Therapy Bunnies

If you are seeking a visit with the bunnies, please understand we are all volunteers, there is only one person who answers emails, gets the volunteers scheduled, schedules the visits with the facilities, gets the bunnies ready and that person also goes on EVERY visit. We do our best to accommodate everyone as much as possible, but everything depends on our volunteer availability. Bunny visits are free (unless indicated otherwise), we do however accept donations like paper towels, fleece blankets, baby toys like stacking cups or baby keys, blue Dawn, towels, white vinegar, trash bags 13 or 33 + gallon.

Please use our Therapy Bunny Visitation Request Form to request a Therapy Bunny Visitation.

We are available for Senior Health fairs, Autism, and other different ability groups.

Therapy Bunny Visitation Request Form

Nursing homes – Visits with nursing homes- at this time we can only do group visits, no room-to-room visits. If you are interested in us visiting, we will need

Place to leave our items, carriers, coats, etc.
Someone to walk around with us, ask residents if they would like to visit with us.

Assisted living – group visit, no room-to-room visits.

Read to SomeBunny program– Library Reading program – our Read to SomeBunny, Hop into Literacy program is an hour and a half and includes a “adoptable” bunny & certificate. If you are interested in us visiting we will need:

Table & chairs for each bunny being read to, we will determine that number according to number of children registered.
Someone to take care of registering, keeping time or getting the children to each bunny as needed.
Books available for kids

Afterschool Programs – we can modify this for different age groups. Talk with petting or read to a bunny.

Visits with schools – Short talk, we read a bunny story/petting. Educational talk on bunnies/petting.

Visits with Adult Disability Workshops or care centers – Talk/petting or petting.

Scout Organizations – if you are interested in us visiting, we will need:

Place to leave our items, carriers, coats, etc.
Table & chairs if we are speaking about rabbit care

In home visits- we do hospice or Make a Wish type visits

Birthday Parties – we can bring several bunnies, do a short talk, have petting. $50.00 for the visit.

Rescue rabbits that are outgoing, friendly, and calm are trained for six months along with their human counterparts. Each rabbit has to pass a health and temperament test by a veterinarian. They then go on visits while sitting in baskets or on a blanket.

What we do:

BIB Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) AAA—A rabbit or bonded pair of rabbits provide opportunities for motivation, education or recreation to enhance quality of life. Bunnies in Baskets volunteers provide AAA in a variety of environments with rabbits that meet specific criteria.

BIB Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) AAT—is a goal directed intervention in which a rabbit or bonded pair of rabbits is delivered by a health or human service provider working within the scope of their profession. Bunnies in Baskets AAT is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional or cognitive function. BIB AAT is provided in a variety of settings and may be group or individual in nature. The process is documented and evaluated.

Benefits of BIB Programs - A rabbit or bonded pair of rabbits can provide emotional and physical health benefits and can serve as communication catalysts. They can also serve as diversions during anxiety provoking procedures.

Verbal communication and sight are not necessary for positive interactions and may facilitate communication

A rabbit or bonded pair of rabbits can be included in behavior modification programs as a

source of support and diversion during threatening situations such as counseling.
A rabbit or bonded pair of rabbits provide a type of “reality therapy” by empathizing with the rabbit’s natural instincts and thus seeing life more objectively.
A rabbit or bonded pair of rabbits provide contact comfort
We provide an experience of “instant happiness” with those who need comfort and companionship.

Our VRT (visiting rabbit teams) are happy to visit nursing homes, schools, daycares, hospitals, scout groups, adult disability workshops, and events. We have a Read To SomeBunny reading program for libraries & schools. This service is free of charge but monetary or physical donations are accepted. Programs normally last an hour unless otherwise requested. For the comfort of the Therapy Bunnies, if an event will last 2 hours or more, please try and offer the following:

Area that bunnies can take a break
Place for the store the items we bring for the bunnies such as x-pen, tote with bunny items, stroller, water, hay and supplies.
We normally have 3-5 bunnies visiting depending on size of event & availability.