Staffordshire Rabbit & Guinea Pig Rescue

16/03/2025

Seeking veterinary treatment for a sick animal is a legal requirement. This pig hadn’t eaten since Monday. He didn’t stand a chance. He originated from a breeder, and yet we are still told that breeders can be ethical? Where was the breeder when he laid suffering in the care of a minor? Where was the breeder when we needed to authorise hundreds of pounds worth of emergency care? This owner didn’t reach out to a rescue for help. I contacted them. And even when on route to collect him (at which point we weren’t aware he was even remotely unwell), they tried to insist that we buy him for £35 from them. An almost dead animal and you want us to PAY YOU to help him?

Still, in the darkest of times there is always light. In the form of Craig and Vicky, the volunteers who went out of their way on their Saturday to drop everything and help an animal. Who ended up collecting an unresponsive little body and needing to urgently find him vet care. Who if this person had been honest from the start, I could’ve gone straight from work the night before and saved Victor almost 24 hours of further suffering, and two wondeful volunteers the heartache of this experience. And of course Heather, who shows up for both us and the animals time and time and time again.

Do better people, we HAVE to do better. Sleep tight buddy, I’m so desperately sorry you were failed so catastrophically 💔

Can I interrupt your evening by telling you a really sad story that I think people need to hear?

This blurry picture is Victor.

Victor died today.

Victor was surrendered to our colleagues at Staffordshire Rabbit & Guinea Pig Rescue as a critical case, and we helped coordinate getting into the vets because when our shared volunteers (the absolutely magnificent Vikki and Craig) went to retrieve him, he was in a horrifically unwell state.

Victor was handed over by a child, no adults appeared to be present in the house - we don’t know when he was last fed, he was skin and bones, his breathing was shallow. On admittance, his temperature was so low that it didn’t register on the thermometer.

Victor was in an appalling state.

Unfortunately, despite attempts to warm him up, get fluids into him, see if we could do something quickly (and we gave it a couple of hours maximum before we said goodbye), Victor passed away.

This is devastating. If we could’ve got to Victor earlier, this could’ve been prevented. If animals weren’t sold so readily to people who aren’t capable of looking after them, this could’ve been prevented.

Unfortunately, Victor is one of those cases who will typically come in and out of rescue without anybody really remembering who he was – but the rescue who took him on will bear a financial burden for giving him a chance.

Victor’s vet bill today was estimated at £500. Whilst we do not have the complete total, it is really important to us to try and support Staffordshire Rabbit Rescue as best as we can. And shouldn’t we try and provide support for giving Victor the dignity he got?

If you can donate even £1 toward Victor’s bills today, please do. You have no idea how much of a help it will be – and maybe the next Victor, we can save in time.

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/victorslegacy

- please note that any excess funds, in the unlikely event that that becomes a reality, will go towards the next guinea pig in need -

07/03/2025

Trying one last time for this - if anyone is please able to help? The Bunnyjackpot Foundation

02/03/2025

And so an update on the dumped piggie.

Thanks so much for the huge response we had to our earlier post regarding the piggie that we were told had been found dumped in his cage, at the back of a playing field in Uttoxeter. With your help we have established that he was not, infact dumped. The ‘finder’ has been trying to get rid of him for a number of weeks. There was at some point another piggie in with him (which we suspected, as he has scabs under his fur), who knows what happened to that little one.

So, on that note -

😡 Do your research before bringing sentient beings into your home and lives. And care for them for the duration of theirs.

😡 Don’t lie to rescues. It’s low. This chap sped straight up to the top of the waiting list, and who knows what has happened to the pigs we have turned away because of course, as a ‘abandoned’ animal his need was greater.

😡 Don’t allow your pet to become matted to the point of having to be clipped right down to release his legs from being matted to his body. Thankfully we always take photos of proof of the state animals arrive to us in. He’s now comfortable. We understand that not everyone’s animals are as high a priority to them as they are to us, but all it would’ve taken is ten minutes every few weeks to prevent this neglect.

This little man is safe and loved this evening. He’ll be neutered and go on to live a good, happy life. But yet again, we are astounded by humans and the lies they tell.

02/03/2025

‼️ Uttoxeter - Please Share ‼️

Do you recognise this pig or this cage? Did a friend of your children’s, or perhaps a neighbour have a Guinea pig a few days ago and now don’t? This pig was found dumped in his cage on Friday at 6pm on the playing field behind Marlborough Way, Uttoxeter. Pig is fine, but has suffered inherent neglect in that their back end was horrendously matted and required clipping right down. We will of course report this, but we’d really like to trace the owners so that their details can be passed on. Your messages will be treated with anonymity. Thank you.

02/03/2025

Is anyone able to help at all with this? Would be very grateful if so. The Bunnyjackpot Foundation

22/02/2025

Can you help us? Looking to move a spare set-up from Rugeley WS15 - Bridgwater TA7. Van or Large Car required - Thank you!

22/02/2025

Is anyone able to help us at all to move a Guinea pig set up from WS15 Rugeley to TA7 Bridgwater at all please? Will need van or large car - Approx dimensions 5 x 2ft, 3ft tall. Thank you

14/02/2025

The rescue world is facing two crises. One is talked about a lot, one isn’t talked about enough.

Yes, there are too many rabbits for rescues and immense pressure is being put on ethical charities to take on more and more cases of neglected animals every single day.

The second crisis is just as bad and just as impactful: a mental health crisis.

Rescue work is exhausting and pulls on every single resource of person has. Seeing neglect cases, taking non-stop trips to the vet and being put through a never-ending emotional wringer, worrying about finances and fundraising, managing teams of volunteers and dealing with the general public… All of which whilst being unpaid or certainly underpaid.

There is not one single rescue who has not wobbled when it comes to mental health. Rescue workers are continuously put under more pressure than any human should be expected to cope with, with next to no resource for support - not discounting each other, because nobody quite understands rescue unless you’re in it.

Put simply, rescue is traumatising. In day-to-day jobs, including not for profit/charity roles, there are allowances made to make hard work easier on those undertaking it. Therapy, extra time off, work life balance… None of this really exists in the small charity animal rescue world, which is a place rooted in anxiety and burnout.

Rescue work is far from spending your days cuddling adorable animals. Particularly for those running rescues, days are spent pouring over spreadsheets, running finances and budgets, saying countless, countless ‘no’s to desperate cases.

It is no wonder we are all exhausted, and riddled with anxiety.

So what can YOU do? You can be an ally: be alive to the immeasurable amount of pain and pressure people in rescue are put under. You can offer support, and that doesn’t have to be financial – so that always helps - supporters are one of the reasons rescues continue to do what they can, because supporters make it possible.

I think one of the most impactful ways we can acknowledge this crisis is by talking about it more and recognising how chronically underfunded and unsupported this area of charity work is.

14/02/2025

Can really recommend Dog Jim Training, this will be a great workshop.

08/02/2025

A HARD yes from us! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Meet Nook.

At four years old, Nook, along with his three sons of varying ages, was brought to the rescue as a surrender case. The reason? ‘The kids got bored’.

Nook has serious respiratory issues, lots of matts and nails that are curling into his paws. And that’s what we can see on the surface.

Whilst Nook and his sons were surrendered to us, all of the females being surrendered were given to a local farm who routinely take rabbits and guinea pigs and other rodents to events and schools.

We have two things to say on this:

1. We are so tired of seeing rescues being so picky about which gender guinea pigs to take in, when gender should not have anything to do with giving a safe space to an animal in need. Time and time again, female guinea pig pigs are taken in and given priority over male guinea pigs - and the boys are left behind.

We are aware that some who take guinea pigs in house them in big herds, which they then pick from for rehoming, meaning they ‘can take’ girls on in a way that they can’t with boys. Bonding guinea pigs into herds, and then picking them out when they have made friends and relationships is unethical. Once a guinea pig has been bonded to another guinea pig, they should not be separated for any reason. If they are not bonded within the group, they should be housed separate from the group – and given the chance to make their own relationship in an ethical way.

2. It is completely unethical to take prey animals outside of their home environments for the purpose of education or entertainment. Whilst predators can adjust to strange environments, sounds, smells… our prey animals thrive on consistency and feeling safe. This cannot be achieved when they are touted from schools to farms to events.

It’s really important to remember that our companion animals don’t exist to teach us, or for us to use in anyway - it is an absolute honour to look after small animals and to gain their trust, and being a companion animal guardian should be seen as an honour, not a right.

And next time you are seeking a friend for a single guinea pig or a group of sows? Please don’t overlook a single boar! They’re just as worthy of a loving home.

26/01/2025

We’re taking a break. No grand announcement or anything, there’s no big news - but I’m taking a couple of months off. I’ve limped along the last 12+ months in a state of burn-out, and there are things in my personal life requiring my time and attention currently which alongside a full-time office job & an animal rescue, I don’t have it to give. Unfortunately I need my job & so it’s the rescue that needs to take a back seat for a short time. If you’d like to pause on your direct debit donations etc for the next few months, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. I’ll still be posting up the last few animals we have for rehoming periodically and I am absolutely ALWAYS available to adopters via phone. Likewise, if you’ve adopted from us and your animal(s) need to come back, we will always take them back - same day, no questions asked (it is in the rehoming contract that they come back to us, you mustn’t ever privately rehome an animal you’ve adopted from us!) - Take care & see you soon 🙂

08/01/2025

❄️❄️ Cold Weather ❄️❄️

Please ensure your animals are catered for in this current spell of increasingly cold weather.

Pack hides, sheds, hutches (goes without saying we don’t condone using hutches unless as a hide within a suitable enclosure), cardboard boxes - everything you can with floor to ceiling straw. Snugglesafe heat pads are also a lifesaver in these temperatures. This photo is all I could find to use without trawling, but at the moment their hides are now in their enclosure filled with straw and there’s a third of a bale of straw piled in this house to keep them cosy. We also use clear tarpaulins stabled to the walls of the pens to prevent wind chill and drifting snow/rain - this works really well.

Remember that our animals are entirely dependent on us for their welfare, and if you know of anyone that keeps outdoor animals and perhaps won’t have thought to help keep them safe, contact them to remind them. Then perhaps we won’t be sitting in a vet waiting room listening to stories of rabbits that ‘froze to death’ as I was last week.

A straw bale will cost around £5 from a farm shop - there’s no excuse not to keep our animals safe.

06/01/2025

First Monday back to work after Christmas got us like…

04/01/2025

Beautiful Frazzle sends huge thanks again to the wonderful people that donated Christmas gifts to us this year, she thoroughly enjoyed hers and was very spoilt. She has left us today to join a sanctuary group at TBF.

03/01/2025

Forever home Friday 🎉 Both Fig & Bramley found love with the same family on our recent bondathon (Thank you Heather for the bond), and are now living their best lives in their forever home. So pleased for these two beautiful bunnies, who so deserved better lives than they have previously known. ❤️❤️

(Photo taken during bonding hence the small pen)

03/01/2025

Lost in Little Haywood & requiring meds. Please share for her owner, details below.

02/01/2025

With Christmas & New Year out of the way, it’s time to focus on finding our OAPs their forever home. Viktor & Klaus will have been in our care for a whole year in April, and whilst they’re more than well catered for in their foster home, we’re keen for them to have a family all of their own. Please share them far and wide, and let’s see if we can find these beautiful boys their people! 🤞🏼