JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS SMALL MAMMAL TRAINING Humane Society of Huron - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS SMALL MAMMAL TRAINING

Humane Society of Huron Valley

Agenda

 Learning about small mammals  How to visit  Practice with our small mammals  Questions and wrap up

What is Small Mammal Comforting?

 Hands on  Socializing  Some feeding

Who Will You Visit With

JV Approved:

 Rabbits  Guinea pigs  Hamsters  Ferrets

The Need for Small Mammal Comforting

Small mammals are animals that crave gentle attention and affection from

• ther rabbits
• r trusted

caregivers – that’s where you come in!

It’s a scary world out there!

Being scared acts as a survival technique for prey animals!

Thinking Like a Small Mammal

Why does eye placement matter?

 Ability to focus on

single objects

 Can find camouflaged

prey easier

 Stereoscopic vision

allows ability to judge depth

 Ability to see a larger

field of view

 Can see approaching

predators

 Can detect danger

even while feeding

Predator Prey

What does that mean for us?

 Many small mammals don’t like being picked up

and held.

 Don’t like loud noises or unexpected motions.  Need to learn to trust you.

Why don’t we pick up the rabbits?

When rabbits are lifted

• ff the ground they

become anxious This can cause them to try to jump out of your arms Rabbits have very powerful rear legs and thin fragile bones If handled improperly, they can break their own backs while being held

Be Careful!

 Caution must be used

at all times when working with rabbits, they are quite fragile and prey animals hide their injuries. Always report all potential injuries – even if the animal does not show signs of pain.

Rabbit Body Language & Vocalization

 Ears

 Up  Down and together  Flattened and not

together

 Body Carriage

 Lying on side, feet out  “boxing”  lunging

 Face

 Chin rubbing  Eyes closed during

petting

 Head bumping

 Feet

 Thumping  Fast hopping  Standing on hind legs  Binkying

Understanding Body Language

Rabbit Body Language & Vocalization

 Chattering teeth while

grooming or petting

 “Rabbit Honking”  Cooing  Grunting  Growling  Scream  Barking  Hissing

Happy Vocalizations Unhappy Vocalizations

Rabbit Food

Even if you don’t bring a snack for them, they will be happy for your attention!

 Rabbits love fresh herbs and various

greens!

 See “Rabbit Food” handout for a

complete list of the foods you may bring to feed rabbits

 There is often food in the cat kitchen

refrigerator you can give to the rabbits

While there are certainly other foods rabbits can eat, we ask JV to only bring food from this list. This helps us monitor our rabbits diets more accurately.

Rabbit Cage Comfort

 Rabbits like to have an escape route, our cages only

have one way in and out

 Rabbits are particular about their stuff – moving it

around can frustrate them.

 Cornering a rabbit in their cage simulates dominate

bunny body language, and removes their primary form of defense, running away.

What about the other small mammals?

 More vocal than rabbits:

they purr, chirp, and hiss

 More likely to freeze than

run

 Popcorning  Licking  Surprisingly active – they

can run for 2 miles a day

 Hamsters hoard – they

hide food in their enclosures and cheek pouches

 Listening

Guinea Pigs Hamsters

Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, and Hamsters all have similar behavior needs because they are all prey animals – but there are some differences. Rabbits are lagomorphs, a different type of animal than Guinea Pigs and Hamsters, which are rodents.

Guinea Pig Sounds

How to successfully socialize and provide enrichment for rabbits, guinea pigs, or hamsters at HSHV.

Small Mammal Visitation

Small Mammal Comforting

HSHV staff are very excited to work with our Junior Volunteers. You can always feel comfortable asking a question to anyone that works here – front desk or not.

 Sign into VIC  The front desk will tell you which staff

member is working with small mammals

 Partner with that staff member to

coordinate the rotations of JV approved small mammals and cleaning the room

Small Mammal Comforting

 An animal will be out exercising  Read notes about the animal  Interact with them appropriately

Small Mammal Comforting

 Read a book out loud  Work on homework  Interact with them  Bring a cardboard box to make a

bunny castle

 Feed a few approved foods  Grab a pile of towels for the small

mammal to burrow into

 Grab new toys from the cat kitchen

Small Mammal Binder

Just write:

1.

The date

2.

What you did with the animal

3.

What you

• bserved

4.

If you fed the animal a treat

5.

And your name

Small Mammal Socialization Tools

 Various cardboard  Toys  Bunny Brushes (cat

zoom grooms)

 The Ramp  Log Book  Approved Treats  You!

Hamsters Guinea Pigs Rabbits

Lets meet some small mammals!

No additional training required. Cat and dog JV Paw 2’s welcome!

New shifts open to all JV Paw 2 Volunteers!

5245 Jackson Rd Ann Arbor, MI 48103

“Tiny Lions Lounge and Adoption Center: JV Paw 2 Cat Enrichment” (Thurs, 4-5:30pm) “Tiny Lions Lounge and Adoption Center: JV Paw 2 Cat Feeding” (Tues-Fri, 4:30-5:30pm and Sat-Sun 4-5pm)

Questions?