The most important thing to us at Fern Tor is our rescued animals. They have been unwanted, neglected and often abused, but we aim to give them the best home possible. We do not run a zoo, so we ask our guests to respect their dignity and privacy.
You may on arrival however, encounter Treacle, our free-range pig, so please shut all gates. We recently lost Aduki, an 10 +year old retriever cross, who came from The Blue Cross , thanks to C.A.R.A. The Co-ordination of Animal Rescue Agencies rescues dogs from Welsh council pounds who are about to be put down. They then take the dogs, many in terrible shape, to other rescue centres around the country for re-homing.. We have given a home to 2 ex-racing greyhounds, thanks to the The Greyhound Trust. Charles and Chuckles are a delight, being 90% couch potato and 10% lunatic.
Tens of thousands of greyhounds are discarded every year in this country
alone. As Greyhound Action
points out,
There are more greyhound organisations on our links page.
At last count, we also have 28 rabbits,
2 guinea pigs, 8 goats, 5 sheep and 16 chickens, as well as numerous pheasants
and other birds
who visit us. (Including the family of swallows who nest
in the back porch) They are all characters in their own right, and we
love them all.
Peggy Benjy
Sadly, shortly after this picture was taken we lost Gertie. Our newest additions, who missed the picture, are our aptly named sheep, Barge, and Annie goat..
Vinnie, our Golden Guernsey-Unicorn cross.
Peggy on the roof, so we've re-named her Pegasus!
Most web sites on pot-bellied pigs are of the Hollywood pet variety, but a good site to visit is the sanctuary PIGS , which has over 200 rescued pot-bellied pigs.
Treacle
Waiting for lunch ( with friends)
Tucked up for the night.
The best site on the web for rabbits is Rabbit References . It indexes almost every important source of information available on the web. The RSPCA has some good concise advice. However, until recently they used to state that rabbits do not make good pets for young children and that they should be homed in pairs. Guess it no longer fits in with the cute cuddly image they present with Rolf Harris and Pet Rescue. The best source of information on rabbits is the book The Problem With Rabbits , compiled by Pat Rees, along with other sanctuar workers. Current price for the 3rd edition is £3.99, available from Hillside Animal Sanctuary. Click on the title for details.
This book should be required reading for anyone who looks after rabbits, or is thinking of doing so. It is best summarized by the following poem by our good friend -
A rabbit's needs are manyfold,
NOT just a hutch as you've been told.
We need space to run and grass to eat
That's big enough to stretch our feet.
We like the company of one another,
Whether it be a sister or a brother.
We really like to be in twos;
Being on our own just will not do.
We need branches to chew of hazel or apple,
To keep our teeth short and in fine fettle.
Clip our claws to look after our feet.
And rabbit food is what we eat.
Carrot, apple and greens we like,
but lettuce is something that is not right.
If YOU were a rabbit for just one day,
You wouldn't want to be shut away.
You'd want to hop and run around,
With another rabbit to share the ground.
The poem arrived on the morning after we lost out second rabbit in two weeks. We cried.
If you would like to learn to speak bunny, try looking at the Language of Lagomorphs , or perhaps you would like to visit The Carrot Museum.
We recently found a site with advice on guinea pigs, have a look at
Guinea Lynx.
The only web sites we found on goats and sheep are commercial ones, though there are a number of sanctuaries for farm animals on the web. One American Farm Sanctuary gives basic care information for a number of farm animals, and there are a number of veterinary sites which do give information on diseases of these and other animals.
We would welcome some help with the animals at certain times of the year (eg cleaning rabbit houses, goat barn etc) If this would interest you at all, we would be happy to offer a discount/free meals in return .
Yours
You are welcome to bring your pets with you, as long as you make arrangements ahead of time, and keep to a few simple guidelines.
Firstly, because of our rescued animals, your pet must be under control at all times. Our river meadow is available for you to exercise your dog there off the lead. Also, there is usually a field near the house where you can exerise your dor.
Please bring your own bedding, litter trays, etc.
Chester and Chuckles, with the able assisitance of regular visitor Poppy, have compiled a dog-friendly visitors guide to the area.
R.I.P. Ho, Murphy, Boris, Sam, Duki, Treacle and all our dear departed friends. We miss you terribly.
Updated on 14th November 2007