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RSPCA and rabbit conditions

ted1

Young Bun
after numerous vet trips and operations,and also the death of her companion,got the all clear from the vet yesterday to re-bond Sandy my rabbit...had my eye on a possibility in the rspca rescue in Manchester ..phoned today and explained..Both my rabbits had come from the rspca in Rochdale some years ago..The woman on the other end asked me to explain my set up...Sandy has the run of the garden from dawn till dusk generally,she lives in a 6ft long,4ft high,3ft deep hutch with 2 levels.....where I live is pretty rural with fields backing on to me...deer foxes and other wildlife have been seen in the fields...the woman said the policy was that I needed to have a 6ft pen attached to the hutch so that the rabbit could play in it during the night because thats when they come out ..again I explained about foxes etc the reply was .."well if you cant or wont comply to our policy ..then it would be better if you went somewhere else..or try the RSPCA in Rochdale!!!! any ideas anyone please?
 
A lot of rescues won't rehome unless there is an attached run. Runs can be as fox proof as a hutch if built properly and placed on a solid surface. They can be covered at night if this is your concern but foxes etc are just as likely to visit during the day as at night!
 
I'm confused, are your rabbits supervised during free-range? Only if you have local foxes they are just as likely to attack in the day as at night so you might be better off with an attached fox-proof run anyway for times you cannot supervise?
 
It's a bit funny sometimes I think they go a little overboard and sometimes a little too loosy-goosy. I think it's one part of animal ownership people will have slightly different views on what is to protect animals and give them a good home and sometimes it can make policies in shelters different.

I think it's certainly a good idea if you can manage to have a run attached and can make it fox proof, maybe even browse or ask some folks on here how they manage?

If it's not possible there's not too much more to be done than to seek out a new shelter. Even if you did go there years ago, they can change their policies/update them and so it's never a guarantee for the future, even if they seem a little odd. I know one shelter for cats where they used to not accept anyone in any circumstance wanting an indoor cat, their argument when an adopter + volunteer for the same shelter I was volunteering in was "if they die in traffic, at least the die being free and happy". :shock:
 
if your rabbits have the run of thje garden from " dawn til dusk" how is it possible that someone is out there with them all that time?
Watching from indoors is no protection :(
 
if your rabbits have the run of thje garden from " dawn til dusk" how is it possible that someone is out there with them all that time?
Watching from indoors is no protection :(

My thoughts exactly! I can't imagine any good rescue rehoming to that situation.
 
A lot of rescues won't rehome unless there is an attached run. Runs can be as fox proof as a hutch if built properly and placed on a solid surface. They can be covered at night if this is your concern but foxes etc are just as likely to visit during the day as at night!

This ^
 
yes i agree that if you're worried about foxes you should maybe consider investing in a fox proof run for day and nighttime use :) i know sometimes rescues seem to have ridiculous requirements but at the end of the day they just want what is best for their rabbits
 
Mmm, I have to agree: Lopsy has an attached run and we only let him into his temporary open-topped pen when we're home and not at night. We don't watch him all the time, I'll admit, but we've got tree cover and washing lines which prevent buzzard strikes (and the pen's quite small and tall, they wouldn't get out again) and I've never smelt foxes anywhere near the house in the 4 years we've lived there. No cats either, just the odd squirrel and a few corvids. I wouldn't want him out overnight as I've seen badgers and wildies out and about, and he could dig out of the pen.

Sturdy runs aren't that much of a hassle either: they're not always stupidly heavy and we could move our original one about (with bunny in the bottom bit, going for a ride!) by dragging it over the lawn, even just one person. The foxes would bound all over it but never got in, they just ignored the whole setup after a while and went for the fatballs for the birds instead.
 
after numerous vet trips and operations,and also the death of her companion,got the all clear from the vet yesterday to re-bond Sandy my rabbit...had my eye on a possibility in the rspca rescue in Manchester ..phoned today and explained..Both my rabbits had come from the rspca in Rochdale some years ago..The woman on the other end asked me to explain my set up...Sandy has the run of the garden from dawn till dusk generally,she lives in a 6ft long,4ft high,3ft deep hutch with 2 levels.....where I live is pretty rural with fields backing on to me...deer foxes and other wildlife have been seen in the fields...the woman said the policy was that I needed to have a 6ft pen attached to the hutch so that the rabbit could play in it during the night because thats when they come out ..again I explained about foxes etc the reply was .."well if you cant or wont comply to our policy ..then it would be better if you went somewhere else..or try the RSPCA in Rochdale!!!! any ideas anyone please?

Your hutch size sounds fantastic, and it's brilliant that your buns get to free range so much, but an attached secure run for night time and other times when your buns can't free range isn't a bad idea.
Rescues have their policies for the interest of the rabbits. If you have an attached run they know the rabbits are getting enough exercise, if you don't they can't really be sure. It's true that rabbits are very active at night, and if the run is secure there's no reason that the foxes should be a worry.
 
Your hutch size sounds fantastic, and it's brilliant that your buns get to free range so much, but an attached secure run for night time and other times when your buns can't free range isn't a bad idea.
Rescues have their policies for the interest of the rabbits. If you have an attached run they know the rabbits are getting enough exercise, if you don't they can't really be sure. It's true that rabbits are very active at night, and if the run is secure there's no reason that the foxes should be a worry.

This ^
 
ted1, we're located close enough to share an asda! my tiny back garden has a regular fox visitor who comes up to the back door looking for my rabbits. my dad's (Rochdale Road) bigger garden has a fox as a daily visitor - she trots across the lawn in broad daylight. if the foxes are staying out of yours, you've been lucky so far! if you want the buns to play outside, why not get the run?
 
The RSPCA rehomed to me without an attached run. I have a 6x2 double hutch and a run that can be attached to the hutch temporarily. I tend to use the run on my grass which isn't secure so it isn't attached to the hutch (tiered garden makes this difficult) but I do have a secure patio that my buns have supervised play time in, now the weather is nicer that can get a whole afternoon of playtime as my son likes to be outdoors. I explained to the RSPCA that I would not allow my rabbits into the run at night anyway as we have foxes locally and I once had a dog get into my garden!! I have no way of securing the run to a standard that I would be happy with. They were actually ok with my reasons and happy to re home Bertie to me.

One thing that might have helped though is I only work part time so the buns get a bit more free range than someone who is at work 5 days a week
 
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hiya happy bun....used to live on kershaw st off Rochdale road,opposite where Warbys was.. live the other side now up by tara leisure overlooking the fields...I remember the foxes in daytime now I see one every morning on its run across the top of the fields..Im retired now thats why I can spend so much time with them....
 
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not far from me, then. I'm on the same side as the former Warbys and only two minutes walk away. i miss the smell of the raisin and cinnamon bread on sunday evenings. i'm retired, too, had to opt for early retirement. ah well.
 
happybun that was probably one of the best smells going!!likewise had to take early retirement...
 
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