Forms are processed in the order in which they were received and time slots are given on a first come first serve basis. Please reply to the emailed quote with the confirmation that you would like to book the time slot. Time slots are not guaranteed until you receive an email confirmation and return the credit card authorization form as our contract agreement.

Payment is not collected until the week of the event, but a card on file is required to hold the time slot. 

We are open Wednesday-Sunday with events typically occurring between the hours of 9am - 5pm, but depending on the day, we may be flexible. We are often in and out of the office taking care of our animals, so if you call us, please leave a message to receive a response.

1. Look through our event package options and decide which is best for you!

2. Fill out and submit the reservation request form here (events are only booked through the form).

3. You will receive an email response within 2 business days with a price quote and some basic information about the package (please be patient in Spring and Fall, wait times can be longer in these busy seasons).

5. Reply via email if you would like to confirm the booking. Time slots are not guaranteed until we receive your confirmation.

6. Once you send an email stating that you would like to reserve that time slot, we will send you a confirmation email and add your event to our calendar. If the time slot is no longer available, we can look at other dates.

PLEASE NOTE: This process must be followed in order to make a reservation, it cannot be bypassed with a phone call or email, but we are happy to any any questions that cannot be answered below.

Our birthday, festival, educational, and therapy packages all have different setups to accommodate a variety of event types and number of guests.

Festivals - best for larger groups of people and free exploration/come and go.

Birthdays - best for smaller groups and a more controlled setting. Hands-on with petting and holding.

Educational - our educational events are presentation style. Kids will sit while our staff members present fun facts on the animals and walk them around for petting.

Therapy - best for facilities that are looking for lots of holding and one on one interaction!

PLEASE NOTE: We will show as Circle 4J Ranch LLC on credit card statements.

Upon receiving the confirmation email from us, please fill out the credit card authorization form (print or download) and send it back to us within 48 hours. Your credit card will not be charged until the week of the event - no deposit required. We call 1 - 2 business days before the event to confirm the final details and at that time, the card on file will be charged for the event. Please see below for late cancellation and rescheduling fees.

Tips for our employees are not expected but are appreciated and may be given in cash, check or any other way your staff member is okay with! Please do not include staff tips in your credit card payment to Circlr 4J Ranch LLC.

We are pros at setting up indoors or in a covered space outside if temperature allows and can make almost any space work! We need a heated or air conditioned space if temps are below 55 degrees and AC if above 80 degrees. The large animals can be outside regardless of temperature, but we do need a shaded space (always) and cover in the case of rain/snow. We always recommend having a backup option (tents, a garage, basement, gym, etc.)

Certain animals may not be available in high/low temperatures if a heated/air conditioned space is not available (chinchillas and large bunnies cannot tolerate heat or reptiles cannot tolerate cold weather).

Size requirements: 12ft X 12ft area for our small animal birthday packages and 20ft X 12ft for our larger birthday packages, but can usually accommodate a variety of areas -Just ask! We can set up in a living room, garage or covered patio area or under tents in your yard (if temps allow). In some cases, large animals can be outside and small animals inside!

Rescheduling the day of the event will be treated as a cancellation. Before booking your event, please take into consideration if you have a backup location in the case of inclement weather/extreme temperatures. If we need to reschedule due to unsafe driving conditions, the late fees will not apply.

We understand that plans can change. Our policy is designed to be as flexible as possible while covering the costs of last-minute changes that impact our small business. Please review our cancellation and rescheduling terms carefully, as they vary by location due to additional permits and logistics for events in Washington, DC.

For events in MD and VA:

Cancellations:

◦ More than 7 days in advance: 10% administrative fee to cover event preparation costs (non-refundable).

◦ Within 7 days of the event: 20% late cancellation fee.

◦ Within 48 hours of the event: 50% late cancellation fee.

Rescheduling:

◦ More than 7 days in advance: 10% administrative fee to secure your new date.

◦ Within 48 hours of the event: 15% late rescheduling fee.

Please Note: Rescheduling on the day of the event will be treated as a cancellation. 

Before booking your event, please take into consideration if you have a backup location in the case of inclement weather/extreme temperatures. If we need to reschedule due to unsafe driving conditions, the late fees will not apply.

Our minimum time scheduled for an event is one hour, but certain events have a 1.5 hour minimum on weekends (please see our list of Event Packages in the description). If you are unsure how long your party should be, just ask! Once we have all of your information on our Reservation Request Form we will be able to provide you with our recommended time. If you plan on having more than 20-25 guests interacting with the animals, we recommend at least 1.5 hours for birthdays. If you are expecting a high number of guests, but are unwilling to book the recommended time, we may not be able to accommodate your event because having a high volume of people in the petting zoo area at once impacts the safety of our animals, staff, and guests.

Yes, we are licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). We are fully insured and can provide proof of insurance upon request (additional charges may apply in order to be “additional insured”.)

We will arrive approximately 20 - 30 minutes before the start-time. We require a parking place for a full-sized van as close as possible to the set-up location - please keep in mind our staff are carrying animals, fencing, and supplies for the petting zoo For our larger packages we require a parking place for a full-sized van towing a horse trailer as close as possible to the set-up location. We usually recommend that we start the zoo about 15-30 minutes after your party starts in order to accommodate guests who arrive late.

The cost for travel is $1.50 - $2 per mile round-trip from our home-base to the event address and will be included in the projected invoice you receive as a part of initial response to your reservation request form.

Please see above for cancellation/rescheduling fees.

We usually recommend scheduling your event at least 1-2 months ahead of time. However, if there’s a date you know you want, the best thing to do is to book! Spring and Fall are especially busy, so best to plan ahead! Events in Washington DC must be scheduled 6 weeks ahead of time in order to allow the DC government time to process necessary permit applications.

We do not have a physical location that can be visited, we are a traveling petting zoo. We would love to attend an event at your location!

Many of our animals, ranging from guinea pigs to our are rescued/donated! Some of our animals, like our mini pigs, are born at the farm and benefit from being handled daily by staff and kids at events before adoption. Because we rescue many of our animals, the animals included in each package might shift depending on what animals we rescue and have on our farm at any given point. We are constantly adding new animals to our farm and try to bring new and exciting animals for guests to experience at events!