Who are you?

We are Chelmsford Bunny Lodge i.e. Lou, Matt (and our son Lucas). We are pet lovers who set up our business a few years ago because we couldn’t find suitable accommodation for our 4 house bunnies when we went on holiday. We have had over 350 families leave their pets with us since we opened and we take our responsibility of looking after your pets very seriously. We treat them as we would our own and understand each pet and owner are different so we adapt our service as best we can.

We are fully insured as a Small Animal Boarding Business with Petplan Sanctuary.

Where are you?

We are based just 1.5 miles from the centre of Chelmsford in Broomfield so offer a great central location without having to travel too far out of town. We also are easily accessible from the A12 and A120.

What is the accommodation?

We offer hutch free accommodation in our converted secure summer house and lodge for our indoor guests. These are heated or airconditioned as needed. Our enclosures are a min of 18sqft (6ft x 3ft) and double enclosures can been booked providing 36sq ft accommodation (12ft x 3ft).

Our lodge is alarmed, locked and has 24hr CCTV to enable us to review all our guests.
Outside we have custom built enclosures in a sheltered area which are also 18sq ft. These are made with solid wood and provide a safe and secure accommodation for our guests. These can be opened up to double (36sq ft) or triple (54sq ft) enclosures as required.

We have also boarded rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, birds, hedgehogs, tortoises, chinchillas, degus and lizards. For other small animals, please message us to discuss their exact requirements as these come into the house with us.

Do the guests get outside time?

Subject to the weather, all guests get supervised outside time. Our bunny guests have access to our custom built run which is on a solid base so can be disinfected between guests. Our visiting guinea pigs get time on the grass.

What do I need to bring?

We ask you to bring your pets normal dried food with them to avoid any change to it and minimise any gastric issues*. We provide everything else – hay, fresh food, hideaways, litter trays, toys etc.

We are happy for you to bring your own toys for your pets but please note anything you bring needs to be able to be stored within their carry case. Please only bring a standard sized carry case, we are unable to store large ‘dog crates’ and we require a carry case for every guest in case of emergency.

*If you know you have a very fussy bunny or guinea pig with hay then we ask you to bring their normal hay too.

We recommend you bring anything from home that you think will help your bunny feel at home like blankets or toys. You can also bring their own bowls, hay racks or anything else that you feel they may enjoy having with them however this isn’t needed, we have these items available.

What else do I need to know?

For the health and safety of all our guests (and my own 4 rabbits) we are only able to accept rabbits who have had their vaccinations for the following at least 3 weeks before visiting us:

· Myxomatosis
· R(V)HD – Rabbit (Viral) Haemorrhagic Disease
· R(V)HD2 – Rabbit (Viral) Haemorrhagic Disease 2

This could be via 2 separate vacinations or the new ‘plus’ vaccination which covers all 3. Please check with your vet which vaccinations your bunny has had.

We will require proof of vaccinations and boosters (your vet should give you a ‘pet passport’ which is updated each time). If you do not have this or have misplaced it we will ask for your vets contact details so we can check with them. Your request you email us a copy as soon as possible so we can update in the system.

Upon booking with us we will ask your to complete a pet profiling including any known or existing conditions, it is imperative that you complete this section correctly (or email us the details) so we can ensure we offer them the best care while staying with us.

What is your daily routine?

All rabbits will be fed their normal pellets that you provide daily. Their litter trays will be fully cleaned as will their enclosures daily, and hay replenished and water refreshed through out the day.
They will be provided with fresh veg once a day (subject to the details you provide of what they have had before).
Each guest will receive supervised play time/cuddle time each day depending on the instructions you leave with us.
On guest change over days we have a full cleaning, disinfecting and sanitising programme for the enclosure and all items within it using vet grade disinfectants.

What if my bunny gets sick?

When you sign our terms and conditions you authorise us to seek vet care in your absence so we recommend you review this carefully before signing them. In the first instance we will always try to contact you (or your emergency contact) but in an emergency we may have to take the pet to the vet immediately. Our preferred vet is Spring Lodge.
We treat every guest as if they are our own so it is important you let us know of any historic or ongoing conditions so we can look out for them and react accordingly.

How do I book?

We ask you to email us through your enquiry including the dates, number of guests and guest type and we will check availability. Once you confirm you wish to book with us we will send you a confirmation from our online booking software which includes a copy of our terms and conditions (which we need you to sign online), a link to pay the deposit to secure your booking and instructions on how to complete pet profiles online to tell us everything we need to know to look after your pets.

PLEASE NOTE we are exceptionally busy and We require your initial deposit within 48 hours to secure your booking. All details can be found within our T&Cs however please note our deposits are non refundable, we recommend you ensure your travel insurance covers you for any boarding cancellations as well as your holiday and we will happily provide receipt of deposit for you to submit with any claim you have to make to your insurer.

Will you send me pictures?

We post pictures of our guests on our Instagram and Facebook page (which are also in the gallery on our website) so please check there for pictures. We don’t want to disturb you while you are away so avoid contacting you directly unless there is an emergency but invite you to contact us at any time to check in to see how your pet is doing.

Can I view the accommodation?

To minimise disruption to our current paying guests we do not offer in person visits however we are happy to meeting with you ‘virtually’ and give you a virtual tour remotely (book here). If you would like to book a video call please email us to arrange a suitable time.

What time can I drop off?

We are open for drop off and collections daily (exc bank holidays, some dates over xmas and new year and a few other days throughout the year). Our standard drop off and collection times are 6pm – 7pm daily. Please ensure you are planning for these times when making your booking. On occasion, we may be able to support other times however we would only be able to confirm that within a week of the date so please ensure you are planning for our standard times.

Can I settle my pets into their accommodation?

I am afraid we are unable to welcome owners into the accommodation at drop off time however we welcome you checking in with us later that day to see how they have settled. We have made this decision as we have found pets settle better when not left in the accommodation by their owners, it also causes less disruption to our other guests having unfamiliar people around their accommodation. When you drop off or collect this will take place at the front of the property only.