Frequently asked Questions
Click on the question that interests you and you will be taken to the answer.
If you have a question that we have not answered please get in touch to let us know. We want this section to be as useful as possible to allow you to find out everything you could possibly want to know before contacting us.
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What areas do you cover?
We are based in Twickenham in South West London. For animal welfare concerns we will only travel to locations within 1 hour.
The outer bounds of where we travel to includes Guildford, Farnham, Hook, East Reading, Henley, Marlow, High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Wendover, Hemel Hempstead, King’s Langley, Watford, Harrow, Ealing, Hammersmith, West Fulham, Putney, Wimbledon, Sutton, Banstead, and Leatherhead.
We do not travel into central London (except on exceptional occasions, and especially not for a single encounter), in fact we do not travel any further east than Wandsworth police station.
We also do not travel during rush hours if possible as this extends the amount of time that animals are in their travel boxes. Take a look at our map.
Do you offer children's birthday party packages?
YES, you can hire us for 1 hour party encounters with a choice of up to 20 different species of animal. We do not have premises for your party. we will come to your premises or to a venue that you hire. Our prices start from £400, dependent on your location and number of presenters required. Take a look at our pricing page.
What happens during a typical encounter?
Party encounters usually last about an hour, although the length can be varied for schools and other events. An encounter may overrun by around 15 minutes when guests are particularly enthusiastic. If you need it to finish at a specific time, please give the presenter(s) a 10-minute warning—they could happily talk about the animals and share their stories for ever if allowed!
For parties, our presenters will arrive about 30 minutes before your invite time; for other events, they will arrive 30 minutes before the first encounter. This gives them time to bring in the animals and set everything up without getting in the way of excited children, guests or attendees.
The encounter will normally begin within 15 minutes of the invite time to allow for latecomers. If everyone is ready sooner, simply let the presenter(s) know.
At the start, the presenter(s) will arrange the participants so that they can approach everyone safely and easily. This will usually be one large semicircle or, if two rows are needed, rows with at least 1 metre between them.
The encounter begins with a brief welcome and explanation:
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Hello and introductions
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Nobody needs to touch anything they do not want to
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The animals are friendly, but they are not toilet trained!
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Guests are welcome to take photographs, but phones should be put on silent
The first animals shown are usually insects, including a few small ones that may jump around on the floor. This helps participants overcome any initial nerves, usually leads to giggles and gasps, and allows the presenter(s) to assess how the group is responding.
Animals are then introduced one at a time by each presenter. The presenter will share age-appropriate information about each animal before taking it around the group. Each participant can enjoy a close-up encounter by holding it, stroking it or simply looking at it, according to their preferences. There will also be time for questions and answers.
The only animal that participants will not be invited to handle or touch is the scorpion, but it glows under UV light, so it always gets a “wow!”
If the event marks a special occasion—for example, a child’s birthday—the guest of honour may be invited to take part in a demonstration if they wish.
Our presenters are experienced at reading the room and will adjust the finish time appropriately according to the group’s engagement—usually later rather than earlier!
Once all the animals have been shown, participants will be given hand sanitiser, or wipes, or may wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. Adult supervision may be needed for younger participants. If very young children still put their fingers in their mouths, wipes will be available so an adult can clean their fingers after each animal they touch.
If party food is planned, we suggest serving it after the encounter. While the guests eat, the presenter(s) will pack up and leave—usually within 20 to 30 minutes—avoiding excited children moving around. The full venue will then be available for games or any other activities you have planned.
Which animals will be brought to my encounter?
We will always bring a variety of animals to an encounter. Our animals are mainly rescued, so we cannot be certain exactly which animals we will have in any given month. Some of the animals we rescue are not suitable for encounters, either because they do not enjoy human interaction or because they are not in tip-top health.
As of September 2026, your encounter will include a selection from the following:
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Insects – such as a katydid, stick insect, locust, and cockroach
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Arachnids – a tarantula and scorpion
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Other creepy crawlies – a giant millipede and a giant African land snail
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Reptiles – a snake, a lizard, a tortoise
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Small mammals – a mouse, a ferret
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Birds – a bantam chicken, an owl
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Other – a frog
We cannot guarantee that we will bring any specific animal, as each one is health-checked before every event. We also rotate the animals, so if a particular animal attended an event the day before yours, it is unlikely to attend your encounter as well.
You can, of course, request particular types of animals—for example, more reptiles and fewer creepy-crawlies—and we will make every effort to accommodate your request, although we cannot guarantee it.
How many presenters will I need?
Our suggested presenter-to-participant ratio ensures that each person has their turn to meet, handle or wear each animal without waiting too long. At our public events, we ensure that this ratio is no more than 1:15.
For private and school events, we suggest a ratio based on age. We all know that, for example, a three-year-old has a shorter attention span and less patience than a seven-year-old.
This table shows the approximate number of guests per presenter that we suggest for each age group. The choice is yours as the event organiser, but we strongly advise following these guidelines to achieve the outcome you want.
N.B. In our experience, adults wish to meet the animals just as much as children do, so we strongly advise taking their numbers into account. When very young children—up to five years old—are invited to a birthday party, they are usually accompanied by a parent and, in some cases, siblings; these numbers also need to be considered.
Age Suggested number Notes
per presenter
Any that put Each will need an adult to
fingers in 8 wipe their fingers after
mouths or each animal touched
under 3s
3 or 4 10 - 12
5 or 6 14
7 and up 17
Of course, there is an additional advantage to having a second presenter, so with small numbers of people, you may choose to hire a second presenter anyway.
The main advantage to having two presenters is that our larger animals can be included in your encounter, as they can only be handled by two presenters due to their weight or size. At present (September 2026), our large animals include a giant African tortoise (Totty), a giant lizard (either Asbo the iguana or Ruby the red tegu) and our four-metre-long boa constrictor (Dolores). Although small, we also include our owls in this “large animal” category because they require extra care when being handled; if handled incorrectly, they might fly off!
For even larger events with more guests, we can provide three or even four presenters. However, the maximum number of participants we can safely accommodate in a single encounter is 60. This number would require a room large enough to contain a badminton court, such as a village hall, community centre, school hall or gymnasium.
Shall I ask accompanying parents NOT to get involved with the encounter?
This is entirely up to you; however, we prefer adult involvement over them standing around at the back chatting!!
In many venues, such as village/church halls or community centres, the acoustics are such that when adults chat the sound echoes around the hall and the presenters find it very difficult to hear children’s questions. They also feel that they need to speak louder to make themselves heard and sometimes strain their voices!
If the participants are very young children and still put their fingers in their mouths then we encourage you to have parents involved. Each child should be closely attended by an adult to ensure their fingers are wiped after each animal they touch.
What space do I need to provide for the encounter?
The space required for the encounter must be in addition to the space you will use for your tables and chairs for party food (if applicable).
For an event with one presenter, we require 3 square metres—roughly the size of one and a half average single beds—just to store the animal carry boxes, plus another 2 square metres in which to stand and present the animals. The area in which the animals are stored in their carry boxes should have electric sockets available in case heaters or heat lamps are required.
This table shows the space requirements for the number of presenters you hire for your event.
No. of presenters Total area required
(m²)
1 5
2 7
3 8
4 9
In addition to this space, participants need to be seated so that a presenter carrying an animal can approach each person without tripping over anyone else.
At the start of the event, your presenter will arrange participants in semicircular rows around the presentation area. If more than one row is required, there must be enough floor space to leave a minimum of 1 metre between rows.
Participants can sit on chairs, benches, or on the floor. For large groups of children, we strongly recommend sitting on the floor, as this reduces the overall space required.
If you are unsure whether your venue is suitable, please speak to one of our team. Have the room dimensions and number of participants available when you contact us.
You can contact us using the contact form or by phoning 07816 3377201. If no one is available, please leave your name and number, and we will return your call as soon as possible.
What time should I hold my party?
During the spring and summer time (April to September) you can choose any invite time for your encounter (within reason).
However, during the winter months (October to March) there are restrictions on either
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the time that you can start the encounter or
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the animals we can bring to your encounter.
We have these conditions in place for animal welfare concerns.
All tortoises, most lizards, and some birds go to sleep as the sun goes down. For them to have a chance to eat etc before they go to sleep, they need to be returned to their enclosures about half an hour before sundown.
During the winter months, and depending on the travel time to your location, we will provide you with the latest invite time you can choose where you will get the full range of animals at your encounter. If you choose a later start time to that which we have provided, then we will not bring any of these “sleepy heads” to your event.
Why do you prefer an indoor space for encounters?
Our preference is mainly for animal welfare reasons.
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Rain and cold. These are the main reasons. The British weather is unpredictable, and most of our animals are warm-loving creatures.
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Sunlight. Some of our animals, such as tortoises, most lizards and some snakes, enjoy direct sunlight; others, such as tarantulas, some nocturnal lizards, and scorpions shy away from sunlight.
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Sudden noises. Sounds such as a car backfiring, children shouting in a nearby garden, aircraft or traffic can startle the animals and make their behaviour less predictable.
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Wind. Some of our more delicate animals, especially creepy crawlies, are vulnerable to gusts of wind.
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Overheating. Our animals are brought to your location in travel boxes, on hot days these can overheat if not provided with adequate shade, and sometimes even in the shade it is just too hot for them when the ambient temperature is high.
However, if you can provide a shaded space for the animals’ carry boxes, the ambient temperature is comfortable—not too hot (under 28°C) or too cold (above 22°C)—and there is a shaded area where guests can sit and the animals can be presented, the presenter will assess the wind and other conditions to decide whether the encounter can be held outdoors.
HOWEVER, there should always be an indoor space available as an alternative.
How should I deal with my own phobias?
We are sometimes asked not to bring a particular animal because of a parent’s phobia. We understand how debilitating phobias can be, but we strongly urge you to take care not to pass a phobia on to your children. Nobody will be made to handle an animal they are uncomfortable with.
You can tell us that you are uncomfortable with a particular species, and you can even leave the room while that animal is presented, provided at least one adult remains. However, we urge you not to show your fear to your children, as many phobias are inherited or learned behaviours.
What are your welfare standards?
Our animals are like family! We consider our welfare standards to be the best out there!
We hope that you will see, through interactions with our presenters and animals, how good our standards are.
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We don’t travel to locations where the journey time would be over an hour. Once the journey is complete, the encounter time could be up to 2.5 hours (with set up and pack up times), then there is the return journey. We simply consider this (4.5 hours) to be the absolute limit to the amount of time that our animals should be in their travel boxes.
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Many animals, especially tortoises, most lizards, and some birds, go to sleep as the sun goes down. We therefore consider it important to get them home at least 30 minutes before sundown to enable them to eat and then settle down for the night. This means that, especially during the winter months, we will have conditions to event start/end times to ensure these animals will get home before dark. Otherwise, we will need to limit the animals that we can bring to an event to those that are not affected by darkness for their daily routines.
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Our welfare policy will not allow an animal to be handled in more than 3 encounters in a single day. This can occur when we hold our public events, or when visiting a school or other organisation, where multiple encounters are planned. For example: we will not attend events where people can turn up ad hoc to meet our animals as this will mean that they will be picked up and handled multiple times, rather than a select few times, which can be quite stressful. Instead, we hold timed encounters where each animal is removed from its enclosure, handled and then placed back in its box to rest.
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We are licensed by Richmond Upon Thames Council and are inspected at regular intervals to ensure that the animals are kept in suitable conditions and that our record keeping is in order. If necessary, you can ask to see our licence as it is always carried to each event we attend.
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Most of our animals require specialised conditions to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We ensure that each species is kept at the appropriate temperature and humidity, is provided with UV lighting where needed and has access to a habitat that resembles its natural environment as closely as possible. This allows the animals to display natural behaviours such as digging, climbing, burrowing, hiding, basking and bathing.
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Animals that require regular exercise are given the space and facilities to do so. For example, our tortoises have a door through which they can choose to go indoors or wander outside. We have installed special plastic strips, of the type used in industrial refrigeration warehouses, to maintain the indoor temperature. Our lizards have a special basking branch where they can lie outside in the sun when the weather permits. Our ferrets have toys, climbing equipment and hiding boxes, and they can also be taken for walks on leads to satisfy and enrich their inquisitive nature.
We are not licensed to hold encounters at our premises, but if you would like to come and inspect our premises to satisfy yourself, or your organisation, regarding our welfare standards then we will be pleased to accommodate your visit.
Are your presenters DBS checked?
Yes, all our presenters are DBS checked. If you wish to see their certificates, you can ask for them to be brought to your event together with personal identification for each presenter, so you can confirm that each DBS certificate belongs to the presenter attending.
Are you insured in case you damage my property or someone gets hurt?
Yes, although we have never had to use it.
We hold public liability insurance in case our vehicle, presenters or animals cause injury to a person or damage to property. Our insurance document is carried to every event; you can ask to see it or view it here.
Can you send me a risk assessment?
Yes. We have a general risk assessment that we can send to you or that you can view here. If you would like us to prepare a risk assessment for a specific situation—for example, a particular building or a person with specialised needs—please ask us.
Do you offer school educational experiences?
YES. We offer half or full day experiences with programs tailored to the specific needs of the students from KS1to KS5.
How do you justify the cost of your encounters?
This is a question we are often asked. We kindly invite you to read the many five-star reviews we have received on Google and Trustpilot (ADD LINKS), which we hope will reassure you that the experience is worth the cost.
However, for the sake of clarity, we will attempt to break down our costs here:
Like all businesses, we have normal overheads such as marketing, licences, staff, veterinary care and office costs. We also have a substantial energy bill because most of our animals require carefully controlled temperatures.
At your event, you will see an encounter lasting from one hour to 75 minutes, plus setup and pack-up time—usually no more than 2 to 2.5 hours in total. What you do not see is all the other work that enables the encounter to take place.
Here is our general checklist for each event that we attend:
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Vehicle check (battery, petrol, tyre pressure, emergency pack checked (heat pads, and water in case of breakdown), vehicle warmed before animals are loaded)
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Transport documentation completed
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Location, timings, and contact details double checked
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Travel time checked for any known traffic issues
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Cover staff hired where two presenters attend an event
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Check that all general event supplies are available and loaded into the vehicle, including hand sanitiser, wipes, newspaper, spare bedding and stickers.
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When the vehicle returns, check and store these items and wipe down the vehicle.
Here is our checklist for each animal attending your event:
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Health check
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Last use check (most of our animals will not be used in encounters more than twice in a 7-day period for their welfare)
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Travel box check and preparation
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Food prepared to take to the event if required
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Animal moved to the travel box and then loaded to the vehicle
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Animal unloaded at the event venue; water and food given if required
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Animal shown at the encounter
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Animal returned to the vehicle and transported home
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Health-check the animal as it is returned from the travel box to its enclosure, then complete feeding and other daily activities, such as play, spraying with water or outdoor time.
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Complete documentation recording each animal’s use, any issues encountered, and its feeding and activity records.
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Travel box cleaning and storage
In practice, your event keeps the presenter(s) busy for the whole day. While they are occupied, we hire other staff or rely on volunteers to complete the day-to-day tasks for all the animals remaining at our facility. These tasks include checking food and water, cleaning, monitoring the humidity, UV levels and lighting in each enclosure, administering medication where required, and providing enrichment for animals that enjoy human interaction.
What ages are your public events suitable for?
We suggest that all children 4+ will really enjoy our events, but some younger children do too. If your child can stay seated for an hour whilst meeting our beautiful beasties then they are welcome to join us.
Of course, younger siblings are also welcome to attend, but will need to remain on an adults lap and not be allowed to wander.
We hold a dedicated toddler encounter at each of our public events - we sing nursery rhymes and then meet the characters from the rhymes, e.g. Hickory Dickory Dock and then meet the mouse that ran up the clock.