We have a USDA Class C license to have certain exotics and to use them for educational programs.  We've had our license for about ten years now, it is a difficult license to obtain and even harder to maintain.  It is not meant for the average person to have animals that would normally be illegal for them have without it.  Also it does not make one exempt from their local ordinances, for example if it is illegal in your town to have wolves or any wildcat in your city or town, then a USDA license will not make it legal then to have them, you will still be illegal.  If however you choose to move to an unincorporated area which is also zoned AG then certain animals may be legal if you also have a federal license.  However we could not go out and just buy for instance an elephant. First we would have to prove that we know how to work with them and care for them, then we would have to build a proper, legal enclosure and have it approved, then we have to prove that we can provide proper vet care, etc.  I'm sure you get the point.  Many people ask me about our federal license with the hopes that they can just run out and buy a tiger for instance and magically be legal to own it, it does not work that way and it shouldn't. 

Kiwi is a kinkajou.  She is about 16 years old but she is only considered middle aged.  Kinkajous can be expected to live about 25 in captivity.  She loves fig neutons, fresh fruit and cottage cheese and climbing me like Mount Everest!   One look at those long sharp nails should let you know how painful that can be-

 This is Charlie, who is also a kinkajou.  There are about 13 subspecies of kinkajous that's why he doesn't look exactly like Kiwi.  This photo was taken this spring at a forum hosted by AHA this spring (08).  Charlie is 12 years old now ('10).  Charlie's first human mom couldn't keep him any longer so we were asked to take him in and we are very happy that he has come to live with us.

We now have a wonderful red fur fox we have named Dallas.   He hardly ever sits still for very long so this is the best picture I could come up with for now.  Dallas is about 4 and 1/2 months old in this picture and is getting redder every day, he is quite the handsome fellow!

This is Dallas's enclosure, it is about 8 feet wide, 6 feet high and 23 feet long.  He is a very happy little fox with all the room and toys he can handle.  Poor Dallas had four homes before he was even 16 weeks old.  He eventually wound up being confiscated by Illinois DNR and they asked us to adopt him.  His previous owner has been fined heavily and got into a lot of trouble.  She was not legal to buy him, own him or sell him when he became unpleasant.  Please learn about your local and state laws before buying any exotic animal.  Dallas is one of the lucky ones, most fur foxes who wind up in this situation have to be put down because there just aren't enough legally licensed homes for them.  Fur foxes are bred for one thing, their fur, not their personality and they stink to high heaves too!  They smell a lot like a skunk, they pee everywhere, nip and scream so they really are not a good house pet.   

Meet tiny Joey!  He is an arctic fox who was bred for his fur but wound up winning the life lottery instead.  He is only about 9 days old in this photo and his eyes aren't even open yet.  We don't know for sure yet if he will be white or blue (grey) but it doesn't matter to us either way.  We will try to keep the website updated with current photos as he grows. 

May 18th There's those peepers!  Joey is 16 days old today.  His eyes are fully open now.  I don't know how well he can see but he sure is trying hard to figure out why his mom doesn't have a cold wet nose and isn't furry.  It looks like he might be turning white, we're crossing our fingers but in the end we won't love him any less if he stays blue. 

Can you handle one more picture of Joey?  Here he is at one month old, eyes are fully open now, he hears and sees everything!  He is also much more active.  Now we have do something about those tiny sharp nails or I'll have to keep explaining why my neck and chest are covered with bloody scratches all the time.  Can you see the white coming out now?  His eyes, ears, chin and belly are slowly turning from grey to white.  We think Joey is going to be quite handsome once his new coat comes in.   

This is Hannah, our bobcat.  It was a hard decision to add her to our website but she is as much a part of our lives as any of our furry family.  Bobcats are difficult cats, they are very intelligent, stubborn and moody.  Hannah loves Brad but often uses me as a playtoy and her way of playing is to jump on my head and chew on my ears.  We hoped that by bringing her in as a kitten we could one day take her to educational programs but she gets car sick and has decided that she does not like strangers so that put an end to that idea.  She is a very contented and happy cat and we spend as much time with her as we can every day, she rubs against us, purrs and then often turns and sprays us, her aim is unfortunetly for us, very accurate.  Bobcats have a strong need to spray in order to make them feel more secure, they are not house pets.   

This is Hannah's new enclosure, it is about 7 1/2 feet high, 18 feet long and about 8 feet wide.  She spends much of her time on the ledge we built for her just above the child's climber and just under the black shade cover.  With so many things to climb in and on, it is so wonderful to see her enjoying every nook and cranny.  We build double entrances to our outdoor enclosures for our safety and for theirs.