HRRN Volunteer Position
Bunny Pairer
What is a Bunny Pairer?
Also called a Bunny Bonder, this volunteer position can be done from the comfort of your own home as it involves helping two rabbits become friends and become a bonded pair–hopefully.
Why do we pair rabbits? Because most rabbits are happier with a friend, but many come to our shelter without a companion, so we do our best to find them one before they are adopted.
Many adopters come to the shelter looking for a friend for their rabbit at home, so we offer this “bunny speed-dating” service and if the rabbits seem to hit it off we attempt a pairing session. To ensure the safety of the rabbits, we have our bunny pairing expert volunteers do this instead of the adopter trying to do this at their home.
What all does the job entail?
The Bunny Pairing job consists of monitoring two rabbits regularly as they get to know each other–hence this is one of the view volunteer jobs done at home. Some rabbits pair better than others. Fights can happen and things can get stressful if the two rabbits aren’t getting along that well. But, you will be trained before you ever bring a pair home to bond, and, you will have our other bunny pairing experts on call to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have throughout each bunny pairing.
How long does this take per visit?
So since this volunteer job happens at home, it’s not done in shifts or anything like that, as the rabbits need to be constantly monitored (you can still leave your house and things like that, we will instruct you on how to separate them when you need to leave the house). But the rabbit pairing itself usually take 10 days to 2 weeks. At that point we can normally tell if the pair is going to be successful or not.
A successful pairing can be one of the most rewarding experiences at a volunteer.
How much rabbit interaction do I get?
This is one of the most rabbit-interaction-intensive positions as you’ll have the two rabbits with you in your home for at least 10 days.
How Much Training is Required?
This volunteer position does require more training than some of our others, and that’s because you’re dealing with the rabbits directly and it’s very important that you have all the tools you need to ensure the safety of the rabbits during the pairing experience. Rabbits may be adorable little fluff balls, but, when they don’t like another rabbit, they can fight hard and cause major damage. It’s the Bunny Pairers job to ensure injuries are kept to a minimum and to change the environment and situation based on how the rabbits are responding. It sounds overwhelming and complicated, but that’s why we provide lots of training to ensure you feel completely confident and ready before you bring your first pair home.
Want to Become a Bunny Pairer?
Yay! We’re so happy you want to be a part of our Bunny Pairing Team!
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