can be costly in vet fee's.
They need to be vaccinated against Myxi & VHD too...there is anew combination vaccine - however its recommended to have 6 monthly checkups!
Just to add...bunnies are not the best pets for children...they are naturally prey animals...so hide their illnesses/fear ..by the time we realize they are not well..they are usually very ill. so bear that in mind
They dont tend to like being picked up...they prefer to be fussed whilst they have all four paws on the floor again due to their instincts of being prey and being picked up and carried off as food.
They dont make much noise and are generally un-demanding pets - dogs & cats will make a noise until you do something...rabbits need to have their needs met ...they need to be remembered...they love routine generally and are inquisitive, sweet and playful. Buns Body language is hugely important in learning about your buns personalities,...you can learn how they are, what they trying to say, if they trying to play with you etc....they are wonderful creatures,...but do fear rough handling, can bite and kick out and are best not handled by children without supervision. Its also easy to not see or hear them and accidently step on them...so supervision is essential. Exercise is very important..they need to have large area's / runs or aviaries to run in...especially at night..they tend to be quite lively then!
All this being said....I adore my buns, enjoy going out foraging and getting apple branches & leaves and hawthorn branches and plantain etc for them to eat. I love shaking my head so they flick their ears about and then leap into the air as they respond to my playing with them....they are intelligent & playful...and it took many a months to gain their trust and lay down on the floor at thier level to gain their trust...if anything my buns have taught me patience...they are stubborn when they want to be but so accommodating if you spend time letting them understand what you want...routines work well!
I hope this helps!
http://www.rabbitresidence.org.uk/index.html