Did you know you can host a pet from Winterpast Farm Petting Zoo in Wake Forest North Carolina? For $50 you get the animal, cage, feed and everything you need for a week long educational animal experience. (Most bunny and guinea pig hosting opportunities are for a week but it can be fewer days for the same $50 price.) This $50 price is for bunnies, guinea pigs and groups of chicks and ducklings. Goat and lamb and hedgehog hosting is also $50 but by the day or possibly overnight explained below. Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately! Curbside pickup!
Please understand Winterpast Farm is located in Wake Forest North Carolina. Farmer Mary does not ever ship animals out of state for hosting. She has been getting nearly daily requests from all over the U.S. Winterpast Farm is located in Wake Forest NC. The animals must be picked up from the farm. No, Farmer Mary does NOT know a local farmer in YOUR geographic area who does pet hosting.
Please realize some animals are ONLY available seasonally. For example Farmer Mary very rarely has chicks and ducklings in winter. Lambs and baby goats are born in the spring. However, there are occasionally exceptions and you would see those animals posted as available at Winterpast Farm on FB or winterpast_farm on Instagram. Please follow the farm there and when you see the animal you want to host then TEXT Farmer Mary. Birthing is not an exact science and baby goats and lambs come when they come. Babies can’t be put on bottles if they are nursing. . Rarely Farmer Mary has an orphan goat or lamb on a bottle to host.
Please TEXT Farmer Mary with your specific requests. Please check posted open dates/hours and try not to ask to pick up animals to host on days we are posted closed. Please state exact dates you want to host, ages that will interact with the animal, where the hosted animal will be (a church? A preschool? A local park? A private home?????)the exact reason for the rental(a birthday for what age? a promposal?, a gag gift? ), remind Farmer Mary if you have hosted an animal or visited the farm, request an exact pickup time on an exact date-try to provide as much information possible so Farmer Mary can simply reply “yes” and avoid endless back and forth texts. Please give her a days notice to get a cage and supplies ready. 919-244-1800. Please do not FB message. Please do not Instagram message. Please do not leave voice mails. Please do not try to email. Texting ONLY please. Please TEXT 919-244-1800
Please understand Winterpast Farm is located in Wake Forest North Carolina. Farmer Mary does not ever ship animals out of state for hosting. She has been getting nearly daily requests from all over the U.S. Winterpast Farm is located in Wake Forest NC. The animals must be picked up from the farm. No, Farmer Mary does NOT know a local farmer in YOUR geographic area who does pet hosting.
Farmer Mary mostly has requests for guinea pigs and bunnies for a week long hosting experience. Quite often photographers host bunnies, chicks, even a baby lamb, when available. She has also taken a baby goat on a bottle to a girls slumber birthday party, a variety of farm animals to a country style event, a piglet to a family who was considering buying a pig (that family learned alot, had fun, and did not buy a pig pet!) Please note we will NOT be having baby pigs here for hosting again. She has taken a goat to be jokingly exchanged for a bride at a wedding, a baby goat, ducklings, chicks, a hen…just ask! TEXT TEXT TEXT
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST INSTEAD OF CALLING WITH QUESTIONS THAT ARE ALL ANSWERED HERE. If you are interested, it is always best to TEXT Farmer Mary at 919-244-1800 to ask about scheduling an animal hosting experience.
TEXT Farmer Mary with specific requests. Please check posted open dates/hours and try not to ask to pick up animals on days we are posted closed. Please state excat dates you want to host, ages that will interact with the animal, the reason for the hosting, remind Farmer Mary if you have rented or visited the farm, request an exact pickup time-try to provide as much information possible so Farmer Mary can simply reply “yes” and avoid endless back and forth texts. 919-244-1800. Please give her a days notice to get a cage and supplies ready.Please do not FB message, Instagram message, leave voice mails, or try to email. Texting ONLY please. 919-244-1800
Please don’t TEXT “I want to host a bunny”. Farmer Mary is VERY busy year round taking care of animals and having visitors at her farm. Farmer Mary does not have the spare time to text you back asking what date, what ideal pickup time, what ages will be interacting, will it be for a family or photography, have you visited Winterpast Farm before…… Please text a very detailed request like “I am interested in hosting a bunny for my children, aged 5 and 7. We have visited Winterpast and hope Marshmallow is available from June 7-14 while the children are tracked out. Ideal pickup would be June 7 at noon.”
Families and individuals host animals for a wide variety of reasons:
Considering adding a furry friend to your household? Try hosting first and try it out instead of buying! Most hosting experiences are for a week, although it usually can be extended (or shortened)
Dad out of town on a business trip? Miss him a bit less with a new furry friend to take care of.
Grandkids coming for a weekend or for a holiday? Host a nice bunny and be their very favorite Grandparent!!
Stepkids coming for a stay? Host a pet to help ease the transition.
Homeschool family studying animals…check with Farmer Mary and host something interesting to watch develop!
When you host a bunny or guinea pig you get:
1. a bunny (in a cage with a house and food and water bowls-sizes vary depending on size of bunny). Sometimes you get to pick from a few bunnies; sometimes Farmer Mary picks. If you pick please be aware you will only spend a few moments doing this. A very few moments. A bunny pick up (or drop off) is NOT a farm tour. Farm tours are arranged in advance and can easily be combined with an animal pickup if scheduled in advance. Farm tours are $10 per person. Some families decide to have a farm visit when they return the animal to the farm. A farm tour can be arranged at that time, but is a separate event with $10 per person admission.Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately! When you return your bunny please do not assume you are allowed to hang out for more than a very few minutes to get the animal back to Farmer Mary. Please pay for a farm visit if you want to stay a while.
When you arrive to pick up your host pet please remind Farmer Mary that you are here for a bunny hosting so she does not assume you are at the farm for a tour. Please plan to pay with exact change.Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately! Please be aware if you come pick up a pet to host during posted open visit hours you are an interruption to every paid farm visitor so realize the process must be very quick. When you return your bunny please do not assume you are allowed to hang out for more than a very few minutes to get the animal back to Farmer Mary. Please pay for a farm visit if you want to stay a while.
PLEASE tell Farmer Mary if you are hosting specifically to try out a potential pet. Some bunnies are NOT available for adoption. Some are. Some are being hosted by Farmer Mary while heir human is out of the country on business or vacation or on military service. If you bring along a food treat the bunny selection process will go more smoothly since our animals are used to being fed a treat while they sit on a lap. Please bring a food snack along like a small carrot or romaine lettuce or parsley or an apple slice.
2. A “bunny bag” which holds food, hay, water and food bowls, newspaper for bedding (some choose to buy their own shredded bedding-feel free), care instruction sheet, and a book about bunnies (or guinea pigs) and often age appropriate story books about the animal so your child can read more. Farmer Mary will explain animal care, feeding, holding tips, safety outdoors (she loans folding pens to families who enjoy spending time outdoors) in detail and she is available 24/7 by texting if you have questions during your hosting adventure.
Sometimes a folding pet pen goes along (Farmer Mary loves when these are donated!) so your child and bunny can safely spend some time outdoors together. PLEASE RETURN THEM!! When you return your bunny please do not assume you are allowed to hang out for more than a very few minutes to get the animal back to Farmer Mary. Please pay for a farm visit if you want to stay a while.
It is up to YOU entirely to see if your existing pets or pets in your neighborhood get along with the animals you choose to host. Always assume dogs won’t!
LIZZIE LOU the goat was taken by Farmer Mary to be, jokingly, exchanged for the wife at an outdoor wedding in Chapel Hill. The brides dad was happy to learn she was a temporarily hosted animal! A goat host experience comes with some food and hay and a water bowl, harness and leash. Baby goats and lambs cannot ever be let out loose in a yard. They should be on a held leash or on a lap at all times. ANY plant in your yard is probably toxic and just a few leaves can kill a baby goat or lamb. If you take them out in public watch VERY closely for dogs on retractable leashes who could very easily and very quickly kill a baby goat or lamb.
Baby chicks or ducklings are occasionally available to host. Fun for a classroom if you want to gift a teacher. Ask your teacher first! They are not always available.
Goat and lamb hosting experiences are growing in popularity. One day is $50. Hours may be limited depending on age. Nursing babies can’t be away from their Mom for very long Hours can usually be longer on posted CLOSED days. Baby goats and lambs are only born in the springtime. They are not always available. If they are nursing they can only go for a few hours. Nursing babies do not drink from bottles, Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately!
They can travel in your lap or in a crate provided by Farmer Mary. Teenage boys have been asking girls to prom with baby goats. Others host for fun. It is very important to not allow a goat or lamb to eat toxic plants while they are in your care. They could die. Best way to avoid is do not allow the animal to eat ANY plants anyone paid to plant. And no grass that has been chemically treated.
HOSTING SPECIFICS
If you decide you want to host please look at Farmer Mary’s open hours and text to ask if you can come a bit before or after (if possible). Please be very specific in your text about date and time and please don’t ask to come on a day she is closed.Please give her a days notice to get a cage and supplies ready.
Please don’t text “I want to host a bunny”. Then Farmer Mary has to text back asking what date, what ideal pickup time, what ages will be interacting, will it be for a family or photography, have you visited Winterpast Farm before…… Please text a detailed request like “I am interested in hosting a bunny for my children, aged 5 and 7.we have visited Winterpast and hope Marshmallow is available from June 7-14 while the children are tracked out. Ideal pickup would be June 7 at noon.”Please give her a days notice to get a cage and supplies ready.
Please bring a food snack for trying out potential animals. This could be kale, green beans, a carrot, celery…
Please do not assume you will have the chance to try more than a few animals. Farmer Mary knows best! Please don’t expect to stick around more than a very few moments to get your animal as Farmer Mary will probably have other paying farm visitors who need her attention. Plan on paying for a farm visit if you want to see all the other animals.
Plan on paying for a farm visit if you want to see all the other animals. A farm visit is a separate event costing $10 per person. Please do not plan to stick around before or after your pet rental pickup or return. Pet rentals are separate from farm visits unless you schedule both in advance.Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately! When you return your bunny please do not assume you are allowed to hang out for more than a very few minutes to get the animal back to Farmer Mary. Please pay for a farm visit if you want to stay a while.
Hedgehog hosting is $50 for a day or up to a few overnights. Currently we have SONIC who is a young male who is pretty good about coming out during the day. Most hedgehogs sleep all day and are not a good pet unless you are up all night. SONIC is very popular at farm and at away events and is not always available for hosting.
HEDGEHOG rentals are usually for an event or a few days but can go as long as a week for the same price ($50 cash). The hedgehog comes in a cage with wheel, house and food bowls and waterer. The supplies include more bedding, a book, instructions, a variety of food. Everything you need is included. Some hosts enjoy buying live meal worms at local pet stores for the hedgehog. Some enjoy watching youtube videos to learn how to give him a bath. Please limit baths to once during your hosting not daily!
Thank you for supporting a small local farm family.
If you decide you want to host an animal please look at Farmer Mary’s open hours and text to ask if you can come a bit before or after (if possible). Please be specific about date and time and don’t ask to come on a day she is closed. Please bring a food snack for trying out potential animals. Plan on paying for a farm visit if you want to see all the other animals.Please give her a days notice to get a cage and supplies ready.
Please do not assume you will have the chance to try more than a few animals. Farmer Mary knows best! Please don’t expect to stick around more than a very few moments to get your animal as Farmer Mary will probably have other paying farm visitors who need her attention. Plan on paying for a farm visit if you want to see all the other animals.
Please don’t text “I want to host a bunny”. Then Farmer Mary has to text back asking what date, what ideal pickup time, what ages will be interacting, will it be for a family or photography, have you visited Winterpast Farm before…… Please text a detailed request like “I am interested in hosting a bunny for my children, aged 5 and 7.we have visited Winterpast and hope Marshmallow is available from June 7-14 while the children are tracked out. Ideal pickup would be June 7 at noon.”Please give her a days notice to get a cage and supplies ready.
Plan on paying for a farm visit if you want to see all the other animals.Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately! When you return your bunny please do not assume you are allowed to hang out for more than a very few minutes to get the animal back to Farmer Mary. Please pay for a farm visit if you want to stay a while.
Texting Farmer Mary is always best. 919-244-1800
Sweet note below from a happy host of CINNAMON TOAST the guinea pig. She asked Farmer Mary to pass it along to anyone who hosts CINNAMON TOAST.
TEXT Farmer Mary with specific animal hosting requests. Please check posted open dates/hours and try not to ask to pick up animals on days we are posted closed. Please state exact ideal dates and exact hours you want to host, the ages that will interact with the animal, where the animal will be taken, the reason for the host experience, remind Farmer Mary if you have hosted an animal or visited the farm, request a pickup time-try to provide as much information possible so Farmer Mary can simply reply “yes” and avoid endless back and forth texts. 919-244-1800. Please do not FB message, Instagram message, leave voice mails, or try to email. Texting ONLY please. 919-244-1800
When you return your bunny or other animal please do NOT assume you are allowed to hang out at the farm for more than a very few minutes to get the animal back to Farmer Mary. Please pay for a farm visit if you want to stay a while.
Thank you for supporting a small local farm family animal rescue. Please spread the word about Pet Hosting and help Farmer Mary recycle existing pets instead of creating more.
Please understand Winterpast Farm is located in Wake Forest North Carolina. Farmer Mary does not ever ship animals out of state for hosting. She has been getting nearly daily requests from all over the U.S. Winterpast Farm is located in Wake Forest NC. The animals must be picked up from the farm. No, Farmer Mary does NOT know a local farmer in YOUR geographic area who does pet hosting.