New Kids on the Rock

 

We are always on the lookout for new and interesting animals to add to the Party Animals family. 

When we do add new animals to our collection, we try to rescue (or adopt) animals that are in need of our expert care whenever possible.  Occasionally, we’ll travel to reptile and amphibian shows, too.  This is more for our own education and entertainment, but every now and again, we’ll bring home a newbie that catches our attention…sometimes we just can’t resist.  Our newest additions are listed below.  We hope you like them as much as we do!    

 

Honduran Milk Snake - "Mayfield"

 

Scientific name:  Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis

Where am I from originally?  Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica

What’s for dinner?  Mice

Fun fact:  The milk snake got its name from the myth that they drink

milk from the udders of barnyard cows

 

 

Mayfield is a friendly, non-venomous snake that is easy to handle for people of all experience levels.  The Honduran milk snake has one of the craftiest defense mechanisms found in the animal kingdom:  imitation.  That’s right, the milk snake closely resembles the deadly coral snake, which can be pretty intimidating to most predators in the wild.  Mayfield is around two feet long, but Honduran milk snakes can grow to five feet long in captivity under the right conditions.  Mayfield’s unique and beautiful color pattern and docile demeanor are perfect for our hands-on programs.      

 

 

Yellow-Bellied Slider - "Shelly"

 

Scientific name:  Trachemys scripta scripta

Where am I from originally?  Southeastern United States

What’s for dinner?  Over-the-counter turtle food and insects

Fun fact:  Yellow-bellied sliders can live for up to 40 years in captivity

 

 

We owned a yellow-bellied slider many years before opening Party Animals Atlanta, so it made perfect sense to add Shelly to the group when the opportunity presented itself.  The yellow-bellied slider lives on land in the water and is one of the most common turtle species in the southeastern United States.  Female yellow-bellied sliders can grow to over a foot long, which is actually larger than male adults.  They’re fairly easy to identify due to the yellow stripes that run along the top of their shell and down their neck and legs.  These unique markings are also one reason that they’re very popular as pets.