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Nethie/Mini Lop or other Small Bunny Wanted.

Hoppyacres

Young Bun
Hi

Just this morning I had to have my Mini Lop Buck PTS. He lived with a Nethie Doe and they were inseperable.
They Lived very Happily in a 3foot6 by 2foot by 2 foot hutch with a puppy pen for the garden. I've just ordered a 6foot by 4foot run which I will get soon.

Bluebelle is now very lonely and needs another friend ASAP.

My other problem is that i'm going away 8-20th May, My Neighbour is looking after Belle but I'm worried about her Pining while I'm away.

Why do these things always happen at the most inopportune moments?

I rang the RSPCA but they say you have to have a 6foot hutch minimum and having just bought the run I cannot afford a new hutch as well.
I would never purchase from a Petshop.

Help Bluebelle Please

Kate
Crediton, Devon
 
Would the run be attached permanently to the hutch (and made secure from predators) or not? The hutch to be honest is much too small for one bunny, let alone two, even of dwarf/mini breeds.
Is there any chance of perhaps bringing the hutch indoors and making a room bunny-safe? If she got let out for several hours a day it would give her a nice big area to live in and she'd probably be less likely to pine for her friend if she's got lots of human attention too.
Lots of people with indoor bunnies use puppy pens as a permanent setup, myself included, so you could put the hutch in the pen and leave the door open and this would give them a bigger space.
The RSPCA aren't too flexible with their requirements from what I've heard, but an independant rescue may be willing to give some leeway if they feel you will still provide them with adequate space - I doubt any decent rescue would rehome to a 3' hutch though.
 
Have you tried looking in free paper adds or on ebay for a second hand hutch? There are some real bargains if you keep your eye out!
 
yes I agree with Karly - I had Tia my nethie in a 3x2 dog crate when I first got her, and it was too small for just one nethie - Tia seems to have more energy than my bigger rabbits - she just loves to run up and down, and adores being in the garden. She's now in a double hutch over run type, with a ladder, so that's just big enough for her at 4'x18" double level - I would get something bigger if I paired her up as this isn't deep enough.
 
The puppy pen is around the hutch and the door open during the day so she can jump in and out as she pleases.
When I get the new run she will be in that most of the day instead.

The Hutch is 3foot 6 by 2 foot 6 so almost square, and very well built with an all weather cover.
When I bred Nethies it was a breeding hutch for them.

We used to keep french Lops in 6 foot by 3 foot hutches, a nethie would be Dwarfed in a hutch that size.

I also know alot of Nethie breeders who use 2 foot square hutches for breeding, or even smaller. I personally don't agree with that but my set up has been home for these two for three years and they have thrived.

There is no way of bringing her in as my Parents would never allow it.

Think that covers everything, my rabbit is well cared for and indeed is fit and well, as the Vet who gave her her VHD jab today agreed.

Kate
 
If you still have the hutch that you kept the french lops in I think it would be a perfect size for a nethie and another small breed :D They need room to stretch, move about, eat, and sleep in their cage. It shouldn't just be a confined room for them. It should be a home :D
And I'm afraid that most rescues wont rehome to a hutch your size :?

Do you have a bigger hutch?

xxx
 
isn't the RSPCA minimum 5 x 2 x 2?
Giving 10 square foot space.

Your hutch gives 9.36 foot space, so surely with an attached run for two of them of a very small breed that would be ok?
 
When I spoke to them this pm they said that currently you have to have 5 by 2 by 2 but it is about to be increased to 6 by 2 by 2.

If I explain that they will spend most of their time in a secure 6 foot by 4 foot outdoor run and just be in the hutch at night with an attached run I suppose that might be alright.

If all else fails when I get back from my hols I'll approach some Nethie Breeders in the Devon area and see if they have any old Stud bucks they want to move on.

Thanks

Kate
 
there was a similar thread in care recently, where a lady failed the RSPCA home check because she didn't have exactly what they specified, although what she did have was exactly the same in floor area :roll:

I think it depends very much on which branch of RSPCA you go to - and of course privately run rescues all have different standards as they are run by individuals.

I think with your notions of hutch space it's just a case of what you are used to - When I rescued my guinea pigs off a breeder she had them in a unit where a pair had 18"x18" to live in :shock: I now have them in 2x4 hutches and even that looks a bit small for a pair as they love running around - Rabbits need even more space as they have much longer legs and like to lay stretched out fully.

A run is all very well, but what do they do when the weather's not good enough? Sometimes my rabbits are in their hutches for 2 or 3 days if we have a lot of rain, but as they are all doubles it doesn't matter too much, apart from the boredom factor.

In addition, to combat boredom, it's hard to put toys in a small hutch and still leave room for the rabbit to lie down comfortably. Really the bigger the better - If you look around for a local joiner/carpenter you could probably get one made quite cheaply?
 
the RSPCA as a whole are changing their requirements ready for the new welfare bill...my local RSPCA branch is having the rabbit area re-built to make the accomodation bigger..although the inspector said it was ok for me to keep the rescues in slightly smaller space if neccessary as this is a temporary refuge for them on their way to a better home...

I do think your hutch is too small and looking out for a 2nd hand one might be a good idea as long as it is well disenfected out before you use it.
 
I am not comfortable with rabbits being advertised for sale on rabbits united. Would Adele please confirm that this has her authorisation?
 
The rules say
We are happy for Members to mention their Business or service in a signature, but not as a general thread or by PM, with the specific purpose of promoting goods etc.You can of course mention goods or services if another Member requests specific information from you first.
 
Karly, thank you for providing me with the quote. This being the case and rabbits can be advertised for sale on this forum, I have no choice but to remove myself from the forum. I feel to continue using the forum that is allowing breeders to advertise their rabbits, is against my beliefs. If someone is seeking a rabbit on this site and suddenly there appears a website full of lionheads for sale, as in this recent case, and I ignore this and continue to post, I am colluding with the breeder. I know Adele wishes to bring members with different viewpoints onto Rabbits United, but I think advertising a willow ball for sale and a lionhead for sale is not the same. This is the second website from a breeder I have seen recently.

I would like to say goodbye to all my friends on here who make such a difference to rabbits. With much love. Lorraine
 
raine said:
Karly, thank you for providing me with the quote. This being the case and rabbits can be advertised for sale on this forum, I have no choice but to remove myself from the forum. I feel to continue using the forum that is allowing breeders to advertise their rabbits, is against my beliefs. If someone is seeking a rabbit on this site and suddenly there appears a website full of lionheads for sale, as in this recent case, and I ignore this and continue to post, I am colluding with the breeder. I know Adele wishes to bring members with different viewpoints onto Rabbits United, but I think advertising a willow ball for sale and a lionhead for sale is not the same. This is the second website from a breeder I have seen recently.

I would like to say goodbye to all my friends on here who make such a difference to rabbits. With much love. Lorraine

Hiya, Tamsin and I have just been alerted to this thread, sorry for the delay in response.
The forum rules state: The forum is non commercial if you want to contact a member about your product or services (including the sale of livestock) then please do so by Private Message and not in the open forum.
Please do not contact a member unsolicited, especially if they have not asked for recommendations.
In this case, Hoppyacres did not ask for information from a breeder, so we have removed the link to the web site on this occasion.
We would appreciate it if members could send us a PM about any concerns, and not post issues in the forum.
We often do not know there is a problem unless you write and tell us.
Please could members not take matters into their own hands in threads,
but instead contact admin.
Thank you for your help :)
Best wishes
ADMIN (Adele and Tamsin)
 
Tam and Adele, thank you for your e mail and for removing the advertisement. I hope my concerns have not detracted from Kate's mission to find a new bunny.
 
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