EnrichBits: A monthly look at animal enrichment Often our youth volunteers will help us do enrichment projects for the animals, and paper mache-ing balloons is a project I usually offer up to them, thinking it’s a good break from all the cleaning we ask of them. After the balloon dries we pop it and use the paper shell as a non toxic and ok-if-a-little-is-ingested toy that can hold hidden treats. This is use of both tactile and feeding/foraging enrichment.To myRead more
Posts tagged: #animals
Crickets
Many of our animals here at the museum eat live crickets. The bearded dragons, turtles, salamanders, and toads have crickets as part of their staple diet, and the alligators, trout, aviary birds, farmyard poultry, and opossums get crickets as enrichment treats. A local cricket farm delivers about 1500 crickets (I have no idea how they count them!) every other week, and we care for them until it’s time to be food for one of our other animals. The crickets liveRead more
Give a snake a break!
Marilyn’s recent post on Ball python #1 reminded me of a conversation I had with a visitor. We were discussing the size of snakes in North Carolina and how most people overestimate the length of a snake when they see one. Remember that when you are startled by a large snake, it is looking up at you from about an inch off the ground. Even if you are short like me you are probably 50 times taller than the snake!Read more
Creature Feature: Ball Python #1
Snakes are undoubtedly one of the most feared animals in the world (although several African cultures revere Ball Pythons as being sacred). Still, more often than not snakes are seen as terrifying pests, which is exactly why I chose Ball Python #1 to be the animal highlighted in this month’s Creature Feature. Ball Python #1 is a gentle 5 foot long female who weighs almost 6 lbs. and has been at the museum since 1993. She was found in someone’sRead more
Tree trimming at bears
We spent the last two Thursday mornings clearing vines and branches from around and over the bear fence. We also took down some trees that were dead- we were concerned they might fall on the fence. Joe, who works in the Facilities department, and Keeper Kent loaded up our supplies. Kent is using the pole saw to reach some large limbs that were precariously hanging in a cedar tree. There was a pine tree on the cliff outside the fenceRead more
new keeper
We don’t have a lot of job turnover here in the animal department, but one of our keepers recently left to pursue other interests. The interview process for a new keeper has just been completed, so a new person will be on board soon. Finding a new keeper who has the skills to balance out our team is really important. We all have different strengths: Keeper Kent is our reptile expert, and Keeper Jill’s focus is always making sure ourRead more