Rustle, the Nine-banded
Armadillo, has quickly found a way into my heart and has become one of my
favorite animals at WBS. Over this last year I have come to know and love this
little 9 lb wonder of an animal.
It all started last fall
when I let him get some time out of his
enclosure. He started digging at
another animal’s water bottle, so I gave him some water, thinking he was
thirsty. This is when it all
started. He dumped the water all
over the floor and created his own slip and slide. Then he proceeded to roll like crazy in the water.
Following his lead, we
began to provide Rustle with his own water tub in which to take a daily bath. This behavior and his fun in the water
led to a You Tube video that
has made Rustle famous-- even in Japan!
We have also discovered his love for warm water. When you get him out for his daily run
he is usually sleepy and if you set him in the water he will rest in the water
with all four feet stretched out, like having his own warm water spa.
Since Rustle runs daily we
have worked very hard on handling him and just making him very comfortable
around people. He loves his run
time and explores shoes, bags left on the floor, a jacket he can pull down to the floor,
etc. Anything at ground level is
something to be explored.
For an animal that does
not see very well Rustle definitely knows where and when to be present. If a cabinet opens in the animal food
prep room he is there in a heartbeat, especially if it contains towels. If a refrigerator door opens he is
ready to jump in. Rustle loves his
produce--tomatoes, watermelon, bell peppers, grapes, peaches, and will try
anything he is given and quickly makes a mess with it.
When Rustle is out and
about for his daily run we often use a scrub brush that we stroke his back with. As he gets his back scratched with the
brush Rustle’s tail actually wags, like a
dog. It is very cute and makes us
smile every time we see this behavior--who knew?
One day while he was out
running, Rustle started pushing around the plastic lid to our trashcan, so I
placed it on top of him. He was
not afraid of this, and in fact ran around with
it on his back for some time, came out, then worked very hard at getting back
under the lid. Now, when placing
the lid on the floor, Rustle can get under it within a matter of seconds. He will run around with the trash can
lid on his back for 30 or more minutes when you let him. Who knew a trashcan lid was so
entertaining?
Rustle recently did his
first display at the St. Louis Science Center and demonstrated many of these
fun characteristics. He continues
to educate his trainers on the amazing behaviors that Armadillos can exhibit.
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