By corbin on
10/22/2009 7:16 PM
If you follow us on twitter (www.twitter.com/corbinmaxey), then know that last Friday we had a HUGE surprise! Tinkerbelle our African Sulcata Tortoise laid 18 pearly white eggs! It was a huge shocker for all of us at the reserve due to the fact that Tinkerbelle has never laid eggs before.
I first noticed something very peculiar about the tortoise habitat on late Friday afternoon. It was completely destroyed with huge mounds of earth and dug out depressions in the soil. I saw Tinkerbelle in a complete daze digging a hole as hard as she could.
I did some research and found out that female Sulcata tortoises will dig 10-15 different nests before they actually pick a suitable one to lay their eggs. 
...
Read More »
|
By corbin on
10/10/2009 11:40 AM
This picture was just sent in of our newest rescue, a baby American Alligator named "Chompers." We have been preparing for the exciting arrival for weeks and I'm counting down the days until I pick her up (this Tuesday).
She was bought over the internet as a gift for someone’s fiancé. Luckily they both decided that an alligator was NOT a suitable pet. It is killing me to see how many people are buying these animals thinking that they will make good pets. I want to welcome ANYONE to come and see in person how big, aggressive, and dangerous these animals can be. My case in point: Soni our resident alligator.
***If you want to see Soni and I in person, come to the Idaho Herpetological Society meeting held on October 18th at the Idaho Fish and Game Trophy Room at 7:00pm.
As always, I promise to keep everyone updated on our newest resident.
- Corbin
...
Read More »
|
By corbin on
10/6/2009 8:04 PM
Beluga Whales are one of my ALL-TIME favorite marine mammals. These amazing “sea canaries”; named so because of their vocalizations, are one of the few whale species exhibited in marine parks. So when a baby is born…its BIG news! I was so fortunate during my recent visit to Vancouver Aquarium to see their newest addition: a baby Beluga named Tiqa. 
Tiqa was born on June 10, 2008 to her mom, Qila. She was the first calf in Canada to born to an aquarium-born beluga. Belugas are born dark grey for protection and gradually change to a creamy color once they reach maturity.
I’ve trained belugas before at various marine parks but have never worked with a baby. Here I’m pictured with an adult beluga. The females are smaller than...
Read More »
|
By corbin on
10/1/2009 3:35 PM
This week is all about preparation for our newest rescue: a baby American Alligator. Yesterday I posted some never-before-seen pictures of me working with them. Now I want you to see how big Soni our resident alligator is! Check out this video of Soni featured on FOX NEWS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYhLI248sg4
|
By corbin on
9/30/2009 4:28 PM
.jpg)
If you’re one of our followers on Twitter (www.twitter.com/corbinmaxey) then you might have already heard the news that we are in the process of rescuing a baby alligator. In preparation for his arrival on October 13th I’ve decided to show some never-before-seen pictures of my history raising these amazing creatures.
***Pictured above is me at age 13 with my very first alligator named “Manny.”
.jpg)
Manny was rescued from a local pet store that was ILLEGALLY selling alligators to young children. She had such a wonderful personality and educated thousands of people. Housing Manny for nearly three years allowed to see and experience firsthand what it was like to work with these intelligent crocodilians.
...
Read More »
|
By corbin on
9/22/2009 5:16 PM
Hey everyone!
The animals and I visit “Mike and Kate” from Boise’s Mix 106 (105.9fm) tomorrow from 8:00 – 9:00am (Mountain Standard Time). Make sure to tune in....or if you’re out of state listen LIVE at www.mix106radio.com. You can even have the chance to be caller NUMBER 9 at (208) 376-5106 and make Kate hold “Charlotte” our tarantula! This should be quite interesting....
|
By corbin on
9/21/2009 7:33 PM
Our monthly appearances on “FOX NEWS This Morning” has proven to be quite a hit! So much that we have branched out to feature not only reptiles but other animals as well. This past Friday we did a feature on farm animals! Here is your behind-the-scenes look at what really happened and how we pulled it all together!
***Here I’m pictured with Austin from Double XL Ranch. They provided the baby piglets for the segment. The babies were only 6 days old! They had to be kept extremely warm inside the studio for their safety.
This is a picture of a 6 month-old goat named “Baby.” She was SO fat, that right before shooting began, the producers thought that she was pregnant and wondered when she was due! Poor girl…
This horse ALMOST...
Read More »
|
By corbin on
9/20/2009 11:40 AM
One of my ALL-TIME favorite animals is the orangutan. These “red apes” are one of our closest living relatives. After recently observing a mother and baby I found out that they even act like us too! For instance: Did you know that mosquitoes bother orangutans just like they do humans and they will use branches like fly swatters to swish them away?
Just like a young child, this orangutan was enjoying himself by playing with this bottle cap (don’t worry; it was given to him as enrichment by his keepers). *** Did you know that baby orangutans cry when they’re hungry, whimper when they’re hurt and smile at their mothers?
In captivity, for security and comfort, orangutans will even cover themselves up with a blanket!*** Did you know...
Read More »
|
By corbin on
9/13/2009 1:30 PM
During a recent trip up to Whistler in beautiful British Columbia, I had the opportunity to stop along the way and check out some local marine life during a low tide. Low tides provide a glimpse into interesting marine life communities that are seldom seen.
I’m a HUGE starfish fan! I was so excited to see literally hundreds of them attached to rocks. Did you know that starfish have microscopic eyes at the end of each arm? This enables the starfish to view movement and differentiate between light and dark.
Some marine life you just can’t see during a low tide. We talked to some scuba divers in the area and they said that just 20 feet below in a rocky cave was a Giant Pacific Octopus! I couldn’t get...
Read More »
|
|
|