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CUDDLY BUNNIES FOR SALE

We specialise in our great big, cuddly French Lops plus occasional Mini Lops and Dwarf Lops

We are just 90 seconds, 1.2 miles, from the end of the M50 motorway (junction 4) in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire - and extremely easy to find!

Any babies currently available for adoption can be seen HERE.

FRENCH LOPS

the ultimate big, cuddly softies who'll steal your heart 

- instantly!

The Breed:  French Lops are a large, cuddly,  breed weighing a minimum of 4.5kg as adults - and many are much heavier.  Our Brittany (photographed on right) tips the scales at +7.75kg/17lbs and is definitely not for the faint-hearted!!  Most of our adult Frenchies weigh between 6-7.5kg.

They are noted for their large size, stocky build, broad faces, long ears and docile, great character, affectionate nature – and are often referred to a the ‘gentle giants’ of the rabbit kingdom.   They are big, cuddly characters with a placid, easy-going, (sometimes rather lazy!)  temperament and make wonderful companion pets, particularly when handled and cuddled regularly - as ours always are!   

Well, how could we possibly resist them?!  We can't!

Housing:  French Lops make superb house-rabbits and ours enjoy going for walks /runs on a lead and harness (see link) with their ears bobbing or swinging as they trot along the footpath or local fields.   In many ways, owning a French Lop is like having a small puppy (or a living cuddly toy!)!  

But, be warned - you'll soon be hooked on them and once you've enjoyed the love and companionship a French Lop can offer, you'll probably never look twice at any other breed!!

In view of their space requirement, they are much better-suited to becoming litter-trained house-bunnies using a 'Vet Bed'  lined plastic dog bed for sleeping and a hooded 'cat loo' litter tray (available from Argos - see also our House-Training page).    

Indoor cages and/or play pens can be useful for confining a youngster while undergoing litter-training or while s/he settles into your home.  A 5' indoor cage is made by Ferplast but doesn't actually have a front-opening door so this needs to be fitted without one of the end panels so your bunny can hop in and out.  Alternatively, we recommend the Comfort Cage - we can order these for collection when you collect your bunny if you wish or they can be ordered online.  We stress that these cages are not suitable accommodation for confining adult French Lops.  However, they are perfect as your bunny's 'base'   -  ie a storage area for food bowls, water bottles, litter tray, hay rack and toys and they can assist greatly whilst undergoing litter-training by providing him/her with .his/her own personal space   Although they are far too small to confine any French Lop or large breed bunny,  using one of these indoor cages with a large play pen fitted in front will provide additional space if you need to confine your bunny whilst unsupervised, eg while you're out at work or overnight.  The cages and play pens will also flat-pack to allow your bunny to join you on holiday or for a weekend away!  Dog crates are not very suitable for rabbits.

If French Lops live outdoors in a conventional hutch, this will need to be 6' long, 3' deep and 2' tall to allow them to stretch out and move around comfortably - sheds can make good accommodation when fitted with a cosy bed, litter tray and lots of toys to play with.  Of course, the windows will be too high for them to see out of so please ensure they have lots of human contact rather than being forced to stare blankly at the walls all day!  A children's 'Wendy House' could be an alternative to a shed.  

A large run will also be required since Frenchies are not a breed to be 'cooped up' for long periods.

They require a lot of fuss, cuddles, attention and interaction and, for this reason, living as house-rabbits is generally, by far, the best arrangement and we prefer our French Lops to become house-bunnies whenever possible.

Providing companionship and Stimulation:  Where possible, we always prefer babies to be adopted in pairs to provide companionship for each other. This is essential for bunnies living outdoors where they are very likely to suffer from boredom if housed in a hutch and run with inevitably less stimulation and contact than indoor house-bunnies.  Bunnies are social animals and not really suited to a solitary lifestyle.  Please note that rabbits should never be housed with guinea-pigs - please see the companionship page for further information.

Best Suited To:  Most adopters are adults, usually childless couples or families with older children (aged 12+) with a mature, calm and quiet, gentle and responsible attitude towards these wonderful beasts!  Our Frenchies have been adopted by young couples and active-retired pensioners, sometimes as an alternative to a puppy, and all are thoroughly loved and pampered.

PLEASE NOTE: French Lops are not suitable pets for young children. They are a large and heavy breed and children will be unable to lift them correctly - and this can risk injury.   We have taken in 2 re-homing French Lops previously owned by children and each had suffered broken forepaws amongst other injuries caused by mis-handling.  Therefore we prefer our bunnies to be adopted by adults.

Bonding with Owners:  Male bunnies tend to bond very strongly with adult female owners - and this usually includes following their 'mum' everywhere, walking to heel and, if you leave doors open around your home, you'll probably find your faithful friend rarely leaves your side.  

Girl-bunnies generally bond better with adult male owners.  Having said this, however, we had a female house-bunny, Rosie, who bonded very closely with her female owner and walked to heel around the house before flopping down to beg for a nose-rub (which she always got!).

Frenchies will love to lie on the floor with their owners and enjoy gentle fuss or a doze - and will even leap into your bed to join you!   Another French Lop we know, enjoys a walk-in shower with his 'mum' every morning.   He then has to be towel-dried followed by a blast with her hair-dryer (on a low heat setting!) before he retreats back to his bed and toy-box while his 'mum' goes to work.

Frenchies have great character and their attention-seeking antics can be quite amusing company.  As you snooze on the sofa - be prepared for your big furry friend to take a flying leap and land on your stomach or to nibble your shoe-laces if you don't bend over to pick him up for his cuddle!

 They can be a very popular alternative to a pet dog - ie they will give and receive bounds of affection but don't require so many daily walks!

Coat Colours:  Via careful and selective breeding, we succeeded in introducing fawn and orange in 2004 (Bonnie), produced our first fawn  and sooty-fawn Frenchy litter (via Bonnie and Disney) in summer 2005 and hope to introduce fawn and orange butterfly from her retained daughters from 2006/7.  

Although we specialise in blue, opal, fawn and orange, we can also produce occasional agouti, black and steel - in solid colours and butterfly pattern.  

Health:  Sadly, French Lops tend to be more prone to health problems, particularly heart defects and have a shorter average life expectancy than other hardier breeds.  However, they are still absolutely unbeatable in terms of their character, personality and highly-affectionate nature! 

Once you've experienced the love and affection of a French Lop you'll probably be 'hooked' instantly and never look twice at another breed - and nothing can beat a bunny-hug from a big, cuddly Frenchy!

View more photos of our French Lops at: 

French Lops Available for Adoption

Please click HERE for details of French Lop babies currently available for adoption.

Your Adoption Questions Answered     How to Reserve    Illustrations of adult coat colours 

 

MINI LOPS AND DWARF LOPS

The Breeds:  Mini lops are a small breed weighing approximately  1.5-1.6kg when fully-grown whereas Dwarf Lops are slightly larger weighing approximately 2-2.4kg as adults.  

Both breeds make good pets for both adults and children.  Increasingly, our smaller lops are being adopted by more and more adults, particularly professional couples seeking a 'small furry' to cuddle for stress-relief following a long working day.  Snuggling a cuddly bunny on your knee and being rewarded by loving licks is a wonderful way to spend your evening, and your bunny probably won't have too many objections to this type of lifestyle!

They are easy breeds to keep and, with their lopped ears, are very attractive and appealing bunnies.  

Best Suited To:  Mini Lops and Dwarf Lops are suited to both adults and children (aged 8-10+) and are increasingly being adopted by childless couples, in addition to becoming family pets.  

If you are adopting a bunny as a pet for a child, please read our "A Child's Pet?" and Fluffy's Story pages to be absolutely certain that a bunny is the right pet for your family household.

Many adults like mini lops because they can happily live in a roomy (4' minimum) indoor cage during the daytime and then hop out for exercise and cuddles during the evenings and at weekends. 

Housing:  Mini Lops and Dwarf Lops are very popular pets  who could equally live indoors as house-rabbits, being housed in an indoor cage (we recommend the 'Comfort Cage or 'Bunny Chalet' ) and/or play-pen when unsupervised or they could live outdoors in a conventional hutch - but we always prefer to encourage the former.  Cages can be ordered for collection or ordered online for home delivery.

Mini Lops are also suited to living outdoors in a spacious hutch which must be at least 5' for 2 mini lops - or a 2-storey 4' hutch.  They must have  access to a run for daily exercise.  

Providing companionship and Stimulation:  Rabbits are social animals and we recommend that all outdoor bunnies live in neutered boy-girl or girl-girl pairs to ensure they always have a bunny-friend or partner who will help provide essential companionship and stimulation to reduce otherwise inevitable boredom, and have some toys to play with.  Rabbits, even small breeds, should never be housed with guinea-pigs - please see the companionship page for further information.

Coat Colours:  We  specialise in blue, blue otter, fawn, mis-marked harlequin and occasional black otter and black otter butterfly Mini Lops while our mums can produce blue, black and occasional sooty-fawn Dwarf Lops.  Please visit the colours page for further photographs illustrating each colour. 

Our Dwarf Lops have their own small website - please click here to visit.

View more photos of our mini lops at: 

Dwarf Lops and Mini Lops 

Available for Adoption

Please click HERE for details of Mini Lop or Dwarf Lop babies currently available for adoption.

Your Adoption Questions Answered     How to Reserve    Illustrations of adult coat colours 

Your Questions Answered 

 

If you need any tips or advice to help you choose your new bunny/ies, please visit the following pages which should answer all of your questions (and many more):-

 

Our aim is not to simply 'sell' rabbits indiscriminately but to secure the best homes possible for our cherished babies whom we've brought into the world and loving raised for the first few months of their lives.    

 

Further links are listed below - including links to descriptions of coat colours and breed sizes.

Before proceeding with any adoption, please read our Terms and Conditions.

The Rabbit Owner's CD is the most comprehensive rabbit care CD for all pet bunny owners.  With its illustrative photographs, video clips and guidance videos, it provides all the information you need and can be ordered online.

HOW TO RESERVE 

Your New Furry Friend:

Please visit our Babies Available page to choose which babies you are interested in or to register an interest in a future litter.  Please note:  We breed only to maintain our lines and on a very small scale so we will not always have babies available immediately.

Reserving from Litters Due Soon: If you are interested in adopting a baby bunny from the surplus of any of our future litters, please contact us to register your interest.  We keep a list of general enquirers and another list of people who have reserved a bunny from a future litter and already paid a deposit in advance..  

We breed to maintain and continue our lines and normally retain a few girls from each litter, depending on their colours.  We rarely retain boys from litters as we adopt very carefully selected stud boys from known lines to ensure there is no in-breeding and to introduce new bloodlines and colours into our furry family.  For this reason, we tend to have more boys than girls available for adoption.

Please let us know which bunny/ies you are interested in and, so that we can help match a suitable bunny to your lifestyle and requirements, please answer the following questions:-

1. Who the bunny/ies will be for, ie an adult or a child?  If the bunny is to be a child's pet, how old is the child and is an adult prepared to take full responsibility for the bunny? 

2. What size of bunny are you looking for?

3. What is the size of the hutch/cage your bunny/ies will occupy?

4. Will your bunny/ies will live indoors as a full-time house-bunny or outdoors in a hutch?

5. Do you have any other pets?

6. Do you have any other bunnies?  If so, how many and which breeds are they?

7. Is the bunny to be bonded with another bunny you already have?  If so, what is the age and sex of your present bunny, and is she/he neutered?

8. Have you previously owned any pet rabbits?

9. Do you have any plans to breed, either now or in the future?  If so, do you already have a licence or have you applied for a licence?

10. Are you a member of any rabbit clubs?

These responses can help us ensure that you adopt a breed which matches your preferences in terms of size and temperament and will settle comfortably into your household so that your bunny-ownership will be a mutually-rewarding experience.  

Please also supply your home address, mobile phone and a home landline telephone number.  We will then email our home address to send the deposit cheque (payments can also be made direct in the bunnies' own online bank account!) together with further information about adopting and caring for our bunnies.

Normally, we should respond to you within 48 hours but if not - please telephone just incase we have email or computer problems!  

Note re AOL email addresses:  Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to reply fully (if at all) to AOL addresses so if you contact us and fail to receive a reply within 48 hours then please contact us again using a different email account if you have one.  If not,  we recommend setting up a free Hotmail or similar  account.  A hotmail account can be set up by visiting www.hotmail.com .  There is no charge for using these services and you can continue to use your current ISP.   

Please click here to read our Terms and Conditions of Adoption and our Warranty.

We are members of the Rabbit Welfare Association.

Click here to read the Bunnies' own online journal to share their outlook on life and latest news

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