Animal Rentals Blog

Here is a list of the Strengths and Weaknesses of our candidates.  Notice how many of them are very similar to our human candidates.  Interesting. If you had to vote, who would you choose.  Please use the COMMENT Section

WHO WOULD YOU VOTE FOR?

“POKEY” THE PORCUPINE:  (Erethizon dorsatum) born March 30^th, 2011

Pokey is a home body who enjoys the quiet life.  He is a team player when working with his companions in Mindy’s Menagerie but once the work day is done, he retreats to his solitary lifestyle.

STRENGTHS: Thrifty, Practical, Creative, Witty and Sharp.

WEAKNESSES: Shy, Small Stature, a Loner and painfully Sarcastic.

POKEY possesses a very pungent and disagreeable odor that is quite unpleasant, a result of either hereditary or just poor hygiene.  He also possesses a rather “prickly” attitude especially when he is upset, which makes his body shake resulting in more than one of his sharp quills to loosen and stick someone.  Not a great people pleaser.

“SCARLET” THE BOA CONSTRICTOR:  (Constrictor constrictor) hatched in 1999

Scarlet is a laid back and cautious reptile who knows her large size may be intimidating. Her seductive, come hither look makes her very popular in Mindy’s Menagerie where she considers herself to be an interactive and “hands-on” specimen.

STRENGTHS: Quiet, Intelligent, Calculating, Stoic, Charming and an uncanny ability to adapt to change.

WEAKNESSES: No arms or legs and a forked tongue make travel and communication difficult. Not someone you would want to dine with. She looks slimy and hugs too hard.

SCARLET, while very approachable and personable, faces a very uphill battle.  She tends to lash out when cornered into situations she is not familiar with. She is tired of the insulting phrases “snake in the grass” and “lower than a snake’s belly.  She has had to live down the misconception that she was responsible for the debacle with Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden. (She said it was a porcupine who tempted Eve).

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!

How many of you think that snakes are slimy?  I’ll bet a lot of you do!

One of the great things about being an animal ambassador is showing people the truth about animals and how they live and what they are really like.  It’s always surprising to me how many people raise their hands when my dad asks an audience “How many of you think that snakes are slimy?”  Some of my best friends are snakes, and I can promise you that they are not slimy at all.  In fact, they feel really cool and smooth and soft to touch!

One of my friends is Casper, a Burmese Python who is ten feet long!  Casper is a special snake because he is albino, which means that his skin doesn’t have the same dark coloring that other pythons have.  He is a beautiful bright yellow and white color, and his skin is silky smooth.  He is very friendly and anyone can touch and hold him.  One of his favorite jobs is to work with the snake charmer, who strolls through the crowd at parties and events wearing Casper draped around her shoulders so that people can meet him and touch his beautiful skin.  Sometimes when people touch him they say “Well, he’s not slimy at all!”

After hearing people say this, I asked Casper one time if it hurt his feelings that people think he is slimy.  After all, I think it would hurt my feelings if people thought that about me.  But Casper is a very wise snake, and he told me that there is no point getting your feelings hurt about something that isn’t true.  “I know I’m not slimy,” he said, “and after people touch me they know it too.”  I’m glad Casper is so smart and that he likes his job so much!

Have you ever touched a snake?  What did you think about it?