Why is That Cage So Dirty??

If you look at some of the arthropod cages in the Insect Village, you might think that Animal Care is not very good at keeping the enclosures clean. Actually something else is going on that’s necessary in taking care of our animals.

Some of the terrariums, especially the ones that contain a whole colony of cockroaches, have a stripe of a grimy looking white film on them. That is a substance called Fluon®, a synthetic fluoropolymer that is used for a variety of applications. So why do we paint it on our cages? Because some insects have very sticky feet!

Fluon® acts as a slippery lubricant barrier between the insect habitat at the bottom of the cage and the lid at the top. Animals like our Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches can actually climb the smooth plexiglass walls of our cages and are only foiled by that slippery band of Fluon® that surrounds the cage.

When taking care of a colony of insects, containment is always a main concern. We want to know where our animals are at all times. And thanks to Fluon®, we can reliably know that these insects are staying at home.


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Snow Daze

Back in November, we discussed our winter snow plans, and what it would take to ensure that the animals safely survived through closures due to snow. Little did we know how very necessary this training would be. During the snow storms last week, Pacific Science Center was closed for two days, and the Life Sciences team was unable to get to the facility. The animals were in good hands though.

Camp-In Coordinator Merrick Neville was ready for the task on Wednesday. She walked in through the snow, fed all the animals, and had only one real concern. A sea star in the tide pool exhibit was creating a cloud of murky water around itself. Might it be injured, or even dead?


After a series of photos, questions and observations, we concluded that Merrick had probably seen spawning behavior and the sea star was ok.


The next day, Thursday, all of Seattle was under a blanket of ice and snow. The only hint of movement was IMAX Supervisor Jenn Bentz, striding through the snow to come take care of the animals. Because Merrick had discharged her duties with great care, Jenn found things in good condition, but she too had a question. Normally our horticulture crew meticulously grooms the plants and removes any butterflies that may have died in the exhibit space. Jenn was unprepared for the “au natural” appearance of the butterfly house when it does not receive this in-depth care, and called to make sure everything was right.


The Life Sciences Department is deeply indebted to both of these stalwart helpers, and to Data Processor Laura Mazzocchi, who spent Thursday on call in case additional help was needed. We are also most grateful to volunteer Terry Pagos, who came in on an unscheduled Friday because she knew we would need an extra hand.

Without Jenn’s and Merrick’s help, some of the following would surely have happened:

Dangerously low humidity in the mole-rats: Naked mole-rats do not drink water. All of their moisture needs come from food and humidity in the air. With our heated buildings in winter, it is critical to monitor and adjust humidity daily. Had the colony been in a low humidity situation for two full days, they would have suffered from skin problems, and possibly from digestive and respiratory issues as well.


Carnage in the tide pool: Most of our tide pool animals are carnivores, and unlike many exhibits, which sequester by species, ours have free access to all parts of the exhibit. Without someone feeding them, some of our more aggressive anemones and sea stars might have taken matters into their own hands (or tentacles) and eaten their exhibit mates.

Lost butterfly lives: An estimated 60 – 100 butterflies emerge every day, and must be placed on exhibit within a few hours. Without our emergency coverage, they would have languished and died in their emerging chamber, never able to fly.

It is hard to speculate on what other unknowns might have happened. Instead, we are happy to focus on the actual outcome – healthy, happy animals and the knowledge that we have great co-workers who have our backs when things get snowy.

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Winterizing the Animals

Pacific Science Center is a great place to spend a cold, blustery winter day. But once in a while, the weather becomes so bad that travel is not advised. During that past few winters, we have had at least one day each year when unsafe road conditions lead PSC to make the tough decision to remain closed. And while some exhibits can simply be turned on and off, the animals that live here need a little more care.



Pacific Science Center’s policy of alternative service helps us recruit a core group of emergency helpers. Every full time staff member must work 40 hours per year in some department other than their own. This helps departments understand each other’s work better and allows people to pitch in where help is needed most. In the case of snow coverage, we are looking for a very special group. These folks must live near enough to Pacific Science Center that they could safely walk in during a snow storm. They must also be comfortable working alone, must have a deep love of animals, and must show great attention to detail. A handful met all our criteria and began training.


Our animal care program has two main goals. One is to educate. For this, our animals must look their best, and be in surroundings that help our guests observe, wonder, and ask questions. The other, more basic, is to keep the animals themselves happy. On days when we are closed, we focus on meeting the life needs of the animals. We also want to ensure that caretakers who are trudging through the snow can finish with plenty of daylight to make a safe journey home.


In training these emergency caretakers, we covered some basic but important tasks; feeding the tide pool, releasing butterflies, feeding naked mole-rats, and ensuring that every animal is safe, happy and secure. The most likely problems that an emergency caretaker might encounter are low cage temperatures, empty water dishes, and perhaps an animal that finished off its food faster than we expected.


However, in Animal Care, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected. These folks will be working on their own and may encounter all kinds of unexpected situations. Help is only a phone call away, but only in the form of coaching and advice. We have full confidence that each of these new trainees will give the animals great care, and in return, we hope we give them an experience outside their daily job duties. Perhaps a few of them will even earn themselves a ballad. Read more!

Lesson Learned

On the morning of November 1, Cari Garand knew that something was not right with the naked mole rats. She saw immediately that they had pushed aside the tube leading into one of their chambers, and entered into the surrounding enclosure. But to Cari’s eyes, the amount of mess did not match with the single animal loose in the enclosure.

She followed the trail of bedding and found that there was more. Much more.


Following the exploits of our dispersing morph last year, the Animal Care department had made what we believed to be a comprehensive survey of the enclosure, to tighten up any crevices large enough for a mole-rat to climb through. But four enterprising (and small) individuals found a crack a bit larger than a tube of lipstick and managed to crawl out through it. On the other side, they encountered drywall board.

Lest anyone wonder which is stronger, be it known that drywall is no match for the teeth of a determined naked mole-rat. The wall was chewed into, and the animals entered into the space beyond.

Fortunately, the studding in the walls at Pacific Science Center is metal. When they encountered this, the mole rats were stymied, and spent the remainder of the night in the small cavity beneath the hole they had chewed.

Once she figured out where they were, Cari oversaw Lisa Marchisio’s careful removal of the wall board, and Adrian Eng retrieved the animals. Their temperatures were low from a night spent outside the climate controlled habitat, but they were otherwise healthy and unhurt.

Cari, along with Brianna Todd, made sure that all individuals were accounted for, and in good condition. We checked for injuries, made sure they were adequately hydrated, gradually returned them to ambient temperature, and returned them to their colony.

Then the real work began. The enclosure was scoured for crevices small enough to fit a pencil through. Only one was found, the one the four had used. It was sealed with Plexiglas which would take the colony days of solid chewing to breach.

The individual chambers were also secured more firmly in place, and the configuration of the chambers was moved around to provide stimulating enrichment. If the escape was due to boredom, mixing things up will help prevent future behavior issues.

Animal care is an interesting blend of optimism and pessimism. The caretaker must believe that they possess the skills to keep animals happy, secure and contained. But they must never assume that any animal will stay happy, secure and contained without ongoing investment of time and thought. The happy ending to this story does not mean that our work is done, it is an invitation for us to review our practices and look for further ways to improve them, so that future escapes are neither possible, nor made necessary through lack of stimulating habitat for the mole rats.

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