CategoriesAnimals, Mammals by

Pygmy Goat

Origin– Pygmy goats originated in the Cameroon Valley of West Africa. They were imported into the United States from European zoos in the 1950s for use in zoos as well as research animals.

Family– Bovidae

Diet– Goats are herbivores. Their main diet consists of grass and they are supplemented hay and meal in winter.

Description-Females, called does, weigh 24 to 34 kg (53 to 75 lb) and males, called bucks, weigh 27 to 39 kg (60 to 86 lb).  The colour and pattern of their coats vary significantly, and can be categorized into caramel patterned, agouti patterned and black patterned. Within these categories, there are caramel with black markings, caramel with brown markings, brown agouti, grey agouti, black agouti, black with white markings, and solid black.

Gestation– Pygmy goats can have one to four young every nine to 12 months after a five-month gestation period. Newborn kids will nurse almost immediately, begin eating grain and roughage within a week, and are weaned by ten weeks of age.

CategoriesAnimals, Mammals by

Snowball the Pony

Snowball was born in 1993. He is a Cremello pony. Snowball loves to give children visiting the farm a pony ride. His favorite treats are apples and carrots. As snowball is getting older we have to take extra care of him so that he will have a long and happy life at the park.

Origin- Horses and ponies are domesticated and found all over the world. The only remaining wild horse is the Przewalski’ horse which is classed as endangered.

Family- Equidae

Lifespan– 25-30 years

Diet- Mainly consists of grass in summer months. In winter they are supplemented with hay and meal.

Description- Cremello ponies or horses have cream to gold coloured coats with pink skin and blue or glass eyes. Their mane and tail can be white or cream. Horses and ponies exhibit an array of colors and markings. Chestnut, bay and black are the basic colors. Other colors are palomino, pinto and piebald. White horses/ ponies are born with white coats/ pink skin. There are no true albino’s having pink skin and red eyes.

Gestation– 335-340 producing one foal, twins are rare.

CategoriesAnimals by

Sulcata Tortoise

Origin– The sulcata tortoise is a species of tortoise which inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert, in northern Africa. It is the third largest species of tortoise in the world and the largest species of mainland tortoise (not found on an island). They will spend the hottest part of the day in burrows that they make.

Family– Testudinidae.

Lifespan– 50-150 years, though they can live much longer. (The oldest in captivity is 54 years, located in the Giza Zoological Gardens, Egypt, 1986).

Diet– Sulcata tortoises are herbivores. Primarily, their diet consists of many types of grasses and plants. Their diet is high in fibre and very low in protein. The consumption of too much protein can cause their shells to take on a pyramid appearance. Feeding of fruit should be avoided.

Description– Adults are usually 24 to 36 inches long and can weigh 100-200 pounds.

Gestation- Copulation takes place right after the rainy season, during the months from September through to November .Sixty days after mating, the nest is dug and the female begins to lay an egg every three minutes. Clutches may contain 15-30 or more eggs. After the eggs are laid, the female fills in the nest, taking an hour or more to fully cover them all. Incubation takes from 90 to 120 days

CategoriesAnimals, Mammals by

Llama

Origin- Llamas were domesticated from guanacos in the Andean highlands of Peru 4000-5000 years ago, and are among the oldest domestic animals in the world. Llamas are known to in habitat elevations up to 4000 meters above sea level.

Family– Camelid, other members of this family include alpacas, guanacos and vicunas

Lifespan– 15- 20 years

Diet– Llamas are a modified ruminant with a three- compartment stomach. They chew their cud like cattle and sheep. Due to their low protein requirements and efficient digestive system, Llamas are economical to keep. They are mainly fed on grass and are supplemented with meal and hay in winter.

Description- Their fiber (hair) ranges from white to black, with shades of beige, brown, red and is solid, spotted or marked in many patterns. They are social animals need the companionship of their species. Independent yet shy Llamas are gentle and curious. Llama vocalizations include high pitched trills, snorting and shrieking, shrieking is usually used to alert the rest of the group of danger. Another form of communication is spitting.

Gestation– 350 days producing 1 single cria and can be bred at any time of the year.

CategoriesAnimals, Mammals by

Donkey

Origin- The Donkey is a domesticate member of the horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild Ass. Donkeys around the world are used for riding, as pack animals or for pulling carts for the last 5000 years.

Family– Equide

Lifespan– 35-45 years

Diet– Herbivore. They feed mostly on grass and are supplemented with hay and meals in the winter.

Description- A variety of colours, including brown, black and white. Donkeys are herd animals and very socialable, they do not like to be kept on their own. There are 189 breeds recorded. A female donkey is called a Jenny and a male a Jack. A male donkey crossed with a female horse is called a Mule. A male horse crossed with a female donkey is called a Hinny. Donkeys were domesticated around 3000 BC.

Gestation- 11-14 months producing normally one foal

CategoriesAnimals, Reptiles by

Bearded Dragon

Origin– They originated in the arid, rocky, semi desert regions and dry open woodlands of Australia.

Family– Agamidae.

Lifespan– 7-10 years.

Diet– Omnivores. In the wild they eat small lizards, insects, mammals, flowers and fruit. In captivity they are fed crickets, mealworms, fruit and vegetables.

Description– Dragons are mainly grey in colour with some variations towards orange, fawn, brown and black. They can grow from 13-24 inches in length. Dragons regulate their temperature through subtle changes in colour shade, from light to dark becoming darker in cooler weather. They are calm and friendly in nature along with the relative ease of caring from them.

Gestation– A female can lay around 20-30 eggs, they must be incubated at 27-29°C and will hatch after 60-70 days. They are only bred in captivity as exporting them out of Australia is illegal

CategoriesRodent by

Ferrets

Ferrets.

Origin– Ferret origins are uncertain but it is most likely domesticated from the European polecats about 2,500 years ago. New Zealand has the worlds largest population of ferrets.

Family– Mustelidae.

Lifespan– 6-8 years.

Diet– Carnivores. They eat meat, fish and proteins. They are fed a special ferret pellet in captivity

Description– There are four basic colours, the sable, albino, dark eyed white and silver. All other colours of a ferret are variations of these four categories. Female ferrets are called jills, a spaded female is called a sprite. Male ferrets are called hobs and neutered males are called gibs. A group of ferrets is called a business of ferrets. There are strict regulations on ferrets around the world and in some countries it is illegal to keep them as pets.

Gestation– 60 days and they can have up to 8 babies known as kits.

 

CategoriesRodent by

Guinea Pig

Origin– C. porcellus is a domesticated species of guinea pig. There are no feral population of this species, however the domesticated species originates from wild species of guinea pig, most likely the Montane Guinea Pig. Domesticated guinea pigs originated from the Andes region of South America where they were domesticated for meat production. Now domesticated guinea pigs are found all over the world where they are kept as pets.

Lifespan– 4-7 years. The longest recorded living guinea pig survived 14 years 10.5 months.

Diet– Herbivore. Their natural diet in the wild is grass. In captivity need a balanced diet of hay, fruit and vegetables and like humans cannot make their own vitamin D, so they need to be fed a guinea pig pellet which contains it.

Description- There is over ten different colour types. They are very social and intelligent animals and have many vocal calls. They can learn complex paths to food and remember the paths for months, they can jump small obstacles and are great swimmers. They are a rodent so need to gnaw to keep their teeth short.

Gestation– An average of 63-68 days with a litter size of 2-4, the largest litter recorded is 17. Pups are well developed at birth with teeth, claws and partial eyesight and are mobile and will eat solid food immediately but will suckle for up to six weeks.

CategoriesMammals by

European Rabbit

The European rabbit is the only rabbit to be domesticated. Domesticated rabbits do not always look much like wild rabbits due to selective breeding to create morphologies from dwarf to giant sizes, various colour variations and fur length variations.

Origin – The European rabbit is native to southwestern Europe and northwest Africa. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, now being found in many countries. It is found on every continent except Antarctica.

Lifespan – 9 years

Diet – Wild rabbits graze and browse. Grass is their primary food source, however they also eat leaves, buds, tree bark and roots. If available they will also eat lettuce, cabbage and grains.

Description – The wild European rabbit is relatively small, between 34 and 50 com in length. It usually has greyish brown fur. They have four sharp incisor teeth (2 top, 2 bottom) that grow continuously throughout its life, but is worn down by gnawing. They have long ears and strong back legs; both traits to help avoid predators. They are social animals and live in groups called warrens.

Gestation– Although it varies, gestation of the European rabbit is around 31 days. Rabbits can give birth to litters of 2 to 12 offspring. Baby rabbits are called kittens and they suckle for 4 weeks. Rabbits reach sexual maturity at 3 to 4 months of age. Rabbits can have between 4 and 7 litters per year; that’s a possibility of around 70 kittens a year!

Conservation – While European rabbits are considered a pest and threat to biodiversity out of its natural range, within its natural range of southwestern Europe (Spain and Portugal) the population has declined by an estimated 95% since 1950. It is an important species within its native range and occurs in some protected areas in Spain. It is currently listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.Near threatened iucn

CategoriesRodent by

Chinchilla

ChinchillaOrigin- Chinchillas are rodents that are native to the Andes Mountains of northern Chile.

Family- Chinchillidae

Lifespan- 10 years in the wild.

Diet- Chinchillas are omnivores; they eat both plants and meat. Primarily, they eat grass and seeds, but they also eat insects and bird eggs when they get the chance. To eat, they hold their food in their front paws and nibble on it.

Description- Chinchillas are related to guinea pigs and porcupines. With short forelimbs and long, muscular hind legs, chinchillas resemble rabbits, but their ears are much shorter and rounder. They have large, black eyes and bushy tails. They have four toes on each foot, and the thin claws on each toe are surrounded by stiff bristles.

Conservation- Though chinchilla fur is highly valued for use in clothing and coats, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has restricted the sale and trade of wild chinchillas since 1975. Many chinchillas are bred commercially for their fur.