How To Keep Them Happy - Porcupine, Lizard, Skunk!

[@TheNoteblockLizard]

I swear our cat's idea of enrichment is to wait around corners and just jump out at anyone passing by ... He particularly seems to enjoy getting screams out of us.

[@iDEATH]

We have a black cat who loves to hide half way down the dark basement stairs. I do sometimes think that end goal of felines to kill all us humans and take over the Earth.

[@rubymimosa]

Do you play with him using “lures” on the end of a stick? Ala Jackson Galaxy? I bet he’d love that!

[@kolmkilpkonna]

I think he is trying to enrich your habitat :D

[@celinelind1979]

Hes most likelly bored, he needs some more playtime!

[@vickymc9695]

Heh cats love to be ambush predictors. 😃

[@XxRavenwishxX]

One of my animal psychology professors talked about an ocelot that had pulled out its fur. Turned out the ocelot was exhibiting "plucking" behavior on herself because her food didn't have feathers. When they gave it birds that weren't de-feathered it stopped pulling its fur out!

[@dylantharp87]

That is really funky! I'm glad they ended up figuring out why he was plucking

[@sweatpantsprincess3239]

Ooh, this is a great illustration, love it.

[@wwondertwin]

And that's why the ability to perform species specific behaviours is the 4th basic need of animals, along with food, water and shelter. When species specific behaviours are denied it leads to behavioural issues which often manifest as aggression and/or self-destructive behaviours.

[@19SaraJane]

Kizzy seems so sweet and affectionate!!! You can definitely see the trust bond between you two!

[@raraavis7782]

2:15 ‚she found it!‘ 😂 Clever girl, goes straight to the source!

[@robertcowley-yamamoto4880]

I love the irony of skunks having an amazing sense of smell, and using odor as a chemical weapon

[@ophelias4172]

Wow! Kismet has gotten HUGE!!

[@jessicap4998]

I remember when you first got Kismet as a little porklette. She is so big now!

[@DontStareAtTheSun]

D'awww, Kismet is such a sweetie!

[@barkleybeaver2859]

I love the porcupine! She's so curious and social.

[@RootBeerQueen]

I saw you putting harnesses on Pearl and Lollipop, and it got me thinking... How is harness training going for Mimi the marmoset? I've been wondering about her lately.

[@WilliamLeeSims]

You've trained these guys to be perfect ambassadors for their species! It's so fun and amazing to see these natural behaviors. Thanks!

[@vickymc9695]

I was smiling alot with kizzy's enrichment, as it's some of the things I used to do to play with my rabbit. 😃

[@FlyKiwi]

Kizmit has grown so much! I remember when she first came to AWM and now look at her go!

[@dylantharp87]

This made me so happy

[@annettemurielle]

I was really struck by how pretty Kizmit's ears are--beautiful! Thanks to you, I saw/noticed a porcupine's ears for the first time. Thank you!

[@caitlinveal5709]

Kizmet is seriously so dang cute I love her little paws and ears 😄

[@Martin1966MHM]

I think this is one of my (many many) favorite episodes. Thank you and you all do so well. Thank you :)

[@ediekoller1144]

Thanks so much Jessi,,that was fun and interesting. My cockatiel favorite enrichment is my letting him sit on my shoulder for 3 hours each day...And I have had him as a rescue for 21 yrs.

[@thathabsfan1431]

I first saw Jessi on SciShow with huckleberry the beaver and it’s so consistent her enthusiasm is amazing she is always smiling and always sees the cup half-full. She loves what she is doing and it inspires me to do more too thank you Jessi! 👍😁

[@zendehart9816]

I try to play with my dogs and cat the way another of their species plays. Especially my cat. We pretend to hunt each other. It's good fun and adorable

[@theftking]

I see an Animal Wonders Video and I have to `Like` it fast. I would subscribe as well but I did that in the past. I see the cute redhead girl dressed in her summer clothes. I have to turn my head before I b___ my l___ ;) ;) ;)

[@eaterdrinker000]

Was that a song reference to the Rolling Stones or Jagged Edge? [Sorry, that was a stupid useless joke, please pardon me.] In any event, in indoor lighting I think that Jessi K. Castaneda looks like an even better looking version of Florence Welch. In natural outdoor sunlight, she looks like a red-haired version of Jennifer Connolly!

[@I_am_Lauren]

I really love these detailed videos. They are fantastic!

[@eugenio5774]

Kizmet's nose is seriously the cutest thing in the world. I mean look how it twitches and I just want to pat it and pet it and AAAHHH

[@24flyingcats84]

I've never seen a lizard with a harness on before. Very cute.

[@RK800]

You help so much! I don’t have any of these but your bird videos help so much with me and my green cheek if your wondering she is doing wonderful.

[@1567stardust]

Even all grownup the porcupine still cute😍

[@rubymimosa]

Bravo Jessi! I know these animals should be in the wild (but the individuals you have can’t be for various reasons) but your concern and excellent care is inspiring.

[@Lady8D]

I very much did enjoy it, thanks!

[@Alyss93]

I always look forward to these videos every week :)

[@menollyesteb592]

Enrichment videos are my favorite! Keep 'em coming!

[@kelseymackellar3881]

Could you make a video about enrichment for cats and dogs?

[@VictoriaFaye09]

Kelsey MacKellar yeah, one that isn’t just ~typical~ toys and treats but has different ideas and new ways to interact with them!

[@endangeredwild3283]

Or fish

[@timothystockman7533]

Kizmit is a smart porcupine!

[@nathan8268]

I would love to see this with birds, cats, and dogs!

[@sergiogaytan3336]

Love the video thank you! Can’t wait for the next one!

[@longnamenocansayy]

i'm like a lot of people. i like the porkypine the best. i also like to watch you with the birds.

[@veronika1159]

That was super fun and exciting to see how you enrich the different animals!! I would love more videos on this haha

[@audreydozier8719]

Love your videos I waited for two hours for this video can you please do a video the foxes morning routine

[@thunderbuddy78]

Wow you really work hard for each one of these animals 👏🏻

[@sweatpantsprincess3239]

Kizzy is sooo big now!

[@FoiledFeline]

Can lollipop spray? I’ve heard of skunks getting “de-smelled” in order to make them into pets, but that doesn’t seem like something you’d have done to your animals unless it was medically necessary. If she can spray, how do you avoid being sprayed? How many times has she sprayed you?

[@DontStareAtTheSun]

FoiledFeline , when she took Lollipop on an episode of SciShow Talk Show, she said that Lollipop had been descented. Because she was an educational animal, and her spraying people would be a bit TOO educational. lol

[@animalwondersmontana]

FoiledFeline Lollipop was descented before she came to us, we didn't have a choice in the matter. The surgery is not that difficult, risky, or harmful so we likely would have chosen to descent her during her spay procedure if given the choice.

[@FoiledFeline]

AnimalWonders Montana cool, thanks for the reply :)

[@eliotdaoust3765]

I really love yoyr BE videos!!

[@booper343]

I love this sweet lady

[@marilugallagos6896]

I love yor animals. Alex9💖

[@val_923]

kizzy has the best rock star hair in the world

[@PinkChucky15]

I loved seeing this! :-D

[@ChronicallyTT]

Hi Jessi! I am a big fan of this channel and just got a chinchilla! Your videos really helped educate me before buying my Smudge! Would you consider giving us an update on your chinchillas???

[@shanameans4919]

Can you give me some B.E. for an elder miniature schnauzer with really bad arthritis? She can't really do walks anymore. I want to make her life better somehow. If you have any ideas that would be awesome!

[@dylantharp87]

You could try hiding her favorite treats in one of those doggy IQ puzzles

[@rubymimosa]

Does she burrow in covers? You could play hide and seek with her in the covers. Also if you have a pool (even a baby pool or the bathtub) or hot tub being in the water would get her weight off her joints and give her some relief. Our dachshund hated baths until his age brought his arthritis to a bad level now he loves warm/hot baths with me (we only have a purebred because he was given to our son...all our animal babies otherwise have been rescues)

[@jaynestrange]

If you know any dog that she likes, you could have dog "play dates" where a dog friend comes over to your house. That way she gets to enjoy feeling like part of a pack, but she doesn't need to travel at all.

[@4dub802]

Love your show! My boy and i b learning so much we from the city so Montana is wild asl.

[@kamrensorrell5126]

OMG I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH

[@babalabaloo11111]

Love this! Hmm would you be open to doing another video on Mimi sometime soon?

[@carispayne964]

This is so cool! I’m always trying to make my animals lives more interesting but my betta fish is in a 5 gal planted tank but he still seems bored most the time, is there anything I could do to make his life more interesting?

[@naomilovenpeace]

Any behavioral enrichment activity suggestions for pet rats?

[@naomilovenpeace]

I already hide food for them to find and give them plenty of rat safe toys for them to chew/destroy

[@rubymimosa]

Rats are pretty easy to train because of their intelligence and it keeps their mind active. You could set up a mini obstacle course for him using things like empty paper towel rolls or jumps made from legos etc. I bet he’d love that!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Request: Could you put up brief announcement videos before doing a presentation open to the public somewhere? Perhaps starting the title with "Upcoming Presentation"? I know only a small portion of your audience lives in western Montana but if I didn't happen to notice a pamphlet stuck on a cork board in my town here, I would not have known you were giving a presentation next Saturday. If you don't want to clutter the channel with that, maybe you could create a second channel for announcements like that. Thanks for your time. Keep up the awesome work.

[@animalwondersmontana]

IstasPumaNevada Our website animalwonders.org keeps an updated list of all our presentations that are open to the public! Also, if you follow us on Facebook (Animal Wonders Inc.) we put out event notifications for every event we do :)

[@charles4112]

Three months later, Kizmit's gonna find some food she missed.

[@ragnkja]

IDrawHorseChamp Nah, she’s in there at night while Chilli Pepper (and to some extent the other cavies) has the romping room during the day, so between them they probably find any treats left in there pretty quickly.

[@jheckie14]

10:55 that was satisfying!

[@AnimalLoversChiragBorawake]

Hey, I have problem with my parrot feathers. Feathers are not growing back since last 2 years, I am very upset can U please help me.

[@animalwondersmontana]

Animal Lovers Do they pluck their feathers out?

[@neutralnarwhal8184]

Sounds like a problem to bring up to your vet if you haven't already.

[@AnimalLoversChiragBorawake]

AnimalWonders Montana yes they do pluck, sorry for late reply 😢

[@dangeloghouralal9857]

Can you teach us about macaw care pls

[@jareedbrissette9252]

Please make another bird video there interesting to watch and learn.

[@scriptz6985]

I got a cockatiel yesterday and she already ate out of my hand! I made a vid

[@mymangobango3533]

Aw must’ve taken the video down.

[@GregBashawOfficial]

Hi Jessie, can you do a video on how to tame an aggressive lizard? I have a savanna monitor and a green iguana and both of which hate human interaction. They are both still young so I want to try to tame them before they get big and can do some damage. Thanks!

[@Erik-fl4ev]

I have a parakeet that is about 6 years old. Would I still be able to train her to climb on my finger at this age?

[@Rin-ww6ie]

Can we get a meet and greet with sprinkles the parrolet?

[@narutouzamaki8]

How would you enrich a small reptile like a leopard gecko

[@animalwondersmontana]

NARUTO uzamaki Research what their natural habitat is and what behaviors they do in the wild. Then think about how you can elicit those behaviors at home.

[@raddish72]

I'm a little curious-- does it hurt when a porcupine's quills get pulled out while they're defending themselves?

[@shoulders-of-giants]

The concept of _instincts_ is highly disputed.

[@Meganopteryx]

What is the best behavioral enrichment for a bearded dragon? How do you find out what kind of things they like? I know my bearded dragon likes to chase crickets. Should I hide some food in her terrarium for her to find? I haven't been able to successfully leash train her but I just bring her outside sometimes too. I wish I could let her stay outside longer but I'm afraid she'll get caught by a hawk or go hide under our house or something.

[@danielhaces1081]

Im now going to take my gecko outside so he can wander around. I used to when I had a backyard but I’m going to try to take him out more often

[@googly108]

Fantastic 🙏🏻

[@MathAndComputers]

Don't cross the streams! XD (Sorry, I had to.)

[@derickviana9831]

How many animals do you have/take care of/work with? It seems youre just making them appear out of thin air XD

[@sweatpantsprincess3239]

I have a ten year old boston-terrier-pug-rescue.... She doesn't have any natural behaviors besides sleeping next to my leg, because she was so heavily bred for showing and companionship. How do you enrich an older dog who doesn't even exhibit doggy behaviors? She doesn't like digging, has a short snout and trouble sniffing, doesn't like getting overheated so she can't walk too much in the summer, it's wild.

[@SHINee4bleach]

Could you talk about the behavioral enrichment Chinchillas need? I'm trying to figure good toys for my girls. Could you also talking about animals and light? I don't know if I should keep my chinchillas in a dark room at night or if they need night lights

[@sweatpantsprincess3239]

P sure they're more crepuscular/nocturnal, right? Maybe try burying toys or food in the sand bath? They come from a rocky mountain environment originally, so give them some climbing stuff maybe?

[@MrCockatiel2007]

Has Lollipop had her spray glands removed Jessie? I would like to know.

[@rubymimosa]

Crystal Novak She has, it had already been done when they rescued her (Jessi covered this in a previous vid)

[@MrCockatiel2007]

rubymimosa I have been in and out of doctors offices and Hospital ER visits from severe health problems. I didn't get to see that video.

[@alexandraarias1245]

has lolli pop ever sprayed you before

[@Mika_Storm]

Do you take Kismit outside in the woods sometimes too or would it be to difficult with the harness?

[@teresasanchez875]

Im scared my parakeet threw up seeds is that bad please i want to know

[@shawnaweesner3759]

Are you worried that your shoes 👟 are carrying germs from one enclosure to another?

[@exeexecutor]

So what kind of enrichment work for humans?

[@DracarmenWinterspring]

8:35 - I find it curious that skunks have a good sense of smell, given what they're known for. Can they completely ignore the smell of their own spray?

[@ghostbovods2188]

Dracarmen Winterspring I think they are use to it so it doesn’t effect them

[@angie-qr9os]

Nice :D

[@Deranged_elbow]

I have a special breed of animal called the porcupinelizardskunk

[@akinsanyatwins2415]

you have everything. now fair

[@akinsanyatwins2415]

cgreeh

[@MsLazyllama101]

Please do more videos about your rats!

[@adotham1203]

Can you do this with your hedgehog?

[@somerandumguy8281]

dont u also need a black cat with white painted stripes for the skunk aswell??

[@sootlet8894]

how do you guys keep their enclosures clean?

[@BrandonSmith-kc8np]

Where are the guinea pigs and Patagonian cavy?

[@toricoleman1043]

I have a bird he's a parrotlet and he doesn't play with anny of his toys in his cage, and I have gotten him foraging toys for him and he doesn't seen instred or doesn't get it. I was wondering what would you try to get him to play?

[@yungleanlvr]

Tori Coleman I know I'm not Jessi but you should try out all different kinds of toys to try to find out what kind of toys your particular bird likes. I have 6 birds and this is what I did for all of them and it works.

[@toricoleman1043]

Purplish Potato ok I will try it and thanks

[@rubymimosa]

Because in the wild they spend most of their waking hours foraging perhaps try different foraging activities. Perhaps if you try playing with him with the toys, ie: you play with the toy with him until he ‘gets it’. If he truly won’t play or forage get the advise of a vet....if he’s depressed or on a seed heavy diet the vet can help you redirect him.

[@michaelhogan8144]

Can you do a video on red pandas please 😊

[@nihalanand7]

Can you make a video on the diet of alexandrine parakeet

[@Your_Local_Pacifist]

Have you ever been sprayed by a skunk?

[@mahmoudhosseini1169]

Is there any way to tell how old is a jenday conure?

[@interiordecorater6681]

How long do parrots take to sleep

[@animalloverpetlover1405]

Do a dog and cat enrichment video

[@TheBeingReal]

Is your skunk descented?

[@robbetobbe1508]

Can you please do one for the birds it would really help

[@sweatpantsprincess3239]

She has. Do you try looking?

[@robbetobbe1508]

sweatpantsprincess Ow sorry i didnt notice thank you for letting me know

[@theruralwanderer]

Those are some weird looking dogs.

[@mrdexter1018]

What are hamster's natural behaviours?

[@sweatpantsprincess3239]

Digging, burrowing, cacheing.

[@whychoooseausername4763]

Where is Chili Pepper ? Is he OK ?

[@animalwondersmontana]

why chooose a user name ? He's ok, I made a video with updates about him coming soon.

[@AUnicorn666]

4th?