Perry Winkle Farm

I live in a rural area between Brighton and an unofficial part of Commerce City, on a property that is about an acre long. When I was looking at the exotic pet laws in Colorado, "MAN ARE THEY WHACK! Their is like a bunch of African antelope species banned from the state, or "prohibited" as they call it, they won’t even let a registered zoological facility have!", anyway, so I saw one of the legal wild animals you can have are Red Kangaroos. Honestly, I think I could handle it if I could find a responsible facility that would give me a joey at a reasonable price, despite that I’m only thirteen. I’ve had plenty of experience with keeping wild animals as "pets" or "special buddies" as I call them. At first, it started of with a baby boa constrictor egg being hatched at in a incubator I made in 6th grade, to keeping three very special caimen, one of them being a white specimen that I costed me a thousand bucks, being kept in the koi pond, "my folks let me keep them only because they make interesting pond decorations", keeping two sugar gliders and raising over twenty, I’m not kidding, OVER TWENTY HOLSTEIN CALVES AT MY COUSIN’S RANCH FOR A MONTH. As you can see, I have had a lot of experience in raising animals, and I can take the time in raising a joey. I’ve also had a friend in Australia show me how to hand raise a joey while I was at his place for spring break hunting boar. Now I know what some of you are thinking, I hunter can’t raise a baby ANYTHING because I kill animals. Boars are destructive, as well as rabbits, so yes, I hunt them, espicialy to help a friend in Aussie And being a little hunter, I have enough rabbits’ skins, "brain tanned on one side with fur still attached to the other", to make a great pouch for any joey. And I also know where to get the milk formula for my joey and how much to feed him through the four stages, as well as how to wean him. I also know the fact that my friend’s dad said "A roo buck can be as aggresive and as reliable as a bull, and will sometime in your lfetime of keeping him captive will bite, scratch, kick, and whoop the hell out of both the hand that fed him…". Great advice, but I’m planning on keeping a doe. And if possible, with the help of the Australian Wildlife Agency or what ever they call it, I want to release him/her into the wild, where I believe if possible, that any wild animal should be released into the wild at some point in their life if possible. Either that, or let them live in captivity, but let them live as close as possible to life in the wild. Besides, I have a good idea for the joey’s living enclosoure, and know everything in keeping a marsupial. And according to my science teacher know, read, and study zoology at a college level so I know A LOT about kangaroos. So, good pet or bad pet?
In the states, or at least Colorado, you can keep all sorts of marsupials! But I know wild animals are dangerous, I plan to work with the Australian director of National Parks to release it back into the wild where I believe it should be let freed if I have the chance to do so.
Do you think we’re chasing and crating roos like the Chinese do to prairie dogs just for pets? Kangaroos are ranched in the States…
Yes, I go to a very "special" school. Denver School of Arts, one of the best schools in the state of Colorado. So good, you can’t just admit into the school, you have to be DISCOVERED. WHAT?!

In Australia where im from you can not keep roo’s as pets except if you are working for an animal rescue and even then ther are released back into the wild or if not they are taking to a wildlife sancturary.
In the states i dont know if its possible to keep such an animal as a "pet". I would think that it wouldnt be allowed.

I need to drive from san diego zoo in san diego to san diego wild animal park in escondido california and mapquest won’t show me!

Take Zoo Drive to Park Blvd. go left.
Left at Robinson and Right at 10th ave
Take 163 North and continue on the 15 for about 15 mins.
Exit Via Rancho Pkwy, go right.
That turns into Bear Valley Pkwy
Right at San Pasqual Rd.
Follow signs

i really want to work with animals, i have a true passion for them, i own many exotics and have wanted to work with them since i was little, but i feel like everyone wants to do it too, like im just like everyone else. its not about them, its about the animals. but i feel like people dont really really have a passion for it and they just wanna play around in shows with dolphins and play with other exotics bc they went to seaworld or a zoo and dont really understand its not about that.. its about the animals…. so is my dream of actually doing something for animals and becoming an actual trainer/ caretaker overrated? if you dont agree explain…

Well you have taken the first step to being different from most other people who want to become an animals trainers, you are thinking about it seriously.

As you said, working with animals should be about the animals. Not about oneself or anyone else. Most people who want to go into animal training want this because they want to be close to the animals, touch them, ‘play’ with them etc, not for the animal’s sake but for their own. What do you think performing in a show does for an animal apart from earning a reward mostly in the form of food? Precious little really, maybe a distraction in an otherwise even more dull day, but doing the season’s same routine over and over is not really that stimulating either is it? This is the problem with many places that keep animals, especially places like SeaWorld. It is not about the animals but about how the animals make people feel. Considering that cetaceans and killer whales especially live much shortened lives and their behaviour often changes, resulting in heightened aggression towards each other and people as well, I personally feel noone can argue that this is all done for the animal’s sake…
I personally however, having worked with and experienced wild animals, find this sort of experience highly overrated as you don’t get a feel for the animal’s true self as it is behaving in a way that is unnatural and manufactured to please crowds. It is an artificial experience and not on the animal’s own terms which to me cheapens the whole thing and defies the point of being close to the animal because it is no longer about the animals let alone doing something for the animals but about the show.

One of my favourite quotes is:
"Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals "love" them. But those who respect their natures and wish to let them live normal lives, love them more" - Edwin Way Teale

There are other jobs that allow you to work with animals but encounter them in a more natural way and actually do something for them, be it as a zoologist, conservationist or biologist studying them and helping preserve the world they live in, as a vet in a wildlife rehabilitation centre helping them, as a naturalist, ranger or whale watching guide showing them to people and helping them learn respect them for the wild animals they are, or, yes, in a zoo, but one that is not dedicated to show and glamour but to education, research and conservation that rather than making animals behave in a way that pleases the crowd tries and makes the animals behave as naturally as possible by doing their best to recreate the natural environment, even if this may mean they are less easily accessible to the public.

As long as your dream is about and for the animals, however, there is nothing overrated about it as working with animals to me is one of the most rewarding experiences you could possibly have.

Zoos are prisons for animals in my opinion, but I was most interested in the gorillas as a child.

Hmm… I like the penguins :] They’re cute ^^
Edit: They don’t look unhappy, though. I do feel bad for them though :[

….. *pulls your pigtail gently and sprints away cackling*

I own seventeen animals and I was wondering if I was responsible with them.

Birds/Cockatiels/Parakeets-
I have two cockatiels and three parakeets. Every week I ride my bike to the local pet store and buy them their toys, cuttle bones, treats, calcium supplements, and any thing else I need while I am there. I also take them every month to an Avian Vet for their monthly check-ups. Every four months I trim their nails, and every six months I clip their wings. I let them out for about four to six hours a day. I handle (stroking them, playing ladders with them, and cuddling) them for about an hour. I am currently working on getting my cockatiels used to water. I make sure my parakeets/cockatiels have vitamin/calcium enriched food. I clean all my birds’ cages each week, without using any harmful chemicals or substances. My parakeet recently is showing signs of being about to lay. This was by accident. I have loving and responsible homes lined up for them.

Frogs/ White’s Tree Frogs-
We have three of these frogs. Each week I buy crickets for them, sometimes mealworms for a treat every so often. They go to an Exotic Vet every month for monthly check-ups. We have heating lamps to keep their color up. We have de-chlorified water for them to soak in. We also have a variety of logs, fake plants, huts for them. We play with them for about an hour each day.

Cats/Himalayan Long-Haired-
We have one male and female Himalayan cats. They are neutered/spayed. They shed a lot, so I daily brush their coat. i also clean their litter boxes weekly. Charlie (male) goes to the Vet once more than my other animals because he is an outdoor cat. He gets his shots every three weeks. We have decided against de-clawing them. Every month we give them cat-nip, which makes them extremely hyper, which is why we do this monthly. Misty (female) goes monthly. She was a rescue cat, and she still has a bit of behavioral issues.

Dogs/Cockerspainel/Maltese/Yorkshire Terrier-
Our dogs get walked every morning and night. They go outside and roam freely (fenced-in back yard), and we get them groomed every two months. We have them potty trained, and they are very people friendly. They go to a Vet every two months (we have a lot of animals!). They eat some people food, but not a lot. Rusty (cocker) has a bloodline of winning show dogs, they are all winners, it’s some strict breeding thing. Rusty isn’t a show dog. He’s a family dog, and we have never bred him. The breeder wanted us to breed him and put him in shows, but we refused. They get treats every night before bed. They have a lot of toys! Too bad they don’t know how to pick them up.

Hamsters/Robo/Syrain/Russian-
We have three, two dwarfs and one Syrain. We give them veggies but take them out after an hour. They get handled every day, and love to run around in their balls. We use Care Fresh bedding, not cedar. We take them to the vet every two months. We clean their cage every week. Our Syrain is so nice! We keep them all together, and our Syrain doesn’t even so much as glance at them. They have three wheels in their cage. One for each. Our Robo, Sweetie, likes to use cotton balls and make a buiding out of them. Our Russian, Deadly Nightshade, has a bit of a attitude. She doesn’t like to be handled when I’m holding the others. Our dwarfs make tunnels underground, so it takes about five minutes to find them.

Cichlid Oscar-
We named him Oscar, creative, huh? He doesn’t go to a vet. He is five years old now, and he’s dieing. He is immune to ick, which kind of scares me. He’s not very strong, now. He doesn’t go up to get air that often. We feed him crickets, small grasshoppers, and other bugs. He’s about a foot long now. He used to have a buddy, but he died three years ago. Also, Oscar likes to eat small goldfish and minos, too.

Volunteering-
I volunteer at Animal Friends Humane Society in Trenton, Ohio.I work with the dogs, cats, rodents, and birds. I work with the small/medium sized birds. I foster home the birds, though. I have a rather large aviary that takes up half my yard. It is divided into sections that are large enough to house a African Grey parrot. The birds are not housed together. They are housed in extemely large cages, that are separated, with room to fly around. In the back area is where all the cages are, and the front is where they fly around. We have perches, cuttlebones, calcium blocks, about eight different foods for each different species of bird. The cages can hold about fifteen to twenty parakeets, if that gives you any idea of how large the cages are. I don’t house large birds, they are too large for me. The birds don’t fly around at one time. Each species gets about an hour of play time. So I do help the local animals.

I pay for all the food, housing, vet bills, toys, treats, medical treatments, play gyms (for birds), wing/nail trimming, grooming, shots, and other necassary things by myself. The only animals I don’t pay for, are the Maltese an

If you are telling the truth, you are FANTASTIC. I may come to live with you because you are wonderful. God Bless you for your care and patience.

Obviously, from my profile pic, mine is the rhino. I like them because of their uniqueness (the only animal that has a horn directly on their face, can run 35 miles an hour even though they weigh over a ton, even though their eyesight is poor, they make up for it with a fantastic sense of hearing and smell). The best answer goes to the one who gives the best explanation for their choice.

Giraffes.
They are very friendly and know where the snacks are in you pocket.

I am asking this question because after seeing this new video from PETA about exotic skin. It is pretty graphic, and shows the horrors that these animals go through just for their skin. While I do not like PETA, I must say they won me over. I will never by exotic skin I cannot support this cruelty. While the video is disturbing. I must say that I agree with their method. The truth should not be sugar-coated.
Peta ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy3rPoX58-w
Dr House: If you are going to call bullshit then at least post the facts that proves it. Also the fur industry and food industry is two completely different cases. One case animals are being killed for food which is necessary for our survival, and the other case animals are being killed for fashion accessories.
Cjeam: "Therefore the great majority of abortions are carried out at and age at which the foetus would not survive outside the womb, then I consider that you are not killing anything exactly, simply stopping it from becoming alive. "

So because the fetus is depending on the mother for survival it means it is not alive? So then what about humans which depends on oxygen to survive. Does it mean people are not living? Fetuses have all of the characteristics of a living organism. Saying that it is not living is just real stupid.
Alex Aki: So we should care more about people that already had their chance at life?

I believe in looking issues "straight in the eye". No cowardly hiding behind ’sensitivity’. No B.S.

So, regardless of what one thinks about abortion, or war, or prison rape, or child abuse, or terrible diseases, or bad things that happened in history, or whatever, don’t hide from the ugliness. Look it straight in the eye. Anything less is the way of cowards.

Not that I have an opinion.

so i love animals and i think that working in a zoo could be fun.i know you have to feed and clean up and stuff but poo or raw meat doesn’t really gross me out.so how many years do i have to go to college for,what would i have to study,just give me everything please.thanks

Wiki has an opinion on this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zookeeper#Educational_Requirements

I’d also add experience working with people of all ages, getting some training in clicker training as it is the fastest growing way to handle animals and teach them to accept handling-especially large or dangerous ones.
I’d also get some training in Nature Interpretation as you will be teaching others about your animals even if your job doesn’t formally require it. www.interpcan.ca

i want to know if you can because me a and my friend a re dooing a camping show in my backyard and want to eat some pretty exotic stuuf and if you can eat them how do you cook them what do you put on them and how do they taste also is there a certain size they have to be
what kind are poisoness also because my turtles always eating them
are two lined salamanders poisoness

Many kinds of salamander contain toxins that will make you very sick if you eat them. Not a good idea!

There are many insects in your yard that are safe & delicious to eat though; try catching some crickets, put them in a bag in the freezer for a while to kill them, and then stir-fry them in a wok. Yum!

Here are some recipes:

I really want to be a zoo vet however they are not in as high of demand as small animal vets, so my question is, can you specialize in both? Or, can you specialize in both small animal and exotic animals as a student in vet school?

of course you can specialize in both. just make sure you go to the right schools and get started learning about what you want to be. it will be a great head start. good luck