For the last few weeks I’ve been sharing with you what my daily life at home and work with dad is like. This week I’m going to tell you about what we do in the afternoons, after all of my exotic animal friends are fed, watered and their living areas are cleaned and taken care of.
The first thing that happens after breakfast is grooming time, where everyone gets brushed, clipped, trimmed and bathed. We all get our nails done on a regular basis so they don’t get too long or sharp. The birds also get their wings clipped so it is safe for them to be outside. Dad has a schedule of who gets what kind of grooming on each day. Bath time is really fun because everyone gets something a little different. I take my bath at home with dad in the sink before we go to work. The birds like to be misted with a spray bottle. The chinchillas don’t bathe in water at all – they roll in special dust to keep their fur soft and clean and shiny. And the alligator gets a sort of reverse bath. Since he spends most of his time in the water he comes out every day to dry off and walk around.
Next it is time for training and exercise. Of course I can’t tell you any of our secrets, but I can say that using a reward system is the best way to get anyone to do what you would like them to. If we have a film or television shoot coming up, we’ll work on the specific things the script asks my animal friends to do. After all of our work with the animals is done for the day, dad and I work in the office together for the rest of the afternoon. As you can see, our daily lives are very busy from sunrise until dinnertime!
When we have an animal show, party or event scheduled, it takes lots of time to load everyone into their special traveling carriers and make sure they are comfortable, as well as getting any special clothing or props that we need loaded up and ready to go. On other days we have the vet come in for our regular checkups and shots. Sometimes dad and I go out to meet with clients or check out the set for a film or commercial shoot. There is always something interesting and exciting going on!
I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about my daily life at work and home. Do you have any animal friends at home? What kinds of things do you do to take care of them? Is it anything like what dad and I do every day?
