Training Techniques for Exotic Animals: The Power of Positive Reinforcement

When you think of training exotic animals, what do you picture? Does your mind fill with images of big cats jumping through flaming hoops, elephants balancing on tight ropes, and a ring leader dressed boldly in red and gold? While that would take quite some training, that is not what we mean. Tiger Creek does train all resident animals but it is not done for show! Our animal care staff trains resident animals for voluntary veterinary care, meaning everyone from our big cats all the way down to our rats are trained for individual commands in order to participate in their own veterinary care.

Animal Care Team Member, Abby, trains Singer to "rise"

There are four quadrants of training when using operant conditioning. These are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Tiger Creek uses a positive reinforcement training method, meaning rewards are given when a behavior cue is followed but there is no negative reinforcement used when a cue is ignored or done incorrectly, other than the animal not receiving the reward item. We are able to build value to the words we use as cues as we reward our animals. For example, when cueing an animal to sit, we give the cue while luring the animal into the position. As their head tilts up to follow the lure, their hind end shifts down. Once their tail end is on the ground, the animal is rewarded, reinforcing the word and action paired with "sit". This allows our Animal Care team to build a relationship with our residents, as well as build value to the cues that are used.

Animal Care team member, Bec, trains Luna to show right paw

How does this help for veterinary care? Through structured training programs, we build strong relationships with our animals, allowing them to voluntarily participate in their own care. This includes behaviors such as presenting body parts for visual health checks, stepping onto scales for weight monitoring, or calmly entering transport crates for medical procedures. By voluntarily participating in these activities through positive, stress-free interactions, we can minimize the need for sedation and reduce anxiety in our animals.

All animals are trained for a multitude of cues including sit, down, rise, left paw, right paw, and open. All of these cues allow us to train our residents during veterinary exams, so there is no need for use of anesthesia for a general check up, while still allowing our veterinarian a thorough look at the animal. Sit allows us to check the animals hind limbs mobility, as well as positions them for advanced behaviors. Down asks them to lay down with their belly on the floor in a calm, relaxed pose to allow for visualizing their backs, limb movement, and any potential injectable vaccination or medication administration. Rise cues the animal to stand on their hind legs, stretching tall while giving us visibility to their midsection. Left and right paw are cues to show individual paws, placing them on the fence so we can monitor nail growth, paw pads and make sure the animal has not harmed their feet in any way. Open gives us an opportunity to check the animal's mouth and ensure their teeth, gums, tongue, and throat are healthy.

Luna works on the "open" command

Training also plays a crucial role in age and illness management. For senior animals or those with chronic conditions, training helps facilitate mobility exercises, medication administration, and therapy techniques, all while maintaining a high quality of life.

One of the most important behaviors we train for, that also takes the longest time for an animal to become comfortable with, is blood draw training. We perform blood draws on site with the animals awake and voluntarily participating as much as possible in order to check our residents internal health. Training the animals to tolerate this allows us to avoid anesthesia for something as simple as a routine blood draw, which in turn reduces all of the risks associated with anesthesia, especially for our geriatric residents.

You can use the same training methods with your pets at home! Positive reinforcement is a great method of training simple behaviors, as well as building the bond with your pet. Being able to establish the line of communication makes life so much easier for the both of you! And yes, you can even train your pet cats.

All Tiger Creek staff share a unified goal: ensuring that our animals are safe, healthy, and happy. A key component in achieving this is consistent, positive reinforcement training, which fosters trust between staff and the animals under our care. Ultimately, our training efforts ensure that every animal receives the best possible care while reinforcing the trust, safety, and well-being that are fundamental to Tiger Creek’s mission.

Singer trains left paw command with Animal Care team member, Abby