Mia's Menagerie & CROC

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Mia's Menagerie & CROC .US
Promoting respect & appreciation for all species through education & outreach.

CROC serves as a resource to provide education services for pet owners and animal enthusiasts through live-animal outreach programs delivered to venues around Vermont & New Hampshire. With more than a decade experience in animal rescue, care, and outreach services, I offer a resource for pet owners seeking guidance on animal care, and collaborate with other facilities to advocate for ethical and h

umane treatment of captive exotic pets. Please note: I am not a licensed shelter facility, and do not accept rescues/surrenders from private pet keepers at this time.

Sharing animals with my daughter's school is more than just a fancy "show & tell." For each minute presenting animals in...
09/02/2025

Sharing animals with my daughter's school is more than just a fancy "show & tell." For each minute presenting animals in front of students there are countless hours of preparation that go into their care, hand-selecting species that are calm enough to endure the stresses of a classroom, and the high overhead costs related to insurance, fuel, and other utilities needed to bring the animals out and about. In turn, kids get an up-close look at some really cool critters that they may otherwise never see or experience. Many of our ambassadors have been with us since the early years of running a rescue, and all are considered a part of our family.
While we may not be doing as many outreach programs these days as we had in the past, we still adhere to the same rules I had put into place more than a decade ago to ensure the health and safety of all animals used in public outreach.

My classes start in 3 weeks and so far my "downsizing" hasn't needed to be quite as severe as I originally thought. Whil...
05/02/2025

My classes start in 3 weeks and so far my "downsizing" hasn't needed to be quite as severe as I originally thought. While I have a couple of the newer arrivals and recent surrenders moving out, nearly all of the original collection and long-time residents should be able to remain here. I've made some adjustments to the overall layout of the garage to improve accessibility to habitats for general maintenance. The added benefit to these efforts is more clear open space for various multipurpose uses, and reduces the noise and distractions around my work/office/study space. Once spring and summer hits there will be even more flexibility by moving a couple of the largest habitats and their residents outside. There may even be room to upgrade Chica to a walk-in aviary eventually.

“Gecky” got an upgrade and moved to the penthouse location above Mia’s Barbie collection. Although this is one of our sm...
02/02/2025

“Gecky” got an upgrade and moved to the penthouse location above Mia’s Barbie collection. Although this is one of our smaller enclosure improvements, it’s always fun setting up new habitats for our scaly friends.

Some of our local followers will likely be heading to the New England Reptile Expo in Manchester NH tomorrow to check ou...
01/02/2025

Some of our local followers will likely be heading to the New England Reptile Expo in Manchester NH tomorrow to check out some cool critters, or find great deals on supplies and reptile-related accessories. Before you go though, we URGE you to shop responsibly and keep the following practices in mind:
- Avoid impulse purchases. It's always good to have an idea what you're looking for and do research on care before you bring a new friend home.
- Ask LOTS of questions. Most breeders and retailers are passionate about their animals and should be willing to share their knowledge to ensure your new pet will thrive.
- Avoid sick animals and report any obviously unhealthy or diseased animals to the expo officials. Do not fall for "pity purchases" as this only encourages bad vendors to continue to sell unhealthy animals.
- CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS! Each state has different regulations on animal care with New Hampshire among the least restrictive. For residents of Vermont or Maine many large constrictors, monitors, turtles, and tortoises are illegal to keep without a permit. It is NOT the seller's responsibility to know the rules for every state. If you're not sure you can find links to many regulations on our web site: https://www.crocnhvt.com/rescue
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It has been some time since I've attended as a vendor, but I will be there to do some of my own supply shopping. If you happen to see me, feel free to say hi!

Every good build starts with a blueprint.One of my favorite parts of any project aside from the actual construction is m...
31/01/2025

Every good build starts with a blueprint.
One of my favorite parts of any project aside from the actual construction is mapping out the plans. Viewing how each piece will fit and being able to manipulate materials digitally before any actual cutting helps me to make modifications where necessary to reduce waste and save time.

Levi the Burmese python is happy to welcome the 2025 Lunar New Year of the Snake! We’re looking forward to more slithery...
29/01/2025

Levi the Burmese python is happy to welcome the 2025 Lunar New Year of the Snake! We’re looking forward to more slithery adventures with our legless scaly friends.

Like all aquatic turtles Sam LOVES to swim. Although the 125 gallon aquarium was a huge upgrade from where he started, t...
26/01/2025

Like all aquatic turtles Sam LOVES to swim. Although the 125 gallon aquarium was a huge upgrade from where he started, the narrow dimensions and limited height of the tank only allows him to use about 1/3 of the overall water capacity, and he routinely finds methods to disassemble the rockwork for his basking area (Posing a safety risk to him, and potentially compromising the integrity of the tank.) To solve this I looked at the option of moving Sam to a 120 gallon stock pond, but ultimately decided that a new pond is beyond our budget and available space. So instead, I came up with this! I intend to build a new hood and basking platform above Sam's current tank, allowing me to fill the tank to near entirety providing over 100 gallons of swimming area, and giving Sam a more stable senior-accessible basking area.
This is just one of several "habitat improvement projects" I hope to tackle in the following year, and I plan on documenting the progress of this one in case any of you decide to try some DIY reptile housing projects.

Sam is our oldest current resident at 53 years old, and could potentially live another decade or two! Aquatic turtles ar...
22/01/2025

Sam is our oldest current resident at 53 years old, and could potentially live another decade or two! Aquatic turtles are high-maintenance pets, requiring huge aquariums with even larger filtration systems. Red-eared sliders are the most common pet turtle, but they are also a highly invasive species outside their native range, which has made them illegal to keep as pets in many states. In areas where they are established they breed prolifically and are exported and shipped all over the world in large numbers to be sold as pets or food in exotic markets. These factors make red-eared sliders the most often neglected, abused, and intentionally abandoned pet reptile in the world. Sadly, because of the sheer numbers of aquatic turtles finding themselves without placement every year, the majority of reptile rescue facilities are unable to accommodate these animals. If you’re considering adding an aquatic turtle to your family please check in with your local reptile rescue to take home a new friend - or 2 or 3 ;-)

We all know that reptiles love heat, but humidity is equally important.Single-digit outdoor temperatures means a near-co...
20/01/2025

We all know that reptiles love heat, but humidity is equally important.
Single-digit outdoor temperatures means a near-constantly running furnace, which can cause unfavorably dry conditions for our tropical friends. To keep the reptile room at a comfortable level for all species, we have to use a combination of whole-room humidifiers, and several automated misting systems on targeted enclosures. At the peak of winter we easily go through about 5 gallons of water a day in our humidifiers alone.

You ever have one of those days where you set out on to a big task with a plan perfectly mapped out, but then get halfwa...
20/01/2025

You ever have one of those days where you set out on to a big task with a plan perfectly mapped out, but then get halfway through it to realize it just won’t quite work out the way you imagined it would?
I spent about 6 hours starting the rearrange of the facility today, only to find out that the primary cages I hoped to stack onto the mobile shelving won’t fit. Oh well, at least it meant I got a deep-clean in on some of the snake enclosures before putting everything back the way it was to begin with. I also managed to consolidate a few habitats onto the mobile shelf and do some much-needed cable management- not part of the plan, but I guess it’ll do. We’ll see what tomorrow’s progress brings.

In 2025 our family will be facing new challenges as I begin pursuing a college degree and even more obligations related ...
18/01/2025

In 2025 our family will be facing new challenges as I begin pursuing a college degree and even more obligations related to the care of our elders and their various medical concerns - tightening even further my already limited availability.
Earlier I posted a link to some of our adoptable animals which included a few long-time residents who we were hoping to "retire" from the spotlight. Fortunately, thanks to the support of some good friends and colleagues in the animal rescue community we will be able to retain many of our key mascots as well as all animals belonging to my daughter.
Among the animals finding new homes are 1 Tegu and 1 Redfooted tortoise. This may "only be a couple animals" but when one considers that these 2 take up nearly 50 square feet of space with their habitats alone, removal of them makes a huge impact on maintenance costs and time. Since our "animal room" also serves as my office space, clearing out some of the bulkier habitats also ensures a more comfortable study and workspace for better focus.
Over the next few weeks I'll be working on a few construction/destruction projects, including the rebuild of "Bubby" the iguana's habitat, consolidation of some of our stacked enclosures to more mobile shelving, and a few tech upgrades in Mia's Menagerie studio area. I am hopeful that some of these changes will better streamline maintenance activities.

Check out our brand new friend: The African GIANT Millepede! Mia's Menagerie introduces the newest member of our cast in...
12/01/2025

Check out our brand new friend: The African GIANT Millepede! Mia's Menagerie introduces the newest member of our cast in the latest episode, and shares some interesting facts about these gentle giants.
Watch the episode by clicking the link below, and don't forget to "Like" and "Subscribe" for a front-row seat to more adventures!

Although I prefer planted naturalistic habitats for our aquatic friends, an aquarium filled with lots of organic materia...
11/01/2025

Although I prefer planted naturalistic habitats for our aquatic friends, an aquarium filled with lots of organic materials can pose challenges when treating for illnesses. Our axolotl's tank has been struggling with water quality and excess algae growth this winter, making him susceptible to a fungal infection that caused tissue damage. As a result, we've had to move him into a more sterile tank to address water quality issues and treat his infection.
Sisu doesn't seem to mind the extra attention (and extra snacks) and appears to be recovering well thanks to an axolotl's amazing regenerative abilities.

For Christmas we’ve received some brand new tools, and are looking forward to some much-needed renovations to some of ou...
05/01/2025

For Christmas we’ve received some brand new tools, and are looking forward to some much-needed renovations to some of our aging habitats. This year is going to be full of exciting new adventures and building projects.
Foreman Chica is on the job to make sure we practice shop safety. and make sure we provide lots of extra nuts of course.

Happy New Year! Over the past week our family has been busy enjoying some much needed time off from our usual jobs, gett...
03/01/2025

Happy New Year! Over the past week our family has been busy enjoying some much needed time off from our usual jobs, getting ready for the new year, and looking forward to more amazing things to come. The next episode of Mia's Menagerie is also in the works, and we're hoping to reveal a new friend very soon. Stay tuned!

Our family has been busy preparing for the upcoming holidays, but we've also had to give some extra attention to our out...
23/12/2024

Our family has been busy preparing for the upcoming holidays, but we've also had to give some extra attention to our outdoor animals. Today's minus-zero temperatures are a good reminder for me to share some of the steps our family takes to ensure our birds remain comfortable and healthy throughout the winter season.
Check out the blog post at CROCNHVT.COM to learn more about how we prepare for the cold.
https://www.crocnhvt.com/post/frigid-fowl-staying-cozy-in-winter

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Here at Mia's Menagerie we are celebrating #NationalReptileDay with our scaley friends! You can help reptiles by supporting your local reptile rescues, education, & conservation groups like HerpHaven Reptile Rescue and Sanctuary New England Herpetological Society Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NEPARC) The Orianne Society #reptileawareness #reptilesofinstagram

Get ready for more Halloween creepy-crawly fun! Mia shows us her vinegarroon featured in last year's Halloween special. Check out more of Mia's critters at https://www.youtube.com/@miasmenagerie.

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The Journey of C.R.O.C.

For more than 10 years I have been an advocate for responsible pet care, and the welfare of captive reptiles and other exotic animals. As a pet owner, I had been in situations where resources and knowledge about these animals was limited, I felt a need to provide that resource where there were none available. In 2011 I established one of NH’s only 501c3 nonprofit animal shelters dedicated to the care of reptiles and have helped to rescue and rehabilitate hundreds of animals out of my home, while providing educational outreach programs to inspire many people to love and appreciate these often misunderstood creatures. In 2017 the birth of my daughter brought new and wonderful changes to my life, but has proven a significant challenge on my ability to continue to manage and operate a nonprofit out of my home. It has become obvious that while I had hope to be the force to drive further growth of what I started, it is really time to “pass the torch” on to a new set of volunteers and members who will take the organization where it needs to go and see it reach its full potential.

Regardless whether or not I am involved in a nonprofit, these animals have always held a special place in my life and everything I have done. As our world struggles to cope with environmental catastrophes and we separate ourselves further from the natural world, the need for responsible advocates is significant, and because of this I will continue to be involved in every capacity I can manage. It is my hope that through C.R.O.C. I can continue to be a voice, and promote the responsible care of pets and ethical animal welfare practices for the creatures that are so often dismissed, while still finding a balance with its place in my personal and family life.

C.R.O.C. is not a nonprofit organization, but proceeds raised through the programs I offer continue to serve the needs of the animals, ensuring they receive the best possible care and help to cover my costs to maintain my licensing and insurance as a professional educator. It is my hope that I can continue to provide opportunities for members of the community to be inspired to care for wildlife and our natural world through up-close encounters and visits with these unique creatures.