We have been very busy training new behaviours including crate training with many species recently and I wanted to update you on what the animals have been learning.
Macaws
So, I’ve been making friends with the macaws and teaching them to follow the target. They’ve picked it up nicely and allowed me to move onto scale and crate training. Most of them will hop on the scales now, which is rewarding as a few months ago they were the scariest thing they’d ever seen! Our boy Benji was the first to pick it up. He is very keen and has led the others to gain confidence through watching him make it look easy. He also learnt to go into a crate by himself in just 2 days! What a clever boy!
Macaws are intelligent animals, having an IQ comparable to that of a human toddler. This intelligence means they need a lot of stimulation. Training engages them to think, predict and solve puzzles. They also love praise and attention so you will likely see me celebrating with them anytime they make achievements. This has led to our other parrots plucking up their courage to start scale training too.
Callitrichids
You may have seen some of the small primates in their new enclosure which is huge! To make things easier, if we need to get a closer look at them, I have been crate training them. The common marmosets were the first to pick it up as they are naturally quite confident as a group.
The goeldis were the next to take to it and now get very excited when they see the crate and I’m very close with the red-handed tamarins too. They are very timid and it has taken a long time to gain their trust. Head of primates, George has been working with Edgar the Emperor tamarin so that we can keep an eye on his weight.
Cloud rats
These gorgeous girls are currently off-show, awaiting their new enclosure. In the meantime we have been working hard to make their move go smoothly. Rats are more intelligent than you might think. They have a great memory and are able to learn quickly. So not only can you teach them, but they are unlikely to forget it. They have been trained to follow a target. This allowed progression to scales and most recently, a crate. This will ensure a nice stress-free journey for them when it comes to moving day.
Reudi
Well, anyone who knows me will know about Reudi’s incredible achievements in the last few weeks as I don’t stop talking about it! He has gone from being fearful of the straps to allowing me to touch his hoof on the block in a matter of months. It’s like something has just clicked and all of the sudden his progress is snowballing. Pretty soon he will be level-pegging with Robin!
There were a few little tweaks I had to make for it to be ‘just right’ for him. Such as changing the colour of the straps. I did this just as a shot in the dark, and he was flush to that strap the same session. These are the strange things you find out as an animal trainer and it’s always worth trying new ideas to see what your animal feels comfortable with. If your giraffe wants a yellow strap then that’s what he shall have- there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.
Storks and Pelicans
Our lovely pair of storks Derek and Cassandra are learning to walk onto a station which is just a large rubber mat. However, it’s the same colour and shape as the scales. So, fingers crossed they will transition nicely when the actual scales are used.
Head of Birds Becky managed to get a snap of Maurice the pelican being a brave boy on the station too!
Raccoon Dogs
Now most of you will not have been able to see these guys as they are quite shy and elusive. If you’re lucky enough you may catch Head of Carnivores, Sarah, training them. During this they are a lot more active! She’s been working hard to bond with these guys for a long time now and look at the results!
Ringtails
Keeper Dani has been working with the Ring-tailed lemurs teaching them to voluntarily enter their crates. If you have ever tried to catch up a ring-tailed lemur you will understand why this is necessary! As entertaining as it is to watch the keepers flying through the air trying to catch one, it’s a much calmer process for all involved, especially when they are in such a large enclosure.
Kai
We welcomed the handsome young man, Kai, to the park a few months ago. Hes only 1 year old and not only has he settled in great but he is already fully trained for crate, scales and T-bar!
The T-bar is used to get a good look at their bellies just as a general health check, Kai picked it up very quickly following Mai’s lead.
To catch up on my previous blogs and progress just click here and I’ll be back again soon with another update for you.
