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Forum RESCUE EFFORTS FOR SHELTERS Raising $ to get our shelter buns fixed

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    • Hedi
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        So…our shelter wont fix our buns-apparently they would lose too much $ if they have to pay to fix them. I have suggested we try to raise the money that way the shelter isn’t eating the cost and we aren’t adding to the pet population. (One bun we currently have gave birth over a month ago. She was with us several months ago and adopted with several other buns and came back to us pregnant!). We can only house 4buns at one time and we have a mobile vet unit that comes in that does spays/neuters for half the cost of the local shelters. So we are talking $50-60 versus the $109-$120 that is standard around here in Ohio.

        So, I have suggested we do the Cash for Critters getting money for old cell phones and printer cartridges.

        We also have a very small store in the reception area of the humane society filled with cat and dog supplies. I was thinking we could get stuff wholesale from The Busy Bunny and sell in our store along with food and hay. That way new bunny owners can get all their stuff prior to taking their new bun home.

        Think this will work? Any other ideas?

        Any suggestions will help!


      • BinkyBunny
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          I think those are all great ideas. You can also try and do what the Chicago Red Door Shelter does, and have bunny spa days which includes nail trims, scent glands cleaning etc to bring in extra $$.

          I’m sure others that work with rescues mayh have some more good ideas!


        • Hedi
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            Binky thats a great idea but I cant do nails to save my life. We do have two vet techs so if they got on board that would work well!

            I just got an email from the mgr of the shelter who said he would do the paperwork for the cash for critters and then I can talk to the girl who runs our store for bun supplies. Its ironic because I talked to this girl on Tuesday and she was saying she has worked forever to get these buns fixed and kept getting told no. So I will talk with her tomorrow when I see her.

            Yeah! Slowly but surely…


          • osprey
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              We do all kinds of things to raise money.  We have a large pool of volunteers to pull from , so we can have different people do different things that they are interested in.  I’ll give you some ideas here, I am not sure how they would fly in your one woman operation.  In no particular order:

              – grants.  We get money from companies and foundations to do spay/neuter, capital expenses (pens, cages, etc.), vet bills, etc.  The process for getting these is quite involved and requires knowing how to find the grants, fil out the applications, and do the grant followups (telling the people how their money was spent).

              – vets. We get a certain number of free spay/neuter from different vets each year.  In return we refer these hospitals to adopters.

              – cash donations. Since we are a registered charity, we can get money directly from contributors via Pay Pal and with checks.

              – pet sitting. Foster families do bunny sitting for people (particularly in the summer and around Christmas) and the money they get goes to The Haven’s bunnies.

              – shelter foundations – many of the shelters around here have a charity that is assiciated with the shelter that raises money for the animals.  These foundations also provide spay/neuter and health care for rescues.  Here are a couple of examples:
                Friends of the Watsonville Animal Shelter fowas.org/
                Friends of the Fairmont Animal Shelter http://www.fofas.org/

              – product sales – We buy wholesale from Busy Bunny, For Other Living Things, etc. and resell the product.

              – home made product sale – Volunteers make bunny biscuits, popsicle stick toys, hay rings, etc. and package them up with commercial toys and treats to make gift bags.  We then sell the bags.

              – nail trims/grooming – We provide this as a free service, but most people make a donation after we do it.

              – garage/yard sale – We take in donated things and have a yearly garage sale


            • Hedi
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                lol

                One Woman Show- you are right! Hopefully we can find more people to help. I keep hearing rumors there are people here in Dayton who want to help the buns but I have never seen/heard from them.

                I love those ideas Osprey! I am going to make up a list and present it to our mgr and director for approvals and get this stuff started.

                We actually already have a bakery that makes dog and cat treats when closed. What’s adding one more treat to the batch? IS the bunny biscuits you make the ones from the rabbit.org site? I tried to make those once..didnt come out very well though.

                Has anyone ever used cafepress.com to make stuff for $?


              • osprey
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                  Oops Hedi, I fogot all about cafepress.  Yes, we have merchandise on there.  Shirts, mugs, bags, that sort of thing.


                • Hedi
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                    Thank you! Thank you!

                    So, I am going in the morning to clean and play with "my" buns at the shelter. I have a file folder with info on wholesale from The Busy Bunny and All Other Living Things. Also have info on cafepress. Figured we could send letters to those who have adopted and let them know when we stock bun stuff so they can come and buy and support our buns. Also have ideas on homemade toys we could make and sell as well.

                    Now if it was all just already done and in place…


                  • Lucy
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                      the other thing that red door did here in chicago was go to jewel supermarket and get voucher coupon type things. so they hand these out and during certain days go into the supermarkert to shop and then give the cahsier the voucher coupon thing. It doesn’t cost anything and part of the purchase went to the shelter. It might be something to look into- I know in california there was something called script for ralphs and vons… where you sign up with your credit card and a part of each purchase went to (in my parents case school and church) an organization. It’s great cause everyone needs to buy groceries. good luck


                    • Hedi
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                        The big grocery store here in Ohio is called Kroger. Our Rabbit Society has that where you get their card and then 5% of every purchase there goes to them.

                        They told me they will order bunny stuff ASAP after I give them my list of what we should carry. I emailed that in today so hopefully in the next few weeks we will have bunny stuff.


                      • BinkyBunny
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                          I commend you Hedi for all you’re doing and the changes you are making in such a short period of time.  You rock!.  Sounds like you’ve found your calling and are very good at it! 


                        • Hedi
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                            I have really had so much fun doing this. I wish I had started earlier. I went this wkend and got all sorts of wood shapes to make bunny wood toys. I took two in this morning for my two shelter buns to "try out." I made a new batch of bunny biscuits from the rabbit.org site but I made them with unsweetened applesauce, banana, honey and oats. I cooked them at a lower temp for less time. They are soft and chewy and all my buns ate them-even Carrera who is stuck up! My shelter buns also gave them two paws up as well this morning.

                            Still trying to figure out how to dye wood different pretty colors with stuff that wont hurt the buns..not doing so great with that. Food coloring isnt having much affect…any suggestions?


                          • Lucy
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                              I personally wouldn’t worry about dying the wood.. It makes me really uneasy when I see bright colored wood chew toys- I stray far away from them. I did buy Fujoe these wooden carrots, and he wouldn’t go near them.

                              I don’t know if this is because I’m an artist- but natural wood looks nice- I like having the toys my bf has built for the bunnies around the house because they aren’t really bright. They look like little sculptures. But for me, natural means healthy. maybe someone else has a different idea- btw- good job and doing all of this work. (and if you do decide not to dye the toys, then that means one less step for you!)


                            • MooBunnay
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                                Hi Hedi! Wow, what a make-over you are doing with the shelter! Thats great!
                                I also wanted to let you know that we have someone that applied to rescue two of our Garden Grove bunnies and she is located in Chillicothe OH – I saw thats a little over an hour from Dayton – so I thought I’d send her the info. on the shelter you work with as well.
                                Have you thought of posting an ad on craigslist looking for rabbit friendly volunteers to help you out?


                              • Hedi
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                                  I agree Fujoe, and I noticed when I was trying to dye wood with food coloring that it has sugar in it. So one less then to mess with.

                                  I did flavor the wood and it turns a little darker. Looks neat when I mix it with unflavored wood. I will post some of the stuff I made later so you can see what my ideas are.


                                • Gravehearted
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                                    wow it sounds like you’ve made some fantastic progress! go you for being creative 🙂 i really hope it helps raise the funds you need


                                  • Hedi
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                                      Its funny you mention craigslist Moobunnay because I check it everyday and if someone posts that they want to get rid of their bun then I email them hoping to give them info to keep the bun or refer them to a place that will find the bun a good home. But NEVER thought about posting for help! That is a great idea!

                                      We had a girl doing 4-H come in last week wanting to adopt a bun so she could get it pregnant. Of course they told her no that we dont condone that. But what if someone else comes in like her family and doesnt tell us that? Then we will again be adding to the pet population. They all need to be fixed prior to being adopted, even if that means keeping them a few extra weeks.

                                      I talked with the girl that runs the store today. Right now my shelter buns are testing out my wood chew toys. So far they are impressed-one tore it up and I fixed it so we will see what he does tonite with it. lol

                                      They all liked my bunny biscuits and apple cinnamon pieces too.

                                      So hopefully we get everything under way pretty quick. I had sent the shelter mgr the info on Feline Pine working with shelters and he has already contacted them! It is amazing what people will do when they see how important it is.


                                    • osprey
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                                        We use Craigs List often, both to ask for help when we have shelter emergencies and to advertize our adoption events.  If you ask for more than $10 as your adoption fee, you have no need to worry about snake owners.  They can get food cheaper than that.

                                        Craig’s List is very strange, with loads of people who love to flag off ads, particularly in the Community Pets area.  Once they get to know you, they give you some slack, but the first few posts may draw some flags.  If you ever need any help, please let me know.  I’ll be glad to help.  I can also help with some HTML formatting if you need it.

                                        Here are a couple of my ads that are still up.  This one is for our upcoming adoption show:

                                        sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pet/339772197.html

                                        This one was an appeal for help with the guinea pig dump:

                                        sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pet/339432933.html

                                         

                                         


                                      • Hedi
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                                          My post was flagged and removed out of the pets area. Goofy people. Im gonna repost it again!


                                        • osprey
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                                            If you want to, send it to me or post it here.  I have a pretty good feeling for what they flag.  What was the ad for?

                                            Also, if you get the reputation of posting bad ads, you’ll get flags even on good ones.  This is the chaos called Craig’s List.

                                             

                                             


                                          • Hedi
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                                              I know there is a volunteer area but no one ever posts or even looks at it. I figured I would ask for help w/ the buns and for making toys. Did I put something wrong on here? I didnt put the name of the HS since I am doing this on my own-didnt want to upset anyone there.

                                              This is what I posted:

                                              Do you like Rabbits?I volunteer at a local shelter working with rabbits only. Rabbits are amazing pets and currently are the third most popular pet in America after cats and dogs. We would love to have extra volunteers if you have time to come in and just play with the rabbits. Currently they only get time out when their cages are cleaned.
                                              Can’t volunteer? Then what about helping us make rabbit treats/toys to sell in our shelter store? We are making homemade bunny treats and chew toys to sell to raise money to spay/neuter our rabbits prior to adoption.
                                              Thank you!


                                            • osprey
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                                                A couple of things that I can see:

                                                – You don’t mention the shelter or its location.  Maybe getting flagged because too vague?  Is there any way you can mention the shelter name without making it seem like they are in an way sanctioning your post?

                                                – No contact information.  maybe set up an email account just for this and use it in your posts?

                                                 

                                                – Was this flagged right away, or did it stay up for a while, then get taken down?

                                                – You posted in Community Pets?  What was the title of the post?

                                                 

                                                Do you know about the craig’s list flag help forum?  I will post it there and see if they have any suggestions.

                                                forums.craigslist.org/


                                              • Hedi
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                                                  I did fill in the little location box as Dayton. In this first post I had my own email information and did get one response. So they second time I posted it I just used the one craigslist gives you. I was afraid to put their info. I did get a response today from my new post someone looking for a house rabbit.

                                                  I didnt know there was a place that advises you what to put in a post. I will see how long the one I just put up stays. I should just go ahead and put it in the volunteer area since that is where it is supposed to be and then just put a plug on the pets area about us having buns to adopt.


                                                • osprey
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                                                    Good, let’s hope that this one stays up.  If you are going to post about available bunnies, here are a couple more tips to avoid the flagging horde:

                                                     

                                                    – Be up front about adoption fees

                                                    – Tell if the animal is spayed/neutered

                                                    – Mention the shelter so that they do not think you are selling your own bun

                                                     


                                                  • Hedi
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                                                      I have had two people respond! Yeah!

                                                      I am fighting to get permission to do the petfinder.com but the guy who has been there almost a year suggested I not ask. The girl who does it only has one bun up and she has down that he is fixed and litter trained. He isnt and I asked it be fixed and it hasnt been. Frustrating but they do tell them if they adopt them they aren’t fixed and they can look at their cage and see they aren’t litter trained. lol


                                                    • MooBunnay
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                                                        Hi! Right now I am trying to raise money as well, and am baking dog treats to sell…that might be a good idea, especially around a shelter where there are lots of dog people! I found the recipe on http://www.recipezaar.com , i typed in "dog treats"


                                                      • Hedi
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                                                          We have a bakery in town that actually makes doggie treats during their off hours. I wonder if the shelter would let me keep the $ I would make selling them to put toward our buns?

                                                          We got our authorization to buy from The Busy Bunny and All Other Living things wholesale. So this week they are going to order what I suggested. I made about 8 bunny chew toys. I flavored just the large peices of wood. The shelter buns liked them so I will package them up and put tags on them to sale.

                                                          Im attaching a pic..hopefully it works…Between each spindle looking piece there is either two circles or two hearts. I just used one of each with the one I gave my shelter bun and she chewed them all up the first night she had it. So hopefully doubling would be better.

                                                          15317826771.JPG


                                                        • BinkyBunny
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                                                            Hey Hedi,

                                                            In regards to the chew toys – I also really like the natural look too!  Plus, with the dyes you have to make sure they are non-toxic and pet friendly, so like ya said, it’s just one less thing to worry about. 

                                                            What kind of wood are you using?

                                                            Ya know, if you end up becoming interested in really selling this, let me know.  I’d be interested in carrying it once it was tested for safety – (which all products that are being sold on a larger scale should go through)  I know they test it for toxicity, and for things that may cause a problem that we may not have thought of.  Usually it will pass or they’ll say what needs to be improved. It costs around $200 dollars here.   I’m not sure who or where you would look for that there.  But if you are interested in this as a business venture, email me.


                                                          • Hedi
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                                                              They are maple and yucca. Actually, they are all the same pieces that Bunny Bytes and American Cart (http://www.americancart.us/pet_rabbit_toys) uses. I got all the pieces from a wholesale place here in Dayton called The Flower Factory. Cost ranges from just a dollar to five dollars a bag. I have hearts, circles, stars, blocks, etc.

                                                              To hang them I couldnt find a fastener I liked so I used bookrings. They fasten very well and takes a quite a bit of opening and closing to wear it out. We used them for awhile to actually fasten the bunny house doors.

                                                              I used all natural Jute to connect them. I wanted to find sisal but they didnt carry it and 400ft of Jute 2ply and 4ply was only $1.10 each.

                                                              I used food dye to color some wood but I just got pink from the red dye after sitting in it for 48hr. So, nevermind. I wont color them. The natural look is nice.

                                                              Can I actually sell them? I mean if they passed safety? I used the ideas from Bunny Bytes and the American Cart but they do not look anything like what they have. Everything I bought only ended up costing $17!


                                                            • BinkyBunny
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                                                                Absolutely, material cannot be patented unless it’s a new type off material. And since it’s not a direct copy of something, then it’s okay. The unique part about it is that it’s flavored. There are flavored woods out there (usually brightly colored) but I doubt they were simmered in, because they don’t seem to hold the flavor.  And again  I am just not a fan of brightly colored chew toys…seems so unnatural to me.  

                                                                The toy you made is far more attractive in my opinion.

                                                                I have a list of safe wood and toxic woods so I need to check that out. And even some kinds of wood (usually the soft kind) that aren’t good for bunnies can be made safe if the oils are processed out of them first. Sisal and Jute are fine.

                                                                Also, once you’ve decided on the type of wood and pieces, you can buy them then wholesale which will even be cheaper.  You would have to get a resell license, but it’s fairly cheap and easy to do.  This allows you to get it at the wholesale price as well as you become exempt from paying taxes since you would be reselling it.

                                                                Anyhoo…I can help guide you if you want to go that route, so you can email me if you need any more info.


                                                              • MooBunnay
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                                                                  I would buy some !


                                                                • Hedi
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                                                                    I fibed…here are the types of wood-  maple,oak,popular,ash. I need to make sure none of them are pine. I checked the packages and then threw them away.

                                                                    I am gonna work on some throw chew toys today. I have all sorts of shapes all flavored.

                                                                    I also have pineapple orange 100% juice I will try as well. All my buns luv pineapple so we will see what they think of pineapple orange.


                                                                  • Lucy
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                                                                      If I’m not mistaken, pine is okay. It’s the sap in the pine that is bad for the bunnies. If the pine is totally dry, then it should be okay. I don’t remember where I read that. I’m going to look for the source.


                                                                    • Lucy
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                                                                        From http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/toys.html :

                                                                        Good toys to start with:

                                                                        "Untreated wood, twigs and logs that have been aged for at least 3 months. Apple tree branches can be eaten fresh off the tree. Stay away from: cherry, peach, apricot, plum and redwood, which are all poisonous."

                                                                         

                                                                         


                                                                         

                                                                        From http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/chewing.html :

                                                                         

                                                                        Should I give the rabbit items to chew?

                                                                        Yes. You can give rabbits pieces of the thing they want to chew: their own small towel, for example, providing they aren’t ingesting it. This is especially useful when the attraction is the particular consistency.

                                                                        Here are some items that are OK for rabbits to chew on:

                                                                         

                                                                        • apple, willow, aspen branches;
                                                                        • pine firewood;
                                                                        • cotton towels
                                                                        • untreated fresh pine lumber attached to cage so it doesn’t move–piece of molding, 1"x2"s, or 2"x4"s;
                                                                        • basket with hay in it–let the bun chew the basket as well as the hay;
                                                                        • compressed alfalfa cubes

                                                                           

                                                                        Aren’t some woods toxic?

                                                                        Fruit tree branches, such as, apricot and peach are toxic while attached to the tree but not after they’re cut and dried (a month or more). Lisa McSherry and Rusty Fayter, who package The Busy Bunny baskets, share this research. Another tip they offer for your bunny’s safety is to keep your purchases of imported baskets limited to willow, the only basket material not sprayed with pesticide.


                                                                         

                                                                        I’ve attached three pics of toys that my bf has made for the buns. They are made out of pine 1×4 or 1x6s. We can’t remember.

                                                                         

                                                                         

                                                                         

                                                                        162473729071.jpg
                                                                        162473744754.jpg


                                                                      • Hedi
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                                                                          Do your buns jump thru the holes as well as chew on the wood?


                                                                        • Lucy
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                                                                            no… they’re only 6 inches tall.. so the can just get their mouths in the center to chew on. sorry that I didn’t say how big they were.


                                                                          • Hedi
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                                                                              Fruit tree branches, such as, apricot and peach are toxic while attached to the tree but not after they’re cut and dried (a month or more). Lisa McSherry and Rusty Fayter, who package The Busy Bunny baskets, share this research. Another tip they offer for your bunny’s safety is to keep your purchases of imported baskets limited to willow, the only basket material not sprayed with pesticide.

                                                                               

                                                                              I have a peach tree in my backyard….

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                                                                          Forum RESCUE EFFORTS FOR SHELTERS Raising $ to get our shelter buns fixed