Animal Rentals Blog

ANIMAL RENTALS helped spread some holiday cheer at a party hosted by FISHER CONTROLS in Iowa on Saturday, December 13th. Animal ambassador, Mindy the Monkey, dressed in her most appropriate seasonal garments along with Purse the Alligator, Sylvester the Skunk, Ruby the African Grey Parrot and others entertained the audience. Photo opportunities were everywhere with people taking “selfies” with our pets.

If you want to know more about our exotic animal show, check out Mindy’s Menagerie on our website. You might also want to read our updated page, ABOUT OUR ANIMALS, and see the excellent care our animals receive.

Loyola University was the last stop on our college entertainment tour for 2014. Our animal ambassadors, including Mindy the Monkey brought their hands-on animal show at the invitation of the Loyola University Pre-Vet Club. These future veterinarians shared in the fund with their fellow students as they experienced face to face interaction with members of Mindy’s Menagerie. An alligator,chinchilla,fennec fox, porcupine and skunk were just a few of our animal friends brought for the event. Check out our new “About Our Animals” page and read how well our pets are cared for.

ANIMAL RENTALS visited McNeese State University located in Lake Charles, LA on November 18th, 2014 with their exotic hands-on animal display. The students enjoyed an entertaining afternoon with our animal ambassadors consisting of a porcupine, chinchilla, boa constrictor,alligator,tarantula and others. McNeese State University was just part of our very popular College Entertainment program which criss-crossed the United States. Our Mission is to educate, entertain, and foster caring for and conservation of our world’s animal kingdom by offering people the extraordinary privilege to personally interact with our exotic animals. Go to animalrentals.com for more information.

One of the great things about the IQ Zoo that is coming soon to our Animal Rentals website is that you can see pictures of me and my animal friends, and learn some interesting facts about us.  But if you want to know even more about who we really are and what its like to live and work with exotic animals every day, then this blog is the place to be and I’m the monkey that can give you the true 411!

One of the most mysterious members of our animal family is Purse the American Alligator.  I know you are probably wondering why he is an “American” Alligator instead of just an Alligator.  Well there is actually another species of alligator called the Chinese Alligator.  Even though Purse likes a good Peking Duck, he is 100% American.

Purse is very gentle, and probably the most mellow alligator you will ever meet.  I love this picture of him sunbathing at one of our College Entertainment shows…it is the perfect pose to show his laid-back nature.

But even though Purse is very friendly with people, my animal friends and I tend to stay as far away from him as possible.  Alligators are carnivores…meat eaters, and I just don’t trust that Purse has completely overcome his 65-plus million year old reptilian nature.  So when he smiles at people, I think Purse is having fun.  But when he smiles at me, I think he is sizing me up as an afternoon snack!

Some people think Purse’s name is cruel.  But Purse has a good sense of humor and he actually thinks it is pretty funny.  Plus he likes how it reminds people that animal skins look better on animals than on people.  Purse is kind of wise and sarcastic at the same time.  He really is a mystery to me!

So next time you find yourself in charge of planning a party, fair, corporate event or college event, why not invite Purse and some of the rest of us for an Animal Show, Petting Zoo or Exotic Animal Display?  I guarantee you will never forget holding a genuine live alligator…and Purse will love it too!

Last week was a very difficult and sad one for me, dad and everyone here at Animal Rentals.  My best friend Dottie passed away, and we all miss her so much!  It’s so hard to get through each day without her warm hugs, friendly smile, and sweet, caring nature.  Dottie was a good dog and a great friend who loved everyone…and everyone loved her right back.  So today I just wanted to tell you a little bit about Dottie and just how wonderful she was.

Dad was looking for a smart and interesting dog to work with him doing film and television shoots.  He got Dottie when she was just a baby, and named her for the multiple spots and dots she had that were part of her blue merle color pattern.  That color is pretty special, only a few breeds of dogs can have it.  As an Australian Shepherd, a breed also known for their intelligence, loyalty, versatility and protective nature, Dottie was blessed with the silver, black and white swirls and splotches that make up the blue merle pattern.

Dottie was dad’s friend, companion and protector for 14 years.  She was great company for him when he was home, and guarded the house when he was away.  When I came to live with dad, Dottie was the first one that greeted me and welcomed me to the family.  We became fast friends and we loved to play ball – I would throw it and she would catch it, or chase it and bring it back – and then cuddle together on a chair to relax or nap.  Dottie was a great cuddler!

Over the years with dad, Dottie greeted lots of different kinds of new domestic and exotic animal friends, and welcomed them to the Animal Rentals family.  Some became her playmates, some she watched over lovingly, and some – of course – she wisely kept her distance from (like Purse the American Alligator with his great big mouth full of teeth!).  But when Trixie came to live with us Dottie became a mom.  She adopted Trixie from the very first moment she laid eyes on her, and helped raise her into the sweet and funny dog she is today.  Dottie and Trixie were inseparable from the very beginning, and they just loved loved loved living together.

I’m sure many of you know how bad it feels to lose an animal friend that you love so much.  It is sad in so many ways that most animals don’t live as long as human beings.  Fourteen years is a pretty good long age for a dog, but we would all have loved for Dottie to stay with us for another fourteen…or longer.  As sad as I am and as much as I miss her, I feel a little better remembering what Dottie told me one time:

“Dogs are good at lots of different things but what we are the very best at is love.  We make our humans the center of our world, and we love them with every heartbeat, with every breath, and with every ounce of our being.  We love them so much that even long after we are gone, they never ever forget how good it felt to be loved that much.”

I was not Dottie’s human, but I, too, will never ever forget how good it felt to be loved that much by her.

Goodbye Dottie, my dear friend.  We miss you.  We will see you at the foot of the Rainbow Bridge.  Thank you for the love.

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?

Last week I promised to tell you a little more about what it is like to live with and take care of exotic animals.  In many ways it is not that much different than taking care of domestic pets like cats and dogs.  Feeding, watering, cleaning, grooming and training are all a part of dad’s and my everyday life.  Today I’m going to tell you about what we do every morning at our house.

The biggest part of our day is spent washing dozens of dishes and preparing food for all of my animal friends that live with us.  I help dad wash and cut up and mix all the different fresh fruits and vegetables, and then I get to inspect and taste everything to make sure it is perfect.  It takes five or six hours every day to feed everyone and clean up their living spaces.  Fortunately, we have wonderful people that work with us and help us, or we would never get finished!

Most of us eat a combination of fresh food and nutritionally balanced commercial food every day.  Dad is very good about feeding everyone exactly what they need to stay happy and healthy.  We get a good blend of fruits, vegetables, meat, vitamins and minerals, nuts and seeds according to what we like and need.  I like pretty much everything, but some of my friends are very fussy about what they eat.  Some of them, like the snakes and alligator, will only eat live food.  Amy the Armadillo loves crickets, and it is lots of fun watching her run around hunting them!  I also share my monkey chow with many of my friends because they really like it.  The rats have their own rat chow, and the birds have their own pellets, but the opossum, porcupine, skunk and others love the monkey chow.  It is pretty delicious!

Some of my friends – the geoffroy cat, opossum, porcupine and skunk – also eat high protein cat food.  For fresh food, we eat just like you do, with whatever fruits and vegetables are in season.  Lettuce, green beans, corn, squash, peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, apples, peaches, pears and everything else in the produce section are things that we like.  The birds and I also like nuts a lot, and we each have our favorite types.  My uncle, Mr. Adam Monk, loves chicken and hamburgers so dad cooks special things for him and always brings him leftovers when we go out to eat.

As you can see, our mornings are very busy with fixing so many different types of breakfast for all of my friends.  After everyone has eaten, there is still a lot more to do for the rest of the day.  Next time I’ll tell you more about what we do in the afternoons, and how we get ready for our different kinds of animal shows, parties and events – so be sure to come back to my blog next week!