• 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.

pets at home adoption

hot cross bun

Alpha Buck
hi, we lost our girlie coco last sunday & im looking to get timber a new wifey, ive tried local rescue but not had much look, ive seen a girl on the pets at home website but I know pets at home have had some really bad ideas on what is good for a bunny, like the VIP bun imported from Spain! help I know timber is lonely now :cry:
 
I didn't know that P@H advertised their adoption rabbits on their website.

For what its worth, my view is that I am not happy with P@H selling rabbits in their stores. I would also not regularly buy rabbit food from them, but if it was a case that I would otherwise run out, then I would.

As far as their adoption scheme is concerned, if I was wanting to adopt a rabbit and they had one that suited my needs, I woud not hesitate. The rabbit to be adopted is obviously in need of a good home and that would be good enough for me.

If you think that she would suit Timber, I would give it a try. The only reservation would be that you would need to do the bonding yourself. I don't know whether you are happy to do this. Also if the bonding just didn't work out, you would not have the option of returning her, which you would with most rescues.

Let us know how you get on.
 
A few of my rabbits are P@H adoption rabbits.

Athena is great, a lovely rabbit, full of character etc. Got her spayed at their vet - they missed out on a developing abscess post-spay. She had it removed at our own vets and nearly died on the table. 2 years later and she's in fantastic shape.

Rivergrace and Morningstar were adopted as a pair 18 months ago. Both were already spayed to make them more adoptable (usually you get the voucher for the in-house vet). Apparently they were closely bonded and just a bit timid due to being passed from shop-to-shop with no one adopting them. Got them home, they both had extreme fear aggression and their bond fell to pieces within a month. It turned out they actually tolerated each other more than love. :( Both girls now live happily in their respective groups. Both are much less fearful but it does still show itself occasionally.

Finally, Iris and Arce six months ago. Iris was sick with a chest infection and I literally had to fight the store to get her treatment as they missed it. Unfortunately by the time she got treatment, it was too late, and she passed away in March. She was also deaf, and underweight which they didn't notice either. Arce was also underweight too and had an historical broken toe which they hadn't noticed until I pointed it out the day I adopted them. Arce is now bonded to her Honeybunny husbun and totally in love with him.

I'd say "once bitten, twice shy" with my experience but apparently, I take longer to learn than most!
 
thanks for the info, this was my thinking but was hoping I had got it wrong
A few of my rabbits are P@H adoption rabbits.

Athena is great, a lovely rabbit, full of character etc. Got her spayed at their vet - they missed out on a developing abscess post-spay. She had it removed at our own vets and nearly died on the table. 2 years later and she's in fantastic shape.

Rivergrace and Morningstar were adopted as a pair 18 months ago. Both were already spayed to make them more adoptable (usually you get the voucher for the in-house vet). Apparently they were closely bonded and just a bit timid due to being passed from shop-to-shop with no one adopting them. Got them home, they both had extreme fear aggression and their bond fell to pieces within a month. It turned out they actually tolerated each other more than love. :( Both girls now live happily in their respective groups. Both are much less fearful but it does still show itself occasionally.

Finally, Iris and Arce six months ago. Iris was sick with a chest infection and I literally had to fight the store to get her treatment as they missed it. Unfortunately by the time she got treatment, it was too late, and she passed away in March. She was also deaf, and underweight which they didn't notice either. Arce was also underweight too and had an historical broken toe which they hadn't noticed until I pointed it out the day I adopted them. Arce is now bonded to her Honeybunny husbun and totally in love with him.

I'd say "once bitten, twice shy" with my experience but apparently, I take longer to learn than most!
 
My newest rabbit Dave is from the P@H adopt bit. Totally fell in love with him when I popped in to get food, he was haring around their tiny cage, I had to get him out of there! I have to say, for a pet shop, P@H do try and their staff in my local shop are very nice and animal friendly. They remember Dave and ask after him whenever I go in. An adult unwanted rabbit without a home is a rabbit without a home wherever you get him/her from.
 
thanks for the info, this was my thinking but was hoping I had got it wrong

Sorry I couldn't give you a ray of light. For reference, Athena was 4 months at adoption (was described as being "too large". In retrospect, I'm sure she was ex shop stock.)

River and Morning were 3 years of age. Had been surrendered at a different store at 2.5. Apart from the bond break and the fear aggression, they are amongst my healthiest rabbits at the moment. They were surrendered there for "digging" and "jumping over a 3ft fence".

Iris and Arce were 4.5 years old. They were surrendered due to "moving house". Both were already spayed too.

If there's a healthy, readily spayed adult doe more along the lines of my River and Morning than some of the others, then you could do much worse than giving her a good home. Meanwhile, I'll just take my experiences as lesson learned. This shop is clearly one of the worse ones!
 
Dave was ex shop stock as it were. He had snuffles, chest infection so they treated him and kept him out back. They couldn't sell him. They told me all about it, he'd been there several weeks, people were put off by the potential for vets bills. Just made me more determined to give him a good life. He still sneezes and I'm trying him on echinacea suggested by Mighty Max. They're not the same as a rescue, they are a for profit company, but at least they do try to rehome unwanted rabbits which is a start.
 
There is quite a lot of rescues on here that rehome nationally. Where I used to live there was no local rescues nearby, it was a small village an hour away from Hull, I adopted Gordon from honeybunnies in Leicestershire! Travel was arranged and we picked him up from somewhere very close to us.

I have had a few pets from p@h adoption, but would personally steer clear from the rabbits. I have only adopted one however, I wasn't asked very much about how I was going to care for him or where I planned to keep him which was a shame. He came with vouchers for his neuter and first vaccs which was good, although it is much less hassle to get one which is already neutered and good to be bonded straight away. Soon after we got him he started sneezing and was soon diagnosed with snuffles. I rang p@h to inform them and they offered to pay for the one vet bill we already paid for. Although, of course snuffles is not an easy thing to 'treat' and it ended up costing much more. My other rabbit required treatment too and Jake still has his flare ups. After I googled it I found lots of accounts of people saying they had also adopted or bought rabbits which then became ill with snuffles. I'm sure if p@h would have noticed he had snuffles they would have kept him back and gave him treatment, and of course he could've developed it after moving to my home but I wouldn't risk getting a rabbit from a pet shop environment again where there's so many different rabbits all housed together.

ETA: Jake was also labelled as aggressive and bites. He has never once bitten or acted aggressively, out of fear or for any other reason so not sure they can gauge their personalities very well unlike a rescue might be able to.
 
Last edited:
im struggling to find many local rescue with single does tbh, I did find find & ask about adoption but she was off colour> two days later she had been rehomed :(
Dave was ex shop stock as it were. He had snuffles, chest infection so they treated him and kept him out back. They couldn't sell him. They told me all about it, he'd been there several weeks, people were put off by the potential for vets bills. Just made me more determined to give him a good life. He still sneezes and I'm trying him on echinacea suggested by Mighty Max. They're not the same as a rescue, they are a for profit company, but at least they do try to rehome unwanted rabbits which is a start.
 
From personal experience I wouldn't adopt from P@H.

My first rabbit was from the P@H adoption section. Unfortunately my rabbit was very poorly - coccidiosis - which I discovered 6 weeks after adopting her. Unfortunately she didn't make it. A PM was carried out and my vet confirmed that she'd had coccidiosis. She didn't have contact with any rabbits when she came to live with us, so I can only assume that she must have had the disease before we adopted her.

I went back to P@H as I was concerned that other rabbits at the store may have contracted coccidiosis from her / her hutch at P@H. The staff were very apologetic and empathetic, but one of them told me that the adoption buns are not treated in the same way as the 'regular' rabbits in that they aren't given protective meds. Perhaps it's to keep costs down, as P@H take an adoption donation rather than charging a set fee.

P@H paid for the costs of the PM. However nothing makes up for the loss of a rabbit.

If it were me I'd try to find a good rescue and adopt - good luck :)
 
thanks all, will keep away from pets ay home & keep looking, think he will be ready to meet a new wife now, seems a little quite today, if that makes sense?
 
thanks all, will keep away from pets ay home & keep looking, think he will be ready to meet a new wife now, seems a little quite today, if that makes sense?

Bless him. Keep him entertained with fun and interesting things. When Arce was waiting for her husbun from Honeybunnies to arrive, I gave her a huge stuffed toy to play with. She regularly groomed it, nudged it around, and flopped beside it. It always had to be a specific way for her to be happy! She also had lots of rabbit-safe twigs to chuck around and destroy. And lots of fuss and attention. It wasn't the same as having a companion, but it helped until we were ready to welcome a new rabbit in.

She doesn't have the stuffed toy anymore and has to share her twigs now. I'm glad we waited.

I've been to Honeybunnies 3 times. Twice I chose from what I was offered. The other time was a comparitively long-term available boy with "special needs". With Arce's boy, I was sent a choice between 2 as a lot of their singles were already reserved. One hadn't even been posted on their FB page before.

I hope you and Timber will find a doe you both love soon.
 
its strange but my 4 have never bothered with toys, apart from nest boxes, I have purchased 2 and some other bits but hes just not bothered, we really need a mate for him. thanks for the advice

Bless him. Keep him entertained with fun and interesting things. When Arce was waiting for her husbun from Honeybunnies to arrive, I gave her a huge stuffed toy to play with. She regularly groomed it, nudged it around, and flopped beside it. It always had to be a specific way for her to be happy! She also had lots of rabbit-safe twigs to chuck around and destroy. And lots of fuss and attention. It wasn't the same as having a companion, but it helped until we were ready to welcome a new rabbit in.

She doesn't have the stuffed toy anymore and has to share her twigs now. I'm glad we waited.

I've been to Honeybunnies 3 times. Twice I chose from what I was offered. The other time was a comparitively long-term available boy with "special needs". With Arce's boy, I was sent a choice between 2 as a lot of their singles were already reserved. One hadn't even been posted on their FB page before.

I hope you and Timber will find a doe you both love soon.
 
Back
Top