Small animals department at Stend, Bergen, Norway
In the small animals department we feed and take care of all the animals. We perform health checks on all of the animals every time we are there to make sure they are healthy. We also clean their cages, aquariums and terrariums so we know that they are living under great circumstances. We train them to be in contact with humans and to stay as relaxed as possible when around humans. We have: Rabbits, chinchilla, fish, stick insects, degus gerbil, hamsters, guinea pigs, a hermit crab, a snake, spiders, rats, snails, a dwarf hamster, cockroaches, mealworms, millipede, a parrot and some more birds. The most popular ones are the rabbits. Josefine, Frans and Felix 🙂
When we first arrive to the small animals department we start our hand wash routine. After we’ve washed our hands we change their water, and start to prepare their food. We measure up how much food they are getting and we also give them an extra treat. This can sometimes be a mealworm, sunflower seeds or some vegetables. Sometimes we even go out to get some branches with leaves on for them. After we’ve prepared the food, we greet the animals and start feeding them by hand while we perform a visual or a physical health check, all depending on the animal. When were done we decide if the cage needs to be cleaned or if it’s ok. If you clean it you get to decorate it as you want afterwards. Before we get to leave we have to clean the floor, throw out the trash, vacuum the floor, tidy up the kitchen and clean the tools we’ve used. Before we go we check that everything looks great and is ready for the next students to come.
Acknowledgements: many-many thanks to the talented students of Animal Care course at Stend and Tone 🙂
