Education Animal Handling Handbook

Transcription

Overview
Animal handling is a very exciting opportunity. However, with this opportunity comes much responsibility. Animal handling
is a limited activity that must be met with approval of the Volunteer Coordinator and Director of Education. As an animal
handler, take pride in what you are able to do by following the “Education Animal Handling Policies” and respecting the
animals you are trained to handle. The following are general guidelines that all animal handlers must abide by.
Training
Training of Animal Handlers will consist of multiple observed handling sessions and a sign off by the
Volunteer Coordinator and/or Director of Education. Every potential Animal Handler will go through an initial training,
which will cover the location of supplies and a basic overview of handling the individual species being trained on at the time.
Following the initial training, potential Animal Handlers must complete an indicated number of supervised handling sessions.
The number of sessions required per animal is determined by the handling level assigned to each animal. Once completion of
required supervised handling sessions, potential Animal Handlers must be signed off by all parties indicated at the bottom of
the handling guidelines for each animal. Volunteers are asked to sign off on themselves to verify they feel comfortable with
their new position as Animal Handler. Staff retains the right to deny animal handling opportunities or increase the number of
required handling sessions due to animal health, behavior and overall safety concerns for handlers, zoo guests and/or the
animal.
Level
Level 1:
Handling Levels
Animal
African Giant Millipede
Common King Snake
Desert Tortoise
Domestic Ferret-Teddy
Home’s Hinge-back Tortoise
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Ornate Box Turtle
Red-footed Tortoise
Yellow-footed Tortoise
Minimum Required Sessions
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Level 2:
African Bullfrog
Cane Toad
Domestic Rat
Emperor Scorpion
Southern 3-Banded Armadillo
Western Tiger Salamander
Uromastyx
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Level 3:
Gopher Snake
Prehensile-Tailed Skink
Sugar Gliders
Western Hognose Snake
5
5
5
5
Level 4:
Eastern Screech Owl
Green Iguana
Long-Tailed Chinchilla
Red-Tailed Boa
Virginia Opossum
Staff Discretion Only
Interested Volunteers must contact the Volunteer Coordinator to schedule times for handling sessions.
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Philosophy
Rolling Hills Zoo agrees with the AZA’s Conservation Education Committee’s Program Animal Position Statement as follows; the research underpinning the appropriate use of program animals as an important and powerful
educational tool provides a variety of benefits to zoo and aquarium educators seeking to convey cognitive and affective messages about conservation and wildlife.
The inclusion of animals in educational presentations is invaluable when:
the animal.
When utilizing program animals the responsibility of RHZ is to meet both high standards of animal care and educational goals. Additionally, as zoo professionals, the species' conservation needs and the welfare of the individual
animal are addressed.
The use of program animals is consistent with the mission and goals of RHZ and serves to further the conservation message and enhance the visitor and/or student experience.
Appropriate Settings
I. On-site programming
1. Informal and non-registrants:
a. On-grounds programming – examples include Animal Encounters, lectures, parties, special events,
and media
b. Children's zoo (Kid’s Country) and giraffe feeding station
c. Behind-the-scenes tours
2. Formal (registration involved) and controlled settings
a. School group programs
b. Summer Camps
c. Overnights
d. Birthday Parties
II. Offsite and Outreach
1. PR events (TV, radio)
2. Fundraising events
3. Field programs involving the public
4. School visits
5. Library visits
6. Nursing Home visits (therapy)
7. Hospital visits
8. Senior Centers
9. Civic Group events
Compliance with Regulations
In the use of program animals, RHZ complies with all relevant state and federal regulations related to animal welfare and
complies with the AZA Code of Professional Ethics and AZA Accreditation Standards.
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Conservation Education
The Rolling Hills Education Department takes live animal presentations in our programs very seriously. Specific biofacts and
animals are chosen according to audience age, location, and message to be conveyed. The younger students learn about animal shelter/habitat and the appreciation of nature while messages for older students and adults expand to include conservation status and encouragement towards social action.
Volunteers go through rigorous animal handling and interpretation training as outlined in the Education Animal Handling
Booklet. Respect of the animals is paramount. Wild animals, in captivity, are not to be treated or referred to as pets.
An evaluation component to our programs asks students to list three things they learned during the presentation. Often a
fact relating to the live animal is mentioned.
Human Health and Safety
Volunteers and staff take safety of the animal, self and participants’ seriously. The Education Animal Handling Booklet details how to present the animal in public and accepted locations for live animal visitor experience (near wash stations).
New volunteer orientation and training includes zoonosis as a component. Volunteer animal handlers, keeper staff and helpers preparing enrichment and diet must have an annual TB test. Volunteers are also educated on the importance of self
health vigilance regarding animal areas. i.e Do not apply make-up or insert contacts, do not eat in animal areas and always
wash hands. If a volunteer is feeling ill they are instructed to stay home and never to enter an animal area, especially primates.
Taxon Specific
The Education Animal Handling Booklet clearly states:
1. How to pick up and support education animals including crating and transportation, signs of stress, cleaning
carriers, and weather precautions.
2. Animal fact sheets with the conservation status of each animal.
These taxon-specific guidelines ensure all individual species are evaluated for use in education programs based on overall
health, history and behavior patterns. The decision to make an animal an education animal is made with the Veterinarian,
General Curator, and education staff.
Children three years of age and younger are not allowed to touch reptiles as well as those considered immune deficient. In an assembly-type setting the presenter (Director of Education, the Education Coordinator, or the Volunteer Coordinator) makes the decision whether to allow touching of the animals with regard to the size of the audience and noise level.
At any time during a program if the volunteer handler observes signs of stress, the animal is returned to the crate.
During animal encounters the animal is rotated depending on the individual animal. Encounter times are not to exceed 20
minutes per animal. Animals that are considered easily stressed are used sparingly and for a shorter amount of time while
others, with a more relaxed demeanor, can be presented for up to the maximum amount of time. All animals are rotated out
before exhibiting any signs of stress.
Area keepers are consulted before any education animal is removed for programs. When a long distance program is
scheduled the appropriate food and water is provided. While there is no restriction on travel distances, animals are not kept
out overnight. When traveling long distances low stress animals are preferred. Health-related concerns regarding any of the
education animal collection are immediately reported to the area keeper, staff veterinarian, and curator staff.
Staff Training
The Animal Handling Booklet consists of:
-volunteer requirements to handle education animals
- process for selection of qualified volunteer trainer
- re-training sessions
- procedure for reporting injuries to animals, volunteers or staff
- process for disciplinary action
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Guidelines for Using Education Animals in Programs
1. When removing an animal from their exhibit, a sign should be added to their exhibit tag (at a program, being
enriched, etc.) and the board should be written for each animal. When the animal in returned, remove the sign,
erase the board, & record the activity in the book (see #11).
2. Animals should be secured in a carrier when traveling between locations. Proper ventilation should be
provided. When transporting exothermic animals, such as amphibians and reptiles, provide adequate warmth
to carrier.
3. Traveling display cages should always be disinfected after each use. Provide natural habitat appropriate for the
species.
4. Volunteers must be approved and have passed the animal handling guidelines for the animals prior to using
them in programs or guest experiences.
5. Students/guests are never allowed to touch an education animal unless a hand washing station is readily
available.
6. Students/guests should be instructed to touch animal properly with the one or two-finger touch only.
7. Individual education animals should not be used every day. For instance, use one desert tortoise one day and
another desert tortoise another day.
8. Return the education animal to its enclosure immediately upon returning to zoo. Never leave an animal
unattended in a vehicle.
9. Contact Keeper before going down for animal handling training or to pick up animal for program. The
Keeper has the final say as to whether the animal is available on any specific day. Contact Keeper again upon
return of education program.
10. If animal is showing any signs of stress due to temperature or visit, return it to the security of its travel carrier
or enclosure immediately.
11. Upon return of the animal, complete the sign in book recording the response of the animal.
12. Animals in quarantine are not to be handled by volunteers.
13. Use the microwave in the commissary kitchen to heat the heating pad (see chart on next page to find
approximate/starting times).
Guidelines for Using Education Animals in Visitor Experiences
1. Staff and volunteers are authorized to use education animals in programs and in the park with prior approval
from the Volunteer Coordinator or Director of Education .
2. Be age appropriate:
Younger guests: ask them what they see, encourage the child to make hypothesis as to why
the snake is smooth…
With teens and adults share the conservation status and what they can
do to help the conservation effort
Uniform Guidelines for Animal Handling
When you are aware you are coming in for a program or animal handling training do not apply perfume/cologne
or wear long necklaces that may become entangled.
If there is a possibility you may be handling the opossum(s), green iguana, or skink, wear a long sleeve shirt.
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Heating Pad Care and Use Guide
Heat heating pads prior to getting animals. This will allow the heating pad to cool, if necessary and heat the carrier
while you retrieve the animals. Use this chart as a starting point for heating the pads. It may take more, or less
time, depending on the microwave. Use the microwave in the commissary kitchen, if the heating pad is UNSOILED.
If the heating pad becomes soiled inform the Volunteer Coordinator or Director of Education, so they can have
it replaced. DO NOT PLACE A SOILED HEATING PAD IN THE COMMISSARY MICROWAVE.
Once you have returned the animal to its exhibit, place the bedding in the laundry, disinfect the heating pad cover,
and inspect the heating pad before returning it.
Temperature Range
Approximate time in microwave
Common King Snake
74-76
20 seconds (flip after 10)
Ornate Box Turtle
75-80
75-80
Red-Footed Tortoise
75-80
Yellow-Footed Tortoise
75-80
Dessert Tortoise
75-80
Gopher Snake
74-76
70-75
15 seconds
Red-Tailed Boa
74-76
Uromastyx
78-82
Prehensile-Tailed Skink
75-80
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African Giant Millipede
Level One
House Name:
Birth Date:
1, 2, 3
Varied
Handling Attire:
N/A
Animal Restraint:
Millipedes should be placed in a cupped hand. They are allowed to walk from one
hand to another.
Handling Guidelines
Animal Presentation: Millipede should be displayed in hands
Groups of 25 or less may be allowed to hold millipedes. This should be done
with great care and supervision. Participants should hold both hands out flat,
and their hands MUST be resting on a table or the floor. The trained handler
should then gently place the millipede on the participant's hand for no more
than a few seconds before picking them back up. Animal handlers will be
trained to perform this task.
Signs of Stress:
Curling up
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
Travel Logistics
Small plastic aquarium with lid placed inside a Styrofoam box secured with a strap.
Soil - same as in their enclosure
Keep out of direct sunlight
NOTES:
If it appears any millipede is molting, do not use them.
On Grounds Animal Encounters
Visitor Experience:
Generally speaking the millipedes are a touchable animal. Handler must be near a
wash station before allowing guests to touch this animal while on grounds. Handler
must remind guests to wash hands after touching this animal.
Wash Stations:
Kids Country, Giraffe Station (including Restroom 2), Zoo Entrance (Restroom 1),
Museum entrance, & the Green Playhouse (seasonal).
One volunteer/staff person will work with animals one at a time. The animal currently being held must
be properly secured in its enclosure, travel or permanent, before handling another animal.
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Giant African Millipede
Animalia Arthropda Diplopoda Spirostreptida, Spirastreptidae Archispirostreptus gigas
Description: The Giant African Millipede is the largest species of millipedes.
Size: 11-12 inches long
Width: When fully grown they are typically as big a round as a thumb
Habitat: Tropical and Subtropical Forest floors.
Distribution: Africa
Diet: Decaying plant matter
Life Span: In captivity Giant African Millipedes typically live 7-10 years
Status: Stable
Special Characteristics:
 African Giant Millipedes are coved with a thick black cuticle.
 There are two pairs of legs to each body segment. Every time an adult molts it adds more segments containing
2 more pairs of legs. Typically adults have 100-400 sets of legs.
 They breathe through tiny pores along the side of the cuticle called spiracles.
 Millipedes are active mostly at night. They cannot close their spiracles so they are in danger of drying out during the day.
 They move their strong legs in a wave-like motion to burrow under leaves and other organic material.
 They tend to spend most of their time living in underground burrows and chambers.
 Millipedes secrete an irritating liquid when they feel they are threatened.
 Another defense mechanism is to curl into a tight spiral whenever they feel threatened.
 They have 4 legs per segment while the centipede has only 2 per segment.
Reproduction:
 Male millipedes have gonopods in place of their legs, usually on their 7th body segment from the head. The
gonopods are modified legs used for transferring the spermatophore to the female. In some millipede species,
the gonopods are visible, while in others they are hidden.
 The female makes a nest of compressed soil just below ground level
 A few weeks after mating, the female lays hundreds of eggs in this nest. The eggs do not become fertilized until after laying, and are covered with a tough, resistant coating to protect them from predators and poor environmental conditions.
 Sometimes the female will guard the eggs until they hatch 3 months later.
 The young are abandoned after hatching, but grow quickly.

Hatchlings have 3 pairs of legs and a few body segments and will take several years to grow to full size.
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Common King Snake
House Name:
Birth Date:
Level One
Tanner
01-Apr-03
Handling Guidelines
Handling Attire:
None
Animal Restraint:
Grab snake behind head gently but firmly. With other hand hold snake body for
support.
Animal Presentation: Snakes should be held with the head directed away from guests. Animal handlers
should keep one of their hands no further than 1/4 of the body length away from the
head. This will allow some free movement for the snake to keep it more relaxed, yet
does not allow it freedom to strike any great distance. Guests may touch the lower
back. Do not allow guests to touch the head or be within striking distance of the
head.
Under NO circumstance should program participants or zoo guests be allowed to handle animals. The
only direct contact they may have is touching those animals deemed appropriate by Zoo Staff. You go
through special training to have this opportunity.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
NOTES:
flighty movements (trying to get away)
labored breathing
hissing or striking
hiding
Travel Logistics
Black tool box
If needed, heat the heating pad to 74-76°F, in the microwave (test using the thermometer
in the Ed Room) and place it in the carrier. Be sure to cover it with the plastic pillow
case, and place a thermometer in the carrier, where the animal cannot get to it. place it in
the carrier. Place the snake in a pillow case that is large enough for you to tie it shut.
Place the pillow case in the toolbox.
Since reptiles are ectotherms, extreme weather conditions should be considered when
taking them on programs.
Guests should be reminded to wash their hands after touching this or any other rep
tile. Reptiles can carry the salmonella bacteria and all should be treated as such.
Visitor Experience:
Handler must be near a wash station before allowing guests to touch this animal
while on grounds. Handler must remind guests to wash hands after touching this
animal. Never set a reptile on public railings, tables, benches, etc.
Wash Stations:
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Common King Snake
Animalia Chordata Reptilia Squamata Colubridae Lampropeltis getulus
Description: There are 7 subspecies of the common king snake. They benefit the human population by controlling rodent and frog populations, and by killing other snakes such as rattlesnakes and cottonmouths.
Size: 3 to 6 feet long
Weight: Up to 3 pounds
Habitat: Grasslands, woodlands, farmlands, forests, marshes, valleys, deserts, river bottoms
Range: North America from Atlantic to Pacific coasts
Diet: Small mammals, lizards, birds and their eggs, small turtles, turtle eggs, frogs and other snakes
Life Span: Up to 30 years
Status: Not generally considered endangered; listed under the State Special Concern category by the Colorado
Division of Wildlife.
 Non-venomous constrictor
 Diurnal (active during the daytime, rests at night), nocturnal in the heat of the summer
 Terrestrial, but excellent swimmers and climbers
 Natural immunity to venom of cottonmouths, rattlesnakes, copperheads and other North American pit vipers
 Black head, body and tail speckled with a profusion of yellow, cream or white spots
 Constrictor
 Also known as the Speckled Kingsnake.
 Gives off a smelly musk when alarmed, may also bite
 Vibrates tail and may sound like a rattlesnake if in dry leaves or grass
 The scarlet kingsnake is often confused with the venomous coral snake.
Reproduction:
 Sexually mature at 3 to 4 years.
 The female produces clutches of 2 to 24 eggs between May and August.
 The eggs hatch 47 to 81 days.
 The babies are 8 to 13 inches long.
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Desert Tortoise
Level One
House Name:
Mongo, Noreen
Birth Date:
1985 Mongo
1960 Noreen
Handling Attire:
None required
Animal Restraint:
Tortoises should be picked up with two hands placed behind the front legs. Fingers
should be firmly gripping under the plastron (bottom shell) with thumbs over the
carapace (upper shell). Noreen has had surgery in the past, so please be gentle with
her plastron.
Handling Guidelines
Animal Presentation: Tortoises should be held as mentioned above with head directed away from guests.
Guests may touch the tortoises’ shell and back leg. Do not allow guests to touch the
tortoises head or knock on the shell
Under NO circumstance should program participants or zoo guests be allowed to handle animals.
The only direct contact they may have is touching those animals deemed appropriate by Zoo Staff.
You go through special training to have this opportunity.
Signs of Stress:
labored breathing
legs stretched out - unsupported
Travel Logistics
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
NOTES:
Visitor Experience:
Plastic Rubbermaid tub
If needed, heat the heating pad to 75-80°F, in the microwave (test using the ther
mometer in the Ed Room) and place it in the carrier. Be sure to cover it with the plas
tic pillowcase, and place a thermometer in the carrier, where the animal cannot get to
it. Cover with dry mulch.
Heating pad should be used for travel during cooler weather. Warming the vehicle is
also recommended before placing the animal in it for travel. Extreme weather
conditions should be considered when working with any reptile.
Wash Stations:
Kids County, Giraffe Station (including Restroom 2), Zoo Entrance (Restroom 1),
Museum, & Green Playhouse (seasonal).
One volunteer/staff person will work with animals one at a time. The animal currently being held
must be properly secured in its enclosure, travel or permanent, before handling another animal.
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DESERT TORTOISE
Animalia Chordata, Reptilia, Chelonia Testudinidae Gopherus agassizii
Description: The Desert Tortoise is the official reptile of both California and Nevada.
Size: Carapace up to 19 inches
Weight: 8-15 pounds
Habitat: desert washes, oases, rocky hillsides, canyon bottoms
Distribution: United States - Nevada, Arizona, California, Utah;
Mexico - Baja, Sinaloa, Sonora
Diet: herbivorous - grasses, cacti, desert blossoms
Life Span: 50-80 years
Status: Threatened
 Desert tortoise populations are in trouble due to habitat loss and destruction. Their habitat is destroyed by
motorcyclists who crush their shells and burrows. Cattle and sheep often overgraze the land. Miners build
“tailings” ponds in which the tortoises drown.
 Desert tortoise populations have also been threatened by a deadly respiratory illness carried by pet tortoises
released into the wild.
 Desert tortoises dig huge burrows where they seek relief from the desert’s extreme heat. Some burrows are up
to 32 feet long. If the average human were to accomplish a similar feat, he or she would have to dig a tunnel
115 feet long!
 It spends up to 95% of the time underground.
 The front of the plastron extends into a projection known as the gular horn which is more pronounced in
males. The males use it in fighting to overturn each other.
 They obtain most of the water needed from their food.
 They will dig catchment basins in the soil and may be found waiting by them when rain appears imminent.
 They also ingest rocks and soil for the minerals.
 Adults can live over a year without water.
 They can store water in their bladder and are able to tolerate high levels of urea in their blood to keep from
losing moisture through excess urination.
 A common way tortoises defend themselves is to empty their bladder if they are picked up or handled. This
can lead to their death from dehydration if they cannot find water soon.
Reproduction:
 Females dig funnel-shaped nests in sandy soils. Females lay 2-3 clutches (groups) of 5-6 eggs each year.
 Temperature of the developing eggs determines the sex of the hatchlings.
 Incubation is 90-120 days.
 Survival rate for juveniles is only 2-3%. Ravens have caused more than 50 percent of juvenile Desert Tortoise deaths in some areas of the Mojave Desert.
 Sexual maturity is a function of size rather than age, but can take up to 15 years.
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Domestic Ferret/European Polecat
Level One
House Name:
Birth Date:
Teddy
May 1, 2009
Handling Attire:
None.
Animal Restraint:
Hold animal with both hands in a cupped manor with thumbs and indexes over the
shoulders of the animal. These two fingers should be in front of its front legs.
Handling Guidelines
Animal Presentation: Ferret can be presented in multiple ways. First, they may be presented using both
hands cupped side-by-side extended toward the audience. Keep one or more fingers
on or near their back for quick restraint if needed. The other way to present them is
to cross your arms and keep them flat against your body. The ferret may then rest or
move about along your arms.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Flighty Movements (frantic movements)
Begin to nibble/bite handler
Travel Logistics
Pet carrier
The towel from their enclosure
Special: Mammals must be provided with water sometime during travel if they will be off zoo grounds for
longer than 3 hours.
NOTES:
If the ferret(s) are in a position that makes them hard to get to in their enclosure, grab
the entire box or item that they are in and move it to an easily accessible area in their
enclosure.
Visitor Experience:
Generally speaking this is a touchable animal. Handler must be near a wash
station before allowing guests to touch this animal while on grounds. Handler must
remind guests to wash hands after touching this animal.
Wash Stations:
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Domestic Ferret
Animalia Chordata, Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae Mustela putorius furo
Description: Domestic ferrets were first bred from the wild at least 2,500 years ago. For hundreds of years the
main use of ferrets was for hunting, or ferreting. They became popular as pets in the 1970’s. In the U.S., ferrets
rank third in popularity as pets, behind only dogs and cats.
Size: Ferrets have bodies of 15 to 18 inches long, with tails of 5 to 6 inches.
Weight: They weigh about one pound.
Habitat: Ferrets in the wild were found in temperate grasslands.
Range: The black-footed ferret was originally found from Southwestern Canada to Northern Texas.
Diet: Prairie dogs, mice, ground squirrels and other small animals.
Life Span: Ferrets can live up to 18 years, but the average life span is 8
Status: Ferrets are kept as pets, and are in plentiful supply. The Black-footed Ferret was considered extinct in the
wild by 1987, but has since been re-introduced in several areas.
 Domestic ferrets are descended from the European Polecat and related to weasels.
 Ferrets are still used for hunting (called ferreting) in some countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, where rabbits are considered a nuisance. Caesar Augustus sent ferrets to the Balearic Islands to control the
rabbit plagues in 6 B.C.
 From 1860 until the start of World War II, ferrets were used to protect grain stores from rodents.
 Ferrets spend 14 to 18 hours a day sleeping. They are “crepuscular”, meaning they are most active during
dawn and dusk.
 NASA has used ferrets to run wires and cables through large conduits. They quit using them because they
have a tendency to stop in the middle to take a nap.
 Since ferrets share many anatomical and physiological features with humans, ferrets are also used extensively in
biomedical research.
 Like many carnivores, ferrets have scent sacs near their anus. Secretions from these are used in scent marking.
Like a skunk, a ferret can release this scent when startled or scared
 Male ferrets are called hobs, females are jills, young are called kits, and a group of ferrets is known as a business.
 Ferrets are skillful climbers and good swimmers.
Reproduction:
 Both males and females mature at one year of age.
 Ferrets usually mate in March and early April.
 In about 45 days the female bears 6 to 8 young.
 In the wild, ferret kits are born in an enlarged prairie dog burrow. They live there about three months, then
separate from their mother about 3 months later.
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Level One
House Name:
Hawkeye
Birth Date:
1-Jan- 98
Handling Attire:
None
Animal Restraint:
should be firmly gripped under the plastron (bottom shell) with thumbs over the
carapace (upper shell)
Handling Guidelines
Guests may touch shell and back foot. Do not let guest touch tortoises head.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
flighty/frantic movements
labored breathing
Travel Logistics
Plastic Rubbermaid tub or aquarium
If needed, heat the heating pad to 75-80°F, in the microwave (test using the thermometer
case, and place a thermometer in the carrier, where the animal cannot get to it. Cover
with dry mulch.
Special:
NOTES:
Guests should be reminded to wash their hands after touching this or any other reptile. Reptiles can carry the salmonella bacteria and all should be treated as such.
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
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Home’s Hingeback Tortoise
Chordata, Reptilia, Testudines, Cryptodira, Testudinidae Kinixys Homeana Belliana
In chelonians, many families have developed a hinged carapace (top shell), which afford greater protection to the vulnerable limbs and
body of the turtle. However, the genus Kinixys comes from the fusion of tow Greek works: kineo (to move) and ixus (back or waist); together they mean ‘movable back’.
Size: the carapace can reach 8” long.
Habitat: Forested areas
Range: West Africa from Liberia and Ivory Coast eastward to Zaire
Status: Not listed as endangered; however they are being exported out of their native areas in large numbers because of their unique
shells.
Diet in the Wild: Greens, snails, insects such as millipedes and beetles.
Behavior: They are relatively active; will burrow in the ground or excavate hollows for a resting site; enjoys shade and some sun; soaks in
water holes as they prefer a somewhat humid, moist environment. Their health will suffer if kept too dry.
Special Features:
 The Kinixys are the only living tortoises in which the carapace contains a movable hinge.
 The hinges allow the back of the shell to clamp down so the back legs and tail have increased protection from predators.
 They can retract their head quite far when threatened, bringing its front legs in to seal the anterior opening in the carapace; the knees
meet in front of the head with the feet pointing to either side. The enlarged scales of the forelegs face outward in this position, protecting
the legs themselves.
 The toes are unwebbed. Limbs are developed for walking on land and for digging.
Breeding and Caring for young:
 Males are territorial and will battle other intruding males especially during breeding season.
 Normal clutch is two to four oval eggs; with multiple clutches produced in a breeding season.
Newborns are 1.5 to 2” long.
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Level One
House Name:
Birth Date:
1, 2
Varied
Handling Attire:
NA
Animal Restraint:
Cockroaches should be restrained with great care. They should be resting in one
hand which is cupped, applying slight pressure just behind the head with thumb.
Handling Guidelines
Animal Presentation: Roaches should be displayed in hands
Under NO circumstance should program participants or zoo guests be allowed
to handle animals. The only direct contact they may have is touching those
animals deemed appropriate by Zoo Staff. You go through special training to
have this opportunity.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
Flighty movements (continual movements to get away)
Hiding
Constant Hissing
Travel Logistics
Small plastic aquarium with lid inside a Styrofoam box with a strap to secure the lid.
No special bedding needed. Piece of wood to cling to if traveling long distances.
Keep out of direct sunlight
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
17
Animalia Anthropoda Insecta Blattaria Blattidae Gromphadorhina portentosa
Description: Cockroaches are found on every continent, including Antarctica. They are considered the most
primitive of insects because they have not changed in the last 250 million years.
Weight: .2 to .3 ounces
Habitat: Floor of tropical forests, near river banks, around logs or trees.
Distribution: Madagascar
Diet: Various plant and animal matter
Life Span: In captivity 2 years
Status: Stable
 Males have a set of protrusions resembling two humps on their head. They use these horns to ram other
males when establishing or defending their territory.
 Along the sides of its body is a row of holes called spiracles used for respiration. When the Hissing Cockroach
is threatened, it depresses its abdomen sending air out of its spiracles producing a loud hissing noise scaring the
predator.
 The hissing noise is also used as a means of communication during courtship and mating and by males to defend their territories from other males.
 All insects have three body segments: the head, thorax and abdomen. The Hissing Cockroach has an outer
shell that extends over the head and the entire body for protection.
 Unlike some cockroaches, the Hissing Cockroach does not have wings.
 Nocturnal
 The cockroach is invaluable for recycling a large majority of the earth’s dead and decaying plant and animal
matter. Without the cockroach, tropical forests would smother and die from dead and decaying vegetation.
 Lives in large colonies. One male will dominate and hold a territory with several females. No other male is allowed in. If another male enters, it is pushed out of the territory by the dominate male. Females may come and go
within these male dominated territories.
 Besides the normal insect predators, the Hissing Cockroach must deal with a tiny cockroach mite that feeds on
its body.
Reproduction:
 Mating occurs throughout the year, but only if the climate is warm.
 After separating, the female stores fertilized eggs in her ootheca, an inch long, yellowish egg case. The ootheca
may be kept inside or outside the body of the female.
 At least 60 days later 15-40 cockroach babies called nymphs are born.
 Nymphs will molt 6 times in 6 months before becoming sexually mature. Adults do not molt again.
18
Education Animal
Handling Handbook
Ornate Box Turtle
House Name:
House
Name:
Birth
Date:
Birth Date:
Level One
April
26-Apr-13
Handling Guidelines
Handling Guidelines
None.
Rubbershould
Gloves
with
Frogthe
Water
hour
RO water)
Turtles
besprayed
picked up
from
back,(24
with
oneorhand.
Fingers should be firmly
gripping under the plastron (bottom shell) with the thumb over the carapace (upper
Animal Restraint:
Toads should be picked up with both hands around the mid-section. The handlers
shell).
thumbs should rest slightly on the back of the toad, holding it in place.
Animal Presentation: Turtles should be held as mentioned above with head directed away from guests.
Animal Presentation: Guests
Toadsmay
should
be displayed
their display
touch
the turtles’inshell.
Do not case
allowonly.
guests to touch the turtles head.
Handling Attire:
Handling
Attire:
Animal
Restraint:
SignsofofStress:
Stress:
Signs
Hissing
Retreating into shell
Travel Logistics
Trying to get away
Travel Enclosure:
Clear plastic critter carrier.
Bedding:
Sprinkle
litter
over bottom
or a towel,
with Frog
Under
NO circumstance
should
program
participants
or mist
zoo guests
be water.
allowed to handle animals. The
Special:
Carry
the
frog
water
with
you
when
traveling.
NOTES: One volunteer/staff person will work with animals one at a time. The animal currently being
held must be properly secured in its enclosure,
travel
or permanent, before handling another animal.
Travel
Logistics
Travel Enclosure:
Gray Rubbermaid container.
Onheating
Grounds
Encounters
Bedding:
If needed, heat the
padAnimal
to 75-80°F,
in the microwave (test using the thermometer
Visitor Experience: case,
Handler
must be
near a wash in
station
beforewhere
allowing
tocannot
touch this
while
and place
a thermometer
the carrier,
theguests
animal
get animal
to it. Cover
on grounds. Handler with
mustdry
remind
guests
to
wash
hands
after
touching
this
animal.
Handlers
must
learn
fact
mulch or towel.
sheet information for this animal.
Special:
Wash Stations: Kids County,
Giraffe Station
(Restroom
next
door also,
Zootravel.
Entrance
(Restroom
1)
also recommended
before
placing2the
animal
in it for
Extreme
weather
held must be properly secured in its enclosure, travel or permanent, before handling another animal.
Visitor Experience:
Handler must be near a wash station before allowing guests to touch this animal while
on grounds. Handler must remind guests to wash hands after touching this animal.
Handlers must learn fact sheet information for this animal. Never set a reptile on public
railings, tables, benches, etc.
Wash Stations:
19
Ornate Box Turtle
Animalia Chordata Reptilia Chelonia Emydidae Terrapene ornata
Status: Near Threatened
Habitat: Plains, gently rolling grasslands
Range: Eastern US to tall grass prairie of Kansas to Texas
Diet: Primarily the Ornate Box Turtle is carnivorous however it will sometimes eat plant material
Size: 3.7-6 inches
Life Span: 70+ years
Fact File
 Diurnal
 Terrestrial
 Will hiss (and/or defecate) when surprised or alarmed
 Hibernates in winter
 Most active from April to October
 Can be poisonous if eats toxic, or poisonous, foods (poisons linger in skin tissue)
 Also known as the Western Box Turtle
 Spends its day basking, foraging, and resting
 They are able to sense if their insect prey are moving or stationary, but scientist haven’t figured out how (is it
vision or hearing?)
 If the turtle senses a predator (and they have many, coyotes, domestic dogs, hawks, skunks, and copperheads,
to name a few) they will pull all limbs (head, tail, legs) into their shell & tighten their shell around themselves.
While this makes it harder for predators with adults, juveniles and young still have a high mortality rate.
 Box turtles will also freeze or retreat to water for protection.
Threats to Survival
 Habitat destruction
 Conversion of habitat to farmland
 Vehicle strikes
 Predation
 Pet Trade
20
Red-Footed Tortoise
Level One
House Name:
Nadia, Clara, Mabel
Birth Date:
1990 Nadia
1984 Clara & Mabel
Handling Attire:
None required
Animal Restraint:
Handling Guidelines
Guests may touch the tortoises shell and back leg. Do not allow guests to touch the
tortoises head. And never allow anyone to knock on their shell.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
labored breathing
Travel Logistics
it. Cover with dry mulch.
Special:
NOTES:
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
21
SOUTH AMERICAN RED-FOOTED TORTOISE
Animalia Chordata, Reptilia, Chelonia Testudinidae Geochelone carbonaria
Weight: Up to 20 pounds
Habitat: moist savannas & forests
Distribution: South America; introduced on some Caribbean islands
Diet in the wild: grasses, fallen fruits, succulents, carrion
Lifespan: 40-50
Status: This tortoise is not listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species but is listed on CITES: Appendix
II which means they cannot be exported from their native lands without a special permit.
 Red-footed tortoises are named for the red spots (scales) visible on their front legs.
 As red-foots mature, both sexes develop a unique mid-body constriction (some have referred to it as a "waist")
that, from a top view, gives the tortoises a decidedly hourglass appearance. This "hourglass" figure is more
developed in males than in females.
 Nomadic rather than territorial and follow food sources;
 Red-foots can tolerate long periods of time without food and water
 They are called the farmers of the rainforest because they disperse seeds.
 These tortoises are hunted for food and for their shells. During Lent they are consumed in huge amounts.
 Tortoises have no ears but respond to low frequency sounds.
 They have blood vessels and nerve endings in their shell and can feel pain.
 The red spots on the legs attract the mates. The brighter the spots, the more attractive the male.
 The bumps on their back are not normal. They were caused by eating too much protein when they were
young.
Breeding and Reproduction
 Red-footed tortoises mate mainly during the rainy season but year round in captivity. Males distinguish other
males from females by watching their head movements. If no responsive head movement is seen after two
tortoises encounter each other, the male assumes that the stranger is a female.
 Male to male combat is important to induce breeding
 The female digs a cavity in which to deposit her eggs or deposits them in leaf litter.
 A female may lay a group of 2-15 eggs at one time. (A group of eggs is called a clutch.) Several clutches may
be laid during the nesting season.
 Incubation is 105-202 days
22
Level One
House Name:
Birth Date:
Myrtle & Matilda
20 Dec 2001
Handling Attire:
None.
Animal Restraint:
Handling Guidelines
Guests may touch the tortoises shell and back leg. Do not allow guests to touch the
tortoises head.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
labored breathing
Travel Logistics
If needed, heat the heating pad to 75-80°F, in the microwave (test using the thermome
ter in the Ed Room) and place it in the carrier. Be sure to cover it with the plastic pillow
case, and place a thermometer in the carrier, where the animal cannot get to it. Cover
with dry mulch.
Special:
NOTES:
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
23
Animalia Chordata Reptilia Chelonia Geochelone denticulate
Status: Classified as Vulnerableon the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix II of CITES
Habitat: tropical evergreen and deciduous forests.
Range: South America, Trinidad and Tobago
Length: 16-20 inches
Weight: 25-35 pounds
Diet: Omnivore, feeding on leaves, vines, roots, bark, fruits and flowers, as well as fungi, insects, snails and carrion
Lifespan: 50-60 years
Fact File:
 The largest tortoise on the mainland of South America, this tortoise gets its name from the yellow spots on the
front of his forelimbs.
Males of this species are generally larger than females, and can also be distinguished by their longer, thicker tails,
more elongated carapace, and concave plastron.
It is thought that the more elongated carapace of the male is better suited to moving through the dense understory
of the forest, while the shell of females is adapted to store eggs.
 These tortoises also eat soil, sand and pebbles to assist the digestion of foods since this tortoise tends to swallow foods whole.
 Yellow-foots have elongated prefrontal scales and a fragmented frontal scale. Red-foots have shortened prefrontal's and an intact frontal scale.
 Males make head movements toward each other while females do not.
 Are considered nomadic and not territorial.
 These tortoises make a sound like a baby cooing with a raspy voice.
 Yellow-footed tortoises are hunted for food in their native countries. Tortoises are considered "fish" by the
Catholic Church and during holy week, red and yellow-foots are consumed in huge quantities.
 In some parts of Venezuela the local people may set fire to entire hillsides so that they are able to harvest exposed (and presumably often roasted) tortoises.
Breeding and Reproduction




Mating season is when the fruit is most abundant since the fruit provide males more energy to search for females.
Females can lay several clutches per year, each containing 4-8 eggs. There can be as many as 20 eggs in the
clutch.
Incubation is 4-5 months.
Maturity is 8-10 years.
Threats to Survival:
 habitat loss
 food markets
 pet trade
24
African Bullfrog
Level Two
House Name:
Birth Date:
Dolores Umbridge
2005
Handling Attire:
Handling Guidelines
Wash , dry, and drench hands in 24-hour water.
Animal Restraint:
Frogs should be picked up around the midsection of their body with one hand, then
supported in the palm of the handler's other hand.
Animal Presentation: Frogs should be displayed in their travel enclosure only.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
labored breathing
Travel Logistics
Clear, plastic critter carrier
Bedding:
Place towel in the bottom of clear plastic carrier and dampen with 24 hour water.
Set black sleeve over the frog for shelter.
Special:
Travel enclosures should be placed in a Styrofoam cooler for travel during cooler
weather. If container is too large for cooler, warm vehicle and quickly place tub I
inside vehicle. Extreme weather conditions should be considered when working with
any amphibian.
NOTES:
Guests should never be allowed to touch amphibians. In general, amphibians breath
through tiny pores in their skin. Oils on human skin have the potential of clogging
these pores.
Wash Stations:
This is a “no touch” animal
25
AFRICAN BULLFROG
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Ranidae
Pyxicephalus adsperus
Description: The African Bullfrog is one of the largest frogs in Africa.
Length: 4-9 inches
Weight: 3 pounds
Habitat: Near waterways, rivers, streams, and other wet spots in open country or arid and semiarid areas
Distribution: Throughout Central, Eastern, and South Africa.
Diet: The African bullfrog will eat almost anything that it can fit into its mouth. This includes insects, small
fish, mice, and even small birds. It may even eat lizards or other frogs, if it can overpower them. It is also
known to eat venomous snakes such as the spitting cobra.
Life Span: 40 years
Status: Least Concern
 It has a chubby round body and big broad head, with a large mouth.
 Its front feet have short blunt toes, with no webbing, while its hind legs are strong and are used to dig holes where
it hides itself. Its hind feet are webbed.
 Juveniles have several yellowish stripes on their backs, which fade as they mature. This coloring allowed the bullfrog to blend into its surroundings and lie in wait for its prey undetected.
 They don't have teeth, but their strong jaws are lined with points like a saw blade which are also used to fight off
predators.
 It will swell up its body to make itself look even bigger and more intimidating. Its aggressive behavior and a tendency to defend itself by attacking intruders with mouth agape can often protect it from predators such as larger wading birds, pelicans, Nile monitor lizards, driver ants, mammals, and even humans (who consider this bullfrog a delicacy to eat).
 During the dry season the African bullfrog hibernates underground for up to 10 months or even as long as 2 years.
It is protected by the mud it has burrowed into, as well as a mucous cocoon which becomes hard once it dries. When
the rainy season returns, the rains seep into the ground and soften the cocoon, allowing the bullfrog within to free itself
and emerge from the mud.
 It spends much of its time either sitting quietly or burrowed partly into the mud near watering holes or other wet
areas, hidden from its prey by the mud. It waits until something appealing wanders close enough to its hiding place,
and then lunges out to grab its victim.
 Since they cannot swallow, they used their forelimbs, tongue and eyeballs to push their food down their throat.
 When not hunting the bullfrog will just spend its time sitting in puddles or in shallower water.
 The African bullfrog has a good sense of smell, hearing and sight.
 Bullfrogs use their loud, roaring bellow calls to locate one another, especially during mating season.
Reproduction:
 During the short rainy season, the frogs quickly find mates. Then each female lays as many as 4000 eggs in a
muddy pool.
 In just two days, the eggs hatch into tadpoles.
 The males will stay around the tadpoles to protect them from predators. They will even dig canals between
puddles to keep them from drying out.
 In less than three weeks, the tadpoles become little adults. Then they make hogs of themselves, gobbling prey until
the rains stop.
 They mature at 1 ½ to 3 years but it takes 20 years to reach their full size.
26
Cane Toad
Level Two
House Name:
Birth Date:
Terminator
1-Jan-13
Handling Attire:
Handling Guidelines
Rubber Gloves sprayed with Frog Water (24 hour or RO water)
Animal Restraint:
Toads should be picked up with both hands around the mid-section. The handlers thumbs
should rest slightly on the back of the toad, holding it in place.
Animal Presentation: Toads should be displayed in their display case only.
Signs of Stress:
Peeing, labored breathing, flattened body, frantic hopping, vocalizing
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
Travel Logistics
Clear plastic critter carrier labeled “Cane Toad.”
Sprinkle litter over bottom or a towel, mist with Frog water.
Carry the frog water with you when traveling.
held must be properly secured in its enclosure, travel or permanent, before handling another animal.
Guests should never be allowed to touch amphibians. In general, amphibians breath through tiny pores
in their skin. Oils on human skin have the potential of clogging these pores.
NOTES:
Wash Stations:
these pores.
This is a “no touch” animal.
27
Cane Toad
Animalia Chordata Amphibia Anura Bufonida rhinella marinus
Habitat: Ranges from sandy dunes to grasslands and woodlands, coastal heaths, margins of rainforest and mangroves, abundant in urban and open areas
Range: Northern South America into central America
Diet: Omnivore (anything it can swallow (including pet food)). Mainly insects
Size: 4-6 inches
Weight: about 2.9 lbs
Fun Facts
 A group is known as a knot or a nest.
 Poisonous throughout their lifetime
 Introduced into Queensland Australia as predator for the cane beetle; however, the cane beetle and toad are
opposite in lifestyle (diurnal vs. nocturnal, terrestrial vs. arboreal).
 Also known as the Giant Toad & the Marine Toad
 Nocturnal in summer and Diurnal in winter
 Can survive the loss of 50% of body water
 Can survive in temperatures ranging from 41-104 degrees F.
 Predators eat by flipping over and killing from belly side and eating mildly poisonous innards.
 This is one of the largest toads in the world.
Reproduction
 Females lay 8,000-35,000 eggs at one time and lay two clutches/year
 Eggs hatch within 24-72 hours
 Tadpole stage lasts from 3-20 weeks (dependent on food supply & water temperature)
 Sexual maturity is reached at 12-18 months (depending on area (tropical vs. temperate Queensland).
28
Domestic Rat
House Name:
Birth Date:
Handling Attire:
Animal Restraint:
Level Two
Ginger (solid brown head), Mary Ann (brown head with white stripe)
Jan 2013
Handling Guidelines
None.
Hold animal with both hands in a cupped manor with thumbs and indexes over the
shoulders of the animal. These two fingers should be in front of its front legs.
Animal Presentation: Rats can be presented in multiple ways. First, they may be presented using both
hands cupped side-by-side extended toward the audience. Keep one or more fingers
on or near their back for quick restraint if needed. The other way to present them is
to cross your arms and keep them flat against your body. The rat may then rest or
move about along your arms.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
NOTES:
Flighty movements (frantic movements)
Begin to nibble/bite handler
Travel Logistics
Pet carrier
Towel
Mammals must be provided with water sometime during travel if they will be off zoo
grounds for longer than 3 hours.
If the rat(s) are in a position that makes them hard to get to in their enclosure, grab
the entire box or item that they are in and move it to an easily accessible area in their
enclosure.
Visitor Experience:
animal.
Wash Stations:
Kids County, Giraffe Station (including Restroom 2), Zoo Entrance (Restroom 1), Mu
seum, and the Green Playhouse (seasonal).
29
Domestic Rat
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Muridae Rattus norvegicus
Description: The domestic rat is also known as the Norway rat, brown rat or common rat. Originally native to
central Asia, it can now be found from city to crop field on every continent except Antarctica.
Size: Head and body 8-10 inches long, tail 6-8 inches long
Weight: 10-18 ounces
Habitat: Sewers, storm drains, vacant buildings, basements, garbage dumps, salt marshes, fields and woodlands
Range: Every continent except Antarctica
Diet: Almost anything ranging from grains to garbage to other rodents
Life Span: 3 years
Status: Stable
 Nocturnal
 Scaled or naked tail is used for balance and also helps control body temperature.
 Their feet do not have thumbs.
 Poor eyesight and colorblind.
 Social mammal with very good sense of smell
 Very clean animals, rats will spend several hours per day grooming.
 Can survive 14 days without food and will resort to cannibalism if no other food is available.
 Home range is 50 meters, but will travel 2-3 miles for food
 Some of its predators are snakes, owls, hawks, weasels, minks, domestic cats and dogs
 The rat is the most destructive animal in the world. In the United States, each year, they consume and damage
foodstuffs and property valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
 Rats cannot vomit.
 Came to the United States with the early colonists
 Lives in groups of 15 to 220 individuals
 Can swim 1/2 mile in open sea and tread water for 3 days.
 Ancient Romans looked at rats as good luck charms.
 Rats are routinely worshiped and fed in the Karni Devi, a temple completely devoted to them. These thousands of wild rats never gave any of their worshipers infected Bubonic fleas even during the plague years – scientists suspect this is because being territorial they kept invading rats (and their fleas) out of the area.
Reproduction:
 Sexually mature at 3-4 months.
 The dominant male defends his territory and harem of females from other male rats.
 Gestation is 21-23 days.
 Females, does, are capable of mating 18 hours after giving birth and reproduce until they are about 2 years old.
 Regardless of who the mother is, the females care for all the young collectively. The males, bucks, are not involved with the care of the pups.
 Litters number from 6-8 per year, with an average to 7 pups per litter.
 The young are independent at about 4 weeks.
30
Emperor Scorpion
House Name:
Birthday:
Level Two
Uno
October 29, 2012
Handling Guidelines
Handling Attire:
Gloves
Animal Restraint:
Scorpion will sit quietly on hand or branch.
Animal Presentation: Scorpions need to be displayed sitting on gloved hand. Do not allow them to crawl up and
down your arm.
Under NO circumstance should program participants or zoo guests be allowed to touch or to handle animals. This is a NO TOUCH animal.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
Standing up on puffed out legs.
Tail curled tightly over the back.
Travel Logistics
Small plastic container with lid
Soil, same as their enclosure with refuge to hide under.
Keep out of direct sunlight.
NOTES:
One volunteer/staff person will work with animals one at a time only. The animal
currently being held must be properly secured in its enclosure, travel or permanent,
before handling another animal.
Visitor Experience:
This is a NON-TOUCHABLE animal during Animal Encounters.
Wash Stations:
31
Emperor Scorpion
Animalia Arthropoda Arachnida Scorpiones Scorpionidae Pandinus imperator
Description: Although not the longest, the Emperor Scorpion is the largest of the scorpions and has a dark body
ranging from dark blue/green through brown to black.
Size: 6-8 inches
Weight: 2 ounces
Habitat: Tropical forests and open savannas
Distribution: West Africa
Diet: Insects, arachnids, mice and small lizards
Status: The emperor scorpion is threatened by over-collection for the pet trade, and by continuing destruction of
its habitat through deforestation
 Has poor eyesight but uses sensory hairs that cover the pincers and tail which enable the scorpion to detect
prey through air and ground vibrations.
 Fluoresces greenish-blue under ultraviolet light.
 The front part of the body consists of 4 sections, each with a pair of legs. Behind the fourth pair of legs are
comb-like structures that are used to sense the texture that are longer in males.
 The long tail curves over the body ending in a large receptacle called the telson containing the venom gland.
 They use the pincers to kill and manipulate prey, reserving the sting for larger prey or for use in self-defense.
 They burrow into termite mounds, beneath the soil and hide beneath rocks and debris.
 Scorpions have existed for over 300 million years and have remained relatively unchanged.
 Nocturnal, they are very sensitive to light and sudden illumination.
They are social and have been found in colonies of up to 15 individuals.
Reproduction:
The emperor scorpion engages in an elaborate courtship dance in which the male holds on to the female’s pincers
and moves around to find a suitable place on the ground to deposit his spermatophore. Once deposited, he maneuvers the female over the area so she can receive the sperm.
 Gestation is 7-9 months.
 Ovoviviparous, the female gives birth to 9-32 live offspring.
 The young climb on the mother’s back and remain there until the first molt.
 The young are born white and will darken with each molt.
 Mature after 6-7 molts which can take several years..
 Mother emperor scorpions have been known to have cannibalistic tendencies and sometimes eat their young in
times of food shortages.
32
Southern Three-Banded Armadillo
House Name:
Birth Date:
Level Two
John Deere (JD)
2/10/2010
Handling Guidelines
Handling Attire:
None
Animal Restraint:
Hold outer edge watching your fingers near the open. Can pinch if snaps shuts.
Animal Presentation: People may touch the back. DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO TAP ON ARMOR!
Signs of Stress:
Flight,
Rolling into tight ball.
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
Travel Logistics
Ice chest with holes in lid.
The towel from their enclosure
grounds for longer than 3 hours.
NOTES:
Very susceptible to cold
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
Kids Country, Giraffe Station (including Restroom 2), Zoo Entrance (Restroom 1), Muse
um entrance, & the Green Playhouse (seasonal).
33
Southern Three-Banded Armadillo
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cingulata Dasypodidae Tolypeutes matacus
Description: Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one”. Closely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos generally
have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes.
Size: 12-14” in length and the Tail 3”
Weight: 3 pounds
Habitat: Plains and grasslands
Distribution: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay
Diet: Feeds on beetles, ants, termites and fruit
Status: Near Threatened due to overhunting for their meat and white fat
 The armor is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of
bone with a covering of keratin.
 The thick armor regulates the body temperature by trapping a layer of air that insulates keeping it warm in the cool night and helps it
retain body moisture.
 The bands are separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks.
 When they feel threatened they roll into a ball to protect the soft underparts, leaving only a very small opening between shell edges.
If the animal is prodded through the opening, it quickly snaps fully shut like a steel trap
 The three-banded armadillo is the only armadillo that will close into a complete ball.
 The large front and rear portions of the shell are not attached to the skin on the sides, providing ample free space to fit the head, legs
and tail into the shell when the animals are rolled up.
 Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels.
 They walk on the tips of their foreclaws, even when they are running, while they walk on the soles of their hindfeet.
 A baby three-banded armadillo is called a 'pup'. The females are called 'zed' and males 'lister'. A group is called a 'fez'
 They mark their territory with scent secretions from glands on its face, feet and rump.
 Armadillo headplates are unique to each armadillo, like human fingerprints.
 They have poor vision but an excellent sense of smell.
 Mainly nocturnal, but can be active during the day.
 Solitary
 They have the ability to remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of the density of its armor, an armadillo will sink in
water unless it inflates its stomach and intestines with air, which often doubles its size and allows it to swim across narrow bodies of water.
 Does not dig burrows but uses those built by other species
 Sleeps 16 hours a day.
 Because of their low metabolic rate and lack of fat stores, cold is their enemy, and periods of intemperate weather can wipe out whole
populations.
Reproduction:
 Gestation period is about 120 days.
 The single pup is generally born between November and January.
 The pups are born fully formed, resembling miniature adults, and can walk and roll into a ball immediately from birth.
 The shell hardens after a few days of birth.
 Pups are weaned at 55 days, and are sexually mature at 9 - 12 months.
34
House Name:
Birth Date:
Level Two
Shere Khan
2014
Handling Guidelines
Disposable gloves drenched with 24-hour water.
Use the “lizard hold” two fingers behind the head & three around the body. Rest the
salamander on the palm of your other hand. Use a slight grip; using caution as they can
be slippery.
Animal Presentation: Salamanders should be displayed in their travel carriers. Be sure to drench the carrier
(labeled) with 24-hour water pior to putting the salamander in. Travel with the 24-hour
and mist as needed.
Signs of Stress:
Pulsating Throat (heat stroke)
Lack of Appetite
Red-Tinted Toes
Heavy Breathing
Handling Attire:
Animal Restraint:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
Travel Logistics
Small critter carrier labeled “Tiger Salamander”
Bedding in carrier needs to be drenched with 24 hour water before placing the animal in.
After removing the animal, remove any waste and leave the lid off for the carrier to dry.
Travel enclosures should be placed in a Styrofoam cooler for travel during cooler
weather. Extreme weather conditions should be considered when working with
any amphibian.
NOTES:
these pores.
Wash Station:
35
Chordata, Amphibia, Caudata, Ambystomatidae, Ambystoma, tigrinum, mavotium
Status:
Habitat:
Range:
Diet:
Size:
Weight:
Life Span:
Least Concern (IUCN); Endangered (USFW)
Anywhere with terrestrial substrate suitable for burrowing
Central Nebraska to Southern Texas & West into Colorado & New Mexioc
Earthworms, insects, small frogs, and small/baby mice
up to 14 inches in lenght
2-3 years (wild); 10-25 years (captivity)
Fact File:









The tiger salamander is a type of mole salamander
Spends most of day burrowed
Nocturnal
Also known as the barred tiger salamander
Larva known as water dogs
 L:arva are commonly confused with mudpuppies (a
different salamander species).
Ideal temperature range: 65-76 degrees
Can recognize feeders/keepers & will “beg” for food
Good vision, smell, & taste
Females larger with broader bodies compared to males

Salamander is derived from the Greek work for “fire lizard” because when the Greeks were burning wood, the
salamanders would run away from the fire pit
 One the largest salamanders in the US
 Has no teeth nor ear glands
 6 meta-morphological variations:
 Normal gilled adult
 Cannibalistic gilled adult
 Normal transformed adult
 Cannibalistic transformed adult
 Large transformed adult

Small transformed adult
Social Structure & Behavior


Solitary only congregating to mate
Can be cannibalistic
Breeding





Reaching sexual maturity depends on temperature, water supply, subspecies, and crowding
Breeding occurs after rains trigger migration
Males arrive first and leave last
Breed by gathering in pools or bodies of slow moving water in mass & communally court and spawn
Eggs are laid in clusters & hatch in 19-50 days
 Depends on temperature of water
Metamorphosis
Threats to Survival



Drought
Introduction of fish in ponds
Pet trade
36
Uromastyx
Level Two
House Name:
Birth Date:
Jack
2014
Handling Attire:
None required
Animal Restraint:
Lizard should be placed on your arm with two fingers between head and front
shoulders and tail held in your hand for control.
Handling Guidelines
Animal Presentation: Head should be facing you going up the arm. Place other hand on
shoulders when necessary.
Signs of Stress:
flighty movements
clawing (trying to get away)
labored breathing
Travel Logistics
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Small, deep, clear, plastic critter carrier
mometer in the Ed Room) and place it in the carrier. Be sure to cover it with the
plastic pillow case, and place a thermometer in the carrier, where the animal cannot
get to it. Cover with dry mulch or towel.
Special:
Heating pad should be used for travel during cooler weather. Warming the vehicle
is also recommended before placing the animal in it for travel. Extreme weather
NOTES: Guests should be reminded to wash their hands after touching this or any other reptile. Reptiles can carry the salmonella bacteria and all should be treated as such.
Visitor Experience:
Handler must be near a wash station before allowing guests to touch
this animal while on grounds. Handler must remind guests to wash hands after
touching this animal. Never set a reptile on public railings, tables, benches,
etc.
Wash Stations:
37
Uromastyx
Animalia Chordata Reptilia Squamata Agamidae Uromastyx geyri
Description: the Saharan Spiny-tailed Lizard is the most colorful of the Uromastyx species
Length: 11-14 inches
Weight: 8-9 ounces
Habitat: Rocky, semi-arid areas
Distribution: Sahara Desert in Northern Africa, including Algeria, Mali and Niger
Diet: Herbivorous, but will occasionally eat insects
Life Span: 20 years in captivity
 Also known as the Saharan Spiny-Tailed Lizard
 It is the most colorful of the Uromastyx species
 Colors run from red to neon orange with yellow near the neon edge.
 The male is more vibrant in color than the female.
 Bask in temperatures up to 130 degrees.
 Diurnal
 Uromastyx can inflate their bodies as a defense mechanism to help prevent predators from prying them out of
holes or small crevasses.
 Their spiked tail is muscular and heavy, and can be swung at an attacker with great velocity, usually accompanied by hissing and an open-mouthed display of small teeth.
 They store fat in their tails.
 Uromastyxs generally sleep in their burrows with their tails closest to the opening, in order to thwart intruders
 Most of their water is obtained from the food they eat and also from reabsorbing most of the water in their
urine.
 Salt is given off during the hot, dry periods through glands along the nasal passages.
 As an herbivore, this species is an important contributor to seed dispersal with the rocky, sandy habitat.
 Uromastyx is derived from the Ancient Greek words ourá meaning "tail" and mastigo meaning "whip" or
"scourge", after the thick-spiked tail characteristic of all Uromastyx species.
Reproduction:
 Oviparous with clutch sizes between 8 to 20 eggs.
 Eggs are laid in female burrow systems in the late spring-early summer or at the beginning of the dry season.
 Eggs hatch after an incubation period of approximately 8 to 10 weeks
 Hatchlings stay within the burrow system for several weeks to months before leaving to establish their own
burrows
 May reach sexual maturity in two or three years
38
Gopher Snake
Level Three
House Name:
Birth Date:
Carl
July 2001
Handling Attire:
Rubber gloves
Animal Restraint:
Grab snake behind head gently but firm. Fingers should be positioned on the two
sides of its head during restraint instead of above and below. With other hand hold
snake body for support.
Handling Guidelines
head.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
NOTES:
Visitor Experience:
labored breathing
hissing or striking
hiding
Travel Logistics
Red igloo cooler
it. Place the snake in a pillow case that is large enough for you to tie it shut. Place the
pillow case in the cooler.
taking them on programs. In addition, this bull snake is rather active. Handlers will
want to get the snake out a little before they bring it out to the group so it can calm
down a bit if possible.
Wash Stations:
39
Gopher Snake
Animalia Chordata Reptilia Squamata Colubridae Pituophis catenifer
Description: Also known as the bull or pine snake, it is one of the largest snake species in the United States.
Size: 5 foot average, may exceed 9 feet. Males are generally larger than females.
Weight: 2-4 pounds
Habitat: Open grasslands, woodlands, brushlands and farmlands, prairies, semi-desert areas
Distribution: Predominantly Central United States, from southern Canada to north eastern Mexico
Diet: Mice, rats, rabbits, ground squirrels, gophers, prairie dogs, ground nesting birds, bird eggs
Status: Common
 Non-venomous
 Becoming aggressive when threatened, they will lift up their heads, hiss and shake their tail to imitate a rattlesnake.
 Each snake has a unique pattern on its head making identification of individual snakes possible.
 Slow moving
 Colors include yellowish-brown (with 41 or more reddish-brown to black body blotches), cream and brown,
and an albino variety with red eyes. Tail is boldly marked with bands of black or dark brown with tan.
 Considered a beneficial snake due to the large numbers of rodents that they eat.
 Usually hunts in morning or evenings. In the heat of the summer they are most active at night.
 Can live several months without food.
 Will seize prey in mouth and constrict if it is a large prey.
 They are good climbers and swimmers.
 During cold winters they will hibernate in communal dens.
 Also known as the Bull Snake.
Reproduction:.
 After reaching sexual maturity at the age of three years, mating occurs after emerging from hibernation in the
spring.
 On average, the female produces clutches of 3 to 12 leathery eggs, but may produce as many as 20 eggs.
 The female leaves the clutch and the eggs hatch 60 to 70 days after they are laid. The babies are 12 to 18 inches
long.
40
Prehensile-tailed Skink
House Name:
Birth Date:
Tiny
2004
Handling Attire:
None required
Level Three
Handling Guidelines
Animal Presentation: Skink should be displayed on the skink branch. Once the skink is on the branch, rotate
the branch as needed to maintain equilibrium for the skink. Always make sure the head
is up and is facing you.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
flighty movements, clawing (trying to get away)
labored breathing
Travel Logistics
Crate
it. Cover with towel.
Special:
conditions should be considered when working with any reptile. Cover the carrier with
a carrier cover.
NOTES:
Guests should be reminded to wash their hands after touching this or any other
reptile. Reptiles can carry the salmonella bacteria and all should be treated as such.
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
41
PREHENSILE-TAILED SKINK
Animalia Chordata Reptilia Squamata Scinidae Corucia zebrata
Description: Known by many other names such as Giant skink, Solomon Island skink, monkey-tail skink, it is the
largest of the skinks
Size: 32 inches in length
Weight: 14-28 ounces
Habitat: Tropical rainforests
Distribution: Solomon Islands
Diet: Herbivorous
Life Span: 7-9 years in the wild and 20 in captivity
Status: although it is not currently listed on the IUCN there is concern due to deforestation
 Spends little time on the ground
 Nocturnal, they hide in tree cavities during the day.
 Its large powerful claws and long prehensile tail enable it to cling to trees.
 This tail acts like an extra appendage, allowing the skink to climb and hang on to trees. The tail makes up half of
the body length.
 It is usually found in the oldest trees in primary forests.
 The skin of the prehensile-tailed skink is smoother and shinier than any other lizard’s and the scales are smooth,
flat, and overlapping.
 The body of the prehensile-tailed skink ranges in color from dark green to almost black. Black, yellow, and
shades of green decorate the back, tail, and belly in random spots or stripes. These color patterns and slow movement help camouflage the prehensile-tailed skink from its enemies.
 Unlike other lizards, the prehensile-tailed skink does not have the ability to regenerate its tail should it break off
when caught by predators.
 The strong jaws and short tongue aid in grasping its prey.
 Individuals are identified by smell
 One of the few reptiles that lives in a social group called a circulus.
 Territorial disputes erupt between males.
Reproduction:
 The prehensile-tailed skink is ovoviviparous–meaning the female produces an egg that is retained within the
mother's body until it is ready to hatch after 6-7 months.
 Usually a single birth.
 The baby is 6-9 in. long and stays with the mother for about 6 months after birth.
 The father will also defend the baby–something unusual in the reptile world.
 Mature at 3 years old.
42
Sugar Glider
House Name:
Birth Date:
Level Three
Gizmo (m) , Bonzer (m), Bloke (m), Lolly (f), Matilda (f)
Gizmo- 2/20/08
Bonzer (m), Bloke (m), Lolly (f), Mathilda (f) - 1/01/2011
Handling Guidelines
Handling Attire:
Lightweight leather gloves
Animal Restraint:
Sugar gliders should be restrained with great care. They should be resting on one
hand with their head between index and middle finder and the thumb and ring finger
directly behind their forelimbs.
Animal Presentation: Sugar gliders should be displayed in hands whenever possible. Letting them rest on
your upper chest is allowed. However, do not allow them to crawl up and down your
body. Never let them climb into hair or on backs. This is a non-touchable animal
with groups larger than 30 individuals.
Signs of Stress:
Continually biting
Labored breathing
Travel Enclosure:
Travel Logistics
Pouch from their permanent enclosure in a plastic aquarium or Neodesha.
Bedding:
Pouch will serve as the bedding
Special:
grounds for longer than 3 hours. Extreme weather conditions should be considered
NOTES:
One volunteer/staff person will work with animals one at a time. The animal
Visitor Experience:
Sugargliders are not to be used in open areas. Only enclosed areas such as the
Museum Lobby or Discovery are allowed
Wash Stations:
43
SUGAR GLIDER
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Diprotodontia Petauridae Petaurus breviceps
Description: Sugar Gliders are one of over 240 species of marsupials and one of ten species in the Petrauridae family.
Size: 5-7 inches from nose to tip of tail
Weight: 3-4 oz.
Habitat: Forests of all types
Range: Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia
Diet: omnivorous, especially found of the sweet sap which can be found in the eucalyptus tree. Their diet also includes pollen, nectar, insects and their larvae, arachnids, and small vertebrates
Lifespan: 14 yrs in captivity
Status: Least concern
 Most are grayish in color, with well-defined black stripes from eye to ear, and nose to rump. The underbelly is white or
off-white, without stripes. The gliding membrane, or patagium, usually has a "normal" amount of fur on the dorsal
side, and on the underside a small amount of finer hair. When not in use, the patagium typically looks like a wavy line
along the sides of the glider.
 The patagium allows the glider to glide in the air in a horizontal fashion (rather than acting as a parachute to soften a
vertical descent) for up to 55 yards.
 The long tail is used as a rudder to steer when gliding.
 Gliders have scent glands in multiple places on the body, including the: forepaws, hind paws, chest, forehead, anal region, inside of the ears, and mouth. The glands most commonly used for group recognition are the forehead and chest
glands, and the mouth and paw glands are mostly used for territory marking.
 If the weather in a particular area ever becomes too cold or there are long periods of food scarcity, sugar gliders are able
to fall into a state of brief hibernation.
 Arboreal and nocturnal they make their homes in the hollows of trees.
 Live in groups of 7-12 individuals. The members of the group are both male and female, and may or may not be related.
 There is usually one dominant male in each colony of sugar gliders, who is responsible for most of the marking of the
territory and the group
 Gliders use scent as a means of colony recognition and communication. By scent alone, gliders can distinguish nongroup members, and also the condition of the other glider.
 By sleeping in the same tree hollow, the group members' individual scents mingle, making a distinct "group scent".
 Sugar gliders can also communicate through the variety of sounds they can produce, such as an alarm call which sounds
like the barking of a small dog. The territory size of a colony of sugar gliders is around 2.5 acres.
Reproduction:
 Female gliders come into estrous every 29 days, and become ready to mate again about 12 days after a joey leaves the
pouch permanently.
 Sexual maturity in sugar gliders occurs late in the first year of life for females and early in the second year for males.
 Reproduction occurs in the wild only in the warmer months when insects are plentiful.
 Non-monogamous, with both males and females seeking out multiple partners
 Most wild gliders will have one litter a year, but occasionally two. Litters in the wild usually consist of only one joey.
 Gestation usually lasts around 16 days, the baby weighs about 0.19 grams at birth.
 The joey will use its forepaws to climb to the mother's pouch, using gravity as a means of navigation. The young first
leaves the pouch after 70 days, and after about 111 days, they leave the nest and become independent shortly thereafter.
44
Education Animal Handling Policy
Level Three
House Name:
Birth Date:
Wilbur
2014
Handling Attire:
None.
Animal Restraint:
Grab snake behind the head gently but firmly. With other hand hold snake body for
support.
Handling Guidelines
head.
Signs of Stress: flighty movements (trying to get away)
labored breathing
hissing or striking
hiding
Travel Logistics
Travel Enclosure:
Small, clear, plastic, storage container (with blue lid & small holes) , heating pad (if
needed)
Bedding:
it. Place the snake in a pillow case that is large enough for you to tie it shut. Place the
pillow case in the plastic container.
Special:
NOTES:
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
45
Animalia Chordata Squamata Serpentes Coubridate Xenodentinae Hetoerodon nasicus nasicus
Habitat: sandy gravelly soils (including but not limited to: prairies, sand hills, wide valleys, and river flood plains)
Range: Southern Canada through the central US and into Mexico (primarily the Great Plains)
Diet: amphibians, lizards, rodents, & eggs
Size: 15-33 inches
Weight: <1 lb
Fact File
 Master bluffer when threatened
1. Will flatten skin on it’s neck to look like a hood
2. Takes huge breaths to inflate body dramatically and hisses
3. Strikes with a closed mouth
 If not left alone it will pretend to die
1. Go into convulsion-like behaviors
2. Lay on back and jerk body side to side
3. The mouth and tongue will go limp
4. May excrete blood or feces
 Snout aids in burrowing
 Won’t bite as a form of self defense (considered a very docile snake)
 Will only bite when feeding
 Diurnal
46
Eastern Screech Owl
House Name:
Birth Date:
Level Four
Tobias “Toby”
2013
Handling Guidelines
Handling Attire:
Leather Gloves
Animal Restraint:
Position yourself to grasp the jess, place first two fingers behind owl’s legs to allow it to
step back onto your fingers. Be certain to have a good grip on the jess and allow the owl
to perch on your fingers. Once on your hand, attach the lead to the jesses to provide
extra security when handling.
Animal Presentation: Allow the owl a few minutes to acclimate once out of the kennel. It must stay on the
gloved hand with the jess firmly held. Keep lead in other hand or attach to belt loop.
Try to avoid dangling lead, as the weight of it may be bothersome to the owl.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
NOTES:
Open mouth breathing
Repeated bating
Fainting
Travel Logistics
Kennel with front door opening. Leave lead attached to jesses & clip the other end to
the front door of the kennel to keep it from sliding around the kennel during transport.
Perching, found in carrier
All birds of prey are federally protected.
Wash Station:
This is a “No Touch” animal.
47
Eastern Screech Owl
Animalia Chordata, Aves Strigiformes Strigidae Megascops asio
Status:
Habitat:
Range:
Diet:
Size:
Weight:
Life Span:
Least Concern
Wooded suburbs & woodlands
Southern Canada into Northeastern Mexico and from Eastern Colorada to eastern US
Insects, small prey (song birds & rodents)
6.3-9.4 inches with a 18.9-24 inch wingspan
5.85-6.84 oz
8-10 (wild)
Up to 20 (captive)
Fact File
 If threatened will pull wings close to body and stand still, to mimic a stub on a tree branch
 If this method fails it flies away
 It is nocturnal.
 They screech, they also bark, hoot, rasp, chuckle, and whinny
 Kill their prey with their feet, often on the ground, and will consume the prey head first
 Nest in tree cavities, hollow trunks, stumps, nest boxes, mailboxes, or porch columns
 Lays 3-4 eggs (sometimes 7) asynchronously & 1 per day
 Incubation lasts 26 days
Threats to Survival
 Preyed on by: Great Horned Owls, Barred Owls, mink, weasels, raccoons, skunks, and snakes
48
Green Iguana
House Name:
Birthday:
Level Four
Bob (m)
10-Jun-11
Handling Guidelines
Handling Attire:
None.
Animal Restraint:
To be determined by staff.
Animal Presentation: Harness and lead.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
NOTES:
Head bobbing
Digging
Snout-Banging
Escape Attempts
Skin Darkening
Travel Logistics
Large, clear Rubbermaid container.
Towel
Visitor Experience:
animal. Handlers must learn fact sheet information for this animal.
Wash Stations:
49
Green Iguana
Animalia Chordata Reptilia Squamata Iguanidae Iguana iguana
Status: Threatened on CITES Appendix 2
Habitat: Rainforests or open, arid areas with a large food source
Range: N. Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands, & Southern Brazil
Diet: Herbivore
Size: 5-7’ (depending on sex)
Weight: 11-18 lbs
Life Span: 20 years in captivity
Fact File
 Diurnal
 Iguana eggs are sold as a novelty food in some countries.
 Iguanas use two prominent nostrils to expel saline solution (salt solution) to regulate body salt levels.
 Excellent swimmers and can stay underwater for 30 minutes.
 Males are larger than females
 Social species
 Males are more aggressive and territorial than females
 Captive farming has surfaced as a way to save wild populations
 Males rely on color and displays to attract mates
 Male displays include dewlap extensions, head-bobbing, and/or push-ups
 They have a row of sharp serrated teeth
 Bob (our iguana) was once a pet and they did not realize how quickly they would grow and how large they became, he bobs his head when you enter not as a warning but as a welcome.
50
Level Four
House Name:
Birth Date:
Fernando
9/10/2010
Handling Attire:
None.
Animal Restraint:
Hold animal with a firm yet gentle grip on the base of the tail. Ribs are very fragile
and can crush easily!
Handling Guidelines
Animal Presentation: Present with back to people. May gently pet tail only.
Signs of Stress:
Squirmy
Biting
Travel Enclosure:
Black Pet Suitcase
Bedding:
Wool Bed (found in suitcase)
Special:
Chinchillas are very sensitive to high temperatures and may suffer severely from heat
stress. 80 degrees is uncomfortable, temperatures over 90 could kill a chinchilla.
Cold is not a problem, as long as it's above freezing.
NOTES:
Travel Logistics
Visitor Experience:
animal. Handlers must learn fact sheet information for this animal.
Wash Stations:
51
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Chinchillidae Chinchilla lanigera
Description: Chinchillas are prized for their fur which is so dense and thick that fleas cannot penetrate it.
Size: 14-15 inches, Tail 3-6 inches
Weight: up to 2 pounds.
Habitat: above 16,000 feet
Distribution: Andes mountains of Chile
Diet: plants, fruit, seeds and small insects.
Life Span: 20 years captivity, 10 years wild
Status: Vulnerable. The chinchilla had been hunted almost to extinction in the wild but is currently on the rebound due to
protection laws. It’s raised commercially for fur around the world, although international trade of wild chinchillas is restricted
by CITES.
 Chinchilla fur is at least one inch deep and is dense because 60 to 80 hairs grow from each follicle. It has more hair per
square inch than any other mammal. Strands are so fine they are virtually invisible to the naked eye. It is 30 times softer than
human hair
 Regular dust baths are necessary to remove oil from the fur.
 It takes 150 pelts to make a full-length coat.
 Colonies live in holes, crevices or burrows between rocks.
 Family groups within the colony usually consist of 2-5 members. These small groups are called herds.
 Mainly active at night but likes to bask in the morning and late afternoon sun.
 They get all the moisture it needs from the vegetation it eats since there are few sources of water.
 They bond for life and the female, which is bigger, is aggressive towards the male during breeding season.
 To survive, they use a variety of defenses including spraying their enemy with urine and the ability to shed clumps of fur
onto which the enemy has latched.
 They are agile jumpers and can jump 5 feet above their head.
 Chinchillas make a variety of sounds. The most common is a "barking" sound that they make to indicate that they're scared
and to warn other chinchillas of danger.
 Chinchillas were first bred in captivity at the end of the 19th century, but it was not until 1920 that
commercial
breeding began.
Reproduction:
 Gestation is 3 ½ months
 Can have up to 3 litters per year, but usually only 2
 Litter size is usually 1-2
 At birth the young are fully furred and have open eyes and a full set of 20 teeth. They eat solid food within 2 days of birth.
 Weaned at 6 weeks.
52
Red-Tailed Boa
Level Four
House Name:
Birth Date:
Jazz
16-04-07
Handling Attire:
None.
Animal Restraint:
Grab snake behind the head gently but firmly. With other hand hold snake body for
support.
Handling Guidelines
head.
Signs of Stress: flighty movements (trying to get away)
labored breathing
hissing or striking
hiding
Travel Logistics
Travel Enclosure:
Blue Rubbermaid container
Bedding:
it. Place the snake in a pillow case that is large enough for you to tie it shut. Place the pil
low case in the plastic container.
Special:
NOTES: Guests should be reminded to wash their hands after touching this or any other reptile. Reptiles can carry the salmonella bacteria and all should be treated as such.
Visitor Experience:
Wash Stations:
53
Red-Tailed Boa
Animalia Chhordata Reptilia Squamata Serpentes Boidae Boinae Boa constrictor ortonii
Status: Not listed on IUCN but listed on CITES Appendix II
Habitat: Dry, semi-arid llanos (treeless grassy plains) and savannahs
Range: Northwest Peru
Diet: Rodents, mammals, and birds
Size: 6-10 feet
Weight: 60-100 lbs
Fact File
 Also known as the Peruvian Boa Constrictor
 Non-Venomous
 Can swim but prefers dry land (hallow logs & abandoned burrows)
 Both terrestrial and arboreal
 Has a sheen in light because of its iridescent scales
Breeding and Care of Young
 Gives live birth
 Gives birth to about 60 young per birth
 About 2 feet long at birth
Threats to Survival
 Hunted for skin
 Hunted for pet trade
54
Virginia Opossum
Level Four
House Name:
Birth Date:
Dot (female), Casey Smith (male)
1 Apr 2013 & 28 Feb 2014, respectively
Handling Attire:
Handling Guidelines
Thick, long cuffed gloves
Animal Restraint:
Virginia opossums must wear harnesses at all times during public encounters. In
addition, opossums may be restrained by resting them on one of the handler’s hand
with the other grasping right above the shoulder blades firmly with thumb and index
finger.
Animal Presentation: Virginia opossums need to be displayed in hands or on a touchcart cart. Do not allow
them to crawl up and down your body. Never let them climb into hair or on backs.
Signs of Stress:
Travel Enclosure:
Bedding:
Special:
Mouth open for an extended period of time
Continual biting
Labored breathing
Opossums only play dead in extreme situations. This should never be the case when
trained handlers are with the opossum.
Travel Logistics
Pet Taxi (Be sure that when in holding, people do not have access to the Pet Taxi.)
Towel
grounds for longer than 3 hours. Extreme weather conditions should be considered.
NOTES:
Visitor Experience:
Guests are only allowed to touch during educational programs. Participants are allowed
to touch the tails or backs of the animal. Do not let them pull the tail. They are not to be
touched during animal encounters.
Wash Stations:
55
Virginia Opossum
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Marsupialiaa Didelphidae Didelphis virginiana
Description: About the size of a house cat, the Virginia Opossum has short legs, an opposable big toe without a claw, a
long pointy nose, hairless ears and a scaly prehensile tail.
Size: 15-20 inches
Weight: 9-13 pounds
Habitat: Terrestrial and arboreal, it lives in all areas but prefers wooded land.
Distribution: United States east of the Rocky Mountains and along the coast west of the Rockies from British Columbia,
Canada into Mexico and Central America as far south as Costa Rica.
Diet: Fruit, insects, eggs and small vertebrates.
Life Span: 1-3 years in the wild and 5-7 in captivity.
Status: Common
 The Virginia Opossum is the only pouched mammal (marsupial) in North America.
 Its fur is long and gray or brown with numerous white guard hairs throughout.
 The tail is used as a fifth hand for gripping and carrying objects and for keeping their balance, but they cannot actually
hang upside down with it.
 With 50 sharp teeth, they can be fierce fighters if cornered.
 Opossums have the ability to play dead for up to 4 hours. During this time, the opossum will breathe slowly, stiffen,
emit the smell of death, and even drool to fool predators. Most of their predators will loose interest and walk away.
 Solitary, slow moving and nocturnal
 They build nests out of leaves packed into tree hollows.
 They are resistant to snake bites.
 Due to a low internal body temperature they are resistant to rabies.
 They have an inquisitive nature and are intelligent.
Good hearing, night vision and sense of smell.
Reproduction:






Gestation 13 days when the young will crawl into the pouch.
Can carry 7-13 babies in her pouch.
The joeys are carried and nursed in the mother Opossum's pouch for about 70 days. Then for another 1-2 months, they
are carried on her back whenever they are away from their den or shelter.
When traveling, the kids hang on the fur with all four little hands and at the same time wrap their tails around mom's tail.
At 4 months they are on their own.
Can have a litter twice a year.
56
Animal Bite Protocol
The trainer should remind the handler that animals can be unpredictable. Although all of the animals in the
Education Animal Collection have been trained to be handled by qualified staff and volunteers, they have
the potential to scratch or bite if scared, angry or handled improperly. The trainer should remind the
handler that, “Any animal with a mouth can bite.” And if the handler ever gets asked if the animal they are
handling bites, the correct response is, “Any animal with a mouth can bite. Even though these animals
have been handled a lot they do have the potential to bite which is why we ask that you do not allow their
heads to be touched and keep the mouth directed away from the guest.
If an animal bites:
1. If the animal bites the handler they should calmly and quickly put the animal back into the carrier and/
or holding. Then they must contact the Volunteer Department immediately and assess the need for first
aid. The volunteer staff will fill out an accident report. If the skin is broken contact the Volunteer
Department who will then immediately get with the Curator staff, veterinarian and head keeper. If this
happens on a weekend and the Volunteer Staff is not on-site, immediately contact the Director of
Operations.
2. If a visitor gets bitten by the animal, the handler will assess if first aid is needed. If it is determined to
need first aid the handler will call a code Medical. The Volunteer and Operations staff will respond
immediately. The accident form will be filled out. If the skin is broken contact the Volunteer
Department who will then immediately get with the Curator staff, veterinarian and head keeper. If this
happens on a weekend and the Volunteer Staff is not on-site, immediately contact the Director of
Operations.
The handler must be aware of the importance of respecting the animal and paying the utmost attention to
the animal. If an education animal bites, and breaks the skin it will be put down and tested for rabies.
57
Disciplinary Action
Any volunteer who does not follow the Animal Handling rules and policies established by
RHZ may face disciplinary action ranging from a verbal warning to dismissal from the
program. Such actions will be determined by the Director of Education and Volunteer
Manager and/or Curator. Any abusive actions toward any of the animals, staff, or volunteers at
RHZ will result in immediate and permanent dismissal from the Zoo and its programs.
The use of RHZ animals to startle or scare other volunteer/staff members, even if meant
in a playful manner, will NOT be tolerated.
58

Education Animal Handling Handbook

Transcription

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