When I worked at the zoo and we would be telling people about animals or showing them some of our animal ambassadors, one of the first questions (after "What's its name?," "Is it a boy or a girl?," and "How old is it?") was always "does it bite?" And our answer was always the same. "Anything with a mouth can bite. But if I do get bitten, it's my fault."
I find it sad that people ask Jessi how to get exotic animals too keep as pets, when her whole mission is educate about how these animals don't make good pets.
Salgey Mawana If they don't make good pets, why is she keeping them as pets? See how that sounds whacky? If that is her message (it better not be) she would be a dense hypocrite. I've yet to come across that sentiment in these videos but if I do, watch out. I'll have to give her a logic smothering, and it won't be pretty.
genetsandjazz most of the animals she 'keeps at pets' are rescues from people who didn't understand how to care for them, and because they are slightly domesticated and also exotic you cant just release them into the wild, and it would be inhumane to put them down for the reason they involve a huge amount of care and don't make good pet, so it is better that someone, like jessie, take them on and give them proper care and use them to educate people.
Salgey Mawana Cute. Now let me tell you what the reality of the situation is. All of her animals are pets, rescued or not. The main reason she has 'rescued' them is to support her business model. Believe it or not, I will 'rescue' an animal if it just so happens to be what I want, and that is what's being done here. No animals--no Animal Wonders. Plain and simple. Some people like pets. I sure do! Some exotic animals that are always in critical need of homes include iguanas and red-eared sliders. She doesn't appear to have any. She is not a rescue. She's an exotic pet owner like me. Which is why if she dares speak out against exotic pet ownership, that would make her a flaming hypocrite. Get it now?
Exotic Pet Life you're both wrong. She advocates against people just getting exotic pets because they're cool. She takes in the animals because they usually don't have the skills to survive in the wild, so they would just die
Ooooo! I saw a skunk this morningI was riding my bike and I passed it! it raised its tail and ran away! I was so excited to see one because I had recently been educated by your skunk video! It was great! The first skunk I've ever seen! I also glimpsed a raccoon a week ago! It's amazing what you start seeing once you've decided to open your eyes!
My dad rescued a small baby squirrel and we now take care of him. His name is Houdini because he is an escape artist and because of that we had to put some chicken fence along the cage. I hope to one day be able to build around my house and make a shelter for rescued animals and abandoned pets. I love animals so much and it brings me joy to pet them and take care of them. I have a cat and I also used to have a pet lizard. I really want to show you what my squirrel looks like so I might make a video. :)
I also found squirrel,she was so small when i rescued her that i though she might not make it,she was wet and cold eyes were still close. Plus i had no idea what to feed her and how to take care of her,google helped me with this. I had her sleeping on my modem for a day until i get her heating blanket,she was dehydrated so i fed her pedialyte and later had her on formula,etc... Now she live on a huge tree near my house and have her own babies.It is so awesome to sit on my balcony and watch them running around the tree.
He used to escape and that is where he got his name from. He still does sometimes, but then he tries to get back into his cage. The only time he escapes is when I'm awake.
did you listen to anything i said? seriously consider the idea that maybe its better off and less stressful for your little friend to do what i said? or ignore me. thats cool too but both of you are going to learn a lesson. and its not your life or well being on the line, so yeah. hes you pet now. keep him in a tiny cage and feed him peanuts because thats totally natural and healthy.
You folk's are Super Hero's! And you are so nice , yet clearly state how much dedication every animal takes. 24/7/365 to keep them. And you do so much more. GOD Bless you.
Very mature answer on the vegetarian/vegan question. I think awareness of where our food comes from and how animals we eat are treated is immensely important. You should totally do a video on "How to read animals?". I love dogs and am pretty comfortable around (most of) them. But I have no idea how to read cats. I hate cats... but I feel like it's my fault for not understanding what they're trying to tell me. Also: It's so awesome to watch you with all these animals... So jealous of the fluffiness levels ;-)
The more of your videos I watch the more I like you as a person. I 100% agree with the "it's my fault if I get bit" mentality. Also nice to know there are other animal lovers out there that aren't vegetarian.
Jessi, I love your videos and I love what you are doing to inform people of all of these awesome animals! You are doing a great thing for the world. We need more people like you :) Keep up the excellent work!!!!
Not only is raising chickens efficient on money, it's fun and it's a great way to get rid of your table scraps! Love how you change the animals in between the shots.
She reminds me so much of our equine vet. My pony has a lot of allergies, and every time she has to see the vet, the vet says something funny. My favorite: "it's a good thing you're cute!"
I just discovered you guys and I think you guys are so wonderful! Jessi, you have such a sweet a bubbly personality. Being as someone who has trained Military and Police K9s for the past six years I absolutely agree with you on the whole biting front!
What about dogs? What do you suggest is the best diet? This is the million dollar question for new dog owners. I've read that I shouldn't use any food sold at big stores like Walmart. But, also a lot of high end brands aren't necessarily any better. Research is hard to do because there's so many different brands all claiming to do something, and information I find online may be coming from a sponsored source.
Generally the best way to pick a good dog food is to read the label. The first ingredient should always be meat or meat meal; not derivatives (although these are fine further down the list to give natural sources of vitamins and minerals). Some grains can be beneficial for a dog's gut motility and preventing obesity, so dont worry if the next ingredient down is corn or rice (but some dogs are wheat intolerant). When looking at the nutritional composition, for an adult dog you want a diet as close to 25% protein as possible (try not to go higher than 30%, as it can have a negative effect on the kidneys), and around 5% fat. I've been studying companion animal nutrition at university if that validates what I've said at all :)
***** Oh my god, please dont tell me you actually think thats good advice? Forcing a carnivorous animal to be vegan should be considered abuse; THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO EAT MEAT. Especially cats, do you know how many cats die every year from idiot owners trying to give them a vegan diet? If you want a vegan pet get a goddamn rabbit. There are no sources cited on that page, nor do you state anywhere your credentials in animal nutrition.
***** Cats are obligate carnivores, and unless you are supplementing literally *everything* they would get from meat (if this can even be done without animal products, that is), you can't feed them a vegan diet. They will get sick. Dogs can be put on vegan diets if you're very careful, but they are, like cats, naturally carnivorous. They *should* be fed with something containing meat protein/fats and the like. Now, secondly, *stop trying to enforce your morality upon animals*. They are not moral actors and thus are not being cruel when consuming meat. For humans you could make the case that veganism is morally superior, but for carnivorous animals you're simply deluding yourself. You don't prevent the lion from eating the gazelle, or the cat from eating the mouse.
My kitty's name is Kiki a and she was a feral kitty too. Took us a very long time to get her to trust us, but now that she does she is the biggest cuddle bug ever!
Are you aware of the movie Kiki's delivery service? When I heard your cat's name I thought that was where you got her name and I thought it was a great fit!
We actually have a couple of foxes where we live that are friendly and pretty tame. we are able to feed them from a fair distance (about 5-10 feet). they are very playful and well mannered. they get along with the cats and dogs of the neighborhood and can be seen all year round. they are like the mascots of the trailer park :)
"A good, happy, healthy life followed by a humane death is pretty much as good as it gets for all of us." Preach it sista! Nothing truer than that. :-)
"A good, happy, healthy, life followed by a humane death is pretty much as good as it gets for all of us, right?" Right! I love this idea. Very well said.
+Katie Stott I agree that a "good, happy, healthy, life followed by a humane death" is preferable to a life of suffering and an inhumane death. Much more preferable! However, I don't agree with the "pretty much as good as it gets" part. Consider somebody who raises a dog and provides them with a good, happy, and healthy life. However, once the dog reaches maturity (around the age of 3?), the owner euthanizes the dog while it is sleeping so that he/she can eat the dog. The phrase Jessi used quite easily justifies this behavior since the dog lived well and was not hurt in death. However, I think killing dogs prematurely for food is wrong. I expect dog owners to let their dogs continue live as long of a happy life as is biologically feasible. I think living the next 7-10 years is better for the dog, so this situation is not "pretty much as good as it gets". Let me be clear: I understand this dog's life would be MUCH better than the lives of dogs in China who endure terrible conditions and are slaughtered alive. However, terrible actions do no justify bad ones. Likewise, the existence of dogs who are treated worse does not justify this premature euthanasia for the purpose of food. Just as it would be wrong to euthanize the dog for food, so too is it wrong to humanely kill other animals like cows and pigs for food. The existence of the worse conditions like factory farming does not change this. I think Jessi and yourself seem like great people because you are both interested in the well being of animals, but I hope you can consider taking your compassion a step further from humane killing to no killing.
thank you for sharing the fox domestication experiment, it was really interesting to read. Its sad that the director died before the experiment was finished. Also I wonder what kind of diet the foxes received and if that could have been a factor.
Have a tiny tooth shaped scar on my finger from months ago from when I first got my guinea pig and I was feeding him and he was super hungry and took a massive bite of pepper and caught the edge of my finger with his bottom teeth, it sounds odd but I guess I'll always have something to remember him by haha
One of my guinea pigs Mr Enzo, will sometimes bite for the sake of biting when I have him out for lap time. If I'm watching him he goes up to me sniffs me, then looks to see if I'm watching and then bites me... He tends to bite new items and loves to bite/do things he knows he's not supposed to do. My other three pigs don't bite unless you ignore their warning signs or hurt them.
I remember reading an article about the Russian domesticated foxes in National Geographic a couple years ago, super interesting. Funny how most of them got mottled coats and floppy ears!
Good to know I'm not the only animal lover who isn't a full vegan! I'm going to school to be a vet and I often get judged for eating animals. But just as you said about the natural cycle, it's just the same for me eating meat!
it's nice to get to learn a bit more about you and yours as well as the animals. I love this channel. I especially love the rat video since I rescue rats regularly from my local human society. Rats often get abandoned in my area by people who own snakes and don't really know how to care for the snakes. They end up with dead snakes and a cage of rats they have no use for. Often the particular snakes they own don't even eat rats! *sigh*. Rats often get a bad rap because people think they are so gross. If they only knew how smart and sweet they are maybe they would change their minds and not think of them as trash!
Jessi, how would you recommend an animal lover commence on her path towards working with animals on a daily basis? What kind of degree would you recommend? I'd love ton know what I can do to move forward. I am already a volunteer guide and ambassador at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is that a good start?
Great start! Any science degree will be great for applying to more hands-on animal related jobs. Biology, ecology, zoology, are great, but others work too. Experience is just as important as a degree. So keep volunteering at animal facilities and making connections in the animal field.
Is it natural for some rats to have thinner hair? One of my pet rats has always had rather thin hair and I was curious about the variations of coats for rats and steps to improve and care for their coats if it's needed. Thanks! I love your show.
What do you do about fruit flies? I have 3 sugar gliders, and I give them fresh fruit daily, along with protein (mealworms), calcium (yogurt), and nectar (honey). Sugar glider kibble is hard find and usually EXPENSIVE. How do you combat the inevitable fruit flies that pop up from leaving fresh fruit out for your critters?
One other time you get bitten a lot is with baby's who are not yet socialized. It happens a lot with baby snakes that are confused why a big hand has decided to handle them.
I have been bitten by a few types of animals but not that many. A hamster, A cat, a dog. Not by a snake yet though that surprises me because I have handled quite a lot of them. Most of the snakes were wild snakes too. I had a beautiful white rat once and he never bit me but he did bite my son one time. I had a bunch of white mice once but never was bitten. Kudos to that rehab person about your cat. :) I have tamed and found new homes for many feral cats and it never is easy. I have only found one thing that works with all of them pretty much - shoulder rubs. Most all of them love it but you have to get to that point of being able to touch first. Other than that have to throw out the rule book for each new feral cat pretty much. :) - Heidi
What do you think hurts (or would hurt) more? A carnivore (fox, cat, etc) bite, a bite from a large parrot, or a bite from large rodents like chilly pepper and kemosabe?
Dear Jessi, my dog gets very anxious during a thunderstorm. I normally stay up with her all night because I am concerned about how her anxiety with effect her health, especially because she is now an older dog. Do you have any suggestions on how I can help her clam down?
In regards to the guinea pig question, my boyfriend has one that he'll feed regular pellets and veggies (carrots especially) to, but as an extra treat, he'll also feed her grass from his yard. :/ Is that healthy for them, or just a special treat? I only ask because I've never taken care of a guinea pig before.
Make sure your guinea pig gets a constant supply of hay, and also fresh grass regularly. This is vital for your piggies health as they're digestive system needs a lot of fibre to function. Timothy hay or meadow hay are the best to feed. :)
Guineas should always be able to graze on grass and hay; its vital for their teeth wear and digestion. So really it shouldnt be a treat at all, but a regular part of their diet!
Grass is a great thing to give your guinea pig. Please make sure that the grass has not been sprayed with any kind of pesticide or herbicide. They don't need fresh grass all the time, but they do need hay as part of their regular diet. Thanks everyone for catching that!
we used to have a pen outside for ours so they could get some sun and eat grass and clover. its also just fun to watch them wander around the yard. i became allergic though, so no more piggies :( they also really like alfalfa, its more expensive than timothy hay but it tastes better, trust me ive tasted it.
Guinea pigs love alfalfa hay! But please just feed it as a treat. It is far too fattening and calcium rich to be healthy for guinea pigs to eat regularly. Timothy and meadow hay may not seem as nice, but they're far better for your piggies! That being said, young or pregnant/lactating guinea pigs do benefit from regular alfalfa hay.
i had a Degu (passed away peacefully at the age of 6 surrounded in his favorite foods [mainly peanuts]) and he bit me before and it was an accident on both our parts (mostly mine) he was trying to grab a peanut out of my hand and he knocked the peanut out of my and and nibbled my finger. he realized the texture wasnt right so he didnt bite through the skin but that was the only time ive ever been bitten. thankfully :p
Have you ever had brown anoles there? Is there any types of enrichment other than things to climb that we can give our brown anole to keep her happy? She's our second anole that we've had end up at our florist through a plant shipment.
1. You can vary her diet by offering different types of food items that she needs to figure out how to catch. 2. If she doesn't tolerate handling (which most don't) you can move her enclosure to different spots in your home for visual enrichment. 3. You can also give her pesticide free flowers to change up the colors in her environment. 4. Offering a bowl of water with tiny feeder fish can be very enriching. 5. If you don't already have soil for substrate, you can put a small box full of it (or other type of substrate) for her to dig in. 6. Have fun!
I'm wondering about your nocturnal animals. What do you do to accommodate an animal that is naturally that way? Especially when you do a shows/ presenting them.
Hi. My snake puke her food today but I put the mouse out of the enclosure and putting it in a trash can and I was wondering if you could make a video for this question?
Hi Jessi! I’ve been watching you for a while on Epic! At my school. I was gonna ask, how do you care for all 80 animals?! Like is it hard or complicated or really easy?
I don't know if you have a lot of knowledge about anime and whatnot but there's a Studio Ghibli film called Kiki's Delivery Service in which a young witch delivers things with her little black cat! Although, the witch is called Kiki not the cat, his name is Jiji ^_^
Dogs and cats think of our fingers as teeth or worse when our hands are open, keep them closed with only one finger exposed used for petting, licking as viewed by them...imho Great vids, thank you for posting...LLP
You often talk about listening to what animals say, and figuring out there communications. Do you think you can make a video about how to do that? I really want to learn what my conure says to me.
What do you do about a dog that barks out of fear. It is a really happy and healthy dog but at some things he just starts barking like crazy and you can see from his behavior that it is out of fear. And it gets progressively worse. Like with children he fears them and starts barking and as the kids keep playing in his area he starts barking more loudly and he has this really panicked bark when it really scares him. Punishing him does not work because he gets more scared and comforting I think is also not good because it endorses the behavior. It is really difficult because he is so sweet but just panics and start barking like a mad man (dog).
What are the best ways to handle rabbits and teach small children to handle rabbits? My cousins (7 and 5) just got 3 rabbits from a breeder at a Flea Market in Ohio and I wanted to try and make sure they didn't get bitten.
What is your formal training with animals? Have you learned to read animal behaviors mainly on your own with hands on experience or from classes and teachers? Do you have a degree? I'm interested in the field of animal care and would love to do something like what you do.
Please share a link to the really cool story about Russian silver foxes and the relationship between selective breeding for behavior and resulting physical characteristics
Hi Jessie, I have a question about pet ownership. Do you think it is moral/ethical to have an animal as a pet? Especially more exotic/untraditional ones? I recently discovered you can buy Fennec Foxes as pets and I'm not sure its ethically sound to do so. Traditional domesticated animals, such as cats and dogs, are generally acceptable pets but if its okay to own a dog/cat is it then okay to own a animal such as a fox (assuming they are bred for sale as a pet, wild animals should NEVER be pets imo)? Just curious on your moral outlook on the subject. :)
I know you were wanting an answer from Jessi and I hope she answers you, but your question interests me so I thought I'd answer too! In my opinion, animals that make good pets are those that enjoy the company of humans; dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, even some reptiles all show behavioural signs of enjoying human companionship, and I'm sure some wild individuals may do the same, but not all. Its also important to consider whether all the aspects of an animals welfare can be met in a 'pet' environment; providing the correct diet, exercise, freedom to express natural behaviours and preventing illness, disease or distress by proper care (including finding a specialist vet for the animal). For example a Fennec Fox would need adequate heat, a carcass-based diet, companions of its own kind, space for digging etc. which they wont get in most households.
Hi guys, thanks for the replies. My questions was concerned particularly with the ethics of pet keeping. I should've put that assuming you can provide for an animals needs 100%, is it still ethical? ***** - I know some animals are far easier to provide for than others but just because they are easy to care for doesn't mean it is moral to keep them as pets. I think all animals would make great pets in the sense of the enjoyment humans would get out of them, but I'm not sure if it is right to keep any animals as pets. Even though it is accepted in society to keep pets. Sammi Palmer You amke a really good point when you talk about animals that enjoy the company of humans, I didn't consider that! I just thought about wild animals that make the decision to get close to humans! But I wonder is this because we have encroached on their habitats, would they choose our company over the company of their own species or the wild? A bit off topic I know. I don't think it is ever ethical or moral to have an animal as a pet if you cannot provide for it fully. That means meeting all of its needs, like the ones you noted in your Fennec Fox example! I'm not sure that, even if you can do so, that it is still ethical to buy animals that are bred as pets. Obviously rescue animals are a whole different case (if they can't be returned to the wild for whatever reason). I guess my question is - Is it moral to keep an animal as a pet, assuming you can provide for all its needs, that has been bred for the purpose to be a pet? Especially non-traditional/exotic pets. Guess I'm a bit of an ethics/morality nerd haha!
Good day, Could you, next time, tell us some records some of your animals hold. By which I mean longest this or oldest that. Just some curious animal facts
I had the same question. I guess I haven't handled enough crickets (which I don't consider to be a problem in my life), but I didn't even know they would bite.
They do! Its one reason why when you live-feed reptiles you shouldnt just put the crickets in with them, as they can bite and scratch the reptile causing damage and infection.
***** I'm an activist and I'm friends with a lot of vegans and vegetarians on facebook..they always say that. That's where I heard it from, I even got yelled at for not being fully vegetarian all the time. And called a killer so yes, they do say it, a lot. So I keep it to myself that I eat meat a few times a week because most are not accepting of it
Yeah, apparently if you cause an animal any pain at any point in its life you must hate them and want them all to die. So, you know, stop taking them to the vet. And don't you dare feed your carnivore pets meat.
***** it's not a personal choice to them though :/ at least that's the argument I've seen a lot, they say because something is dying for that meat, that it's not a personal choice but something that should be banned, I agree not all are that way, I've met some nicer ones, what they feel about animals who eat meat are, they need that meat, they were born that way therefore they can't do anything about it, they think humans don't need it so shouldn't eat it ever because it's murder, there's even a tread among vegans now that feed their dogs and cats a vegan diet (they need meat) there's even books out that say vegans can;t be vegans and feed their pet meat or even have a pet because it's not letting that animal be free, I had an argument with a woman that had a book by some vegan vet that says cats don't need meat o.O I showed her article after article of vets saying you can kill your cat by doing this but she wouldn't listen
***** good question, I have no idea, these Pseudo-science vets that are telling them that's it's okay to feed their cats and dogs veggies and fruits need a slapping though, they need meat, cats hunt for meat when they are feral, what better way to know a cat is a carnivore than that lol, they should just have rabbits, hamsters, etc rather than poison and kill your cat and dogs because they believe in their diet more than the animal's life, it really makes no sense, that kind of stuff is cruel
Well, now that I know you have a black cat, my question is: Have you heard of the upsurge in surrenders of black cats by owners whose reason is stated as "They don't look good in my selfies"? How do you feel about this phenomenon and what would you do or suggest to help combat it. (I hope to own a black cat someday, they are so striking and I'm sure I'd find one in a shelter, waiting for me)
Jessi, i love you bunny! I am hoping to gt one of my own soon could you do a video about bunny care? i want a professional opinion on what i am getting myself into. I know bunnies are not low maintenance but i really want one. Its hard trying to convince my parents to let me get one.
Alex M. They are not common in the pet trade so only the adventurous and continuously learning should attempt them. Some exotic experience would be useful.
Birds need to be able to precisely grab their food with their beak. They also have to always keep an eye out for predators. Since they are often perched in a tree they can stabilize their head while their body sways with the branch, which allows them to see more accurately.
So...wait, what's the difference between a domesticated breed of animal like the russian foxes you brought up, and a trained wild animal like Seraphina?
Genetics and artificial selection for juvenile behaviors in the silver foxes created a domestic line where the foxes want interaction from humans and display juvenile behavior to please a human. Wild animals are not domestic because they retain all of their natural instincts, they are just taught to communicate with a human, and the human and animal cooperate during their interactions.
Are your, I guess, exotic animals, aware of your domestic animals? Like, do you ever let both types of animal interact/play with each other, or is that too risky?
Inter-species interaction is always a risk that needs to be weighed carefully. Our older domestic dogs don't really want anything to with the "exotics". Our younger dog is still a bit predator/curiosity driven, so we do not let her interact with any of them unsupervised. Our horse is very curious about the foxes when we take them for walks and they have established a greeting over the years. Not play, but amenable interaction.
I hesitate to bring this up, but just thought I would let you know that the name of your cat is also the (rather rude) word in Tagalog (a Filipino language) for a part of a woman's anatomy that we also refer to (rather rudely) using another name for a cat. Strange coincidence. My wife, the Filipina who taught me this, can't watch the "Delivery Service" movie without laughing all through it.
The cat was pretty. But I love your reptiles. Such nice colors and they're calm. I had an iguana and that sucker would use his tail as a whip. It left actual marks! You'd get bruises or welts so you know when he didn't want to be held. Those are easy clues tho...unless you're an ijit =p
Male iguanas have a tendency to do that; most commonly to menstruating female owners/handlers (weird, but true!) I assume you dont have the iguana any more, but if you get one again and it starts showing aggressive behaviour you could get him neutered, as that will curb a lot of the aggression. :)
Huh? Is it possible to be bitten by a millipede? I climb regularly at the Gunks, where on average I encounter about a thousand of these guys a day, up close and personal-like. As an avid observer of the world around me, I have spent much time handling and watching these otherworldly little critters, I don't think they have the mouth parts for it. I'm sure I'd have been bitten at least once by now!
