Blackberry Boarding Animal Carers

Guinea Pig Boarding Information

About Our Boarding Service:

Welcome to Blackberry Boarding, we are a professional and recommended rabbit and other small animals holiday boarding facility based in Hardwicke, Gloucestershire.
If you are looking for qualified and experienced carers to give your pets the attention they deserve whilst you go on holiday, move house, or whatever you need to do then please get in touch and see if we can help. We can also offer facilities for some reptiles including tortoises. Tortoise table with appropriate lighting and heating available.

Our standard of care is of the utmost importance and this year our business has grown very successfully and we are seeing quite a number of boarders return from previous years. We have taken on extra staff to help us to ensure that our standard of care is maintained and all our boarders are given lots of attention during their stay at Blackberry Boarding.

We offer peace of mind for you whilst you are away knowing that your pet will not only be taken care of but receive the extra special love and attention they would normally have. We don't charge for cuddles here!

Chris & I are both animal loving people who will genuinely care about your furry friends and you can rest assure that they will be given the best care during their stay with us. If you would like to come and meet us prior to booking your pet in then please let us know and we will be happy to show you around our facilities and introduce you to our bunnies. We have thirteen rabbits ourselves and this certainly gives us lots of experience in caring for rabbits or small furries.

All pets who stay at Blackberry Boarding are given a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables twice daily and any special dietary requirements are also catered for. Rabbits who require special care and/or medication are welcome but we reserve the right to charge an additional daily rate for this level of care. This also applies to disabled pets.

We offer a range of rabbit pellet mixes including Supreme Science Selective, Burgess Super Rabbit Excel and a quality rabbit muesli. If your rabbit or guinea pig has different mix we will endeavour to get this in for them. This is all included in the price you pay, however, specialist foods including packets of herbs and treats will need to be supplied by you.

We have also recently started stocking and selling Supreme Pet Foods and can now supply this food to our customers.

We will provide your rabbits with top quality farm hay from a local supplier. I can guarantee that your rabbits will absolutely love it. If you would like to buy some from us, we also sell the hay in convenient size bags. We also have Timothy hay available along with dried grass.

For our rabbit's litter trays we use a product called "Woody Pet Bedding" which is an extremely absorbent litter, unless you have an alternative product which you prefer. We do not encourage the use of sawdust due to the fact that it has been known to have a negative and harmful impact on rabbit's (and other animals) respiratory systems. If you would prefer us to use something else in the litter trays then please bring enough with you for the duration of your pet's stay.

We have over 20 years of small animal health experience and access to a rabbit specialist vet for telephone advice and consultations.

Experience and boarding now offered for Degu, who require special dietary care and attention. These fascinating little creatures are becoming very popular and are extremely intelligent and require lots of attention on a daily basis. We also take care of rats, hamsters, guinea pigs and birds, so if you are unsure of whether we could take care of your pet, please give us a call to discuss.

We now offer boarding for tortoise who are fascinating animals. Many tortoise are difficult to keep healthy in captivity and lack of knowledge among tortoise owners means that they are often not cared for correctly. We can offer your tortoise, a heated and fully ventilated tortoise table giving the proper care so that he/she remains happy and healthy whilst staying at Blackberry Boarding. Please contact us to discuss further.

Member of Rabbit Welfare Association and previously acted as an area co-ordinator for the South West for The British House Rabbit Association, giving telephone advice and support to rabbit owners.

Blackberry Boarding is fully insured and we have recently been assessed from a health & safety point of view. This was confirmed as correct and in order.

General Advice

If you would like my advice on a rabbit related issues then please feel free to contact me on the above email address or telephone numbers and I will endeavour to help. Please note that I am not a vet, my advice is based purely on my rabbit experience. If you think your rabbit is unwell or in need of veterinary attention then you should take them to the vets straight away - rabbits deteriorate rapidly and you should never delay seeking veterinary attention.

Testimonials

Sharon and Chris looked after our lovely bunnies Naboo and Poppy for a whole year and we simply cannot fault them!! Because we were leaving the country for such a long time it was really important to us that we left our beloved bunnies in good hands, and we couldn't have found anyone better. They looked after them like they were their own bunnies and showed them all the love and affection that we would have. In terms of medical care, Sharon can spot a poorly bunny before the bunny even gets sick! She is surely psychic! Naboo had a bit of tummy trouble through the stress of the move, but thanks to their speedy attention it was nothing to worry about and Naboo soon settled down. Luckily they have access to excellent bunny vets meaning that if anything does happen while in their care they are in the best hands.

It was especially reassuring for us to have regular updates from Sharon and Chris, including regular blog updates, which meant so much as we got to see them even though we were far away. They were very conscientious in letting us know everything that was going on with the bunnies, such as if a new diet regime had been implemented, or if they were having jabs. This sets them apart from other boarders because the level of their care and communication with us went way beyond what we could have expected. They went out of their way to ensure that the bunnies had a similar life to the one they have with us, meaning that a whole room got rearranged! They took extra care to look after them in the way that we asked and even managed to get our chubby lady bunny to lose a bit of weight, which is no easy task! They managed to do this thanks to scatter feeding the rabbits, which shows just how far they will go for the health of the rabbits in their care. Their food routine was excellent, with lots of fresh veg and hay and our bunnies were definitely very satisfied.

They were extremely accommodating to both us and the needs of our rabbits and we doubt very much that our time spent abroad would have been as enjoyable if we hadn't known the bunnies were being taken care of so well. We will definitely be using their bunny boarding again. Sharon and Chris are very special. They are kind, generous and bonkers about bunnies. We consider ourselves very lucky to have found them and Naboo and Poppy definitely agree. The bunnies will miss their auntie Sharon and uncle Chris and we feel like we have built up a friendship with them over the last year, but we will see them again soon in the future.

Zephie, Dave, Naboo & Poppy xxxx

I recommend Blackberry Boarding to anyone who needs a safe and caring home-from-home for their rabbit while they are away. Sharon and Chris are the only people I want to look after our house bunny, Monty, when we are on holiday, as they make every effort to give each rabbit the highest possible standard of care. For me (and Monty), the 2 hour round trip from home is definitely worth making. While he is with Sharon, Monty is able to behave just as he does at home, particularly enjoying his exploration of her lounge and his evening treats and cuddle session! I always feel totally relaxed about leaving him at Blackberry Boarding, knowing that he will have a lovely holiday while I am gone.

Our mutual love of rabbits was how I first met Sharon. I run a rabbit and guinea pig rescue and Sharon came to adopt one of our orphan bunnies. She now has quite a menagerie of bunnies, as well as the additions of guinea pigs and degus. Her excuse for the piggies and degus is that in order to care for other peoples pets properly she needs to have personal experience of them. Well, I will leave you to ponder on her reasoning! I guess Chris is just relieved that she did not decide to board giraffes or something!

Whenever I have a medical crisis at the rescue I always go to Sharon for advice. She has a very in depth knowledge of the complexities of rabbits and will always put herself out to help when she can.

Both Sharon and Chris are very caring genuine people, and I can assure anyone who wishes to leave their beloved pet in their care, that he/she or they will be in capable, loving hands.

It's so good not to have to worry about your pets when you are going on holiday, and I certainly don't need to worry when they are in Blackberry Boarding! I'm pretty sure my rabbit, Pickles, gets better looked after there than he does at home. And when a pet has any health problems I can be sure of careful professional attention above and beyond the call of duty - one of our rabbits required regular injections and wound flushing, and Sharon didn't even flinch. I'm confident too that if my pet showed any signs of illness during its stay it would be spotted and treated at once - Blackberry Boarding really know and care about their bunnies.

'Knowing that our rabbit Smudge was being well looked after by experts while we've been on holiday has made going away much easier. We received regular updates about how he was getting on while we were away and when we came back he seemed incredibly contented (we wondered whether he really wanted to come home!)

Thanks to Sharon Smudge also met his true love Suzi and so in future both our rabbits will be spending their holidays at Blackberry Boarding.'

I have no hesitation in recommending Blackberry Boarding to all bunny owners - your obvious knowledge of caring for rabbits as well as your enthusiasm reassured me that my pets would be well looked after. I have used Blackberry Boarding twice in the last 6 months, and my only concern is that my bunnies are so well treated they won't want to come home!

For further information please visit www.blackberryboarding.co.uk

Blackberry Boarding also has its own Blog and this gives daily updates and information on all our boarders, please visit www.blackberryboarding.co.uk

Accommodation:

We have two, fully insulated sheds which are heated during the winter with frost protection heaters and cooled during the summer with fans and cool pads.

NEW Indoor Boarding Facility, we now have a room specially set up for indoor bunnies and this contains all sizes of indoor cages ranging from 5 ft x 2.5 ft and 4 ft x 2 ft conforming to RSPCA standard requirements. Indoor bunnies have daily exercise and are not kept in indoor pens all the time. We will try to accommodate your pet to ensure that he/she receives as much outside of cage activities as is possible during their stay with us. We appreciate that the majority of house bunnies own a house and allow humans to live in it with them and therefore out of cage activity is very important to them. We have french lops ourselves and both of them have very much taken over our house but obviously at times they have to have time in their cage and will quite happily spends that time snoozing.

All our outdoor hutches conform to RSPCA standards and have runs attached. We have covers on these hutches and at night we put additional covers on all hutches to keep them dry and warm.

Outdoor exercise runs available and cover provided when raining. Sun shades also provided when the weather is hot.

Nothing is too much trouble, toys, soft bedding, special type hays, and food all readily available to your pet.

If you have special requirements for your pet's accommodation please talk to us and we will do our best to provide a cage or hutch most suitable for your pet.

We have lots of different type of accommodation and various sizes of cages/hutches/runs available.

Your pet is on holiday with us and we want them to enjoy their stay at Blackberry Boarding.

Exercise:

We feel daily exercise is a necessity for your pet's health and the extra stimulation this gives prevents your pet from becoming bored, lonely or cause health issues. We have secure runs available for this
purpose so your pets can have a free run in the garden (weather permitting). We also have waterproof covers for all runs along with gazebos and parasols to protect them from the sun.

Health & Hygiene:

All accommodation is maintained to a high standard and hygiene is of utmost importance. All rabbits must be vaccinated before they can be accepted at Blackberry Boarding.

Part of what you are paying for when your rabbit comes to stay with us is our experience and knowledge of all things 'rabbit'. We believe that rabbits and other small furries are very special
creatures and they have very specific needs which we know how to cater for. We are very experienced at looking after small furries and we can pick up the subtle signs of a poorly animal very quickly which is valuable as, for example, rabbits can become sick very rapidly and dehydrate within 12 hours. Being prey animals they are also very good at hiding the fact that they are sick which isn't the best thing to do when they need help!

We also have the support of a local vet, expert in rabbit health, so in the unlikely event that your rabbit does get poorly it will be in very capable hands. (Obviously the cost of any veterinary treatment for your rabbits will need to be covered by you, the owner(s).) If you pet is already on medication when he/she comes to board with us and requires extra attention/time we will not refuse to board your pet as some boarders do, but we may need to charge you a slightly higher daily rate to cover our time.

We have considerable experience in caring for EC bunnies and have successfully nursed several back to a good quality of life. This illness can be very stressful for your pet and extremely stressful for owners and we find that some people are just not able to give the level of care that is needed. This is where we can help and will nurse your rabbit and ensure that they receive the medical care needed in a home environment. So often rabbits struggle to get over an illness when they are in hospital surroundings.

Guinea Pig Boarding Tarif

Prices are available upon request, a 25% deposit will be payable.

During their stay your Rabbit and Guinea Pig will be provided with the following:

Dried Mix food as normally fed (standard types)
Fresh fruit and vegetables twice daily
Meadow hay and dried grass, Timothy hay
Fresh water, changed daily, can be provided in bottle or bowl
Litter trays changed daily
Bedtime treats (healthy version treats!)
Regular checks and bunny conversation/attention and pampering, lots of toys available
Daily access to outdoor runs, weather permitting
Daily health checks to include fly strike
Daily grooming if required
Claw Clipping (if required) - Rabbits �5.00 - Guinea Pigs and other small animals �3.00.

If for any reason you need to cancel your booking with Blackberry Boarding we ask that you do give us as much notice as possible and any cancellation fee, if appropriate, will be discussed at that time.

During July and August we are extremely busy so if you require our services please book early so as not to be disappointed.

Other Services

Services: GroomingClaw Clipping

Grooming and Claw Clipping are available.

A general health check for your pet is also available free of charge.
If you are local to us i.e Quedgeley or Hardwicke we now are able to offer a home visit service and this enables you to keep your rabbit/guinea pig at home and we will visit twice a day to feed/care for your pet. Please ask for prices for this service.

We are very flexible with our approach to caring for you pet and if you have special requirements please do not hesitate to discuss these with us and we will do our best to accommodate your pet's needs.

From time to time we are able to offer work experience placements to students studying Animal Management and Veterinary Science type courses. If you are interested in working at Blackberry Boarding please contact us on blackberryboarding@hotmail.com

If you would like any advice on your pets health or diet please contact us and we will endeavour to help you or put you in touch with a person who is additionally qualified and able to answer your questions.

Boarding Facility Images