My boyfriend's sister is thinking of getting a rabbit from the Rare Breeds Centre at Graves Park - any advice/recommendations/reviews/thoughts/experiences of Graves Park as a place to buy a pet from would be gratefully accepted.

We don't so much need advice on breeds/keeping rabbits etc as we are experienced already. Just wanted opinions about buying from the place itself really,

Many thanks,

SK

I wasn't aware you could buy pets from there, do they have guinea pigs for sale?

Yes I think so, I've seen them for sale in the past, though I haven't been recently. I guess it depends on the reproductive habits of the animals there as to what they are selling at any particular time.

I went up the other week and theres a couple of rabbits and one very lonely looking adult guinea pig! I would say that the rare breeds centre would be a good place to buy a pet from, the animals there have loads of space to run around in and seem to be well cared for. They will also be used to noise and attention, and have better living conditions then the pets in most pet shops!

We bought a rabbit from there, it was a baby one. She's still here and doing fine. Was £10 about 2 years ago. Very good temperament unlike the angry one that ran away from us that we adopted from the RSPCA.

My experience of graves park is not a good one I am afraid. I witnessed a dying animal and brought it to the attention of the staff who didnt seem overly concerned to be honest. I think that no organisation should be allowed to sell animals without proper checks in place to ensure that the people buying a live animal can look after it correctly and provide the correct care and housing.

The Deer paddock was disgusting and full of broken glass, bottles and litter.

I certainly would not give them my money and shall not visit again in the future.

You would be better to help a rescue bunny, try here:
www.rabbitrehome.org.uk

I asked because I once saw a guinea pig biting the ears off another there, and the staff were not at all interested in dealing with it. This was about 3 years ago now and I was wondering if things had changed. I haven't visited recently so I can't comment on the present state, many thanks for your comment.

I would suggest contacting sooz. She rescues and rehomes bunnies and you can be sure of an excellent temperament as she makes sure they are well cared for and socialised.

What rare breeds are they supposed to be selling :suspect:?

Unfortunately with rescue animals the majority are not properly cared for before their time in rescue which is why they often have problems with temperment (neutering helps a great deal but often people will not invest in this) and social ability.

That said I have had soem smashing bunnies which have come from the most terrible conditions and their resiliance and good nature never ceases to amaze me.

I volunteer at Graves Park and I'm sorry to hear that a few people have had bad experiences. There are usually rabbits and guinea pigs for sale most of the time. They are £15 each.
All the animals at the park are well cared for but sometimes it is hectic and things can be missed. Many improvements have been made over the past few years and it is a great place for everyone

I went to Graves recently and found the staff to be caring and committed (at least the couple I spoke to). The animals seemed reasonabley well tended and I didn't notice andthing untoward in the deer compound either. Maybe things have improved.

how much r they from there