BEASTLY BLOG 2009

No Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!!, October 2009

The other day I spoke with a woman who was looking for a monkey for her 2 year old daughter's birthday party. I told her we do not carry monkeys, lemurs, kangaroos, alligators, lions and tigers and bears, oh my, because they are not safe around children especially infants and toddlers. All types of monkeys tend to be unpredictable, have large, sharp teeth  and claws and will view an infant or toddler as a play toy and is not capable of thinking about whom it hurts and how. So it is up to you as a rational parent to be the voice of reason. In addition, you do not know the person whom you are hiring or anything about their handling skills, safety policies or touching contact with children. I pleaded with the woman to go with something more suitable for a 2 year old like a pony ride, clown or magician but she refused stating her child was in love with monkeys and already very good with animals. So this blog is to plead with parents of children (even older children like 7 or 10 years old) who beg to see an alligator, monkey, elephant or some other large, and possibly quite dangerous animal to please be the common sense grown up and say no. I know it is difficult to turn down your precious child on his or her birthday but the guilt you feel by saying no will pale in comparision to the guilt you feel when your child or someone else's child is injured, scared to death or traumatized from being injured by a monkey due to unforseen (or forseen) circumstances. Here at The Creature Teacher, we try to show and educate children about exotic animals, pets or animals they might see out in the nature. But these animals are not overwhelming in size for the safety of your child, our audiences and us as well. By keeping animals without sharp claws or fangs and that are not fast moving and totally unpredictable we are able to show your child many things like how a chinchilla takes a dust bath or how hermit crabs walk sideways. Our animals are not overwhelming to small children and many of them, with the proper guidance, can be maintained as pets for older more responsible children. For health and safety reasons, we do insist that children touching the animals are over the age of 3 years old as children younger than 3 tend to pull on hair and tails, put their fingers in their mouths on a regular basis and have high, shrill screams that is frightening to other children and the animals. So please, when looking for an activity for you infant, toddler or schoool age child on their special day, please choose something that is not only safe and fun but also appropriate for their age. They will have plenty of time to view ostriches, monkeys, elephants, kangaroos and lions and tigers and bears, oh my, when they are old enough to appreciate what they are learning about these animals, how dangerous they can be and the handling should be left up to the professionals with years of experience and education. Besides, couldn't we all use a fun, safe, family outting to the zoo, circus or  wildlife park?

What to do in the unlikely event of a cancellation. September 2009

In our numerous years in the entertainment/education business, we have had our share of clients cancel a show for various unexpected reasons. Schools, birthday parties or some other event, at the last minute calls to say it won't work because of rain, lack of funds or scheduling conflict and this usually leaves a huge gap in our otherwise perfectly planned day. It also generates more paper and computer work and of course, puts a dent in our depended upon income. But a certain number of cancelled shows is and should be expected in this industry and even accepted as part of the job. But what if it is us, your entertainer, that cancels on you at the last minute? What to YOU do then? In 13 years of business, The Creature Teacher has been forced to cancel on two separate occasions due to health issues, hospitalization of a spouse or a death in the family. It left more than a few young kids disappointed and a few party moms were irrate and panicy to say the least. So The Creature Teacher would like to offer a few suggests in case this happens to you:

1) Try to be understanding. Your hired entertainer does not want to cancel on you. We lose income, feel horrible about disappointing students and party guests, do not relish being blamed for something we have no control over and risk tarnishing our good names and reputations. But please realize that we too, like you, have children that fall ill, aging parents and grandparents that have medical emergencies, get flat tires or car trouble while on the road and animals that are injured while traveling to and from. "Life" happens to us too. We are not immune to the pitfalls and tragedies of life anymore that you are not immune. And sometimes the timely could not be worse, for you and us.

2) Explain to your child that his/her birthday has not been cancelled and that he/she will still have fun because they will be around family and friends. That someones else loved one is in need of assitance and that our families should and do come first.

3) Most party entertainers are friends or at least acquiantances with the few other companies in their field. If your cancelled performer does not offer up these companies as an alternative, please ask for their competitors names and numbers. Also try looking in parenting magazines or online at www.critterplaces.com, www.partypop.com and www.ibirthdays.com.

4) Entertainers do not wish to lose your business. On the two occasions I cancelled, I sent a letter of apology to each client along with a gift certificate for a free show good if used within one year. Ask your entertainer to reschedule you for the earliest possible date/time or a discounted rate if you book for next year.

5) Try asking your adults party guests if they have any skills that could be helpful and if they would mind being the substiture enterainer. Things like making balloon animals, story telling, skits or games  like Duck, Duck, Goose, Water Balloon Toss, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Freeze Tag and Hide and Seek. Seek out the teacher or librarian or typical "funny guy" for assistance.

6) Go to our kids Crafts and Games web site www.acroakingoodtime.com for animal related activities. We have outdoor games, jokes, trivia, crafts, snack ideas and downloadable coloring and brainteasers that will keep your party guests, students and entire audience enchanted for hours. Have each child tell a few jokes or read a few Crazy Creature Codes to their friends or have a parent try out  our riddles on the kids and give a prize to whoever solves them.

To Prairie Dog or Not To Prairie Dog, That is the Question, July 2009

In 2003 the Center for Disease Control issued an outright ban on the sale, trade and transport of prairie dogs within the United States. If you already owned one, you could keep it, with the issuance of a special and very hard to obtain permit by the Food and Drug Administration however you still were prohibited from traveling with your prairie dog. The ban was put in place as a reaction to the transimission of monkey pox to a prairie dog from an unquarantined Gambian Pouched Rat imported from Ghana and held in Madison, Wisconsin. The disease was never transmitted to any more prairie dogs nor introduced to wild populations so late in 2008 the ban was lifted.

What does this mean? It means that next time you walk into a pet store, you might be likely to see Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs for sale. However, before you purchase one on a spontaneous whim, thinking they are so cute, fun and entertaining, please research what these unique critters require before taking the plunge. Are prairie dogs cute, fun and entertaining? Absolutely. But they are not an appropriate pet for a child or a novice exotic animal keeper. These animals require specialized diets, plenty of attention, large enclosures for lots of exercise and they are not only noisy but messy and downright destructive. They require expert handling knowledge, patience and a sense of humor. Remember these animals are wild creatures by nature and have vast habitats to roam freely as they please, digging underground tunnels 100's of feet wide and deep and have little or no human contact whatsoever. Being confined to a small space, unable to dig or burrow, surrounded by strange, large humans is not in their nature. And by the way, they are not dogs. They are rodents and should NOT be feed dog food ( I know plenty of rescue and rehabilitators that get downright annoyed at folks feeding prairie dogs dog food). Wild populations of Prairie dogs dine on roots, grasses, tubers, weeds and blossoms. A captive prairie dog should be feed a diet consisting of hay, rabbit pellets and for a treat can eat a small amount of oats, plain shredded wheat or a cheerio.

In addition, Prairie dogs are still not legal in some states. There are only about 2 dozen states that allow ownership of these creatures so check your state laws and also find out what city, county or state permits are needed for legal ownership. And even though Prairie dogs are cute and fun as youngsters please note their personality changes as an adult and during their "rut" stage they can become defensive and even aggressive, biting when frightened or just don't want to bothered. Most Prairie dogs are smart and can be litter box trained, leash trained and even learn a few simple tricks with enough time and care. They have an abundance of energy and language comparable to a dolphin so throughout any given day you will hear a variety of sqeaks, chirps, barks and whimpers coming from this social rodent. Prairie dogs live in colonies out in the wild so they should be kept in pairs or groups and not as a solitary pet. Praire dogs can easily reach 3 pounds and live over 7 years of age. So if you see a cute prairie dog full of spunk the next time you visit your local pet store, please talk to a pet store attandent before buying any pet at the spur of the moment. Ask lots of questions, buy a book, research the animal on the internet and make sure to hold your potential pet there at the store before shelling out hundreds of dollars for supplies, food, housing and other items and then realizing a month later you don't want the animal any more or can't afford the veterinary bills ( and there will be veterinary bills with all animals). Owning a domestic or exotic animal can be fun, rewarding and provides great companionship but it is also a daily chore and a sincere commitment for years to come.  

Our clients are the best!!, June 2009

In between presentations, cage cleaning, paperwork and other tasks related to running a home-based business, The Creature Teacher has been updating our client database. We've recorded the years and dates of your past shows, animals/presentations you've requested, as well as the length and number of shows you've booked with us. In the future, if you want to book choose a completely different set of animals for your son or daughters party, we can tell you what you requested last time around. While doing this, we have awed and humbled by the vast majority of you that call upon us again and again. Without the 70% of you that 1) refer us to friends, neighbors and co-workers, 2) book us for your child's birthday party for the 3rd year in a row, 3) invite us to attend your VBS or Summer Reading program since 2002 and 4) call on us when your off campus field trip has been canceled or a rainy day ruins your outdoor trip to the zoo, The Creature Teache would be out of business or at least not able to pay the bills.

So we would like to thank you for allowing us to serve, educate and entertain you. Thank you for allowing us to do what we love to do day after day, month after month and year after year. We realize you have may options like magicians, clowns, and parties at Chuck E Cheese yet you continue to keep at arms reach that colorful Creature Teacher pencil imprinted with our phone number and web address that was given to you back in 2001. We appreciate your patronage and hope we continue to live up to your expectations. We continue to strive to do our best, improve on goods, services and your selection of creatures to choose. Please feel free to write us about how we are doing, what you would like to see in the future and we can improve on our shows. We hope to see all of you soon.

Why I Became "The Creature Teacher", May 2009

In todays fast paced life-style with pressures coming from many areas including career, financial demands, family, chores, caring for elderly loved ones or dealing with your own deteriorating health, it can be all too easy to lose sight of what is really important in life and remember the goals you set for yourself years ago and how to continue to acheive them. And may times folks close to you may lose sight of these things as well adding more stress and confusion to your already jam packed day. When that is the case, it is usually best to think back to the beginning and ask yourself why you choose your particular path. In assisting you with this task, I decided to look back to 1996 and tell you why I choose to become a wildlife educator. Some may think or assume it is for the money, status, fame, or reputation. And can tell you first hand, it was none of those. The Creature Teacher was started for one reason and one reason only: the children. Born and raised in a big city in Southern California and having adored animals, any kind of animal, since I was a kid, I realized that inner city kids don't get to see and touch exotic animals on a regular basis. In fact, some of them don't see any kind of animal at all. So every aspect of the The Creature Teacher was formed with kids in mind.  I started out with only about 10 "not-so-exotic"  animals  like a cocketiel, hamster and gecko. I bought an overgrown "red wagon"  similar to the ones kids pull each other around in after school (see bottom of this page for the red wagon story) and named all of my animals after current cartoon characters like Beanie and Cecil, Rocky and Bullwinkle and Tom and Jerry. I also had a pre-written spiel about each animal but soon realized it would never work due to an endless supply of ever curious young minds. I soon through it out and formed a brand new "talk" based on those questions. What we say about every animal today is and was "formed" in a round-a-bout way by those ever curious young minds that couldn't sit stilll if I didn't tell them whether the parrot talks or will it fly away and will the snake bite or is it poisonous. I soon learned each animal had a reputation, myth or feature that needed to be told, demanded, rather, before I would be able to put it back and take out another one. And my first year in business, I probably gave only about 50 presentations.

But being a wildlife educator is not about how many shows you can squeeze into a day, month or year. It is not about ego, money, how many hours a day you work, how many employees you have to hire, how big your animals are, or how many animals you can cram into your 3 bedroom house. Nor is it about being on TV, getting praise and a big pat on the back or a big tip at the end of a birthday party. Being a wildlife educator is and should be about one thing and one thing only: the kids. Teaching the kids about the fascinating world of animals. It is about enthralling and enchanting children of all ages and making sure they take away something positive, interesting and memorable when they walk away from our show.

The Creature Teacher began in 1996 dedicated to acquainting and educating children to not only some of the most unique creatures here on earth but some of the most common ones as well. There is just as much to learn from the average domestic rabbit as there is from the large, scary and odd-looking snake or reptile. And The Creature Teacher would rather accept fewer shows and stay fresh and enjoy our job giving you the high quality show you deserve for your child's birthday party than exhaust ourselves trying to fit in as many shows as we possibly can and showing up to your party, library or scout meeting tired, dragging one foot after the other and giving a lackluster performance.  Every Creature Teacher show is presented with these things in mind and we hope you will walk away satisfied, and bewildered by our animals as well as our knowledgable and charismatic professional educator.   

HOLIDAY DANGERS. Dec, 2008

The holidays are upon us and it is time for all us to mingle, eat and be merry. We humans must find a way to entertain, have fun, eat good food and be safe all at the same time. It is all too easy to loose focus, get distracted and forget about "Fido" or "Spot" for a minute, an hour or even a day. But for many household pets, the holidays are a dangerous time. Your pet, whatever it may be, will most certainly be curious about the presents under the tree, the new food item sitting on the counter or the cleaning solution you inadvertantly left out on the counter. Thousands of pets, like dogs and cats and even the more unusual, exotic animals, fall ill every day of the year from household items we have contact with and take for granted everyday. Below is a list of dangerous and harmful items you may have around your house that you should take extra caution not to let your bird, dog, cat, lizard, small mammal or other creature have contact with in any way. It is not an exhaustive list and many other foods, plants or items toxic to pets have been left out. If in doubt about a particular product, please contact a veterinarian, local humane society or trusted animal friendly internet site or The Creature Teacher as we'd be glad to help. We hope this list will help you to be safe and provide better care for you beloved family friend not only around the holiday but every day of the year.  

Poisonous Plants

Apricot Pits, Azalea, Bird of Paradise, Black Walnut, Castor Bean Plant, Christmas Rose, Daffodil Bulbs, Elderberries, Ferns, Holly, Honeysuckle, Horsetail, Hyacinth, Hydragena, Iris, Jasmine, Laurel, Larkspur, Lily, Mistletoe, Morning Glory, Nettles, Oleander, Parsnip, Philadendron, Poinsettia, Poppy, Rhododendron, Rubber Plant, Spider Lily, St. Johns Wart, White Cedar, Wisteria, Yew, Zephyr Lilly

Poisonous Foods

All Alcoholic Beverages, Apple Seeds, Avocado, Candy, Chocolate, Coffee, Eggplant, Macademia Nuts, Moldy Foods, Mushrooms, Onions and Onion Powder, Potatoe, Raisins, Rhubarb, Salt, Tea, Yeast Dough
 
Poisonous Household Products

Air Freshners, Aluminum Foil, Ammonia, Antifreeze, Aspirin, Birth Control Pills, Bleach, Bug Spray, Charcoal Lighter, Cigarettes, Deodorants, Detergents, Diet Pills, Drain Cleaner, Furniture Polish, Gasoline, Hair Dyes and Sprays, Iodine, Lysol, Moth Balls, Nail Polish, Paint, Paint Remover and Thinner, Perfumes, Pesticides, Roasted and Shelled Nuts and Seeds, Shaving Cream, Snail Bait, Super Glues, Tobacco, Turpentine, Wax Paper, Weed Spray, Windex

Make sure you are aware of the signs of possible poisoning. They can include but are not limited to: convulsions, cold skin, diarrhea, drooling, depression, fast or slow breathing, incoordination, pain, pale mucous membranes, unconsciousness, vomiting and weakness. These signs can come on very suddenly or slowly over a period of time depending on species of animal, size of animal and what was ingested.

If you suspect your pet has ingested a harmful substance and could be suffering from poisoning, take your pet to the nearest veterinarian as soon as possible. Be sure to know where the nearest Emergency Veterinary Clinic is located (for Saturdays, Sundays and late night hours) and have their phone number and address posted someplace handy and visible, like on the refrigerator door, on speed dial in your cell phone or posted by the home phone. And don't forget to have a collar and leash (if needed) and an animal carrier stored in your house somewhere that is easily accessible (under the bed, top shelf or a corner of a closet,) and can be taken out and ready to use at a moments notice.

THE CREATURE TEACHER, LLC.  Dec 2008

The Creature Teacher was created in June 1996 as an idea that was supposed to flop. Family and friends said it could never work. Coworkers were skeptacle at best. But tired of working two jobs for barely above minimum wage, being ordered around by cranky bosses and returning home for bed well into the midnight hours, Robyn took the risk at opening up a self run business. With no business classes, marketing skills or very much money in the bank, The Creature Teacher needed to be formed from scratch. Absolutely everything needed to be purchased--the animals, the food, the cages, the advertising and promotional materials, the larger vehicle...everything. Even the "overgrown" red wagon. The red wagon that carries the creatures from show to show was purchased at a swap meet in Orange County, California for $200.00. At the time, the small alloted budget for opening a business was almost empty, tapped out.  Not really a wise move to purchase  such an extravagant, luxurious item. One that by some could be seen as worthless or useless, frivolous even. Thirteen years later, that red wagon is still around and attends every show with Robyn and the animals. It is repainted every winter, tires replaced or inflated on a regular basis and it even has a special plastic pouch in the back (added by The Creature Teacher) to hold fliers and business cards. Not many people can say they've purchased an item and kept it around 13 years down the road. And still being used and in prime condition. That overgrown red wagon now sells for well over $200.00 and was probably the best thing item money could buy in 1996 for a small hopeful business owner just looking to make a living doing something everyone said could never be done!!