We often get a lot of questions about booking shows, our animals, and event preparations. Below are the top most asked questions that we receive. We recommend that all potential clients read over our FAQ before contacting us.
Please contact us if you have any additional questions that are not answered below!
What areas does Exotic Edventures travel to? Exotic Edventures will travel to bookings within the state of Pennsylvania and surrounding states that legally permit us to exhibit our animals. We DO NOT travel to the state of New Jersey.
When is the best time to book an event? Exotic Edventures does programs year-round. We do recommend that clients contact us for availability as soon as possible, as we can book up quite quickly. This is especially important during the warmer months. We do often book up 2-3 months in advance, especially during our spring and summer months, so we recommend that you contact us as soon as possible to book your event. We are booking events as far out as a year in advance, so it is never too soon to book!
How do I book an event? We would love to attend your event! To book an event or to get a price quote we recommend emailing us at [email protected]. You may also call us directly, though email will be the fastest method of contact since we are often traveling, caring for animals, or off property.
Why do I have to pay a deposit to book my event? For most bookings we do require a deposit to hold your event date. We want to make sure that our availability is accurate so that we can service everyone who is interested in having us attend their event. Our deposits ensure that a client is committed to the booking and it cuts down on last minute costly cancellations. We can waive the deposit for large organizations, school districts, or companies on a case by case basis. We also waive deposits for repeat clients.
Can I hold a date without paying a deposit? We understand that sometimes you need to firm up details before officially booking a program. As a courtesy, we can hold a date for you without a deposit for 24 hours. Please contact us to further discuss your needs.
When/how do I pay for the event? We ask that clients pay a deposit first to reserve their event date. The remaining balance can be paid with the deposit, all at once, or can be paid upon our arrival the day of the event. Your payment, minus the deposit, is refundable if you choose to pay the full fee upfront and then need to cancel your event. Deposits and payment made prior to the event date may be paid with check, money order, or PayPal. Payments made the day of the event can be made with cash only.
How much do your events cost? It depends on what type of program you are interested in, the length of the booking, and where you are located! Rates are determined by a number of factors, such as the entire time commit of the event (from when we arrive to our facility to prep for your event until we return to our facility after the event), miles traveled to your event, travel time, travel costs (fuel, lodging, tolls, parking, etc.), any permitting requirements, and any taxes or fees. Contact us and we would be happy to prepare a quote for you.
How much room do you need for your event? This depends on what type of event you are hosting and how many animals we will be bringing. Our standard indoor set up generally requires a 12'x12' open space for our equipment, set up, and animals. Our outdoor tenting set up varies. Please let us know what type of venue you have and the space that is available and we would be happy to tailor our program to fit your location and needs.
Can you do an outdoor show? Absolutely! We can do outside shows, though we do require that clients provide us with a shaded set up area for our staff and animals to get out of the heat and direct sun. We recommend using a pavilion, canopy, or event tent during your event so that both our animals and your guests can be more comfortable during the show. We do offer event canopies and can bring one for an added cost. We also require that you line up a back up indoor location in the event of inclement weather or temperatures that are too hot/cold for our animals. We are not able to attend outside events when the temperature is below 65F degrees or above 85 degrees. We may be limited on the specific species that can attend an outdoor event. We may not be able to bring some of our bird species and heavily furred mammal species. Please keep in mind that there are certain animal ambassadors who may not be able to attend your outside event, due to safety and temperature concerns.
Do we need to prepare or set up anything before you arrive? We do require some floor space to set up our animals and we normally ask that you make a 12'x12' space where you would like us to put our event set up. We also ask that the guests are seated at least 4' from our presentation area for the safety of the audience and our animals. We do bring floor protection to put down to protect the venue flooring. We ask that the set up area is free from any children or guests prior to the show start time to expedite set up and for the health and safety of our animals. Electric may also need to be run to our set up area, depending on the type of program. Please also be sure to secure any pets or animals away from the show area. For the safety of our animals, your animals, and the guests, we cannot allow our animals to interact or be near by pets, livestock, or other animals. We will also need a parking space close to the doors of your venue or set up location to make set up and tear down efficient. Please make sure that this parking space will not be parked in by event attendees so that we can safely exit after the program is finished.
How early to you arrive for an event? We generally arrive anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half prior to the show start time to set up and prepare for our show. If you require us to arrive to your location earlier that our normal arrival time, please notify us prior to booking to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
Are you insured? Absolutely! We are fully insured for both the protection of our organization and our clients. We strongly urge prospective clients to ask all wildlife educators they are quoting whether they are insured, as some wildlife programs do not have insurance, which can be a major liability risk for the client. Please directly contact us, prior to your event, to request a certificate of insurance. All certificate of insurance requests need to be made at least two weeks before the event date.
Where do your animals come from? Our animals come to us from a variety of means. Many of them are rescues who came to us through our rescue efforts. Others have come to us from other licensed facilities and zoos. We do not take in wild caught animals and we do not breed animals.
When/how do we choose the animals? After booking an event, we can talk with you about what type of program you are hosting and what species might be a good fit for your specific event. We try our best to accommodate reasonable animal requests that clients may have. With that being said, we can not guarantee that a specific animal or species will be available and we generally hand select animal ambassadors the week of the event date. We likely won't know which animals will be attending your event weeks or months in advance. This is because animals often become unavailable/available for events due to medical issues, shedding/molting, time of year, hibernation/brumation, temperatures, and/or weather. We also give our animals time off from doing programs or an animal may just not want to attend an event. We do set limits on the availability of specific animals depending on the type/length of event, whether the event is indoors or outdoors, the age of the audience, or depending on weather conditions. The well being of our animals and their safety and health are our top priority. We ask that you only request a few animals that you'd really like to see at the event. Choosing animals to attend an event isn't as simple as picking off a menu. We consider a lot of different things, such as the age of the event goers, location, inside or outside, each animal's personality, and that specific animal's temperment and event preferences. We ask that you make any animal requests no later than two weeks before your event. We will try to accommodate your request, though we cannot guarantee that the animals you have asked for will be available the day of your event. Please let us know if there are specific animals you would like to not attend the event. We understand that some people have serious phobias of certain animals and that some people have allergies to specific animal dander. We would like to make our event a positive experience for everyone involved and we can absolutely ensure that certain animals do not attend your event. Any animal requests need to be received at least two weeks before your event.
Please also review our Terms of Service before contacting us or before you consider booking your event with us.