Amelia has always shown a lot of interest in a particular orange boomer ball toy that we stuff with fish. Now we have decided to take it one step further by making a puzzle for her. So she can learn how it works we started with an easy one.



We modified two clear, small animal exercise balls by drilling holes in them, then placed some capelin pieces in the big ball and gave it to the seals. Since it looked a little different from the original toy, it took Amelia a little bit to figure out what it was, but once she did she was really into it. And she wasn't the only one; Trumpet, Chuck, Cayenne, and Smoke all took turns. Now the next step is to start placing the fish inside the little ball and put that inside the big ball- then they will really have to move the toy to get the fish out.

-Erin

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Labels: capelin, Cayenne, Chacoda, enrichment, Erin, Smoke, Trumpet

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Labels: Chacoda, enrichment, Erin, Harbor Seals, jellies, Video

Enrichment is a big part of what we do every day to make sure the animals are stimulated in their environment. Ice toys or"fishicles" are one of their favorites. Here's a "seal's eye view" of Chuck (Chacoda) playing with an ice toy during a "Play With the Seals" program. Our program participant is standing on the rocks above and is using the other end of the blue car wash strip to drag the toy through the water to entice Chuck though he doesn't look like he needs much enticing!



It looks like he has it all to himself too until Mom (Trumpet) comes over to check it out.

- Paul

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Labels: Chacoda, enrichment, fishsicle, Harbor Seals, ice toy, Trumpet

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Labels: Cayenne, Chacoda, enrichment, Lindsay, Video

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Labels: Amelia, Cayenne, enrichment, Erin, Harbor Seals, Smoke, swims, Video

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Labels: Cayenne, enrichment, Erin, Video

Ever wonder what the seals do when they aren't participating in training sessions? Well for one thing, they entertain each other. With seven Atlantic harbor seals, there is always a lot of activity in the exhibit! In addition, we offer them many different enrichment items throughout the day. Enrichment is another word for play time. It is a chance for us to give the seals something that they enjoy outside of our training sessions. You'll see fur seals in some of the pictures below. If you've been following our blog, you know that they are temporarily off site while we build a new exhibit.

Hose enrichment is a big hit with many of our animals. If they are interested in the hose, they tend to glide through and present the area of their body where they want to be sprayed. Some prefer a high pressure massage around their neck and back while others like a mist over their whiskers.

We also give the seals a wide variety of toys. Many of these are dog toys because they are made to be durable and withstand sharp canine teeth. The green toy in the picture was actually made for horses. For our animals use, we fill it with squid ice cubes. The hole that you see on the top of the toy will dispense the delicious squid treats as the seal pushes it around.

Ice toys, or "fishsicles" as some people call them, are definitely a seal favorite. Fishsicles are made by putting a dog toy and some fish in a bucket and adding water. We freeze it overnight and by the next day it is ready for the seals to enjoy! Sometimes we also attach a car wash strip like the blue one in the picture above. That way the toy stays in one place so we can watch the seals play! It also gives aquarium visitors an opportunity to participate. For more information on how you can help us enrich the seals, check out the link for the Play with the Seals program!

~Patty

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Labels: enrichment, Harbor Seals, Patty, play with the seals, toys

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Labels: Chainsaw, enrichment, Erin, New York Aquarium, Northern Fur Seal

We use a lot of different toys during our play sessions with the seals. Each seal has preferences ... most like fish popsicles, many like to get a water massage from a hose, and others like to swim through bubbles we make in the water. Lana loves to play tug of war. The green rope is a felt-like strip of material used in drive-through car washes. She likes to take it in her mouth and feel it on her face. During this play session the other day we were having a great time until something must have caught her eye and spooked her. Either that or she thought I smelled especially fishy and needed another bath. At any rate she soaked me. It's a good thing it's getting warmer out.

-Justin

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Labels: enrichment, Harbor Seals, Justin, Lana, Video

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Labels: Cordova, enrichment, Jenny, Patty, Video