Real life: Meet the happy boarder bunnies!

But, despite their popularity, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund says they are among the most abused and neglected animals in the UK, mostly because owners don’t realise what is involved before taking them on.

Someone who knows more than most about caring for these highly intelligent and inquisitive creatures is Christina Harrison, who has been keeping rabbits since she was 10 and now runs a bunny boarding house.

“From a very young age I adored animals of all shapes and sizes. I just love the individual personalities rabbits have because they are all so different and can be really expressive,”she tells Weekend.

Rabbits were first kept as pets in the this country by the Victorians who began breeding them for shows and competitions and now it’s estimated that around 1.5 million are being kept as pets in the UK.

Sparked by her passion for all creatures great and small, Christina set up Cottontails and Whiskers – her boarding house for rabbits and guinea pigs and pet sitting service – four years ago.

She also has two bunnies of her own; Cloudy, a white rex rabbit, and Rupert, a blue otter lop-eared rabbit.

“Cloudy was a rescue rabbit from Pets At Home’s adoption centre. Rabbits like her, with white fur and pink eyes get overlooked, a bit like black cats, but I think they are gorgeous. I fell in love with her before I had her. She came hopping over to me straight away. As she is a rex rabbit, she has the softest fur, it feels like velvet.

“She’s the girl and she’s definitely the boss of the two. Rupert is very cute but he can be quite grumpy. I love that he’s grumpy, I think it’s great. He comes for a kiss when he wants one and when he doesn’t he lets me know,” says the 35-year-old, who lives in Walsall Wood with her husband Michael and two sons 10-year-old Zak and eight-year-old Rory.

The teaching assistant, who previously worked as an animal technician at Rodbaston College, says rabbits are a big commitment so the decision to have one should not be taken lightly.

“Looking after them is more complex that people might think, it’s not just a case of putting them in a hutch in the garden, giving them some food and it’s done.

“They need to be properly looked after so they have everything they need to be content. They have to have three injections – myxomatosis and RHD ( Rabbit (Viral) Haemorrhagic Disease) 1 and 2.

“If you can you should always have a pair. They shouldn’t be on their own as they are very social animals.

“If you’ve got a house rabbit and you are going to be home a lot then that’s fine because you can be their social companion. But if you’ve got just one rabbit by itself in a hutch, then it’s miserable life.

“When you’ve got a pair, they will lick each other, groom each other and sleep right next to each other. You should have a female and a male but make sure to get them neutered.

“They need a big hutch and a run so they can get lots of exercise. They need space to hop at least four times. They will also stand on their hind legs so the height of the hutch is also very important.

“Their diet is also very important. They need plenty of fresh hay – they will eat a handful of this a day, fresh water and fresh food like cabbage and kale. Mine also have a dry pellet which is a complete food with nutrients they need.

“There are some available that are like a muesli-style mix where you can see the different ingredients.

“Rabbits are like humans, they will pick and choose and go straight for the junk food so it’s better to get a pellet that looks all the same because then they have to eat it all.

“It’s important not to feed them too much because when they are overweight they can’t clean themselves properly. Mine are fed twice a day and they have a litter tray. They are let out into the run in the morning and are back in the hutch at night.

“Long-haired rabbits will need grooming daily but short-haired rabbits will take care of it themselves. Around every three months they will need their nails trimmed and they need yearly health check-ups by a vet,” explains Christina, who has five large hutches available for boarding her furry guests.

Owners also need to take care when handling their rabbits as some may not be comfortable being picked up.

“Rabbits like to have all four feet on the ground to feel safe. If you have a rabbit on your lap for some fuss, they will be happy but they are not so keen on being picked up,”Christina tells us.

Sadly, a lot of rabbits end up abandoned especially when they are bought as pets for children. “There are so many rabbits in rescue centres. People get fed up with them after time, especially when they buy them for the children and the novelty wears off.

“Another thing is parents might buy a rabbit for their child when they are 12 but the rabbit might live for 11 years so the child will go off to university and the parents are left looking after the rabbit.

“I would always get a rabbit from a rescue centre, never from a breeder or a pet shop, because there are already so many out there needing homes. Also, when they’ve come from a rescue centre, they’ve been checked by a vet and had all of their vaccines so you know they are healthy. You don’t always get that with a breeder or a pet shop,” Christina says.

As well as boarding rabbits and guinea pigs, she will also carry out house visits for people who prefer their animals to remain at home when they go at home.

Christina keeps owners regularly updated with photographs via Facebook or WhatsApp to help put their minds at ease.

“I think owners like to know and see they are being well looked after. I always treat them as if they were my own,” she says.

It’s a dream job for Christina, who, in addition to Cloudy and Rex, has two cats called Fifi and Ruby, from Walsall Cats Protection, a border collie-cross named Buddy, Ginny the guinea pig, Tilly the African leopard tortoise and a corn snake named Jaffa.

“I just love animals, they have always been my passion. I really enjoy making sure they are happy and content and getting all of the love and attention they need.”

• For more information see www.cottontailsandwhiskers.co.uk