Exciting news! We delivered the environmental enrichment device (EED) for Central Florida Zoo’s African Cape Porcupines on Earth Day. The enrichment will be set up as nighttime feeding for the adorable nocturnal porcupines, Pluto and Pancake. The Zoo Keepers did mention that they may set up a feeding session or two during daytime hours so visitors can see the enrichment in action. Pancake and Pluto were released into their habitat after installation of their new EED. The food was dispensed onto a stump to create sound and they headed over to investigate and forage.

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Our latest environmental enrichment device (EED) is for Central Florida Zoo’s African Crested Porcupines (Pluto and Pancake)

A few months ago, we met with Central Florida Zoo’s Carnivore Keepers and discussed some ideas to give Pluto and Pancake enrichment throughout the night.  African Crested Porcupines are nocturnal and we wanted to help encourage natural feeding/foraging behavior.  The EED will be suspended from a cable over the habitat and will have timer settings to control when and how much food is dispensed.  Since the porcupines are strong chewers and can even chew through concrete, their enrichment needs to be out of their reach.

This EED will be mostly used in Pancake and Pluto’s habitat but may also be used for the Zoo’s ambassador porcupine!     

Don designed and built every part of this automatic feeder. He used a cereal dispenser (like you see at hotel breakfast buffets) to house the food and a windshield wiper motor to power the device.  He built the circuits that control the timing and covered the enrichment housing in a fine mesh to keep unwanted critters out of the machine.  Here are some photos of all the parts and components that will become the EED:

Exciting news! We had a meeting with the carnivore keepers at Central Florida Zoo last week to discuss building two enrichment devices. One for their small primates and one for their African crested porcupines “Pancake and Pluto”. More to come soon!