Animal Wonders Inc.

We received the results for Louie, the sun conure's untimely death and they have proved inconclusive. The advances in avian veterinary medicine has been rapidly improving, however it is very common that illnesses remain a mystery. We are sad that we don't have the answers we were waiting for but there is nothing to be done about that now. We will continue to monitor the health and well-being of the rest of the bird residents very closely for any signs of illness of unusual behavior. Since birds are very good at hiding illness one of the best ways to monitor their health is to weigh them regularly, once or twice a week is best. So far everyone seems healthy and happy.

Dusty, the chinchilla, has been battling an illness for the last few weeks. After several visits to the vet and a round of several different medications, he seems to be on the mend! He continues to gain weight every day and is very active. He's even getting his old personality back... he can be quite feisty at times.

Black Dalia, the Mexican Black Kingsnake, had ongoing medical issues for most of last year. We're very happy to say that she has completely recovered and is in perfect health and she has the appetite of an alligator!

Blueberry, the blue tongue skink, is still in Quarantine until she passes her second fecal exam to determine if she has successfully passed all the "bugs". She should be joining the rest of the reptiles in a few weeks, pending a clean report.

Everyone else is doing great. Considering we have over 60 animal residents, we're happy and proud of the good health record. Animals can't tell us with words when they are feeling ill, we must rely on reading their behavior and taking daily notes for reference of any changes. It is our priority to ensure an excellent quality of life for all of our animals and we work continuously to ensure we keep our strict level of excellence. We also care a great deal about them and we worry sick whenever one of them isn't feeling well. We are so relieved that Dusty, the chinchilla, is recovering and everyone else is squeaking, squawking, humming, purring, or keeping re

Lily's 7th birthday couldn't have been more fun. Just when the party got rolling it started to rain, but that didn't faze the party goers. They marched their way to the barn to meet all the animals from Animal Wonders. Lily helped present some of the animals, she got to pretend she was a leaf for Stumpy the White's Tree Frog, become a branch for Lovie the Lovebird, and show off Sandy the Sand Boa. Tango, the Patagonian Cavy enjoyed a short romp around until he was moved into the lime-light and smiled for the camera as each child posed for a picture with him. We had a great time with the kids and they loved seeing the animals up close and personal after the presentation. We enjoyed the raw enthusiasm they showed for the animals and we will be smiling for days to come. Thank you Lily for allowing us to share your birthday!

Cleaning is an everyday thing at Animal Wonders. Not a day goes by that we are cleaning up after the animal residents, but sometimes we like to mix in a little more fun with the everyday business. Today Zoe and Chongo, the Amazon parrots, enjoyed time outside in the garden while I hosed and scrubbed enclosures, toys, and perches. I was even able to weed the garden as everything dried. They mildly watched me work and soaked up the UV rays. Tango, the Patagonian cavy, munched on grass as he sneaked in peeks at me through the weeds. He enjoyed his outdoor time as did Cheeks the rabbit. After our outdoor activities we all spent some time relaxing in the cool indoors. Oliver, the sun conure, groomed himself on my shoulder while I relaxed on the couch and read a book. Later, Jumbuck the bearded dragon, got some exercise running around the Reptile Room while we changed out his substrate, and Yucca, the Red-footed tortoise waited patiently for her turn to slowly explore the corners and say hello to all the other reptile residents. Kemo, the prehensile-tailed porcupine, let me know he was ready for dinner by grumbling loudly (he sounds like a chainsaw in the distance). I fixed his diet and spent some time changing his soiled bedding and replacing it with clean fresh aspen shavings. After he was smelling fresh, he enjoyed his favorite snack - corn on the cob. These are a few of the memories we made today. There's nothing like sharing your life with these amazing animals and I like to think of it this way:

Every day is cleaning day, most days we have fun while cleaning, and some days we make lasting memories of another great day with the animals.

*I thought it might be nice to share a few moments of a day in our life at Animal Wonders. Just so you might be able to glimpse what we do on any average day. We always have a good time, even when we're just cleaning :)

We are very excited to announce the arrival of our newest animal resident. Babette, the brush-tailed bettong. Babette's previous owner could no longer care for her due to severe medical complications so she needed a new home. Our own bettong, Quigley, has been looking for a roommate for almost a year now and we are excited to be able to give Babette a wonderful home here at Animal Wonders. Quigley and Babette will hopefully bond and become a great mated pair. If they can produce a joey we will be one step closer to helping conserve this amazing endangered species. Let's all keep our fingers crossed

Thank you Spirit at Play! We had so much fun with the children and they seemed to love the animals too! Curly, the white-cheeked turaco started off the fun and put a big smile on everyone's face. It got better and better as each new animal was presented. Sherman, the hedgehog was a bit but Tango, the Patagonian Cavy stole the show. The children had a great time after the presentation with Animals In Focus. They held Lovie the lovebird, watched Sherman the hedgehog, and had a great up-close encounter with Tango. Then they voted on which animal they wanted to sponsor as a group and Tango won! Thank you Spirit at Play for sponsoring T

Louie, our beloved sun conure, passes away this morning. He had been fighting for over a month against an unknown illness. We did everything we could to try and figure out what was causing his disinterest in food. He was on supportive care for the last month but failed to retain any nutrition. He was slowly wasting away. This morning his quality of life became the last straw and he was humanely euthanized. His body will be sent to a lab for further testing to try and determine the ultimate cause of death.

Louie will be sorely missed. His radiant personality stood out brightly and you could easily feel his pure joy for life. Louie came to us when he was just 2 ears old in 2007. He had a "scissor beak" where his upper and lower mandibles crossed, this gave him extra personality. He was a clown and a show off and loved to hang upside down from our fingers. Louie loved to snuggle and would climb into the top of your shirt, turn around, and peek out at the collar. One of Louie favorite things was to have us sing "Louie Louie" to him while he danced and did his best to sing along. Louie lost his cage mate, Igor, when he was 3 y/o. Very soon after, we adopted Oliver, and Louie had such a big heart that he welcomed Oliver into his home, no questions asked. Louie and Oliver were the best of friends and traveled to many shows together. They enjoyed eating, sleeping, grooming, bathing, and screaming together. Oliver will receive extra special attention in the days to come as he adjusts to life without Louie, as we all will. Louie, rest in peace little man

We are busy bees here at Animal Wonders! We just welcomed in 2 Blue Crown Conures, affectionately named Mom and Dad by their previous owner. They came to us because their owner wanted to find a secure bird-loving home as she aged and had less time to offer them. They have joined Blueberry in the Quarantine room and are settling in nicely. Their enclosure is set up exactly like they had it at their last home in order to reduce stress from the move.

Whenever a new animal resident moves in there is an adjustment period; for them and for us. We have to learn their personality and adjust our routines to fit their comfort level. After the first week we know a good deal about each other and after a month things really start to settle in and we will all easily mov into a new routine. Mom and Dad came in yesterday afternoon so today was their first morning at Animal Wonders. They woke up bright and early and announced the beautiful morning to the world! This is usual with most birds but they add another level of noise to the morning alarm clock... one we will eventually regard as routine.

Blueberry, the Blue Tongue Skink, came to Animal Wonders 2 days ago and is settling right in. She will be in Quarantine for the next 30 days but that doesn't mean she doesn't get the ultimate in luxury. She's enjoying new furniture in her enclosure and we've found she has a special place in her heart for sweet potatoes. Yesterday she went to the spa: well, actually it was just a nice long soak in water with a 30 minutes massage by yours truly. She enjoyed shedding off her old skin and came out shiny and new. She will be heading to the vet to take care of a few issues and then after she clears all the tests she can move into the Reptile Room and join the rest of the crew.

We're excited to be able to share Blueberry with local Montanas and we can't wait to see their reactions when they se

We had a great time at the Museum today. It was a week in Australia and the summer camp as well as a great crew of kids got to experience some of the animal wonders of Australia. Gizmo and Nemo,the sugar gliders, were a big hit. They even showed off how well they could jump and the kids were able to see how their skin stretched out to glide! Jumbuck, the bearded dragon, hung out with the audience and they were able to feel how unique his scales are. We're looking forward to

Stop by the Missoula Children's Museum tomorrow, July 22nd, so see our Australian Outback Presentation! We're going to have a great time and we hope to see you there!