HRRN Volunteer Position
Cage Cleaner
What is a Cage Cleaner
The Cage Cleaner position is one of the least glamorous jobs at the shelter, but one of the most important due to it playing a key role in keeping our shelter bunnies healthy, and our shelter clean.
What all does the job entail?
Being a Cage Cleaner entails dumping litter boxes from each cage into a trash bag (we give the bags of litter to organic gardeners). As well as cleaning our the litter trays beneath (see photos).
We place old newspaper down on the bottom of each “catch tray” which helps cleaning any loose litter, urine, or pellets much easier, then sweeping any finer particles up so the surface is clean (see photo of volunteer with the little broom and dustpan, that’s what he’s doing), then spraying it down with Vinegar (cleans and sanitizes), wiping that up, then placing new, fresh newspaper down and sliding the tray back in. Wa-la! on to the next cage!
This job requires you to stand for long periods, and lift litter boxes that can weigh up to 12 lbs., and scoop fresh litter back into them once their clean. Wiping litter boxes and trays down, and some sweeping.
How long does this job take per visit?
Cage Cleanings happen on Wednesday evenings starting at 4:30 pm, and on Sunday mornings starting at around 11 am. You can choose to volunteer on either of these days, or both.
This particular job is always done in teams, as it is a big job that can take a very long time by yourself. With a team of 4 to 6 volunteers, we divide the shelter in half, so half the cages get cleaned on Wednesday, the other half Sunday. Each cage cleaning shift normally take 1.5 to 2 hours.
When do I need to be at the shelter to clean cages?
Wednesdays normally anywhere from 4:30pm to 6pm. Sundays, anywhere from 10am to 12pm.
What if something happens and I can't make it?
We totally get it, things happen. However, this position is a vital, team-player position, where everyone helps make the job go by quickly while keeping the quality of the work high. With that being said, it hurts every cage cleaning volunteer on that shift when someone can’t make the shift. So we ask that you give our Volunteer Coordinator as much heads up as possible. If an emergency arises we will accept 24 hours or under notice, but besides that ask you give more than 24 hours notice so we can find a replacement so the rest of the team does not suffer.
We understand sometimes 24 hours notice can’t be given, emergencies happen. This is fine occasionally. However, if several shifts are missed in a short period of time, even those over 24 hours notice, we may ask that you either take a break from volunteering until things settle down where you can be more consistent schedule-wise, or see if there is a more fluid volunteer opportunity that may work better for you.
How much rabbit interaction do I get?
Cage Cleaners go from cage to cage cleaning the litter, so you get lots of bunny interaction. We always urge our volunteers to give head pets and talk to each bunny while they work if they’d like, the bunnies enjoy it and it helps socialize them.
Want to become a Cage Cleaner?
Yay! We’re so happy you think being a Cage Cleaner is the right volunteer opportunity for you! Please fill out our volunteer application and our volunteer coordinator will reach out to you within a few days to schedule your first day at the shelter.
Questions?
If you still have questions about this position, please contact our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@rabbitresource.org