Cheri reading a message on FB from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Animal Care & Control… “Would you guys want an Ostrich?”
Cheri’s response… “Let me quote Ken ‘hellllll yeaahhhh’!!!
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…
We just got back from visiting ‘Big O’, one of our newest rescues, and boy, is he one cool dude!
Often, people try to categorize non-profit animal rescues. While you can group bad ones, good ones are different. They are actual people putting in real work. These individuals are passionate about their fields.
It is one reason Ken and I began to adopt exotic animals.
Over time, we have learned how to help humans cope with the difficult rehoming process.
Ken and I have been working with exotics for over 20 years.
We had begun adopting years before our 2017 application to the IRS. (approved within 3 weeks)
Sandi Fisher had seen us as more than an animal rescue. She told us how we helped humans cope while we were helping her.
Sandi passed away early into our relationship. A short time after, we received a letter with a donation to file.
I did not know what that meant, but the more we helped, the more I understood.
Ken and I connect with those who are facing life-changing events.
Maybe because we have faced them ourselves.
We might be dealing with a hoarder or a pet keeper in love with their critters. Somehow, we ease the stresses and burdens of those who find it difficult.
It is a true honor to be there for those when they need us the most.
It was my first time meeting him, but Ken had already gotten to know him.
“Big O’ is gorgeous.
We try to meet these types of critters in their original enclosures to help ease transportation stress.
We will continue to visit “Big O” so he gets used to our voices, smells, and behaviors.
Loading this creature will be tough enough. Any effort to make it easier on him will not be a waste of time.
We bring a little bit of our diet each visit. This way, ‘Big O’ transitions gradually from Swans Feed Mill to our diet.
Once he arrives, we will feed him the current diet he is used to. This diet is Mazuri. We will do this for a while to make sure he continues to transition after transportation.
And, of course, we are going to bring treats to bribe him.
He loves maters, so we think we will use them to entice him into a trailer versus forcing.
We are not sure if it will work. Still, if we commit our time for the next few weeks, there is a chance.
It would not be the first time we tricked a hard-to-load critter into self-loading.
Don’t worry, we are reaching out to people we trust to help along the way.
Wish us luck!
Keep us in your thoughts!
Say a prayer!
First for “Big O” and his safe journey to Crazy Critters.
And for us to recover quickly because we have to build “Big O” an enclosure from scratch.
We heard about “Big O”. After that, we began to reach out to people who work with them. We found a couple of awesome possibilities!
Turns out that we are so good at helping humans feel secure enough to rehome loved pets. As a result, the keeper does not want him to go far. The keeper wants to visit often.
What else did we build Crazy Critters for?
It is our honor to help the county, this keeper, and this ostrich.
One thing that will be different for him is his environment. He is in a jungle now. He will move to the arid desert sands in the back field.
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