This is SUGAR, a blue eyed male bunny at Winterpast Farm petting zoo in Wake Forest NC.Many children who visit Winterpast Farm amaze their parents when they sit very still and love our sweet bunnies. Most bunnies are former pets who were donated to the farm. Farmer Mary has a rental program where you can take a bunny (or guinea pig) home (or to a classroom) by the week. The cost is only $40 including the cage and food and all supplies needed for a fun and highly educational animal experience. This fee goes directly to help feed all the former pets who now live at Winterpast Farm.
This “recycling” of existing pets gives many people a chance to really see what having a small pet in a cage is like. Most are returned with exclamations of utter amazement about how much they poop. It is MUCH better to find that out before actually buying one! “You don’t need to own it to love it” says Farmer Mary. She does allow some to be adopted as pets but they all go with an agreement that they can be returned at any time. Sometimes that is two weeks, six months even two years later!
Some families rent an animal every time their child is tracked out from school. Some children have to “earn” their animal rental by modifying some behavior. Farmer Mary, who was not allowed pets as a child, loves to hear about children earning their animal experience. Some rent for birthdays; some to ease the transition when a step-child visits. A local Grandma rents every Easter when her grandkids are in town; one family rents every time Dad is away on a long businss trip. Some local photographers have learned to rent a bunny or two from Winterpast for their Easter mini sessions; a bunny was once rented to help keep a child seated after knee surgery…
A pet rental could be a fun gift to a specific teacher or classroom. Ask your child’s teacher if they would like an easy care pet in the classroom for a day or two up to a week! This can be particularly good when a child needs a little social boost in their classroom. And the teacher won’t have to worry about a year long pet and who will take it home for the summer!
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