OUR SMALL FRIENDS
Bolly came to Mossburn in April 2021 after some well-meaning people rescued him following someone else’s unplanned population explosion resulting in over fifty rabbits needing urgent homes! The family quickly realised that it had been a spur of the moment decision and they couldn’t offer Bolly a suitable home that catered for all his needs. They very responsibly looked for a sanctuary where Bolly could go and be with other rabbits in a more suitable environment. Bolly was vaccinated and also castrated soon after his arrival and he now lives with Clover.
Bolly is a very friendly little bunny and likes to know what is going on all the time, often standing up on his hind legs to get a better look! He does like to run underneath your feet so we have to be careful not to stand on him but he seems to think it’s a fun game!
Bertie
Bertie arrived at Mossburn on the 18th September 2021 and although we don’t know anything about his past, he is quite a young rabbit. Bertie was found wandering the streets of Carlisle and taken to a nearby vets where a staff member took him home to look after him. Despite attempting to locate an owner, nobody claimed Bertie and so we were asked if we could take him. The family ensured Bertie was castrated and vaccinated before arriving here which is a big help to us financially and practically. Bertie is extremely friendly so he must have had a home at some point and we are not sure why anyone would abandon such a lovely rabbit but he is lucky that he was picked up and taken care of as it’s unlikely he would have survived long outdoors and fending for himself. He is very nosy and always wants to be involved when you are mucking out his hutch or cleaning his pen. Bertie now lives happily with Ella, who was also found as a stray!
Billy
Billy arrived with us in February 2023 as his rabbit companion had died and the owners puppy was further stressing Billy out so they wondered if we would be able to take him. We suspect that Billy is deaf and also partially sighted but this doesn't slow him down and he is a very active young rabbit. After a longer than usual bonding process due to his disabilities, he and Petal are now great friends and it is wonderful to see them both together. When we first put Billy outdoors in their pen, he couldn't quite believe there was so much space and he spent a long time running and jumping around! Billy is a very cute rabbit and has become a firm favourite with staff and visitors.
Buddy
Buddy came to Mossburn with his companion Floppy in January 2024. He was born in 2016 and the pair were much loved family pets. Unfortuantely the family's home became unsuitable to live in due to black mould and they had to relocate. Although they took their rabbits with them, they had very limited space in the new property and there was no way to house Buddy and Floppy with the space that they had been used to having. Luckily we had a rare space here for rabbits and so we agreed to take them. Buddy is a friendly rabbit who likes to be stroked but, as with most rabbits, is not keen on being picked up.
Ella
Ella arrived here in June 2022 after being found in a nearby town as a stray. Despite a search for an owner, nobody came forward and the lady who had found Ella in her garden was unable to keep her so she came to us. She was introduced to Bertie who had recently lost his partner and the pair were instantly friends. Ella is very friendly and was generally in good condition, although her claws were extremely overgrown and she had obviously not been straying for too long, so it's possible that she was deliberately released to fend for herself.
Floppy
Floppy arrived in January 2024 along with her companion Buddy. She was born in 2016 and the pair were much loved family pets. Unfortuantely the family's home became unsuitable to live in due to black mould and they had to relocate. Although they took their rabbits with them, they had very limited space in the new property and there was no way to house Buddy and Floppy with the space that they had been used to having. Luckily we had a rare space here for rabbits and so we agreed to take them. Floppy is a friendly rabbit but a little more shy than Buddy and prefers food to human company!
Guinea Pigs
You will see we have now grouped our guinea pigs together on the website; this is because so many guinea pigs are sent to us that are elderly or of unknown age, that the individuals we have can change quite quickly, and its hard to keep up with individual profiles. We currently have one large group of guinea pigs here as permanent residents - seven females (Hayley, Felicia, Nibbles, Bella, Elsa, Millie & Suzie) and one castrated male (Bubbles)
Petal
Petal and her mum Bella were rescued from appalling, cramped and dirty conditions. The two very pretty rabbits came to Mossburn in 2016 and lived happily together until Bella passed away at the end of 2022. Although understandably not so keen on human interaction, rabbits need companionship and so after quite a lengthy bonding process Petal now lives happily with Billy.
Titus
Titus is our resident tortoise who came here originally some years ago from a zoo who were not keeping their reptiles up to standard and were asked to rehome them. We have no idea therefore how old he is. Titus hibernates for about half the year but you can see him in the rabbit village over the summer months.