Welcome back to Animal Wonders!

This episode is sponsored by Z-Man Games. Click the link the description to check out their family friendly game My First Stone Age. [CHEERY INTRO MUSIC].

We love our animals, and one of my favorite things to do with them is to play games. The games don't have too many rules, but the most important one is that everyone has fun. We play all sorts of games, including my favorite, which is the training game!

This is where I train using a clicker to teach an animal new behaviors. This is also called positive reinforcement training, but it's also a game if you do it right. This is Cayenne, and she's a Patagonian cavy who enjoys attention and treats!

She's going to help me demonstrate the training game! The first rule of the training game is that it should be fun for everyone! Which is why we like to use treats, praise, pets, or all of these things as long as the animal likes it.

The second rule is to make sure everyone is using the same language, or rather understands what is being communicated. This is why we use hand gestures and a clicker to pinpoint the exact moment they guess the correct behavior. So I'm going to ask her to target to my hand, which means touch her nose to my fist.

I will click when she does it, and then she gets a treat! Since she's learned how to target already, we can make the game a little more challenging and ask her to follow the target higher up. If she guesses the correct behavior, then she gets a click and a treat!

You wanna follow it higher up? Let's see. [CLICK] Ohhhh look at you, you got knew it! Nice job.

Ready? One more! [CLICK] Oh! Good girl!

Should we try one more time? Ready? Alllll the way up! [CLICK] Good job!

From a simple target, Cayenne can learn so many new behaviors [CLICK] simply by continuing to play the game! The training game can be played with any animal as long as you follow the most important rule of making it fun for everyone involved. Another game I like to play with the animals is hide and seek, with treats!

I hide their food in all kinds of different ways, and they have to find it and figure out how to get it. This is Mimi the black tufted marmoset who was previously kept as a pet and then discarded when she didn't fit their idea of a monkey as a pet. Mimi is smart and very, very observant and she loves to play hide and seek.

We have so many different toys and objects that we can hide her food in, on, and under. She knows the rules and is always eager to play! This time I'm going to hide her food inside one of these little wicker balls.

She has to seek out which contains the treat! I'm also going to put some pomegranate seeds into these little holes drilled into this branch. It's hard to tell there's something inside unless you really seek it out.

And I'm going to hide these frozen pieces of banana under this cloth, and when she finds them it'll be a surprise because they're not just a good treat, but they're unexpectedly cold. Alright, let's see how she does! [PLAYFUL MUSIC]. These sorts of games that we play with the animals are also called enrichment, because they are enriching to the animals both mentally and physically.

Now, you've probably played a game of catch with a dog. If you haven't yet, then you should definitely get down to your local animal shelter and sign up ASAP to help socialize with the dogs who are looking for their forever homes. It's so good for them, and it's good for you, too!

For whatever reason, playing catch with an animal is just so satisfying. I love playing catch with dogs and even cats, but I like playing catch with other animal species, too, like Zeema the toucan. Zeema is a keel-billed toucan who was severely injured in her previous living situation and came to Animal Wonders with a broken leg, among other issues.

She's a strong girl and even with a leg brace, she loves playing catch. Her favorite food is blueberries, and with her catching skills, she can really show off her specialized beak. My favorite part is watching her toss the berry back and swallowing it whole!

So, now you know that playing catch isn't just for dogs. Which means that toys made for dogs could possibly be used for many other animals as well, like maybe these puzzle toys! I think puzzle toys are awesome.

They're a lot like playing hide and seek, but the animal knows there's something good inside, and it takes a little extra work to figure out how to get that treat out. Our foxes love them! It's a fun game for them to play, and it's fun for us to watch.

I want to take a moment to give a big thank you to those who gifted these puzzle toys and the training treats to our foxes. You can see they have a lot of fun, so thank you for enriching their lives! And if you'd like to get some toys or treats for any of the animals at Animal Wonders, you can check out our Amazon wish list.

The link is in the description. You can even send a note telling us who your favorite animal is and why. Games are such a great way to form a good relationship with an animal in your life.

By spending more time together doing something you both enjoy, you're laying down a great foundation for a deep trust bond. I love playing games with the animals at Animal Wonders, and I also love playing games with my own little animals, meaning my family. When I go looking for new games to play with my family, it can be hard to know if a game is going to be too hard or too easy and end up being boring for the kids.

Which is why I was so happy that Z-Man Games gave us the opportunity to test play My First Stone Age and see how my family would like it. And I'm so happy to say that it was a success! My son is seven years old, and I'm always looking for a game that's fun for us to enjoy together.

My First Stone Age perfectly combines a simple concept with a few more in-depth strategies that only took him a few rounds to understand. Once he got into it, he didn't want to stop, and I'm looking forward to playing with him again. If you have any little humans in your life, I'd recommend introducing them to the fun of strategy board games with My First Stone Age.

You can find the link to Z-Man Games below and with the holidays coming up, this is the perfect time to get something for the whole family to enjoy! Thanks for watching, and if you'd like to continue going on adventures with us and the animals every week, be sure to subscribe and we'll see you next week!