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RE: Caring for Feeders: A Less Glamorous Responsibility of a Zookeeper
A lot of our museum volunteers join on with the impression that all they will do is handle and play with all sorts of animals.
Well then, I had no idea this idea was that widespread! I read this recently on one of @amavi's posts too XD (can't remember which one now).
Had to laugh at "outbreaks of ick" good description.
Should have realised caring for feeder critters would also be a pretty intense activity, wow O_O
Volunteering is still a lot of fun, I think people just don't really understand what zoo keeping entails or what it really means to be an animal keeper. So most are surprised when they join an animal care staff and are asked to wash dishes or fold laundry. Most come around to it very quickly; we don't scare too many people off!
Oy, Ick. Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is it's full name and it's a nasty little parasite that is a real pain in the butt to get rid of. Thankfully, our aquariums department has done an amazing job of both treatment and prevention in the past!