The Benefits of Hoppy Hour - The Carrot Tribune - April 2019
The Carrot Tribune
In this issue...
Bunny of the Month
Basic Bunny and Guinea Pig Care Classes
March Hoppy Hour
Hoppy Hour Enriches Your Bunny's Life
featured image
Bunnies of the Month
What a wonderful and loving pair of rabbits -
Beatrix
is the mom, and
Bunadette
is her beautiful daughter. These pretty girls are a Harlequin mix breed, and daughter Bunadette has Angora in her as well - such a stunning combination! Both bunnies are so sweet and calm, and they really dote on each other! This bonded pair would make a great addition to a loving forever home!
To learn who the Guinea Pig of the month is for April ... click "Read More" below!
Basic Bunny and Guinea Pig Class
Our next class is Sunday April 14. Join us on our Facebook event page to learn more!
1:00 to 2:00
- Handling and Husbandry
2:00 to 2:30
- Training
Bring your Rabbit or Guinea Pig. Learn easy handling and care-taking during the first hour, then for the last half hour play training games that are fun for you and your pet!
$5.00 for an individual
$10.00 for a family
Free to BUNS volunteers
All classes are in the Humane Society Education Building, at 5399 Overpass Rd, Goleta, (to the east of the Animal Shelter)
featured image
Hop over to Hoppy Hour
Did you know that our registration/waiver form is available online? Print it out before you come to save time at Hoppy Hour and Pignic registration! You can fill out out a Rabbit or Guinea Pig form before coming (we'll have forms available at the registration table if you forget):
This month's is Sunday April 28 from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM. So bring your fuzzy friend and give them an opportunity to socialize with other rabbits and guinea pigs! Socialization is a very important part of overall rabbit and guinea pig welfare, and a Hoppy Hour is the perfect opportunity to let your fuzzy one play with others.
We'll be at the Humane Society Lawn, at 5399 Overpass Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. Admission is $10 per rabbit or guinea pig. All animals must be healthy and rabbits must have been spayed or neutered at least 30 days in advance.
Please join us for an afternoon of fun!
featured image
Hoppy Hour Enriches Your Bunny's Life
“The May sunset was red in the clouds, and there was still half an hour to twilight. The dry slope was dotted with rabbits —some nibbling at the thin grass near their holes, other pushing further down to look for dandelions or perhaps a cowslip that the rest had missed.”
Watership Down. Richard Adams
Hoppy Hour is your rabbit’s chance to have his own Watership Down moment. He can experience an afternoon within a group of rabbits. He can frisk and zoom, ask for and get grooming. He can forage for clover and leaves of lettuce or kale strewn around the lawn. He can have a lot of fun! So can you.
Hoppy Hour, though, is more than a fun day for your rabbit. Hoppy Hour can help with his sense of well being. Rabbits evolved to live a very different life than the life we give our pets. Rabbits are born to explore and forage for food; to live in a large and complicated society and to practice escaping from predators. The life we share is much safer, much longer and much the same from day to day. Hoppy Hour gives your bunny a change of pace, a chance to exercise social skills and forage for food.
Animals living away from their natural environments and in confinement do not always thrive. Zoos have recognized this problem; they modify living quarters and feed in locations and manners similar to nature. They co-house members of the same species. They add novelties for the animals to explore and manipulate. These are all part of an enrichment program. You may not have a full time staff to develop an enrichment program for your bunny, but we can help!
Hoppy Hour fills many of the same needs for your bunny. It interrupts the daily routine with a novel experience. Your bunny gets to be surrounded by his peers. He uses his excellent sense of smell to identify other bunnies as he would in nature. As in nature, the presence of other rabbits increases his sense of normalcy. As a member of a herd, if confronted by a predator, the presence of other rabbits increases the chance that he will escape. So he feels safe. He gets to forage for food and stop to browse; he can choose where to go, who to approach and when to eat, all at his own pace. Choice is just as important to your rabbit as it is to you.
Bringing your bunny to Hoppy Hour is a way to enrich his life. And, your life is enriched by a chance to watch the bunnies at play.
featured image