Nibbles Rodent & Rabbit Rescue

31/10/2026

🔨🐰 LAST CHANCE TO GRAB A BARGAIN AND SUPPORT ANIMAL RESCUES! ❤️

The lovely Val Green and team has been busy fundraising through the Help Animals UK. Auction Group , and there are some fantastic opportunities to pick up a bargain while helping animals in need!

There is a lot dedicated to Nibbles Rodent & Rabbit Rescue, along with several other lots where the winning bidder gets to choose which animal charity benefits. ❤️

⏰ But you'll need to be quick! The auction closes at 7pm TONIGHT (Saturday)!

If you fancy treating yourself while supporting a good cause, please pop over to Facebook's Help Animals UK Auction Group and take a look at what's available.

Unfortunately, due to Facebook's restrictions on sharing links, we're unable to include a direct link to the auction. We're sorry about that, but you can find the group by searching for its name on Facebook.

A huge thank you to Val and everyone involved in organising these auctions and supporting animal rescues. Your kindness really does make a difference! ❤️

Happy bidding, everyone! 🐰💕

30/10/2026

🐰🐹 Breeding and Welfare – Who Is Protecting the Animals?

Over the past few weeks, we've explored unintentional neglect, gaps in animal welfare legislation and the problems within the pet trade.

But what about people breeding rabbits and rodents to sell directly to the public?

Who is making sure these animals receive the welfare standards they deserve?

While dog breeding is subject to specific licensing requirements, rabbits and rodents have far less protection.

Across much of the UK, people can breed multiple litters of rabbits and rodents every year, advertising and selling the offspring directly to the public, without being subject to dedicated breeding licences, routine inspections or specific breeding welfare standards.

And that is something we find deeply concerning.

What conditions are breeding animals kept in? How frequently are they bred? Are their physical, social and behavioural needs being met? And what happens when they are no longer used for breeding?

Our understanding of rabbit and rodent welfare has advanced enormously, yet there is no consistent system ensuring that breeders' knowledge and practices have kept pace.

Years of breeding experience don't necessarily mean years of good welfare.

General animal welfare legislation still applies, but without breeding-specific regulation and meaningful oversight, how can we be confident that these animals are being adequately protected?

We believe anyone repeatedly breeding rabbits and rodents for sale should be subject to clear, enforceable welfare standards and appropriate regulatory oversight.

Because protecting animals shouldn't begin only when something goes wrong.

🐰 To learn more about the gaps in breeding regulation and why we're concerned, read our article "Breeding and Welfare: A Broken System" in the Advocacy section of our website.

A little note from Nibbles... 🐰

We'd normally include a direct link to our article here, but unfortunately Facebook's new restrictions mean we're now limited to sharing links in just two posts per month unless we pay for a subscription.

Like so many small animal rescues, we're already struggling with funding. In fact, much of our rescue remains closed because we simply don't have the funds to operate at full capacity.

Every penny matters, and we'd much rather spend our limited funds caring for animals than paying Facebook for the privilege of sharing free educational resources.

We're not selling anything. We're simply trying to raise awareness, improve welfare and help people provide better care for rabbits and rodents. The idea that we should have to pay to do that is frankly appalling.

So, apologies for the extra step, but if you'd like to read more about breeding and welfare, please visit the Nibbles website (linked on our page) and head to our Advocacy section.

We believe animal welfare education should be accessible to everyone, not restricted by how much a small charity can afford to pay Facebook. ❤️

28/10/2026

🌾 Is hay actually a meal in your rabbit’s day?

We all know rabbits should eat plenty of hay, but have you ever thought about when you're giving it to them — and what else you're offering at the same time?

This was something we had to rethink ourselves at Nibbles.

Several years ago, we took a proper look at our feeding routine and realised that, little by little, the amount of other food we were offering had crept up.

There was also another problem. Hay was often being offered alongside pellets, fresh food or other things the rabbits naturally found more exciting.

Unsurprisingly, they ate those first.

By the time they'd finished everything else, they simply weren't as interested in sitting down and eating a decent amount of hay.

So we changed the routine and started treating hay as a meal in its own right.
First thing in the morning, when the rabbits are waiting for breakfast, they get fresh hay — and nothing else alongside it. Their measured pellets and fresh foods are fed separately later in the day.

The difference was surprisingly easy to see.

The rabbits spent much longer sitting and eating their fresh hay, and we could also see the change at the other end — in the size and quantity of their droppings.

It made us realise that encouraging rabbits to eat more hay isn't always about changing the hay. Sometimes we need to look at how much other food we're giving and when we're giving it.

If hay always arrives alongside something your rabbit would rather eat first, or they're already full from everything else they've eaten, even the nicest hay may struggle to get much attention.

So if your rabbits aren't eating as much hay as you'd like, have a look at their whole feeding routine. Could you try making fresh hay a proper meal in its own right, rather than something that's always served alongside everything else?

It's a simple change, but it's one that made a very noticeable difference to the rabbits at Nibbles.

You can read more about what we've learned about feeding hay in our Rabbit Care Hub:

https://www.nibbles.org.uk/post/rabbit-hay

26/10/2026

🐰 **LOOKING FOR A HOME – MEET JUNE!** 🏡❤️

**Big personality, big opinions and an even bigger enthusiasm for life!**

June is one of those rabbits who simply makes you smile. She's lively, curious, wonderfully nosy and absolutely convinced that everything happening around her requires her personal involvement!

Whether she's zooming around, launching herself into a binky, rearranging her toys or supervising the humans, June approaches life with infectious enthusiasm. And if the humans dare to make a decision without consulting her first? Well, they might receive a disgruntled grunt and a little rabbit strop! 😂

But June hasn't always had much to smile about.

She arrived at Nibbles following a welfare case, having apparently spent much of her life in a small, dirty environment. She was covered in fleas and suffering from digestive problems.

Thankfully, those difficult days are behind her, and the happy, confident rabbit we've come to know is an absolute joy.

❤️ **So, what sort of home is June looking for?**

June is approximately 4–5 years old, weighs around 3kg and is looking for a calm, laid-back male rabbit who won't be overwhelmed by her larger-than-life personality.

She needs a spacious, enriching home with people who understand that she has some very definite preferences!

🐾 June absolutely loves interaction, but being picked up is most definitely NOT on her list of acceptable activities. She's an all-four-paws-on-the-floor kind of girl!

🐾 She's an enthusiastic explorer, digger and occasional interior designer, so a secure, thoroughly rabbit-proofed outdoor enclosure or dedicated rabbit room would suit her best.

🐾 Because of experiences in her past, June has some particular dietary and behavioural needs, including having no access to cardboard or paper. We'll happily discuss these with anyone considering offering her a home.

Above all, June needs a family who will appreciate her for exactly who she is — a funny, opinionated, incredibly cheerful rabbit who has discovered just how wonderful life can be.

Despite everything she's experienced, June hasn't lost her enthusiasm for living. She binkies, she zooms, she makes us laugh every day.

**Now she just needs someone to share all that happiness with.** ❤️

🏡 **Could you offer June — and all of her opinions — the forever home she deserves?**

Please pop over to the **Nibbles Rodent & Rabbit Rescue website** to read June's full story, learn more about her needs and find our adoption information.

We're sorry we can't provide a direct link, but Facebook's restrictions on external links mean we have to be very selective about when we share them. Thank you for bearing with us!

📍 Nibbles Rodent & Rabbit Rescue – near Crymych, Pembrokeshire.

❤️ And if June isn't the rabbit for you, please consider sharing her story. Her perfect family might be just one share away!

25/10/2026

A huge thank you to Hoppy Pets once again for all the hard work they put in helping bring some Christmas cheer to buns in rescue each year. If you'd like to treat the buns spending Christmas at Nibbles to something special they are always incredibly grateful.

🎄OUR CHRISTMAS RESCUES HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!

It’s that time of year again! For the third year running, we’re bringing back our Christmas Rescue Boxes to help spread a little festive happiness to rabbits and guinea pigs spending Christmas in rescue 💚

We’re delighted to announce the wonderful rescues we’ll be supporting this year!

🎁 Our Christmas 2026 rescues are:

🐹 Miss honey guinea pig rescue
🐇 Nibbles Rodent & Rabbit Rescue
💚 Animals In Need Northamptonshire
💚 The Littlest Lives Rescue
🐇 Harleybell Bunnies
🐇 Hethersett Bunnies
💚 Society for Abandoned Animals - SAA
🐇 The Bunnyjackpot Foundation
🐇 Windwhistle Warren Rabbit Rescue, Gloucestershire
🐹 Piggybanksanctuary
🐹 Blackberry Patch Guinea Pig Rescue - sorry can’t tag
🐇 Fluffy Butts Rescue
💚 Animal Rescue & Care (Twickenham) - sorry can’t tag
💚 West Berks Rescue - sorry can’t tag
🐇 Lucky Bunny and Friends Rescue
🐇 Ivy Dene Rabbit Rescue
💚 Mel's VIPS
🐇 Small Haven Rabbit Rescue - sorry can’t tag
💚 Little Furries Rabbit Rescue Stanmore
🐹 East Peckham Guinea Pig Rescue
💚 Greatfield Small Animal Rescue - sorry can’t tag
💚 Homeless Animal Sanctuary - sorry can’t tag
🐇 One Bun At A Time - Registered Charity No: 1191439
🐇 The Rabbit Residence Rescue
🐹 Mansfield Guinea Pig Rescue
💚 Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary
🐹 Sandy’s Guinea Pig Sanctuary - sorry can’t tag
💚 Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity
🐹 Sians guinea pig rescue-self funded

A little bit about our Christmas Rescue Boxes…

Each box will cost £12 and contain £12 worth of goodies for the rescue animals to enjoy.

We don’t make any profit from these boxes. They’re simply our way of helping to bring some extra enrichment, tasty nibbles and Christmas cheer to animals waiting for their forever homes🎄

As much as we’d love to support every rescue out there, we do have to set a limit. Hoppy Pets is a one-person operation behind the scenes and sourcing, preparing, packing and sending all these boxes is quite a mammoth task! 😂

We also have to be mindful of the costs involved, as this is something we do purely to support rescues rather than make money.

For those reasons, our rescue list is now final and unfortunately we won’t be able to add any more rescues this year. We really appreciate your understanding 💚

🎉 AND SOME GOOD NEWS!

We originally said the Christmas Rescue Boxes would be available from 1st November, but we’ve managed to bring that forward!

They’ll now be available to purchase THIS WEEK! 🎄🎁 Keep a look out for an email and in our socials for the announcement when they will be live on the website to purchase.

You’ll be able to purchase a box for a rescue, and we’ll take care of sending the goodies their way before Christmas.

Every single box purchased means a little extra happiness for some very deserving animals this Christmas 🥰

Thank you to everyone who helps make this possible each year. We couldn’t do it without you! 💚🐰

www.hoppypets.co.uk

📸 Photo of last year’s preparations

23/10/2026

🐰🐹 **The Pet Trade Problem – When Poor Welfare Begins Before an Animal Even Reaches Home**

Over the past two weeks, we've talked about unintentional neglect and how gaps in animal welfare legislation can leave rabbits and rodents without the protection they need.

But there's another important part of this picture: **the pet trade itself.**

For many people, a pet shop is their first introduction to rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and other small animals. It's where they learn what these animals need, what housing is suitable and how to care for them.

And that's where some of the problems begin.

When animals are displayed in small enclosures, it reinforces the idea that they don't need much space.

When unsuitable cages are sold alongside them, people understandably assume those cages must be appropriate.

When outdated or incomplete advice is given, new guardians may unknowingly begin caring for their animals in ways that don't meet their needs.

And when animals can be purchased relatively cheaply, without the true costs and responsibilities of their care being fully explained, it's all too easy to underestimate the commitment involved.

**But the problems don't stop at the shop floor.**

Behind the scenes, there are questions about commercial breeding, the welfare of breeding animals, the conditions in which young animals are raised and the consequences of mistakes such as selling incorrectly sexed or pregnant animals.

These problems don't exist in isolation. They contribute to the same cycle of poor welfare we've been discussing throughout this series.

And once again, it's often the animals and their well-meaning guardians who pay the price.

We're not suggesting that every pet shop or member of staff provides poor care or advice. But we do believe that the systems governing how rabbits and rodents are bred, displayed and sold need significant reform.

**Good animal welfare shouldn't begin when an animal leaves the pet shop. It should be protected at every stage of their life.**

We've explored these issues in more detail in our advocacy article, *Pet Shops and the Welfare Gap*, including what we believe needs to change and why simply banning pet shop sales without addressing wider breeding regulations may create further problems.

🐰 **To learn more, please visit our website and head to our Advocacy section, where you'll find our article "Pet Shops and the Welfare Gap".**

---

**A little note from Nibbles... 🐰**

We'd normally include a direct link to our article here, but unfortunately Facebook's new restrictions mean we're now limited to sharing links in just two posts per month unless we pay for a subscription.

Like so many small animal rescues, we're already struggling with funding. In fact, much of our rescue remains closed because we simply don't have the funds to operate at full capacity.

Every penny matters, and we'd much rather spend our limited funds caring for animals than paying Facebook for the privilege of sharing free educational resources.

We're not selling anything. We're simply trying to raise awareness, improve welfare and help people provide better care for rabbits and rodents. The idea that we should have to pay to do that is frankly appalling.

So, apologies for the extra step, but if you'd like to read more about the problems within the pet trade, please visit the Nibbles website (linked on our page) and head to our Advocacy section.

We believe animal welfare education should be accessible to everyone, not restricted by how much a small charity can afford to pay Facebook. ❤️

\

21/10/2026

🌾 Does your rabbit really need a hay rack?

For many years, we fed hay in racks at Nibbles. It seemed like the obvious thing to do — the hay stayed contained, it kept it off the floor and, in theory at least, reduced waste.

Then we came across research looking at how rabbits preferred their hay to be presented, which found that rabbits showed a preference for eating hay from ground level — a much more natural grazing position.

So we thought we'd give it a try.

We started putting the hay directly on the ground instead.

The difference in how the rabbits ate it was noticeable enough that within a week we'd removed the hay racks from every enclosure at the rescue.

Instead of pulling individual strands through a rack, the rabbits could sit right beside the hay, rummage through it, pick out the bits they fancied and graze naturally. We found they simply spent more time eating it.

Since then, we've fed hay at ground level — either in a pile on the floor or somewhere like a litter tray where the rabbits can sit and eat comfortably.

Of course, hay racks aren't automatically wrong, and we're not suggesting everyone needs to rush out and throw theirs away. But if your rabbits aren't eating as much hay as you'd like, how you're presenting it may be worth thinking about.

Try offering some of their fresh hay loose at ground level where they can really get into it, rather than having to pull it through the bars of a rack, and see which they prefer.

It's a very simple change, but for the rabbits at Nibbles it made a surprisingly big difference.

You can read more about what we've learned about encouraging rabbits to eat hay in our Rabbit Care Hub:

https://www.nibbles.org.uk/post/rabbit-hay

19/10/2026

🖤 JUST LOOK AT THOSE EARS! 🖤

How is gorgeous Neo still waiting for his forever home?

Neo has been with us for around nine months now, and we would dearly love to see this cracking lad finally find the family he deserves.

Before arriving at Nibbles, Neo had already been passed between too many homes. At only around three years old, he's had more upheaval than any rabbit should, and this time we want to make absolutely certain that his next home is his final forever home — complete with a wifebun of his very own.

And honestly, whoever adopts this boy is going to be incredibly lucky.

First of all... those ears! 😍

We suspect Neo probably has some giant-breed ancestry hiding in there somewhere, because he is a bigger bun with a magnificent pair of ears — and a personality to match.

Neo is confident, outgoing, ridiculously nosy and always wants to know exactly what you're doing.

Walk past his enclosure and there's a good chance he'll be waiting at the front to see what's happening. If that doesn't give him a satisfactory view, he'll happily jump on top of his kennel so he can supervise proceedings from above.

And if there's an opportunity to actually assist with whatever you're doing?

Even better.

Although Neo's interpretation of "helping" generally involves creating considerably more chaos than there was to begin with!

He's also very affectionate and loves a good head smooth when he's in the mood. The problem is that Neo frequently seems torn between "this fuss is wonderful" and "BUT THERE ARE THINGS OVER THERE I HAVEN'T INVESTIGATED YET!"

Eventually, curiosity usually wins.

Neo is incredibly agile and loves exploring, climbing and jumping onto anything he thinks might provide a better vantage point. For his own safety, we're therefore looking for either a secure outdoor setup or a dedicated, fully rabbit-proofed room for times when he can't be supervised.

He's also beautifully clean and tidy in his enclosure, loves his hay, enjoys playing with his toys and regularly treats us to plenty of binkies.

Quite frankly, we struggle to find anything negative to say about him.

🖤 And yet Neo is still waiting.

Sadly, black animals are often overlooked in rescue, and we've never understood why. Just look at Neo's beautiful, glossy black coat. Combined with those enormous ears and that wonderfully expressive face, we think he's an absolutely stunning rabbit.

But his looks aren't even the best thing about him.

It's his personality that has made everyone here fall in love with him.

Neo is one of those rabbits we'll genuinely be sad to see leave Nibbles — but we'll be absolutely delighted on the day that he does, because however much we love him, he deserves far more than rescue life can give him.

He deserves his own family.

He deserves a wifebun.

He deserves space to explore, people to love him, things to investigate and a home where he can finally put down roots knowing that nobody is going to pass him on again.

Neo is around three years old, neutered and vaccinated, and completely ready to bring love, binkies, chaos and an enormous amount of personality to his forever family.

🙏 Please share Neo and help us make sure his next home really is forever.

📍 Neo is with us near Crymych, Pembrokeshire.

More information about Neo, our adoption requirements and how to apply can be found on our website:

www.nibbles.org.uk/adoption

🖤 Big ears. Big personality. Beautiful boy.

Whoever finally adopts Neo is going to have one wonderfully loyal, lively and entertaining companion.

17/10/2026

🐰💚 **A HUGE thank you from all the buns at Nibbles!** 💚🐰

We wanted to say an enormous thank you to everyone who sent goodies for our rabbits from our Amazon Wishlist last week! 📦❤️

We've had some lovely parcels arriving, filled with goodies to help keep the buns happy, healthy and entertained, and we are so incredibly grateful for every single one.

Some of the parcels arrived without a gift note, so unfortunately we don't know who to thank personally. However, we did receive a lovely box from **Kelvin**, so a special thank you to you! 💚

To everyone who sent something, whether your name was included or not, please know just how much your kindness means to us.

Running a small rescue is never easy, especially with the financial challenges we're currently facing, and having wonderful supporters who help provide the everyday essentials and enrichment our animals need really does make a difference. Every parcel means one less thing we need to find the funds for, allowing us to put more towards veterinary care and the other costs of keeping the rescue running.

**Thank you for thinking of our buns and helping us give them the very best care we can.** 🐰❤️

📦 **A little note about our Amazon Wishlist**

Unfortunately, due to Facebook's new restrictions limiting us to sharing just two external links a month without paying, we're currently unable to share a direct link to our Wishlist in our posts.

As a small charity already struggling with funding, paying Facebook simply to share ways people can support our animals is an expense we really cannot justify.

However, you can still find our Amazon Wishlist on the **Support page of our website**

Thank you again to everyone who continues to support Nibbles. We genuinely couldn't do what we do without you! 💚🐾

16/10/2026

Last week we talked about unintentional neglect. But what happens when the system itself sets people up to fail?

We often tell animal guardians that it is their responsibility to meet the welfare needs of the animals in their care.

And it is.

But we also have to ask whether we are giving them a fair chance to do that.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 was a major step forward for animal protection in England and Wales. Building on earlier legislation, it introduced a legal duty of care requiring guardians to meet their animals' welfare needs.
But nearly twenty years after it came into force, our understanding of rabbit and rodent welfare has advanced enormously, and we believe the practical protections afforded to these animals have failed to keep pace.
You can still walk into a shop and legally buy a cage that is far too small to meet an animal's behavioural needs.

You can buy foods and treats marketed for species they are nutritionally unsuitable for.

You can buy wheels and equipment capable of causing preventable injury.

You can buy a single rabbit, guinea pig or rat and keep that highly social animal alone.

All while believing that because these things are legally sold and openly marketed for that animal, they must be suitable.

So when we talk about unintentional neglect, we also need to talk about where responsibility lies.

We cannot simply blame individual guardians for following the standards presented to them while ignoring a system that continues to allow outdated and inadequate welfare standards to be normalised.

We have the science.

We have the knowledge.

We have an Animal Welfare Act intended to protect them.

Now we need the protection to catch up with what we know.

🐰🐭 We’ve taken a closer look at the five welfare needs, what they should mean for rabbits and rodents, and where we believe the current system is failing them.

A little note from Nibbles... 🐰

We'd normally include a direct link to our article here, but unfortunately Facebook's new restrictions mean we're now limited to sharing links in just two posts per month unless we pay for a subscription.

Like so many small animal rescues, we're already struggling with funding. In fact, much of our rescue remains closed because we simply don't have the funds to operate at full capacity.

Every penny matters, and we'd much rather spend our limited funds caring for animals than paying Facebook for the privilege of sharing free educational resources.

We're not selling anything. We're simply trying to raise awareness, improve welfare and help people provide better care for rabbits and rodents. The idea that we should have to pay to do that is frankly appalling.

So, apologies for the extra step, but if you'd like to read more about unintentional neglect, please visit the Nibbles website (linked on our page) and head to our Advocacy section.

We believe animal welfare education should be accessible to everyone, not restricted by how much a small charity can afford to pay Facebook. ❤️