Saint Louis Zoo Herpetarium Internship Summer 2013: Day 21: Many Species

This morning I started off cleaning the giant tortoise enclosure! While cleaning I turned around and saw that one of the tortoises was walking up to me! I recognized him as the one that really enjoys neck rubs. It was so cute because all the other tortoises were either still sleeping or minding their own business but he was walking right up to me! While I was giving him a neck rub he was stretching out his neck really far and was touching my leg a few times with his mouth/nose. I'm just going to say I was getting tortoise kisses! After I was done cleaning, I helped to pick up salad trays from inside the building. I then helped a zookeeper change out newspaper in some exhibits. I cleaned out the cages of/worked with a three-toed box turtle, leopard gecko, western chuckwalla, common chuckwalla, shingleback skink, and a frilled lizard! I was taught how to correctly handle a frilled lizard when they are flared up and trying to bite everything. Evidently the frilled lizard that we have is more sassy than actually out to bite. After the morning break I worked with the other intern to clean out cricket tubs and unpack the cricket shipment until lunch.

I then misted the galliwasp enclosures and then worked on sweeping of floors. Today was a big cleaning day for the building so everyone was busy with that as well as the daily tasks. After break I cleaned two small rooms in the wings, did more sweeping in the main area, and filled the water bowls for the outside tortoises. After taking out the trash it was then time to close the building.