Critters

Please view some of the animals available for encounters and choose which ones you would like to meet in person. Keep a look out for any new animals which will be added regularly & their progress recorded on our Facebook page.

Common Boa Constrictor - Ruby

A large friendly snake. With me as her third keeper. Ruby’s early life appears to have resulted in her growth being stunted, possibly through being underfed in her early years. She also carries several scars possibly from being in contact with an unguarded heat source or from being fed live prey which fought back! Ruby has been a regular attraction at many public events over several years with the North West Reptile Club she remains a photo opportunity favourite of many children. Unfortunately Ruby has now reached an age where she has had to retire from events although she is still a much loved pet.

Boa constrictors have been a popular snake in the pet trade for many years now, despite their size they are usually predictably docile in captivity & with sustained positive human contact. They originate from South America although their range extends through to parts of Mexico and The Caribbean. In many area they live a largely arboreal life, remaining in the rain forest canopy to avoid predators. In the wild they will eat mainly birds and small mammals including bats. At the extremes of their habitat Boa Constrictors have even been known to hibernate to survive cold winters.

Sulcata Tortoise - The Tank

A much missed member of my collection, well over 30 years old The Tank has had several previous homes and remains happy in the company of people and other animals and is tolerant of attention. The Tank currently resides at The unconventional Menagerie exotic pet shop & education centre based in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent where he remains one of their main attractions. He is not for sale & can be available for certain public events by arrangement.

Sulcata or Spur-Thighed Tortoises originates from the Southern edge of the Sahara desert in North Africa. They are the largest species of mainland tortoise and the third largest species worldwide. They have been known to reach a shell size of almost three feet & 230lb. They can potentially live for 150 years. Like most tortoises they are vegetarian & live on a bland diet of grasses & plants.

Carolina Corn Snake - Jake

An adult male corn snake, very friendly and reliable in any interactive situation. I have had the pleasure of raising Jake since he was a tiny hatchling, he has befriended many children & adults alike of his years of service touring with the North West Reptile Club.

Corn snakes or red rat snakes are a North American snake and can live in temperate climates resorting to hibernation to survive cold winters, to the extent that colonies have been reported in the UK. They are common within the pet trade now appearing in many colour forms (morphs) as the result of interbreeding naturally occurring colour mutations. They replaced the garter snake as a starter snake being far easier to cater for in captivity & noted for their calmer & more tolerant nature. In the wild they mainly predate upon small mammals and amphibians.

Other snakes

From time to time Critters Interactive will use a wide variety of snakes for displays & public events.

Snakes used for children’s parties will always have been socialised & used to human attention.

Madagascan Ground (Dumerills) Boa - Cleo

Offered as a re-home from a pet shop, Cleo is a friendly & fully interactive snake. She is well used to the attention & handling she has had at many public shows & private parties.

Potentially extinct in the wild, these boas were once very popular in the pet trade. Having suffered an almost complete loss of natural habitat, the import of any surviving specimens is prohibited under CITIES 1. Naturally as a ground dwelling snake their usual prey would include small mammals, birds and amphibians. They are smaller & slimmer than common boas and capable of reaching only around six feet in length although some specimens grow much larger.

Spiny Tailed Monitor - Mojo

Mojo is a Spiny Tailed Monitor (Australian dwarf ‘Ackie’ monitor). Re-homed with me but from a responsible owner. Mojo is extremely friendly and fully interactive but dislikes dogs.

Spiny Tailed Monitors are one of several Australian dwarf monitor. They are entirely carnivorous and are intelligent predatory reptiles. Their distribution covers the entire Northern Territories.

Giant Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches

A very large species, a totally fascinating and interactive beetle for all bug related shows and parties.

This is one of the largest of all cockroach species reaching 3 inches long, although there are around twenty known related species of hissing roaches from Madagascar. Many are kept as pets or as a food source for exotic reptiles. This species is wingless and lives in colonies eating mainly rotting wood or plant matter. Males are identified by prominent horns which can be used for jousting when competing for a mate. They can live for around 5 years making them a popular large bug pet species.

Emperor Scorpion

Large and interesting invertebrate for interactive bug parties and displays. It should be noted that this animal is venomous & that anyone who has a hypersensitivity to wasp/bee stings should be identified at any event – the venom has a similar effect upon the respiratory system & this group of people are inevitably more at risk of anaphylactic reaction.

One of the largest scorpion species, with adults reaching around 20cm in length. The Emperor originates from West Africa and they can live for 6 – 8 years. Like all scorpions the Emperor has a venomous sting but the effect on humans is usually milder than a bee sting. They tend to rely on their large and powerful claws to overpower their prey of insects and small animals. Due to over collecting specimens from the wild Emperors are now protected under CITES 2.

Octavia - Chilean Rose Tarantula

Large female spider, tolerant of nosey and excitable humans, Octavia is extremely docile as is common for this type of tarantula. It should be noted that this animal is venomous & that anyone who has a hypersensitivity to wasp/bee stings should be identified at any event – the venom has a similar effect upon the respiratory system & this group of people are inevitably more at risk of anaphylactic reaction.

Probably the most common tarantula in the pet trade, originating from Argentina and Bolivia as well as Chile. Well known for being relatively docile and non-aggressive as well as being fairly easy to care for in captivity. The tarantula’s diet consists of medium sized insects and grubs. Chilean Rose females can live up to twenty years.

Giant Jungle Nymphs, Stick & Leaf Insects

Available for bug meets with handling possible with the larger insects.

A variety of stick and leaf insects including the giant jungle nymph which is one of the largest and heaviest insects. Many shapes, sizes and colours of these amazing and harmless vegetarian insects are available.

Due to the short lifespan of these animals they may not be available in my collection for each event.

Giant African Land Snail

A large and fascinating mollusc.

Outside of its native home this snail is considered one of the top 100 invasive pest species due to its ongoing reproduction and insatiable appetite for vegetation. As such it is banned from import into many countries including the USA. The situation is made worse as the snail has the ability to be both male and female, it can even impregnate itself! Within the UK they remain popular as pets.

Other invertebrates

Large invertebrates are available for interactive bug parties and displays. Due to the limited lifespan of some invertebrates these listing cannot always be up to date & accurate.

UK Frogs

Available for conservation based displays and forest school work.

Common frogs are an important reflection of environmental change. Their populations are readily determined by weather conditions, water and soil pollution. Throughout the seasons all stages of frog spawn, tadpoles, froglets and adults are available for educational use as well as conservation based displays. The UK’s most common amphibians, frogs are entirely carnivorous predating mainly on slugs and other insects making them a welcome addition to most gardens.

Newts

Native UK newt species of both smooth and palmate can be displayed for educational or conservation based displays. European species such as Alpine and Iberian Ribbed can also be provided.

All newts are carnivorous amphibians which undergo a larval stage like frogs and toads.

UK Toads

Available for conservation based displays and forest school work.

Common Toads are an important reflection of environmental change, their populations are readily determined by weather conditions, water and soil pollution. Throughout the seasons all stages of frog spawn, tadpoles, froglets and adults are available for educational use as well as conservation based displays. One of the UK’s most common amphibians, toads are entirely carnivorous predating mainly on slugs and other insects making them a welcome addition to most gardens.

UK Slow Worm

Available for conservation based displays, forest school work. Due to the fragile nature of this little creature she is not suitable for handling by children.

The only legless lizard native to Britain and the largest of our lizard species. Like snakes, slow worms are absent from Ireland. They are completely harmless and predominantly eat slugs and snails, making it an ideal form of natural garden pest control. They are widespread across England and Wales with substantial populations in Lancashire.

Molly & The Bandit

Every show needs its clowns & Molly & The Bandit were undoubtedly the craziest animal recruits to Critters Interactive providing memorable entertainment to any event. They were probably the nosiest, friendliest pair of ferrets you will meet. Great ambassadors for ferret-kind without an aggressive streak between them. Unfortunately Bandit died in 2021 & Molly is now too old for public appearances.

Ferrets are the result of many centuries of domestication of the native polecat which was originally kept to control rats & mice before there were any cats in this country. Entirely carnivorous & without fear the polecat is a formidable hunter of small animals. They are mustelids & are most closely related to weasels, stoats & mink.

Tail-less Whip Scorpion

Very unusual invertebrate for interactive bug parties and displays.

Also known as whip spiders, these arachnids are completely harmless to humans. They rely on their large and powerful pedipalps (claw arms) for feeding and their over sized sensory legs for finding their prey. Their unusual appearance has recently made them more popular as distinctive pets despite this little is known about this creature. They are mainly nocturnal.

Other exotic amphibians

We will regularly have access to & will display a variety of other amphibians for the purpose of public shows or educational displays. Due to some concerns over the spread of disease to our native amphibians displays can be limited. Generally, amphibians are less suited to handling & are not an animal for children’s parties.

Pictured is a Cane Toad a large terrestrial toad native to South and mainland middle America, it is well known as an invasive species after being introduced to other countries to control crop pests. Instead the Cane Toad devoured many other species, reproducing readily and with no natural predators, reaching pest status. Their toxicity proved fatal to many Australian species who attempted to prey on the toad. They can reach sizes of over 30cm (snout to vent) and will virtually eat anything that will fit in its mouth. They will also eat carrion which is unusual for toads or frogs. They are a common addition to exotic amphibian collections.

Giant African Millipede

Very large invertebrate for interactive bug parties and displays. All millipedes are vegetarian, docile & non-venomous (the exact opposite of centipedes)

The name ‘millipede’ is derived from the Latin for ‘a thousand feet’ but the record seems to be about 750 for any known millipede. The Giant African is one of the largest species easily reaching a foot long. It originates from East Africa from Mozambique through to Kenya. They can live approximately 5 -7 years.