Past projects
I've always been obsessed with the weird and wonderful- it's how Ali's Menagerie came to be- and it's often led me to some pretty cool species. Whilst Ali's Menagerie is not a breeder, some of the species in our care are given the opportunity to breed as a part of their natural lives. Care is always taken to ensure animal are not over-bred, for their own welfare, and to prevent overpopulation. Many common exotic pet species- such as Bearded Dragons, Royal Pythons and Crested Geckos- are bred in their hundreds of thousands globally, more than exceeding demand and leading to surplus, and potentially poor welfare as breeders struggle to find new homes for their animals.
In the past, the Menagerie has been home to even more odd exotic creatures, and some have been part of my exciting projects. Below are some of the species we keep/have kept, and bred in the past.
PROJECT 1: Stick Insects
Stick Insects are one of the most common inverts to keep as pets, especially for younger individuals excited about the prospect of keeping an exotic animal for the first time. The most readily available is the Indian Stick Insect, perhaps the most stick-like of all the different species, and one of the easiest to care for. Because they are able to produce through pathogenesis- the process of producing young without a mate, effectively cloning the female- breeding them is also incredibly easy, in fact, almost impossible to prevent!
As mentioned, I've always been slightly more interested in the less-common species, and that is why I sought out a much rarer, an more unusual species to take part in my project. A group of Taraxippus samarae (Mossy Stick Insects) arrived. Sadly the project was not successful, failing to produce any young before the adults passed away. Still, it was exciting even to care for such an unusual species, which had only been discovered back in 2018!
PROJECT TWO- Savage Flower Beetles
Breeding beetles is not for the easily bored: it is a long process with very little excitement, right until the very end when the beautiful adults emerge, often years after their egg was laid! Attempting to breed Savage Flower Beetles was my first introduction to breeding inverts, and it could not have been more successful. After almost two years of waiting following a successful pairing of my adult pair, the first of the larvae started its journey to adulthood.
Sure, it wasn't the most thrilling of waits, but the results were more than worth it, and several larvae pulled through to adulthood, just in time to join us for the first ever Bournemouth Bug Show in 2024.
PROJECT 3- Finches
Birds have been a part of the collection for several years now, and during that time we have had success with a small range of different finches, all of which could be found in our huge, naturalistic garden aviary. Sadly, we no longer have a breeding population, however species including Zebra Finches and Bengalese Finches have all bred at the Menagerie.
Interested in any of these projects? Check out our social media pages for updates, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!