Information on starting a Hoppy Hour. If you are thinking you would like to set one up in your area. Read this great article. By: Georgia Brandeau, MCRS Member and Volunteer If you would like to set one up in your area, here is some advice: 1. You need a base of at least 7 rabbits to begin. All bunnies must be spayed/neutered to attend. All bunnies must be in good health. With a number of strange bunnies hopping around in a strange location that seems to be enough newness and stimulation to take most aggressive posturing off-line for most bunnies. Sometimes bunnies new to Hoppy Hour will take some time to check it out. Shy bunnies may stay in their carrier (with the door open and facing the play area) and not come out. Some may stick very close to their human for safety. We usually let these bunnies choose to participate or not on their own terms. Most bunnies are very curious and will check it all out, even if it takes them a while to warm up to the idea. It is good to realize that Hoppy Hour is not for every bun, and some bunnies would rather not be there. Generally though we say that Hoppy Hour can help very shy bunnies become less shy and it can help bunnies who dont speak rabbit very well learn to be better with other rabbits. Generally speaking, most bunnies seem to enjoy Hoppy Hour. Its very stimulating both mentally and physically for them. 2. We hold Hoppy Hour at two locations. At the larger location, which is held at a big area shelter in their gymnasium (about 30 x 60), we can have anywhere between 40-120 rabbits. At our smaller location - held in our own rented office space (about 15 x 25) - we have between 15-25 rabbits. 3. The volunteers used fall into 4 categories: Coordinator, Registration, Bouncer, and Clean Team. Coordinator: The coordinator lines up the volunteers and manages the events. Registration: The registration volunteers collect fees, make sure the rabbits are spayed/neutered, dont have any obvious signs of disease, and collect contact information on a sign-in sheet. The contact information is collected to notify people if future Hoppy Hours will be canceled or to pass along any other information that needs to be disseminated. The smaller Hoppy Hours uses 1 registration person at the door and the larger uses 2. Bouncers: The bouncers monitor the bunnies and give a time out to any bunny exhibiting aggressive behavior: mounting, chasing, nipping. Time out means picking the bunny up and either holding it for a short period of time or having the owner hold the bunny for a short period of time. Bouncers need to understand basic bunny body language and practice proper lifting and holding technique. Bouncers also clean up any potty messes that happen during the event. We keep boxes of shop towels and large garbage cans on hand for this purpose. The smaller Hoppy Hour uses 1 bouncer and the larger 3 to 4 bouncers. Clean Team: After Hoppy Hour is over the area needs to be cleaned, rabbit toys, litter boxes and water bowls put away, chairs put away, and the mats cleaned and rolled up. A push broom and shop vac are used to clean the floor/mats. This may take an hour or two (depending upon the size of the location) and usually about 5 or so people at the larger location, fewer at the smaller location. 4. As mentioned above, we use two locations. One is a large gymnasium at the local animal shelter. One is our own smaller and rented office space. We do not have adoptable animals in this space, rather, it is our office and supply location. For that sort of space youll want to consider local laws and codes about animals gathered in a single place and insurance coverage. Floor mats are necessary to provide traction on slippery floors or protection for carpeting. We were very lucky to have our floor mats donated to us. They are rubber mats that come in a large roll. Additional Notes: Only the bouncers are allowed on the mats during Hoppy Hour. All other human participants sit along the outer edge of the play area. If someone needs their rabbit one of the bouncers will round him up and deliver him. At each Hoppy Hour location we have a variety of agility obstacles for the bunnies in the play area. We also provide litter boxes, water bowls and toys in the play area. Admission is charged per rabbit (we charge $3 each) Rabbit food and supplies are sold during Hoppy Hour. Nail trims and grooming are available for an additional fee. Some Hoppy Hours are themed, like our Halloween Hoppy Hour. As Hoppy Hour grows larger it is important for an orderly and safe collection of bunnies at the end of the event - this means no children on the mats, no running, etc. All bunnies should arrive in an appropriate carrier. A liability and photo release is part of our sign in sheet. Sometimes people will try to sneak an intact rabbit into Hoppy Hour. Your bouncers will usually notice this in short order, as the intact rabbit cannot stop chasing and humping every bunny in sight. Hoppy Hour is a great way to raise the profile of companion rabbits in your community.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:04:54 +0000
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