CollisonZoo petting zoo started out as a small educational experience with Dijon, a black rat snake. Since then, it has grown in size, at times including species such as alligators, snakes, lizards, tortoises, frogs, invertebrates, and more.
Our petting zoo experience is much more than just a petting zoo. Not only do we bring exotic species for adults and children to look at and touch, we also bring over 40 years of experience handling, raising, and presenting animals to the general public. Some of our species are often only seen at zoos, where the participant merely gets to look at them, without being able to pet them, or gain a firsthand knowledge about the animal from the presenter.
We can provide a safe, educational experience for adults and children, where they get to learn about the animals-their species, habitat, feeding habits and activities in a controlled environment. We also provide animals that can be touched and handled under careful and professional supervision.
All proceeds from our experiences go to the care and feeding of the animals, as well as a portion of the proceeds go to advancing captive breeding programs of endangered animals.
We provide two different types of experiences: presentations and our full petting zoo.
A presentation includes approximately 30 minutes of educational experience, where we show the animals and teach about their species, habitat and more, followed by a brief period of time where the audience is allowed to touch and pose with one or two select animals. This type of experience works well for events such as birthday parties and classroom presentations.
The full petting zoo experience is where we bring in multiple animals, and allow a more inclusive and one on one experience with the audience. With the petting zoo, the audience can come up to the animal, touch it, and have the opportunity to ask questions one on one with the presenter. Due to the nature of the petting zoo experience, to ensure the safety and well being of the animals and the audience, this often requires bringing in more presenters, as well as requires more time. This type of experience works well for fairs and festivals to add a unique flair to your event.
Below is the pricing for our different experiences:
For a 30 minute presentation with approximately 6 animals – $200
For a 1 hour presentation with approximately 10-12 animals – $400
For a 2 hour petting zoo with 2 animals
(Typically a tortoise and another large reptile) – $400
For the full petting zoo experience, approximately
2 hours with 10-12 animals, multiple presenters – $1000
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us!
Kalamazoo Reptile Expo 