Adoption Terms - Ross Rabbits - home of the cuddliest, snuggliest French Lop companion pet rabbits

Terms and Conditions of Adoption (sale)
All bunny adoptions are subject to the following Terms and Conditions

Rabbits for Children:  It is against the Law to sell any animal to a child.  Therefore, all adopters must be aged over 18.  If the rabbits are to become children's pets then the adoption must be made by a parent or legal guardian.

Our bunnies are sold as pets only and on the express understanding that they will not be used for breeding, unless this is agreed at the time of reserving.  We believe ourselves to be careful and responsible breeders producing quality pets bred for temperament, character, personality and colour rather than breeding indiscriminately or ignorantly for novelty value.  If you are considering breeding then we insist that you are knowledgeable and experienced in caring for rabbits, rather than breeding simply for 'fun'.  We feel this is in the best interests of the rabbits and any resulting youngsters.   

All outdoor bunnies should have a compatible partner or companion.  If you are adopting a mixed-sex pair of bunnies (the best combination) then adoptions are subject to the male being castrated upon reaching puberty to guard against unplanned pregnancies or undesirable in-breeding.  This is usually at 12-16 weeks of age but each bunny will develop at a different rate so you will need to be vigilant and check at least every 2-3 days.

All bunny reservations are subject to there being no losses within a litter.   In the case of illness/death of a youngster from the litter, the loss of either parent or any other adverse event which might threaten the continuity of our lines, we reserve the right to cancel any reservations made.  We will immediately offer you a full refund of any deposit paid or offer an alternative bunny from those available - whichever option you prefer.   This is our safeguard to ensure we remain able to continue our lines - which is our prime objective underlying our breeding programmes.   

Deposits will be refunded in full in the case of death, illness, any health concerns or should a bunny be accidentally mis-sexed prior to collection.  We normally sex our babies at birth and do so with 99% confidence but no breeder can offer 100% certainty prior to puberty.

Deposits are requested as a first instalment and pledge of commitment that adopters will proceed with adoption of the chosen bunny/ies.  Once a deposit is paid then we will hold your chosen bunny/ies for you until the target collection date range stated on your Reservation Confirmation Receipt.  

Deposits are not refundable to adopters who:-
• 'change their mind' regarding adopting or cancel a reservation
• fail to make collection arrangements up to 48 hours before the target collection date as stated on the deposit receipt
• fail to arrive on the agreed collection day
• fail to provide suitable accommodation for a proposed bunny adoption

Note: If you pay a deposit and join our waiting list, your deposit can be refunded in full (less any PayPal fees if you have paid via PayPal) on request at ANY time prior to reserving your bunny/ies and you are free to leave the waiting list at any time with a full refund (less any PayPal fees incurred) of your deposit.  The deposit only becomes non-refundable once you have reserved your bunnies if you do not proceed with the adoption or do not make collection arrangements.

Following weaning, the bunnies must be collected promptly at a mutually-convenient date/time.  We have very limited space and regret we cannot hold bunnies for additional weeks unless arrangements have been made in advance to do so.  This is especially important with male bunnies who must be separated to ensure they do not mate with their mother or sisters.

7-10 days prior to the target collection day we will confirm your bunnies will be ready for collection as planned or, if they are a little slower then we will suggest the alternative collection dates as stated on your deposit receipt.   Six to ten days before the target/alternative (or other mutually agreed) collection date, we will provide full feeding instructions, settling-in information and detailed directions to our home.  At this time, usually on the Friday a week before collection weekend, we will also ask you to contact us to make arrangements to collect your bunnies.  If we haven't heard from you by Tuesday then we will send a further reminder email and will also telephone you or send a text message.  If we have still not heard from you 48 hours before your bunny's leaving day/weekend then we will assume you wish to cancel and will begin to find a new home for your bunny/ies.

Although, once a bunny has left our care we cannot be held responsible for him/her, we will always strive to help with any future queries you may have and will always offer advice on care and welfare throughout the life of your bunny.   We can also offer advice on treating illnesses but this is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice which must always be sought.   

We will ask about the type of accommodation available for your new rabbits.  If we feel this is unsuitable, we reserve the right to refuse the adoption until appropriate accommodation is available.  We will not release any bunny to live in unsuitable accommodation and if suitable accommodation is not provided then the reservation will be treated as a cancellation.  

We reserve the right to refuse an adoption for any of our bunnies if we feel the the prospective adopter is unsuitable or unable to properly properly care for them.  Where this might cause offence we feel it is more diplomatic to refuse the adoption without stating a specific reason!  Similarly, we reserve the right to refuse or cancel any adoption without stating a reason if we feel this is in the best interests of the rabbit/s concerned.


Conditional Warranty
We care very deeply about our bunnies and all are health-checked several times daily and again prior to collection and we won't let any leave unless we are absolutely confident they are 100% fit and well.  In the case of any illness or emergency, will notify you of this and keep you fully informed of your bunny's condition, progress, response to veterinary treatment and prognosis.

We would like to continue to offer such an assurance to everyone who adopts from us so all our bunnies are supplied with a conditional warranty.   

If your bunny should become ill within 48 hours of adoption with an illness which could have been incubating at the time of adoption, then please return him/her to us immediately for any treatment required.  If you live too far away for this to be practical, then please let us know of the illness as soon as possible and we will advise on treatment - but a professional veterinary opinion will also be necessary.   If a bunny should die during this time (we hope this will never be the case) then please return him/her to us (where practical) and we will offer you another bunny of equal value from those we have available - or from a future litter, if you prefer.  We regret that, as non-profit-making hobbyists, we cannot give refunds or reimburse vet bills.  

Warranty Exclusions:
This warranty will be void where:
• there is evidence of neglect, stress or abuse,
• the bunny has been housed with other animals
• the illness or death is due to accident or injury
• our feeding instructions* have not been fully complied with

*  Please remember that young bunnies have very delicate digestive systems and it is important that they do not have any sudden change of diet since this can lead to health problems, usually starting with an attack of diarrhoea or gastric stasis.  All of  our bunnies leave with very detailed settling-in and feeding instructions.  We strongly recommend you do not make any dietary changes for at least a month following adoption and, if you must do so after this period, then please ensure the changeover is gradual  over a period of at least 10-14 days.