Training and enrichment of ectotherms

Guests visiting zoos and aquariums show a definite bias toward what has been termed “charismatic megafauna”. To some extent, zookeepers and animal care staff do as well. As a result, most of the time and resources allotted for training and environmental enrichment are spent on birds and mammals. The Virginia Living Museum, a small museum accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Newport News, Virginia, maintains a training and enrichment program which extends to all living residents – reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates included. We detail the successful results here in hopes of inspiring other facilities to develop similar programs.