We had a BLAST at the Spectrum dance party! So much fun music and explosive learning booths that everyone had huge smiles as they danced around. It was a perfect day without rain and just warm enough to really enjoy the day. The Animal Ambassadors were wonderful and did an amazing job even with the rambunctious and enthusiastic crowd. If you missed the Dance Party, make sure to watch for it next year and in the meantime check out SpectrUM's website for all their fun and funky events. You may even see a few of the Animal Ambassadors join in the fun.

I just got some photos from a few of the guest at Bowling For Animals 2011. As I look back on the event I realized that a lot of the night was a blur to me. I spent most of my time walk through the crowd with the Animal Ambassadors. This was Pepper and Sera's (Patagonian cavy & red fox) first big event and both did such a great job! In only a month Sera has grown incredibly and Pepper has really come into his personality. Sherman, the hedgehog, is a perfect Ambassador and he amazes me each time with how confident, calm, and happy he is surrounded by noise and people.

We're just SO happy with how the event went and we can't wait to have it again next year! Here are a few of my favorite photos from the night.

I've said before and I'll say again, animals that are gregarious (social) in the wild need and desire other animal companionship. At Animal Wonders we strive to allow every gregarious animal to have an animal companion. This doesn't necessarily mean we have breeding pairs or even same species pairs. This just means we do our best to find compatible animal companionship for any animal that desires company.

In the case of Pepper, the Patagonian Cavy, it's a work in progress. Pepper is almost 4 weeks old and is living in the house with us. This ensures that he gets as much human interaction as possible, he stays extra warm while he's still young, and we can watch his every move to monitor how he's sleeping, eating, moving, etc. Our last Cavy loved company from the rabbit, Cheeks. We tried this pairing but found that Cheeks was a little too enthusiastic about his new friend. Seraphina, the fox kit, spent her first month inside as well, but she loved to pounce on anything that moved and Pepper thought this was not a fun game. We introduced Pepper to Ash the chinchilla, but Ash didn't appreciate Pepper's tendency to disregard personal space. So Pepper is spending his time with us in the room and interacts with our house cat, Ambros. Ambros has seen many animals of all shapes, colors, sizes, and smells come and go from his house. He tends to keep to himself and watch from a distance putting anyone too curious a few steps back with a soft but well aimed tap on the head. Pepper and Ambros interact and spend the day vying for the best spot on the couch (remember that cavies are not recommended as pets, they will chew and pee on almost anything, including the couch). Pepper will continue to find companionship with humans and animals alike as he grows to maturity. In the wild Patagonian Cavies are monogamous and mate for life. In Pepper's case he will most likely bond to his caretaker(s) and find comfort and companionship with them. Right now he seeks out human interaction and loves to follow moving feet and comes bounding when he hears a whistle call.