I don't mind that you friended me. I'll friend you back. Kind of about time, given the similarities in our experience, not to mention geographic proximity.
Thanks for the long response. I really appreciate it.
I used the term "stereotype behavior," partly because I love jargon (see above sentence), and party because that's the term used for undesirable behaviors like pacing and stall chewing in "Second Nature" (my primary source). I can change it if you think that it's confusing (and just say "undesirable behaviors").
Out of cage time is actually one of the current enrichment techniques used by my coworkers. Unfortunately, we don't really have a good place to do it. We are working on constructing an enrichment area (a bigger cage, with "toys" in it), but right now my coworkers just let the monsters run around and destroy our office. (This has cured me of the delusion that woodchucks are cute. Well, that, and my trip to the emergency room to get my rabies shots...) The walking birds (unflighted waterfowl, turkey, turkey vulture) are allowed to roam around some too.
We are pretty good about communicating to the public that these are wild animals, not our pets, and that they wouldn't make good pets. Drumlin Farm and Mass Audubon has a pretty good mission statement, and we are good at delivering our message, I think. People will always be stupid about wildlife: feeding raccoons, "rescuing" babies, etc. If someone wants to set out a treat log for their wild woodchucks, they can knock themselves out for all I care. Anyway, bitter ranting aside, ideally we would make it crystal clear that enrichment is for captive animals, not wild ones.
I'd love to continue the conversation! It's always nice to talk to professionals. (even if you aren't in the profession right now.)
You're over on rt. 20, I'm up on 117! I'm the one riding his bike home on 117 through Weston and Waltham--without spandex.
no subject
Thanks for the long response. I really appreciate it.
I used the term "stereotype behavior," partly because I love jargon (see above sentence), and party because that's the term used for undesirable behaviors like pacing and stall chewing in "Second Nature" (my primary source). I can change it if you think that it's confusing (and just say "undesirable behaviors").
Out of cage time is actually one of the current enrichment techniques used by my coworkers. Unfortunately, we don't really have a good place to do it. We are working on constructing an enrichment area (a bigger cage, with "toys" in it), but right now my coworkers just let the monsters run around and destroy our office. (This has cured me of the delusion that woodchucks are cute. Well, that, and my trip to the emergency room to get my rabies shots...) The walking birds (unflighted waterfowl, turkey, turkey vulture) are allowed to roam around some too.
We are pretty good about communicating to the public that these are wild animals, not our pets, and that they wouldn't make good pets. Drumlin Farm and Mass Audubon has a pretty good mission statement, and we are good at delivering our message, I think. People will always be stupid about wildlife: feeding raccoons, "rescuing" babies, etc. If someone wants to set out a treat log for their wild woodchucks, they can knock themselves out for all I care. Anyway, bitter ranting aside, ideally we would make it crystal clear that enrichment is for captive animals, not wild ones.
I'd love to continue the conversation! It's always nice to talk to professionals. (even if you aren't in the profession right now.)
You're over on rt. 20, I'm up on 117! I'm the one riding his bike home on 117 through Weston and Waltham--without spandex.