As part of the BTEC Level 3 Animal Management Practical Animal Husbandry unit, students took part in a Herptile and Invertebrate Husbandry Workshop led by Dawn from Animal Story.
The session gave them a brilliant hands-on opportunity to work with a wide range of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, including Cherry the Redfoot tortoise, blue tongue skinks, crested geckos, snakes, salamanders, tarantulas, giant African land snails, millipedes, a scorpion, and even Gruff the Southern White-Faced Scops Owl.
Students grew in confidence throughout the day as they learnt how to safely handle different species and carry out key practical tasks that link directly to their unit work.
They completed health checks, looking over all aspects of the animals’ bodies, weighing them, measuring temperatures, and comparing correctly reared animals with rescue animals. This was done to see how poor husbandry can affect skin, scales, and overall condition. They even took part in real husbandry care by filing Cherry the tortoise’s nails.
A big favourite of the day was Freddie the tree frog, with everyone amazed at how he could change his skin colour from bright blue to dark blue/brown. Gruff also stole a few hearts when he trilled happily after having his beak gently tickled.
Other highlights included the snakes, watching the tarantula hunt and eat her cricket prey, seeing the scorpion glow under UV light, and learning about the risks and responsibilities involved in keeping different species.
The workshop was engaging, practical, and confidence-building, bringing the Practical Animal Husbandry unit to life and giving students valuable real-world experience they can take forward into their studies and future careers.
