Keeping rabbits on an allotment.

[Bunny186]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section, Wasn't quite sure where to put it.

I am involved in animal rescue & am toying with the idea of setting up a shed & runs sort of thing on an allotment, and taking in unwanted rabbits - then rehoming from there. Obviously I would make this as safe as physically possible (All animals locked securely inside the shed from late afternoon), but what are your opinions on keeping them away from my house? Is it something that would bug you if someone did this by your allotment? (Everything would be pristine, as it is with the animals and set up's already in my care) and first and foremost, how safe would they be? Obviously it isn't as ideal as keeping them by my house, which isn't possible due to lack of space left, but if it is the difference between saving lives and not..?

Thanks for reading.

[northepaul]

I am not sure if you would be allowed to, Bunny. It might be worth checking with your council before considering the idea. (Ie we're not allowed to have more than one shed, and it has to be quite small - 6x7 if memory serves) Have a look at your tenancy agreement, if you already have one. I am quite sure you cant just keep pets...
Another consideration is, as you say, safety issues - namely foxes at night. Also wild rabbits...

[chris]

I think the idea would be frowned upon... Given the waiting lists for people who want the plots to grow on..

It would annnoy me to be honest, as I think it's a waste of valuable land (as above in terms of growing space) and I know on my site it would not be allowed. Were only allowed 6 hens in terms of livestock on our site, no other animals are permitted.

That said, I think the idea you have is a great one - just not suited to an allotment site

[Florence Fennel]

Whereabouts in the country are you Bunny? Would someone in your locality perhaps give up a bit of their garden space for you? Like Chris says, I don't think it's quite in the spirit of the allotmenteer to give up growing space.

[zazen999]

Erm, and if they get out and munch on anyone's crops they will be hopping mad.

[Two_Sheds]

I think the idea you have is a great one - just not suited to an allotment site

I'd agree with that. With waiting lists for people who want to grow food: it's just not on, giving one over to rabbits (and I'm an animal lover).

Chap on my lotty has about 6 pet rabbits on site: they're cooped up all their life in one small hutch each, never see a run, never see another rabbit, never feel the sun on their backs ... it's awful

[Florence Fennel]

They don't sound like pets TS, more like prisoners. Shouldn't be allowed.

[Two_Sheds]

He's a nice chap and he means well FF, but he's of an older generation when animal rights weren't really considered

Other allotmenteers (very few, now) keep rabbits in the same conditions, but for eating. It doesn't seem to matter about their quality of life, for they all end up dead, on a plate

[di]

I'm pretty sure we're allowed to keep rabbits on our plots...but for consumption.
Lovely as the idea sounds,an allotment is for growing/rearing food.

[snohare]

Sorry, I'm going to be devil's advocate here.
Dependent on circumstances , I think it might be an excellent idea, for everyone all round. Rabbits don't smell or crow at umpteen a.m. like some species allowed at some allotments, so I don't see grounds for complaint there. And there are advantages.
My first thought as an allotmenteer if I heard of anyone who had any kind of livestock would immediately be, "Oooh, I wonder if there is any spare poo ?" So that's one reason to have livestock, which neighbouring allotmenteers will appreciate. Rabbit poo is a very nice soil conditioner I believe.
The other thought is, if it was possible to have a peripatetic run/shed, then it would be a wonderful way of preventing the usual "Here's an overgrown plot with five foot high weeds" thing that so often leads to a cycle of neglect/despair/abandonment/despair. Granted, the rabbits wouldn't eat everything on a given patch of ground, but they could at least give it a severe trimming, and it would make a bit of a difference. Cheaper to the council than going in and rotavating.
The problems I see with that are of course,
(a) does your allotment have spare plots that are always going to rack and ruin ? Would you be willing to "take on" a plot on the understanding that you'd have to shift if a "proper" allotment grower was given it ?
(b) would the council/Association/plot neighbours be open minded enough to try this ?
(c) could you make runs that were sufficiently secure and/or portable ? Would you be willing to make them secure to your neighbours' standards ? (The only way I can see that you could allay their fears would be to offer them the chance to inspect and or demand changes.)
I can quite see how there'd be old lads saying, "Nay, we spent twenty years getting rid of t'last lot" and so on, but as long as it was all done properly I think it not such a bad idea, Bunny.
What would swing it in the end, all other things being possible, is whether or not the other allotmenteers give a damn about rescuing bunnies. I'm afraid there, you might find that protein supplement break-ins rather than prisoner breakouts might be the problem.
In the end, you will probably find that neophobic thinking is your real obstacle, but good try anyway.

[VirginVegGrower]

Yes, I would be annoyed for several reasons. An allotment is no place for rabbits - can you not home them in your garden. Pets/animals, especially if they have been neglected need constant monitoring/nurturing. An allotment away from you, the carer is no place for this, neither is it secure from any potential vandals. I doubt the RSPCA or any rehoming charity would sanction this anyhow. Then there are the allotmenteers who work hard all year to grow veg and who get enough pest damage from rabbits and the such like. I would say they would oppose any move even if sanctioned by local council or local authority.
Sorry!

[Snadger]

In the Dig for Victory campaign in the war years allotmenteers were encouraged to keep rabbits..............for meat for the table!
If that were the case, I certainly wouldn't have any problems with it.

Setting up a bunny sanctuary is a different matter though................

[Helgalush]

I'd agree with that. With waiting lists for people who want to grow food: it's just not on, giving one over to rabbits (and I'm an animal lover).

Chap on my lotty has about 6 pet rabbits on site: they're cooped up all their life in one small hutch each, never see a run, never see another rabbit, never feel the sun on their backs ... it's awful

That is horrible and he is potentially breaking the law under the Animal Welfare Act, it is an owners responsibility to ensure they adequately meet the five welfare needs, including the ability to express normal behaviour. There is nothing normal about being cooped up in a hutch all day. I feel the same way as you on that.

Anyway I have to agree with VirginVegGrower, if you are going to keep rescue or sanctuary animals, you will need to spend time nurturing them and looking after any health or behavioural issues they may have. You'd have to go to the allotment several times a day for all their necessities, even assuming they are all healthy. Plus the security issues already raised, as vandals do break in to allotments, and I have also heard of rabbits being stolen recently from people's back gardens - an allotment would be even more vulnerable I would have thought. The idea of closing them in to a shed at late afternoon on a hot summer's day doesnt sound ideal, as sheds can get very warm and rabbits are very prone to heat exhaustion because of their fur and their inability to sweat or use their tongues to cool down as a dog might.

No reason why you couldnt apply for an allotment to grow veg, herbs, rabbit-safe weeds, flowers, fruits, and bushes for the rabbits though, and then take their litter up for composting.

Good luck with helping with the rescue of rabbits though, I know that rabbit rescues are having a hell of a job in the last year or two.

[Alison]

The woman on the plot next to me temporarily housed two rabbits while the owners (her son and his girlfriend, I think) were moving house. They had a large run and safe housing and it was all fine and were there for a few months. I think that I was probably the only person who knew they were there as they were at the back on my side. It didn't occur to me that there was any problem as they were well looked after (tended every day along with her chooks) and she grew plenty of crops on the rest of the site.

[Snadger]

I'd agree with that. With waiting lists for people who want to grow food: it's just not on, giving one over to rabbits (and I'm an animal lover).

Chap on my lotty has about 6 pet rabbits on site: they're cooped up all their life in one small hutch each, never see a run, never see another rabbit, never feel the sun on their backs ... it's awful

We have allotments in our area solely devoted to keeping chooks,all on one site. No gardening is done on these.

Pigeon fanciers also have there own allotment plots where no food is grown.

If a bunny sanctuary was going to be set up it would probably be better on one of thse sites?