In my last blog I told you guys I was going to focus on poop. I try not to break my promises.
So can anyone identify this lovely specimen?
Remember, this is not restricted to the farmyard so there are a lot of possibilities.
I would also like to add that I found this poop sitting up straight and I was impressed.
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She ate the skin too which a lot of geckos do.
I made sure to look for it the next morning and it was all gone
Wow!! How often and why does Gordon shed her skin? And how long does it take for the entire shedding process?
That’s impressive!
Depending if its still growing it will shed more but usually every few months
However, we dont really know because like I said a lot of the geckos eat their skin
I noticed the day before though she was a different color then usual so that was one hint
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“Ewwwwwwww!”
That is one of the most popular words I hear being shouted by children as they watch one of the farmyard animals defecate. But, hey…. we all “do” it. There is that popular book entitled Everyone Poops (that just so happens to be sold in our gift shop) that explains how everyone and everything capable can and will poop.
Poop, can actually be an animal keepers best friend. Now, I don’t go to the movies with a scoop of Scout scat. I just mean that we keepers can tell A LOT about an animal just by looking at its poop.What its eating, if its dehydrated,if they have worms are just some of the benefits of getting close to poo!
In the near future I will be posting some more about poop and will be posting some pics for you guys to identify what animal it came out of!
Don’t get too excited.
I can hardly wait!!!
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Black Bear paws are used for many things:
Walking
Rooting around looking for food
Scratching
Marking trees
Climbing trees
Swimming
And as plates
Virginia using her paw as a plate for her nut shells
This last use is one of my favorites and all of our bears do this. Sometimes they will place a piece of food on their paw and raise their paw up to their mouth. So cute and functional.
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Most of the education work we animal keepers are asked to do happens on museum grounds in the form of programs, events and blog posts. Every once in a while something fun pops up and one of us gets to go out into the world to spread our knowledge to the sponge-like minds of eager children and adults alike.
Well, maybe that’s pushing things a bit. This event wasn’t as much about “spreading knowledge” and “eager children” as much as it was about a 4 hour, 200+ person career fair for 8th graders. Think of speed dating but with potential career paths rather than potential dates.
First things first, I needed to collect a bunch of things from around the office to bring with me that showcase what animal keepers do.
Next I asked my fellow keepers what tools or objects represent their jobs best.
My favorite responses: “fecal cups!!!” “keys” and “my clicker.”
The day of the fair arrived and I set up my table. This was all happening at Neal Middle School, a local magnet school that emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math.
The kids came in groups of 2 -3 classes at a time. I was surprised and really happy to see how many of these students were dressed in suits and ties or conservative business attire and even more so by the number that, without any trepidation, approached me, shook my hand and introduced themselves.
These two boys stuck around for a while and asked so many great questions about the job that I asked for a photo for the blog!
I was one of ten careers being represented that morning. The others were the Boy Scouts of America, the Mayor’s Office, a pilot for US Airways, Habitat for Humanity, a Duke University pediatric social worker, the headmistress of a Montessori School, Durham Technical Community College, “Work Smart” a local IT outsourcing company, and the owner of a small business named, “The Art of Style.”
Overall, it was far more tiring than my typical Farmyard morning, but totally worth it. The kids were awesome, the teachers appreciative and the other careers present had some amazing stories to share. I’m very glad I got to spend a morning with them all!
If a Zookeeper would have come to my Middle School it wouldn’t have taken me so long to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.
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Galileo took a field trip last week. ( I love when the keepers get the opossums out for field trips. I think Sonny’s field trips were my favorites).
Intern Jamie was his Chaperone
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Katy has been going through her photos and came across this one of Galileo which made us both laugh.
Annie was terrified when she found Galileo in the ball so the ball now looks like this
But, since the opossum got out of the ball just fine, Katy and I think the ball should not be labeled “not for opossum use” but rather “not for Annie use”
That’s fantastic!
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Bunnies and chicks are often given as pets during the Easter holiday. The Human Society is urging people not to give live animals as gifts. Each year they are flooded with unwanted Easter pets. Read the following to find out why giving chocolate bunnies and chicks is a much better idea.
Below is an article posted on their Website.
The Humane Society of the United States is asking people to refrain from acquiring live chicks and rabbits as Easter gifts this holiday season. Young, adorable animals mature quickly into adults and need daily care for the rest of their lives. Instead of live animals as gifts, consider giving children a plush toy or a chocolate rabbit.
In some areas, selling chicks and keeping chickens as pets is actually illegal. Every year, animal shelters receive a surge of unwanted Easter pets who are given up after the owners have lost interest or are unable to care for them. Unfortunately, many are euthanized due to lack of available homes.
Some animals given as gifts are released into the wild when people tire of them. However, these animals are domestic species. They’re unable to fend for themselves and usually die of starvation or exposure to the elements, or are preyed upon by other animals.
Bringing any type of pet into your home should be done only after carefully assessing your family’s ability to meet the animal’s needs and after seeking information from experts. Talk to a veterinarian, your local animal shelter, or other pet owners about the nuts and bolts of caring for these animals. Adding chickens or any animals to your family should only be done if you have carefully considered your family’s lifestyle and your commitment to an animal who can live for many years. It’s not easy breaking the news to a child that their new pet is being given away because the adults in the home made a bad decision.
If you do decide that a rabbit would be a good pet for your family, consider adopting from your local animal shelter or rabbit rescue group.
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I train the keepers and educators to handle our two program raptors. (Misha and Christopher). I’ve completed five weeks of work with Molly, but she still needs to practice. She’s decided to send me a photo every time she take out one of the birds to show me of her commitment. Way to go Molly!
Molly with Christopher
What a cutie! Christopher is pretty cute too 
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Last week, while checking on the animals at the end of the day, a keeper noticed something amiss with the toad:
The gelatinous bubble between the toad’s legs should not be there.
Dr. Lewbart happened to be visiting with some veterinary students- what perfect timing for us to have an expert on grounds for some sort of prolapse with this toad.
Dr. Lewbart (gray vest), with 4th year veterinary students from NCSU, works on the toad.
We use a product called MS222 to put the toad to sleep. We put the toad and MS222 in water. Once the toad is ready, the work can begin.
toad, “sleeping” for its surgery to repair the prolapse
The stitches came out yesterday and we’ll hope this was a one-time thing!
Did this fix the problem permanently or could it recur? I’m glad the toad is OK!
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I’d like a reference point please please- like a ruler or a quarter next to the pile of poo.
If you give me a hundred dollar bill for scale I could use that.
Pig poop!
Does the white ridged background provide a clue or is just a shovel?
I cant tell you then it could give it away.
The answer is coming soon