Let's get started with online volunteer training!
The cost for training our team members is $50.00. $10 per training module. Please consider a donation to us to help cover the costs.
Training Opportunities
MODULE #1: The Bunny Besties Nonprofit
Welcome to the Bunny Besties Nonprofit and programs training. Learn how we started and how we have grown. Learn our mission and vision and about our programs. Please click on a topic to learn.
Join Bunny Besties!
Core Values Presentation
| bunny_besties_core_values.pptx |
Learn about the bunny break
| bunny_besties_core_offering.pptx |
Bunny besties at the University of Minnesota
PAWS Training overview
This document below is the UMN PAWS (Pet Away Worry and Stress) Animal Assisted Interactions (AAI) with College Students training document and application. Written and provided by Tanya Bailey.
| paws_training_overview_and_application_1-28-2019.docx.pdf |
MODULE #2: Bunny Basics
Welcome to Bunny Basics 101 and 201. These training modules are provided to give you what you need to begin to understand therapy rabbits. Learning these two classes will also give the team tools for visiting. It will provide facts that can be conversation starters when visiting with a person or a group.
slideshow
Enjoy the slideshow to learn about bunnies.
Bunny Basics - The Second phase
Congratulations! You are onto the second phase of learning about bunnies. Therapy rabbits are complex prey animals and known as exotic pets. They have unique needs that need to be studied and learned. Please click on the pdf of the class below. Thank you for taking the time to learn to be a therapy rabbit professional.
Watch This video on our bunny castle
The Bunny Castle Basics
The Bunny Castle serves a dual purpose. Firs it serves as the gathering place for the therapy rabbits to enjoy a break time from being held. Here is a place where the rabbits can run, hop, binky and play. They have litter boxes here with litter and hay. They also have fresh water and greens available. Rabbits enjoy a neutral territory where they can enjoy their other bunny friends.
The bunny castle is a neutral territory for the rabbit group. Rabbits are very territorial and can not be put together to intrude on another rabbit's territory. It will cause fights that can cause serious bodily injury. This space is considered a neutral territory for the whole group and the rabbits will respect that it is shared territory. There must be a person though at all times to act as a referee to keep the rabbits safe from their territorial instincts, ready to break up fights and give bunny breaks if needed.
For the human visitors the bunny castle is a novel way for visitors to enjoy a bunny break too. This bunny break plays out in a different way though and is directed at mindfulness. It is like watching a stress reducing animal video but, live and in person. It is novelty and cuteness together to help distract the mind from the stress of the day. It brings smiles and is fun to watch like a hamster playing in its tunnels and habitat. It is a safe place to gather around and find support with those around you.
It is important to put the castle together while considering the welfare and needs of the rabbits along with the needs of our human guests. It must be adorable and it must be functional. Both of those purposes come together to make the bunny castle a very special place for everyone to visit whether they have two legs or four legs. All are welcome!
The bunny castle is a neutral territory for the rabbit group. Rabbits are very territorial and can not be put together to intrude on another rabbit's territory. It will cause fights that can cause serious bodily injury. This space is considered a neutral territory for the whole group and the rabbits will respect that it is shared territory. There must be a person though at all times to act as a referee to keep the rabbits safe from their territorial instincts, ready to break up fights and give bunny breaks if needed.
For the human visitors the bunny castle is a novel way for visitors to enjoy a bunny break too. This bunny break plays out in a different way though and is directed at mindfulness. It is like watching a stress reducing animal video but, live and in person. It is novelty and cuteness together to help distract the mind from the stress of the day. It brings smiles and is fun to watch like a hamster playing in its tunnels and habitat. It is a safe place to gather around and find support with those around you.
It is important to put the castle together while considering the welfare and needs of the rabbits along with the needs of our human guests. It must be adorable and it must be functional. Both of those purposes come together to make the bunny castle a very special place for everyone to visit whether they have two legs or four legs. All are welcome!
| training_certification_-_bunny_bestie_basics_class_2.pdf |
MODULE #3: Learn About Therapy Rabbits
Welcome to Therapy Rabbits 101. This training module will explain to you why therapy rabbits make such an excellent and unique choice for therapeutic work. We will also show you our Bunny Besties Best Practices for therapy work.
MODULE #4: Working with our Equipment
Welcome to Working with our Equipment 101. This is the training module that will teach our procedures for set-up, tear-down, cleaning, disinfecting, unloading the car, loading the car, using rabbit carriers, and grooming before visits.
MODULE #5: Rabbit Home Care
Welcome to Rabbit Home Care 101. This is the module to learn how to properly take care of the therapy rabbit's at their home. This care is crucial because rabbit's are very fragile exotic pets who can die easily without the proper consistent care needed. This will cover tasks for feeding, watering, litter box care, hay feeders, proper food, greens, fresh water, and also grooming. This is a big job but probably the most important job of all that keeps our bunnies happy, healthy and ready to do their important work. Learn up!