Name: Lisa Yates

Hometown: Radcliffe, Greater Manchester

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

This is Mabel my dark sable mini lop who is nine months old. When she was poorly with dental spurs I switched her on to Burgess Excel junior feed as she was very underweight and it helped her get better and gain some weight. She loves all Burgess Excel feed now, whether that be pellets, hay or treats.

Mabel has been through a lot, she had a dental for her poorly teeth and spurs and was then speyed, but got a hernia! The day after she needed another operation to fix that, which result in her having three operations in less than three weeks, but she is doing great now!

She is the sweetest of bunnies, she has a little white toe which is why she couldn’t be used for showing by her breeder. Her original owners wished they had kept her in end as they say she would have produced some nice blue rabbits, but they had already promised her to me! I am glad, but if it wasn’t for her sweet nature and friendliness with everyone, I don’t know what I’d have done this last month after losing my other rabbit.

She loves attention and being fussed over and I think she deserves a shot at stardom - she is a little fighter and so sweet natured!

Hoping for your votes!

Lisa and Mabel

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Name: Michelle Darby

Hometown: County Antrim

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

Hello my name is Michelle and my rabbit’s name is Dasher.

Dasher is five years old and is a wonderful rabbit. He comes to me whenever I call his name, runs after me when I am out in the garden with him, loves to play football and he’s a real gentleman towards other animals and children.

He gets out for a run in our garden in the morning and afternoon most days. I brush him and take him to the vets when I notice anything wrong with him. He loves his food and I have to watch how much he gets, because he will just keep eating! I recently found him a new friend, Bella, and they get on fantastic together, they groom and cuddle up beside one another, it’s cute!

Dasher and I would love to win because he loves his food and he’s not the only animal I have that would enjoy a feast! I have had 10 years experience with animals and I’m currently in my 2nd year of an NRC Level 3 Animal Management Diploma, and I hope to eventually open my own sanctuary for animals. It would be great to get voted for, as I love animals more than anything and Dasher is the oldest of them all, so he deserves your votes!

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Name: Rose Short

Hometown: Wakefield

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

Hello, I’m Rosie and this is my bunny, a 4 month old mini lop named Flora.

Flora deserves to win because she is a lucky girl. She was ill as a baby and nearly died, but she is a fighter and pulled through. She just likes to sit and have a cuddles with me. She is a special girl and beautiful too!

Please vote for us!

 

 

 

 

 

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Name: Savannah Hickman

Hometown: Doncaster

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

We’ve had Smokey for four years now and he is a total sweetie. Prior to getting him we met Sue, who runs Cavy Corner Guinea Pig Sanctuary at a gala.

We thought Smokey may be lonely, so asked Sue for some advice. She suggested taking him to the 2010 Guinea Pig Funday, which we did. Then later that month we went to visit the sanctuary and became instantly attached. We thought Smokey should have a friend, so first fostered our lovely boy Hector, who we fell in love with straight away. Hector and Smokey didn't live together, but went outside in the run together almost every day.

In around April this year a new Guinea-Pig came to The Sanctuary, Yogi. We had Yogi on foster for about two weeks then Sue said we could keep him! We now have a trio of boys; Smokey, Hector and Yogi.

We spend every Sunday at The Sanctuary now and during the summer holidays we spent every Tuesday doing Guinea care (nail clipping, ear wiping, hair cuts, baths etc.) and sometimes a Thursday doing cage cleaning. Because of the Guinea care days, I have now got a level one Guinea Care Skills certificate.

Smokey is quite shy and doesn't really say much, just little murmurs when he is being cuddled. He is such a softie and has never ever bitten. He is a massive snuggle pig and just goes straight to sleep on you. He loves snuggling up on his cosy on top of the ledge.

I think I should win as if I did the Burgess Food would go to Cavy Corner Guinea Sanctuary. The £500 would be spent mostly on the piggies!

Thank you so much for reading this.

Savannah Hickman, Smokey, Hector and Yogi.

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Name: Vita Smith

Hometown: Brighton

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

My name is Vita Smith and I am a passionate owner of eight very lovely guinea pigs! I am just 13 years old and have already seen the births of 3 litters, all from the same father, who unfortunately cannot be with us anymore. I will be giving another family two of my baby pigs and sharing the love for these gorgeous rodents!

The four adult guinea pigs all have their own very different personalities and features -

Buck, my boar is a little mummy’s boy who loves having his chin tickled! He is the grey one you will see in the picture.

Kerri-Anne, one of my sows is a new mummy to two beautiful babies and is white and black/brown. She loves to run out and play with her friends during the day and loves having cuddles. She has one blue eye and one brown eye, which makes her unique and, well, beautiful!

Barbara and Yvonne, my two ginger sows are inseparable! They are sisters and have been together since birth. They are both very chatty and Barbara is a new mummy to two wonderful baby boys!

My guinea pigs live off a diet of guinea pig food, fresh fruit and vegetables, plenty of hay and water. They are outside everyday in a nice big run and are comfy inside their hutches every night. They are sociable creatures and my number one priority in the morning before school, straight after school and in the evenings.

I pay for all of the things my guinea pigs need independently, with the money I earn from my paper round and I put a lot of time and effort into caring for them. It’s a lot of effort, but in the end its so worth it! I love them to pieces, they are my babies and I don't know what life would be like without them.

Thank you for reading, please vote for us!

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Name: Kimberley Skinner

Hometown: Torquay

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

My family have always had pets, although they are more than pets, they are part of the family. We have always had rabbits, but none have quite compared to Mr Fuzzy, and that is why I believe he should be the Star of the Show winner.

He is beautiful and has the most amazing personality! He's really inquisitive and very clever, waiting for us to go inside or even just turn around before munching on my mum's flowers! He plays with our cats, gives me bunny kisses, head butts anything that gets in his way, gets grumpy for no reason, loves head scratches (eventually falls asleep), jumps onto my bed, head butting the cats off the bed and laying next to me, is litter trained but will wee on my laminate floor or his blanket if I don't clean his litter tray after every wee! Silly bun! He re-arranges anything in my bedroom he can reach, loves treats and TRIES to get at mine (unsuccessfully).

I believe I should also be selected. I would go hungry before he went without anything. He has a more than adequate size cage, gets to run round the bunny proofed garden every day, has grass and also tiles which I find ideal for wearing his claws down.

Mr Fuzzy has toys for the garden, toys for his cage and toys for inside, within these I hide mostly yummy different types of hay and a few treats. I change his water every day and provide him with plenty of fresh hay, cabbage, carrots, sometimes different veggies like parsnip peelings, sprouts, broccoli, spinach, apple, etc. He has two myxi jabs a year and a VHD, and also has Panicur paste every 3 months.

I really hope we are successful with this as he deserves it! Many thanks for the time you have taken to read this, please vote for Mr Fuzzy!

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Name: Laura Gamble

Hometown: Nottingham

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

Hello, my name is Laura Gamble and I have two lovely rabbits, Nibbles & Snuffles. Nibbles is a two year old Netherland Dwarf and Snuffles is a one year old mixed breed. They are both outdoor bunnies, but they love spending time indoors too.

I got Nibbles first and, after having him neutered, I got Snuffles to keep him company. They loved each other right from the start and they were no trouble at all, when I gradually introduced them to each other. They are happy and healthy rabbits with access to large enclosures that I try to keep as interesting as possible. They enjoy foraging for hidden treats, grooming each other, leaping around on the grass and lots of cuddles.

They both love Burgess Excel Adult nuggets and would love to win this competition! I have made a video about their lives, I hope you enjoy it!

 

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Name: Simon Chilvers

Hometown: Billingham

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

I own two Guinea pigs called Patience and Kind, because this is what everyone should be. They are two years old house Guinea Pigs. Patience is black and Kind is white and orange.

I clean their cage every Saturday, while they explore the kitchen and garden. When indoors they play with a food ball, which I fill with dried apple from Burgess Excel and I hide fresh vegetables and fruit around the room, in the tunnels I have made for them and in the various houses they have.

Before they go back into their home I go and play with them, Patience will come to her name and they both jump onto my lap for a cuddle and piece of apple or carrot.

During the warmer weather they go outdoors through the day enjoying the garden. In the colder weather I treat them to a variety of treats and snacks from Burgess Excel, they love the Meadow and Herb Garden mixtures! When they hear the packets they squeak, which I love!

If I were lucky enough to win the competition I would buy Patience and Kind a new outdoor run and lots of their favourite Burgess Excel treats.

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Name: Ellie Lockwood

Hometown: Lytham St. Annes

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

I think my bunny Hippo and I should be selected for the Star of the Show competition because we would LOVE to help spread the word about responsible pet ownership!

My name is Ellie and I am 21 years old. I have recently graduated from University with an upper second class honours degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare. My research project in the final year was a huge survey all about how people keep their rabbits and what sort of common misconceptions people have about bunnies. This is something I am REALLY passionate about. At the moment I am spending my free time working on setting up a series of fun, interactive and educational workshops for children all about rabbit care! It's called Bunny School and will hopefully be up and running by the end of the year, with Myerscough College already agreeing to let me run it at their Animal Academy! One day I would love to run a rabbit education centre and rescue.

Hippo is one of three in my bunny family. She is coming up to one and a half and lives with her mum Daisy and brother Graham. The family are well bonded together and spend almost all day every day out in their bunny garden, which is full of things to explore. We are working on gradually making the garden more warren-like and Hippo happily tests out all my new enrichment ideas for me! Hippo has even been to Show and Tell at our local primary school trying to spread the word about healthy, happy bunnies and she thinks she is just about ready for full-on fame now!

Thanks for reading,

Love from Ellie and Hippo

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Name: Emma Lassey

Hometown: Brighouse

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

Meet my rabbit Mischief, who I’m entering because I love him and my other two rabbits more than anything! He is a gorgeous English cross breed and we have been through so much together. He lives with his sister Tinkerbell in a large set up - a 7 x 5ft shed with an attached 8.5 x 7ft aviary style run that my dad built. I believe rabbits should have as much space and exercise as possible because they should be happy and be able to stretch their large back legs.

My rabbits are fed Burgess Excel adult pellets and they get the recommended amount, an egg cup full each in the mornings. In the evenings they are given fresh vegetables and of course they have hay at all times, usually meadow hay. They are often treated to the Burgess Excel herbage and forage hay too which they love! They also get supervised free range time in my garden and they get to eat the grass which they enjoy. Their water bottles are refilled with fresh water every day.

Mischief is a very friendly rabbit and has such a lovely nature. He loves everyone and has never shown aggression towards me. Unfortunately in the past he had a dental problem which meant his front teeth kept growing and having to be burred down. After a talk with our vet, we decided it would be much better for mischief to have his front teeth removed. He is much happier with no incisors now and eats just fine. His vegetables do have to be cut up but that's not a problem, I love my bunny so will do anything for him.

All my rabbits are vaccinated against myxi (six monthly) and VHD (yearly) and when they go for their vaccinations, they have a full health check by the vet. Mischief is also neutered and both my female rabbits are spayed.

My rabbits mean everything to me and I don't know where I'd be without them, I love them so much and I really hope that Mischief will be considered to be the Star of the Show!

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Name: Helen Croucher

Hometown: Tunbridge Wells

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

I have two rabbits and two guinea pigs, who are all amazing, loving and caring.

Percy is one of my guinea pigs, he loves cuddles and he will pose for the camera which is funny! He has a brother called Pixel, they don't get on very well but hate to be apart. Percy loves food and gets very happy when he gets fresh hay and vegetables and jumps all around his cage.

Imogen is a Netherland dwarf cross rabbit and she is so pretty with long eye lashes. Like percy, she likes to have her photo taken. She is full of energy and bounces around all day, loves her food and gets very excited at dinner time. She is very loving and looks after me when I am ill, by cuddling up to me when I have to sleep in the day due to my illness.

All my pets bring me lots of love and joy – which I hope they would do to everyone at Burgess Excel too!

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Name: Kayleigh Maughan

Hometown: Newcastle

Why I should win the Burgess Excel Star of the Show:

Hello! Here is my rabbit Lola-Rose, she's a dwarf lop rabbit and is two years and four months old.

I took Lola from a woman that no longer wanted her and I fell in love with her straight away. When I got Lola she was very sick as her gut was stasis and she was dehydrated, so we had to take her to the vets straight away. She soon started to have regular vet trips, as her gut kept shutting down and she would stop eating which is very serious in rabbits. Luckily with her being a free range house rabbit it’s easy to pick up on the early signs of illness.

She started to develop cataracts in April which are starting to increase in size, but she's coping very well. She's now got problems with her teeth and needs dentals on a regular basis, although we feed her a 90% hay diet (Burgess Excel timothy hay) & 10% herb/veg diet so her teeth still grow sharp.

Despite her problems she is the most loving rabbit ever, she will happily sit for cuddles and is totally fine with being handled. She was previously bonded with a fellow rabbit, but he sadly passed away so we have another male neutered rabbit about to be bonded with her. Having her as a house rabbit in my opinion is the best thing for rabbits, she can go anywhere she likes and there's no risk of any predators getting at her. She has my company all day and loves nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa to watch tv on a night time.

Thank you for reading our entry!

Kayleigh & Lola

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