Our Animals

 

 

Cub Creek Science Camp is unique among camps for many reasons, including our animals. We have our own "zoo", and are home to more than 200 animals of 100+ different kinds. 
  • Unlike  a zoo camp, we offer hands on learning about animals.  Bear River Ranch has more opportunities to learn about, hold, and observe animals then any other camp. including playing with cute and cuddly kittens, bottle feeding a baby goat, or watching a chick hatch from its egg. You may also want to experience what it would be like to hold a 7 foot snake or a prickly hedgehog.  We have something new and fascinating to offer every animal enthusiast.

 
  • All of our resident animals are friendly and are accustomed to frequent visitors and handling. Many of these animals have even been raised by our campers during past summers.

 

  • Our "Adopt an Animal" program is the most requested activity at camp.  Every camper is given the opportunity to "adopt" their favorite animal at camp.  As the adoptive parent campers learn about that particular animals and then become responsible  for it's care, enrichment and general well being. (This is done under the supervision of an Animal Specialist)

 

  • Campers at Cub Creek Science Camp can sign up for one of several animal related courses including; Jr. vet, adopt an animal, animal 101 or animal enrichment.  We are one of the only camps in the country where kids can learn what it is like to be a veterinarian.  They learn how to give injection, how to suture a wound, how to trim nails and flight feathers.  Campers also learn how to identify and treat both internal and external parasites, as well as how to handle, feed and care for all the animals at Bear River Ranch.

 

Our resident animals
Our resident animals include 26 different species of mammals, 23 types of birds and 27 species of reptiles,  11 different kinds of amphibians as well as a variety of invertebrates.  Campers will have the opportunity to see, touch and learn about more than 100 different types of animals.

 

Below is a list of the animals that live at Bear River Ranch. 

 

Mammals-Each week of camp we have at least one animal give birth. Campers also help with the bottle feeding of the goats and any other bottle fed babies.  We expect to have the following animals give birth during the summer: goats, wallabies, chinchilla, degu, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters and sugar gliders.

  1. Armadillo (Old Ned)
  2. African Pygmy Goats (Simba, Nala, and Kiara to name a few)
  3. African Crested Porcupine (Spike)
  4. Barbado Sheep (Bonnie,Bertha and Clyde)
  5. Bennett Wallabies (Joey, Jefferey, Thumper and Elizabeth)
  6. Chinchilla (Pumpkin and Squash)
  7. Common Marmoset (Meeko)
  8. Degu
  9. Domestic Mice
  10. Domestic Rats
  11. Egyptian Spiny Mice
  12. Ferrets (Casper, Sophie, Minnie and Mickey)
  13. Gerbils
  14. Guinea Pigs
  15. Hedgehogs (Tiny and Twitch)
  16. Kinkajou (Nebuna and Joujou)
  17. Llama (Buddy and Daphnie)
  18. Maine Coon cats (Cricket, Dallas and Buster)
  19. Miniature Dwarf Horse (Little Bit)
  20. Patagonia Cavy (Otis and Mara)
  21. Pot bellied pig (Orvil and Wilber)
  22. Sugar Gliders (Bonnie and Clyde)
  23. Two Toed Sloth
  24. Rabbits (Rex, Netherland Dwarf and Dutch)
  25. Teddy Bear Hamsters
  26. Dogs - We have several camp dogs that love playing with camp visitors and guests

Birds -We collect guinea and chicken eggs daily and put them in the incubator.  Chicks hatch every week during the summer.  Campers have the opportunity to help hand feed baby birds, hold cockatiels and love birds and talk to our ring neck parakeet (who loves talking back).

  1. Alexandrian Ringneck Parakeets
  2. African Grey Parrots
  3. Blue and Gold Macaw (Jasper)
  4. Blue Fronted Amazon Parrots (Benita)
  5. Blue Headed Conure (Einstein)
  6. Budgie (Parakeet)
  7. Button Quail
  8. Chickens
  9. Cocktails
  10. Emus
  11. Geese
  12. Golden Pheasant
  13. Guinea Fowl
  14. Love Birds
  15. Moluccan Cockatoo (Peaches)
  16. Peacock
  17. Pigeon
  18. Quaker Parrots
  19. Ring Neck Parakeet
  20. Spanish Quail
  21. Sundae Conure (Sunny)
  22. Turkey (Tom)

Reptiles- We have a fantastic variety of reptiles.  Our spurred tortoises can live 200 years and when fully grown you could ride on their backs.  We have snakes ranging in size from tiny hatchlings to bigger than you can hold.  Campers have watched a snake shed its skin and even lay eggs.  Ophelia (our 4 foot iguana) loves eating grapes and romaine lettuce from your hand.  Did you know that a Tokay Gecko can climb straight up a wall, or that there are lizards that have no legs?
Snakes

  1. Ball Python
  2. Banded California King
  3. Black Snake
  4. Hognose
  5. Pine Snake
  6. Red Tail Boa
  7. Ring Neck Snake
  8. Milk Snake
  9. Speckled King Snake

Turtle / Tortoises

  1. Three toed box turtle
  2. Russian tortoise
  3. Yellow leg tortoise
  4. Spurred tortoise

Lizards

  1. Anole
  2. Bearded Dragon
  3. Blue Tongue Skink
  4. Chameleons
  5. Fence Lizard
  6. Five Line Skink
  7. Golden Gecko
  8. Green Iguana
  9. Tegu
  10. Tokay Gecko
  11. Uromastic, also known as a Spiny Tail lizard (Jerry)
  12. White Throated Monito

Amphibians
Frogs and Toads

  1. American Toad
  2. Bull Frog
  3. Cuban Tree Frog
  4. Fire Bellied Toad
  5. Green Frog
  6. Ornate Horned Toad (Pac Man Frog)
  7. Spring Peeper
  8. Whites Tree Frog

Salamanders and Newts

  1. Fire Bellied Newt
  2. Tiger Salamander
  3. Spotted Salamander

Invertebrates

  1. Crickets
  2. Giant Millipedes
  3. Hermit crabs
  4. Hissing Roaches
  5. Meal Worms
  6. Praying Mantis
  7. Scorpions
  8. Tarantulas 
  9. Variety of local butterflies and moths that we observe and then release

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cub Creek Science Camp

Located at Bear River Ranch

16795 Hwy E

Rolla, Missouri  65401

573-458-2125

Director@BearRiverRanch.com