Today I thought I'd give you a peek at what a day volunteering at the Rescue is like for me.
On arrival the first thing we do is sign in.
Our planning permission to run the Rescue in a residential area requires us to record all visitors in and out. Once signed in, the first proper task is a quick walk around the Rescue to open shed doors and carry out a visual safety check. Since the last job of the day is always the "idiot check", a walk around looking out for the run roof you left open or the bolt you forget to put across, all the bunnies should be securely locked in.
But that doesn't mean one of them hasn't found an ingenious way to chew out of a shed, or maybe there will be a fence or tree that has fallen down in the night. Since we will have bunnies running round the Rescue during the day, usually Mr and Mrs Chunky Butt, we need to make sure everything is secure first. It is also the first chance to spot any obviously sick bunnies you might need to rush to the vets.
The next job is to empty the mornings veg into the wheel barrow.
It is important to make sure any left from the previous day is put to one side to be used first.
We don't give the bunnies whole carrots or heads of broccoli of course, so the next step is to chop the veg into individual portions and place in the snack bucket.
By the time you've finished chopping, the anticipation in the little hungry faces all around you is all you need to motivate you for the two and a half hour task to come - breakfast time!
And let's not forget, the rabbits aren't the only ones on site needing sustenance!
At weekends especially, when we have a larger team many of whom are our younger volunteers, some of the adults will bring a selection of drinks and snacks to keep everyone going.
Speaking of drinks, time to do the water!
In the aviaries and sheds our bunnies have bowls, but they also have a bottle in case they knock over the bowl or manage to finish it before the next fill-up.
On to the cleaning! To help us keep track of which bunnies have been cleaned out already this week we use a peg system.
The weeks alternate - one week it's "pegs on" the next it's "pegs off" as you clean.
No matter how tiring the work is, a day at the Rescue is always enjoyable because you get to hang out with all the bunnies!
Soufflé is a particular favourite of the volunteers because she is so friendly! I however favour the wild and wild cross rabbits for hang time because they have such fascinating personalities. It is always really interesting and challenging trying to communicate with them and trying to understand what they are trying to communicate back to you.
And of course at the end of the day, there's nothing more pleasurable than coming back home to my own little fluffy boy!
Thanks for reading todays post and for following us over all our 1000 posts! (Did you spot all the number 1000s in the pics above? Well done if you did!)
See you back here tomorrow for more Big Ears and Tiny Tales!
