Keeper Jen Moll offers Tuya the secret password.
Tuya, our baby Bactrian camel, has been doing great and growing more and more every day (see Baby Camel Care). Our next challenge, now that any health issues are out of the way, is to make sure she knows that she is a camel. It may sound funny, but we needed to get her next to her family so she would start learning the “camel code.”
We set up a pen next to the camel exhibit that was bedded down with an entire bale of hay to keep her warm and give her a nice place to rest. At first, she was to spend a few hours next to adults Mouse and Mongo. This would give them a chance to come over and visit and Tuya a chance to see and smell them. This area also gave our guests a chance to see her getting her bottles and interacting with the keepers. You can’t help but fall in love with this fuzzy little camel!
Within a week, Tuya was spending all day next to the adult camels. I would halter her up in the morning and walk her over to the nursery pen. She would be fed her bottles and spend the day checking out the scenery. At night she was returned to the warm barn for her evening snooze.
She was doing great outside, and we decided to try an overnight. We had slowly been shutting the heat off in the barn to get her used to the nighttime temperature. I must say I was a bit worried that she might get cold, but she was very good at laying in a warm hay bed. In the wild, baby camels snuggle up right next to Mom and sometimes even on top of her to stay warm. Tuya loved laying next to us in the hay, and sometimes it was very hard for me to leave. The tough life of a zookeeper!
Mouse and Mongo did not show much interest in Tuya most of the time. Camels are so focused on food that everything else is mostly ignored. But occasionally, one of them would come over and smell her. They would touch noses for a moment, kind of a camel greeting. Camels identify each other by breath. Mongo especially loves to smell our breath. It’s kind of like the secret password to walk into the exhibit. He won’t let me pass until I blow into his nose for at least 15 seconds. It must look quite comical from the outside!
Our next step: a bigger pen on exhibit.
Laura Weiner is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
Ah, lucky you. I’d love to blow into a camel’s nose and have them blow back into mine.
Great job! On the blog. We need more picutres of Tuya she sounds like she is enjoying her time outside. Is Mongo her dad? How is her hump doing? You have a great job have fun.
Moderator’s note: Yes, Mongo is her father.
Does Mongo expect you to smell his breath in return? Does he notice any difference in the smell of your breath which might change according to the food you eat?
And have his humps fattened up and become erect?
You are so fortunate to have this contact with the baby camel, but Mongo is thriving today because of your diligent care. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hi Mae,
To answer your questions….Mongo does sometimes blow in our noses, but it is not on purpose. Mostly he is on the smelling end of the deal. He definitely notices a difference, according to what we are eating. And when he notices it, he throws his head back and lifts his lip up to smell even better. It is actually called the “flehmen response.” Many species of mammals curl their upper lip back so they can get a better “smell” in their Jacobson’s organ. Quite a short description, but if you look it up, you will find many funny pictures of animals “flehmening.”
Mongo’s humps will most likely stay the way they are: the front one flopped over and the rear one standing up.
Thank you so much for your interest in the camels! They appreciate it.
Laura, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I will definitely be on the lookout for animals doing the flehmen response. Another word to add to our vocabulary!
I know camels are unique because of their humps, but I think their large feet are so comical, appealing, and wonderful. Camels look like they wear over-sized fuzzy bedroom slippers. From head to feet, they are lovable animals.
Lying next to a baby camel — how wonderful! Thank you for taking such good care of this little beauty.
Is Tuya on exhibit all day and when does she get her bottles?
Hi Carole,
Yes, Tuya is on exhibit all day. She gets her bottles in the pen on the side of the exhibit because Mouse is a bit too nosy. You can see her being fed at around 11:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.
Awwww….too precious!