Fun with a Mobile Petting Zoo

By Chloe Gib


A mobile petting zoo is a great idea for a birthday party. They will come to your location and set up. The staff will make sure that everything is ready on time. They will also leave your venue exactly as they found it when they leave. Your children will have a great time petting and feeding the animals. Some zoos even bring along ponies for the children to ride.

The animals are usually those which are commonly found in a farmyard such as lambs, pigs and goats. There may also be rabbits, tortoises and guinea pigs. None of the animals are aggressive in nature and are healthy and well cared for. They are usually used to interacting with humans and quite docile.

The children will be very excited to be able to actually touch and even hold some of the animals. They will be able to stroke the fur and listen to the sounds they make. For a child who has grown up in a city, this may be a unique experience. Their only experience of these animals may have been in a picture book or in a television program.

It is also an opportunity to teach them how to treat animals. Through petting, grooming and feeding them they learn how to behave towards them. They need to be made aware that they must not pull tails or ears, chase the animals or treat them roughly. If they misbehave they can frighten the animals. They must be instructed how to hold the smaller animals such as the rabbits if they are allowed to do so.

Hiring a petting zoo must be done with care. The staff needs to be experienced in dealing with both animals and children to ensure their health and safety. Animals are usually housed in large, portable pens so that there is proper control.

Food is provided by staff for the feeding of the animals. They are not allowed to feed the animals with anything else as this is bad for the animals. Children are not that aware of hygiene, particularly when distracted by the animals. This means that the responsibility falls on the staff to make sure that they sanitize their hands after petting the animals. It is so easy for a child to put a finger in the mouth straight after stroking a pet.

A petting zoo will provide great entertainment for both the children and their parents. The children will love getting close-up and personal with the animals and the parents will love watching them do it.




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