Hey guys - you know that moment when you're scrolling through your favorite social media site, and the most adorably precious animal shows up that's doing, like, the most ridiculously cute thing?

Animals are seriously cute. They do some serious cuteness! But there can also be another side to this that's not so cute.

Today, I have some extreme cuteness. And she's literally a ball of cute.

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This is our newest animal ambassador. She's a southern three-banded armadillo and she is amazing. She's pretty young, still. She's just this crazy, unique, strange animal and I'm just so excited to be able to share her with the world.

She's gonna help us teach about her amazing adaptations, how they interact and survive in their environment; she's gonna teach about her species, but also about her individual personality. But today, I wanna talk about why we have this little girl.

Remember the world cup? Remember their mascot? The Brazilian three-banded armadillo. Now she's a different species, but they're so closely related and so similar that most people wouldn't know the difference.

Armadillos were purchased and used as mascots to bring in and entertain crowds in the World Cup excitement. Well, the World Cup ended - but the lives of the living mascots did not. 

So what happens when an animal is purchased for a specific reason, and then they wear out their usefulness? Well, this little girl ended up at Animal Wonders, and she has a pretty happy ending. But other animals aren't so lucky.

Now the World Cup did choose the Brazilian three-banded armadillo with the intent of raising funds to help that endangered species. So some real good did come out of that; but we also have to acknowledge the other side. Many people purchased these little cuties as pets, and they don't realize the work, and dedication, and responsibility of caring for them. They get in over their head, and they're abandoned.

And this doesn't just happen with exotic animals - it happens with domestic animals too. 

One of the more common animal purchases that doesn't end well are rabbits. This is Cheeks, the Netherlands dwarf rabbit. So, so, so many rabbits are given as gifts for Easter. And I can understand that's a pretty exciting thing to have happen, but after a few months of cleaning their poop and their pee, the novelty wears off and they're not seen as so cute anymore... Instead of being seen as the most adorable creature to fluff the planet, they're seen as an inconvenience.

If you're watching our videos I'm gonna guess that you enjoy animals, am I right? Maybe so much that you might have a few in your home living with you already. Many of you have asked me, "how do I better take care of an animal that I'm already caring for?" I love those questions - please keep them coming. Sorry if I don't get to some of your questions right away; some of them are really good and they need a more detailed explanation and I'd like to make them into their own episode. 

I love that we as a community enjoy animals so much that we want to learn more about them. Some of us even have exotic animals as pets, and that's alright. But I wanna give everyone permission to enjoy an animal, appreciate that animal, be passionate about that animal, and not have to own it as a pet.

That might sound obvious, but I wanna tell you that it's okay to love rabbits, okay to love armadillos or hedgehogs or koalas, and really acknowledge that you might not be able to give them the best care right now. Maybe you need to wait a couple years, or do more research, or just appreciate them from afar. It's okay to love an animal and not own it.

So the next time you see a cute fluff-ball doing their cute fluffiness on the internet, please avoid my pet peeve in saying "I want that!" That's just going to perpetuate the irresponsible culture of impulse buying of a living being. Animals are amazing, and they are adorable, and they are awesome! So instead try saying that when you see something like that that you really appreciate; tell them how much you appreciate that animal for being who they are, what they are.

So whether you're passionate about education or making a better life for your pet, keep joining us on an adventure every week, and in the meantime you can follow me on Facebook, twitter and Tumblr. 

Oh, and by the way, this little girl doesn't have a name yet. If you're interested, head on over to Subbable.

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Hey guys, we're back here at Animal Wonders and the season is changing! ...At least it is here in the United States. For those of you around the world that are just now experiencing spring, or going into your dry season-