<![CDATA[Animal Wonders Inc. - New News]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 00:43:00 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Willow & Kia are proud parents]]>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:17:44 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/04/willow-kia-are-proud-parents.htmlWillow and Kia the ring neck doves hatched out their very first little chick this morning. They have spent that last month meticulously making a beautiful nest and then Kia laid two perfect little eggs. They have taken turns sitting and incubating the eggs and their labor has turned to success! We will be interested to see what color the babies will grow up to be, since Willow is tan and Kia is white it could be either. I hope to post pictures soon.
]]><![CDATA[Hello Hara!]]>Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:32:27 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/04/hello-hara.htmlWe welcomed Hara the Harris's Hawk to Animal Wonders just a few days ago! She was taken in by America's Teaching Zoo down in Moorpark, CA and they had plans to have her join their bird of prey collection and give educational presentations to their audiences in California. During her quarantine period one of her lab results came back to show she had a contagious parasite that is not very well know and almost impossible to treat successfully. Therefore, she could not be incorporated into their program for fear of spreading the parasite into their unique collection of birds. They needed to find her a new home that either didn't mind the parasite, or that did not have other birds of prey to infect. That's were we stepped in.

Animal Wonders does not have any other birds of prey so we were a suitable placement for Hara. We contacted the MT Fish Wildlife & Parks department to see if they had any issues with bringing Hara into Montana knowing that she had this parasite. They responded that since there are very few vectors of transmission of the parasite in MT and that she would be secured in her enclosure at all times except during presentations, they were okay with letting her come into the state. Our next step was to build an enclosure for a raptor, this is called a mew. The mew had to meet US Fish and Wildlife Services' standards and be approved by one of their agents. The mew had to be constructed before we could be approved for the permit to possess a live raptor and take her off site to presentations. So we set about making plans and constructing the mew. It was difficult since it was the middle of winter and the ground was frozen solid, so we had to get creative. We decided to build a temporary mew until the ground thawed and we could properly secure the ground area from potential predators digging under the fencing and into the mew. So we chose to build the temporary mew on our rock patio right next to our house. It actually went up in one day and was completed within the week. Photos were taken and sent in along with the application for possession of a live raptor. The approval process can take 30-90 days, so we hunkered down for the wait. Within two weeks we had verbal approval and we started making arrangements with MT FW&P for state permits. We were approved that day!

The next week we booked a flight for Hara to make the trip from sunny CA to a MT that was just starting to show signs of spring's arrival. Hara flew into Missoula Airport on April 4th calm and collected and ready to explore her new home. We will be begin to slowly acclimate her to MT weather with a heat lamp and this coming winter she will get a heated perch to make sure her feet stay warm. Many raptors can live outside in MT with nothing but shelter, but Harris's Hawks are from a hat dry climate and cannot withstand the cold temperatures without supplementary heat. Yesterday she enjoyed checking out her new mew and we were preparing to continue today when we woke to find an inch of snow covering the ground and a thermometer that read 34*. Just a bit too cold for us to consider putting her out. We're hoping for 50's and above very soon so Hara can enjoy the view off the hill and get some fresh air this coming week. We have to be extra careful with her since the parasite she carries weakens her immune system and too much stress could lower it even more. So for now, Hara is snuggled up and warm inside in her crate eating morsels of rat and pigeon while we wait for the elusive spring weather of MT to resurface.
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]]><![CDATA[Dentist appointment]]>Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:42:54 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/03/dentist-appointment.htmlKemosabe the prehensile-tailed porcupine, aka coendou, had another appointment with the veterinarian last week. A quick recap of his situation:
December 2010 - sick every few weeks, on antibiotics for respiratory infection.

February 2011 - sick again, meds again.

April 2011 - sick again, meds again but don't seem to be working.

May 2011 - Did complete blood work and x-rays of body and teeth. Found he had a infected and rotten top incisor. These are the most important teeth for any rodent since this is their primary means of eating and they are ever-growing which means they have to wear them down constantly. He had surgery to pull the tooth and we hoped he would be able to compensate to the one top incisor against two bottom incisors and he would wear them evenly.

June 2011 - Recovered from very stressful surgery and lots of antibiotics, probiotics and adjusting to an incredibly sore mouth.

October 2011 - Not wearing down teeth evenly, need to evaluate what should be done. Options: file down teeth and hope a fresh start works, pull one bottom incisor.

December 2011 - Vet visit, restrained and anesthetized to file down teeth. Very rough recovery, two weeks of antibiotics and not much eating.

February 2012 - Teeth again growing too long with uneven wearing. He puts his top incisor in the middle of the bottom two and it wears just the middle creating a V in the bottom teeth. They become very pointed and can cause major issues if not filed down properly. Options: another trip to the vet with the accompanied stress that could cause illness again, or, try a sedative at Animal Wonders and file while he's immobilized. The hope being it is less stressful, the fear is that the sedation will not work.

March 2012 - Had the vet come out to Animal Wonders and give him an injection of sedative. He must have thought one of his own quills poked him when the needle went into his thigh because his immediate reaction was to itch the sight, instead of running away. It was VERY successful!! Besides being groggy for several hours, Kemosabe was eating and happy the day after having his teeth filed. I believe we have our answer to keeping him healthy and happy.

He will be on this regimen for the rest of his life every 3-4 months. If you would like to make a donation to his cause, please go to our How To Help page and send your donation. Thank you!


]]><![CDATA[Babies!]]>Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:33:02 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/03/babies.htmlThe first halfmoon conure chick hatched out on March 8th! It's doing great, full crop, active, and looking very healthy. The second chick should be hatching tonight or tomorrow. Parents, Ivy & Ki, are doing wonderfully.
*pictures coming soon

We've been watching Quigley and Babette, the Brush-Tailed Bettongs very closely these last few weeks. Over the last few months they have been exhibiting some interesting behaviors. They were busy making nests, then sleeping together, then courting, then we actually observed Quigley taking care of business, then things slowed way down. Babette was usually in the corner alone and then she started grooming her tail more than usual. They have been sleeping apart off and on and Babette has been grooming her belly and under tail area more.

A few nights ago we saw her grooming and licking her belly, thighs, and then actually inside her pouch! It also looks like there may be a very small bulge in the lower part of her pouch! We're not getting TOO excited yet. But the behavior really only points in one direction. We will just wait and see what happens over the next few weeks. Babette never enjoyed being touched, let alone picked up and handled. We started training a pouch check behavior early on, but stopped when it seemed to stress her out and cause friction in the relationship with Quigley. We would have rather the two get along than be able to look in her pouch. And now that there's a possibility that a joey is inside, we don't want risk her rejecting it from stress. So, we will just let nature take her course and wait patiently until we can confirm one way or the other!

Keep your fingers crossed for another member of this critically endangered species to grace us with it's presence.
]]><![CDATA[Missoula Magazine!]]>Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:07:37 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/03/missoula-magazine.htmlGo check out the magazine stands all around Missoula and pick up your copy of Missoula Magazine featuring Animal Wonders!! Stunning photographs by Kurt Wilson and a wonderful article by Betsy Cohen.
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]]><![CDATA[5 eggs!]]>Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:54:59 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/02/5-eggs.htmlI wanted to quickly update that Ivy and Ki now have 5 eggs in their nest. I'm not expecting any more since Ivy seems to lay an egg every 3 days and we're past due. The usual clutch size for a halfmoon conure is 3-5. Ivy and Ki must be a happy couple!

]]><![CDATA[Spring is in the Air!]]>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:12:45 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/02/spring-is-in-the-air.htmlWe have been watching Domino, the corn snake, for the last week. She has been restless and not eating. In most cases we would be worried, but this case is special and we have no cause for alarm. Domino was gravid, this means she is pregnant. The behavior she was displaying was normal for a snake looking for just the right place to lay her eggs. When we saw this we provided her with a container filled with moist moss. She went right inside to check it out. After a few days she was not out and about in the morning rounds so we checked inside the box and she wasn't there. She was snuggled in underneath the box curled on top of a clutch of brand new eggs.

We gently removed the eggs and placed them in moist vermiculite to keep the shells hydrated by breathable. We offered Domino a very small pinky rat dusted with calcium to help replenish her stores that she just expended on forming and laying the eggs. She ate and she will be fed a lot in the coming weeks. She needs to gain her strength back after laying such a large amount of egg. She laid 22 in this clutch which is a record for her! We provided her plenty of calcium for the weeks leading up to her laying so she is in good health and has not retained any off the eggs. The last two years Domino has laid two clutches in the same year. This is known as double clutching. So we are prepared to make sure she eats enough and gets enough calcium to make sure she can go through the process again without taxing her health.

After making sure the snake eggs were safe and sound we continued the AM rounds. We discovered that Ivy and Ki, the halfmoon conures, had been busy for the last week. We generally don't check their nest box every day, but I had been noticing an increased aggression when I was feeding them so I had checked their box the previous week. It was still a bit early for them to be laying eggs, so I wasn't really expecting anything. But something told me to check this morning, and sure enough there were 3 perfect eggs in their nest. Good work Ivy and Ki! Last year was their first successful clutch, they laid 5 fertile eggs and 4 hatched healthy and happy. The 5th had formed but did not make it. I wonder if this year will just be the 3 or if Ivy still has an egg or two waiting to be laid. Conures can lay there eggs several days apart so we won't know if the clutch is completed for about another week.

Last year we found some amazing homes for the babies. The first one went to one our volunteers who adores birds and had another bird at home that needed company. They have become best friends and the household loves the newest member to bits. Numbers 2 and 3 went to a home together and joined a family of 3 who had lost their previous bird to old age and were wanting to open their home to another bird or two. The 4th baby stayed at Animal Wonders and has become such a wonderful Animal Ambassador. His name is Loulou and he is such a joy to have around. He became best buddies with our lone sun conure, Oliver, when he had lost his good friend Louie the previous year. Oliver and Loulou bonded immediately and are inseparable. They attend presentations together. They recently accepted Ringo,the Meyer's Parrot, into their little clan and the three of them complete their little eclectic family.

Animal Wonders does not focus on breeding exotic animals. The few babies that we raise are products of pairs that would lose their quality of life if separated. The corn snakes and the halfmoon conures are our only breeding pairs. Except of course for our Brush-Tailed Bettongs who are an endangered species and every effort to breed them is highly important. The corn snakes make excellent classroom pets and the halfmoon conures make perfect companion animals. Both are small and easy to care for if properly educated (we offer extensive care packets and life-long support), and they both can make wonderful companion animals. Promoting proper animals as pets as well as a high level of education on care is what we strive for. We absolutely do not promote ownership or breeding of illegal exotic pets or animals that  we do not view as proper or beneficial to own. That said, it is still very difficult for us not to worry about maintaining our standard of care for the animals that we bring into this world. That is why we focus on educating every new owner on how best to care for their new pet, and also provide support for the animal's entire life.
]]><![CDATA[The young, the old, and everyone in between.]]>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:57:28 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/02/the-young-the-old-and-everyone-in-between.html Last week we gave our 4th presentation at The Springs retirement home. We always have such a great time there that we're thrilled to hear they love us as much as we love them!
We stopped in to say hello to my Grandma and eat dinner in their dining room the other day. It felt like we were famous with everyone stopping and saying hello and asking where the animals were. One lady stood out, she stopped at our table to tell us how wonderful she thought our presentations were. We were flattered and said how much we enjoyed them as well, and she replied that she thought they were the best out of all the presentations at The Springs. We thanked her profusely and as she walked away, my Grandma told me that she was going on 101 years old. !!! I don't think I've ever been so humbled and thrilled at the same time. She is over 100 years old and she took the time to stop in at our table to give us a compliment.

Two weeks ago we gave a presentation to 1st graders in Bigfork, MT. The young ones are always so enthusiastic about seeing the animals! We have fun with them in a different way than with the seniors. The young ones are just filled with pure thrill and excitement and we give them a few basic understandings about animals that we hope they retain and are able to apply later in their lives. Look at the photos this reporter captured during our presentation. He published them in their local newspaper. Here's the link, check out all 4 photos. My favorite is the little red head, SO excited about feeding Curly, the White-Cheeked Turaco!

Today we just got home from Meadow Hill Middle School in Missoula, MT. We presented to the special education class and it was such a fun environment! I wish I could go back in time and have a celebration with animals. Having animals in your classroom just sounds so cool! It seems like we're just having a bunch of fun, but in reality the students are learning respect for all animals, facts about 8 different wild animals, and a lesson on adaptations and what helps animals survive in the wild. We even talk about environments and habitats! And they don't even realize they're learning! I love it!

]]><![CDATA[Happy Valentine's Day ♥]]>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:44:39 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/02/happy-valentines-day.htmlWe had a sweet Valentine's Day at Animal Wonders. It was our last trip to Choteau, MT for our 5 week Resident Wildlife Educator Program at the New Rockport School. We reviewed what we had learned in the last 2 months and finished off the program with talking about Survival and Environmental Change. It was a heavy topic for the Love Holiday, but we ended the day presenting Quigley the Brush-Tailed Bettong. This little guy looks like a miniature kangaroo (possibly a bit like a large rat as well) and has a sad story. Brush-Tailed Bettongs are critically endangered and are in dire need of help from humans to save them from going extinct. Since humans were the ones that messed up their ecosystem in the first place we kind of owe it to them to help out. How does Quigley relate to Valentine's Day? Well, Quigley has a love story of his own.

In the last few months we have been watching Quigley interacting with his girlfriend Babette in a dance of Bettong courtship. At least that's what we're calling it! Quigley followed Babette around relentlessly until she stops moving away (and you know what happens next....). This was in Dec. 2011 and 2 weeks ago we saw Babette smelling and licking her pouch area. She has been doing that every few days since. Today we saw her laying on her back and licking her pouch. Not every Bettong behaves the exact same way, so we are hoping that Babette is exhibiting her own signs of possibly preparing for her very own joey! So, even though the students at New Rockport don't know the details, Quigley has a lot to do with the Love Holiday!

We will definitely miss all the students. We got so used to seeing them every Tuesday that it will strange not making the 3 hour drive in the early morning watching the sun rise high in the sky, and then back again watching the sun set. We will savor this last trip through the whole rest of the week, and not just in memory, we will be munching our way through a basket full of V-Day sweets and a beautiful heart shaped chocolate cake!!
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]]><![CDATA[Prohibited Species in MT]]>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:37:18 -0800http://www.animalwonders.org/1/post/2012/02/prhibited-species-in-mt.htmlHey all you animal lovers out there! I wanted to send out a post letting everyone know which animals are prohibited to own in Montana without proper permitting. Most of them are pretty obvious. Obvious as in, why would you want to have that animal as a pet anyway?

Here's the link: http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/licenses/prohibited.html

You will find that it clearly states these animals are prohibited:
Alligator
Crocodile
Burmese Python
Reticulated Python
Apes - all of them
Monkeys - all of them
Deer family (ungulates) - most of them
Fox
Skunk
Raccoon
And many more.

If it is not on the prohibited list, it may be on the controlled or non-controlled lists. If the animal you are looking to get is not listed, then it is automatically on the prohibited list until it has been classified. If you have any questions you should call Bette Moe at 406-444-2452. If you take possession of a prohibited animal you are hurting yourself as well as the animal.

Please make sure you are doing your research before trying to make an animal your pet.

The best pets are the domesticated ones anyway. Your dog, cat, horse, or small critter will make you a hundred times happier, calmer, and stress free.
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