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So far Christmas this year there is..........

Mrs. Bunnykins

Mrs. Bunnykins

Wise Old Thumper
....a beautiful black British Giant bunny residing in my lounge, a hamster, four guinea pigs, my gang in the conservatory, a bonded pair of bunnies outdoors....and a partridge in a pear tree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every single one has a little Christmas present.........and for me...... the boxed set of Father Ted dvds!!!!!:thumb::D:love:
 
:)

Beware, black giants take over (in a very good way!). First the lounge then the house.... :lol:

Father Ted is one of the all time greats :)

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Sounds lovely, Di, and I'm so glad you were able to get up and running in time for Christmas!

Instead of a present, each of the 24 bunnies and 27 piggies staying with us will get a massive pile of yummy Orchard Grass for their Christmas lunch (and dried plantain for the bunnies as an extra treat). the 4 gerbils will get some new cardboard boxes to play with and demolish, and the 3 hamsters will get a teeny portion bell pepper, carrot and cucumber to fill up their cheeks!

And after all that cleaning, feeding, cuddling and playing......our Christmas present to ourselves will be a good bottle of red and an early night :D

Tracey x
 
Thank you everyone for your kind wishes, they are always appreciated and much needed. I know my business only provides me with a very small income, but for now is I my only income.


You know what though, my heart would literally break if I had to give up on caring for animals. Financially I can't keep going for long...but my heart and soul is in what I do so how could and can I give up on the little furry friends? House rabbits have a home from home environment...tv, radio, dvds, sight, sounds and smells of their usual environments...............unless some wonderful philanthropist will come along and help me continue my little business, I will have to close and find work which pays more. I don't want to think of that day, but unless a miracle happens....that day will come.


I am so passionate about what I do, how much it means to the furry friends and also their owners..........I would live a totally frugal life so long as it meant that I could continue caring for the little ones.


Anybody know of any millionaires, philanthropists....................?


I could go and work in a supermarket.....don't get me wrong, I could work somewhere like that, but I am Di, the bunny carer/whisperer....I am good at what I do.

I cry at the thought of having to call time on my business.

Anyone have any bright ideas to enable me to continue my IMO good work?
 
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Could you branch out into grooming/nail clipping? If you like dogs how about doing dog walking, house visits for holiday care etc?
 
It must be so hard thinking about having to stop doing something you love so much :( there just be a way for you to continue even if you have less animals come to stay with you at a time, at least it'll be something for you to keep your business up and running for :)

If you could find a part time job, something maybe just in the mornings 8-12 or something like that would you still be able to continue with your business? The animals would still be well cared for and I reckon 99.9% of people leaving their pets with you will not mind them being alone for that amount of time, especially considering they probably work longer hours themselves!

Or is there any direction in which you can expand your business? Maybe as well as pet boarding you could offer a drop in service to feed pets such as cats/fish/hamsters/reptiles of anyone local? If you get on well with dogs could offer a lunchtime drop in to take dogs for a walk or to let them in the garden or spend some time with them? Not sure many of those suggestions would bring much more in, but they're options that will at least bring a bit more in... there must be someway you can continue!

Hope someone on here can come up with a solution!
 
Zoobec said:
Could you branch out into grooming/nail clipping? If you like dogs how about doing dog walking, house visits for holiday care etc?
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I already do dog walking, house visits.....but trying to tie it all in with the boarding too proves to be rather awkward. Poorly bunnies need medication, trips to the vets, regular checks on them...I cannot and would not leave any of the little ones for more than 3-4 hours ...after 12 years of trying to cover many aspects of animal care, I still have not managed to get a happy medium between the practical and financial side. My business was always a (small) secondary income...never a main income of ideally 15k.


Any thoughts, ideas would be appreciated. I cannot give up on the little ones.
 
Or maybe something different which you could still do from home together with the furries?


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Thinking caps on please.:thumb: The service I offer is in great demand, but it is not cost effective. I need to earn at least £50 a day, but now living in rented accommodation I really cannot push my luck and also the boarding side of things is very seasonal...as is the per sitting...almost all or nothing...and when there is more work than I can cope with I have to turn it away. Employing someone to help would be great...if they worked for nothing!!!!!! Such a dilemma....and so upsetting as I am passionate about what I do...it is not just a job, but a vocation...........
 
SJH said:
How are you on bookkeeping?



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I am an ex- banker....worked for Barclays for almost 25years. Never done bookkeeping on Sage, all done on paper.......perhaps I should learn about Sage. I've have done my ex to be's books and mine for over 12 years.
 
Mrs. Bunnykins said:
I am an ex- banker....worked for Barclays for almost 25years. Never done bookkeeping on Sage, all done on paper.......perhaps I should learn about Sage. I've have done my ex to be's books and mine for over 12 years.
Click to expand...

I thought I recalled that. Always a call for good people in that area and can work from home (Lower rates for the customers). I'd guess lots of small business owners/self-employed folk would be queuing up. Just need to avoid nibbles in the receipts.... [emoji1]


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SJH said:
I thought I recalled that. Always a call for good people in that area and can work from home (Lower rates for the customers). I'd guess lots of small business owners/self-employed folk would be queuing up. Just need to avoid nibbles in the receipts.... [emoji1]
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That's a really good idea: you want something you can earn money from but in your own time. In your position, I wouldn't want to be working ANY set hours a day, but something where a client gave me a thing to do and a deadline of, say, a month would be alright as I could fit it in around animal care, barring awful periods. The money might not be constant as such, but as long as you get a good influx before a 'dry' period and keep it somewhere useful, you should be alright :)
 
The book keeping idea is a good one!

With regard to the boarding, how much do you advertise? Do you have a website, facebook page, business cards, posters in local pet shops, vets etc?


Mrs. Bunnykins said:
Employing someone to help would be great...if they worked for nothing!!!!!!
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Maybe contact a local college and seeing if any of the animal care students are looking for work experience?
 
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