Save-A-Pet
While my mind is running on about ways to make connections and find homes for your rescued piggies, I also thought it might be helpful to exchange some information on supporting your small rescue.
[Lynx, I'm waiting to hear from you on how much you REALLY want me to put on that sticky! Maybe this thread can serve as a growing database]
One of the ways that I have begun supporting the "hay habit" is by making C & C cages for people. If you know someone with a reseller's license (The Bunny Bunch has one so other nonprofits may as well), you can have them purchase coroplast for as little as 8$ a sheet--which includes the cutting fee. Or, you can plead your case to sign stores across town, buy a large quantity, then you mark it up.
I have found that A LOT of my adopters prefer to have me make their cage. Even though it's easy, they quickly give in when I matter-of-factly mention that I could just "throw it together and have it ready when we meet for the adoption." I tell them what colors I have and let them choose either plain cubes or multi-colored.
I take a C & C cage with me to events, along with some enlarged pictures from the CavyCages site and a laminated reprint of the instructions to show people how easy it is.
Now, this has burgeoned into something even bigger. The Bunny Bunch has asked me to put together a few cages, in different "styles" and they are going to sell them from their Boutique on the website. So far I'm working on a "fun" colorful cage for kids and a "deco" cage for adults.
I've even going to offer a variety of hay racks, most of which I found at Wal-Mart, Cost Plus, or Ralphs. They cost anywhere between 1$ and 5$ but of course I will sell them for more.
http://www.nikspiggies.org/racks.html
[Lynx, I'm waiting to hear from you on how much you REALLY want me to put on that sticky! Maybe this thread can serve as a growing database]
One of the ways that I have begun supporting the "hay habit" is by making C & C cages for people. If you know someone with a reseller's license (The Bunny Bunch has one so other nonprofits may as well), you can have them purchase coroplast for as little as 8$ a sheet--which includes the cutting fee. Or, you can plead your case to sign stores across town, buy a large quantity, then you mark it up.
I have found that A LOT of my adopters prefer to have me make their cage. Even though it's easy, they quickly give in when I matter-of-factly mention that I could just "throw it together and have it ready when we meet for the adoption." I tell them what colors I have and let them choose either plain cubes or multi-colored.
I take a C & C cage with me to events, along with some enlarged pictures from the CavyCages site and a laminated reprint of the instructions to show people how easy it is.
Now, this has burgeoned into something even bigger. The Bunny Bunch has asked me to put together a few cages, in different "styles" and they are going to sell them from their Boutique on the website. So far I'm working on a "fun" colorful cage for kids and a "deco" cage for adults.
I've even going to offer a variety of hay racks, most of which I found at Wal-Mart, Cost Plus, or Ralphs. They cost anywhere between 1$ and 5$ but of course I will sell them for more.
http://www.nikspiggies.org/racks.html
Ok, but if I get a lot of flak for this, I'll just blame you ;)
I don't keep rabbits in cages. Most of them are too small. So my rabbits, whether mine or foster (I have one and 2 more are fosters) live in large x-pens.
Here is a long view of the front of Chip and Witherspoon's home in my kitchen. That is a heavy fireplace screen in the front and the xpen is a few feet behind it. The floor is a seagrass mat which is safe for chewing.
http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/ead70b40 ... .A1sZSO2LP
I don't keep rabbits in cages. Most of them are too small. So my rabbits, whether mine or foster (I have one and 2 more are fosters) live in large x-pens.
Here is a long view of the front of Chip and Witherspoon's home in my kitchen. That is a heavy fireplace screen in the front and the xpen is a few feet behind it. The floor is a seagrass mat which is safe for chewing.
http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/ead70b40 ... .A1sZSO2LP
And this is a overhead view of the x-pen part (with additional litterboxes since Witherspoon is still in training). Part of the floor is grass mat and part is covered with thin cloth rugs:
http://nikspiggies.org/two.JPG
http://nikspiggies.org/two.JPG
And here is a pic of them grooming each other in the front part of the cage. They are really in love. I don't have the heart to tell them that they're not both guinea pigs.
http://nikspiggies.org/three.JPG
http://nikspiggies.org/three.JPG