Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

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Plastic Children’s Toys and Dishes

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Brief description: Adding a rotating selection of plastic children’s toys to an enclosure is an easy way to change up an environment on a daily basis. These toys are suitable for some animals and not for others, due to varying levels of durability. Most of the plastic children’s toys we have are only given to our less destructive group due to concerns for inappropriate ingestion of broken items in the other group.

Materials: There are many options. Some of the less durable plastic children’s toys we offer are tea cup sets, tools, stacking toys, gardening tools, sand box toys, trucks, boats, and submarines. The more durable toys we offer to both groups include buckets (only the buckets from this link are durable), plates, cups, more durable short cups and slinkies.

Assembly instructions: No assembly required

How to use: Provide toys inside animal areas. Remove daily for cleaning and novelty.

Price: Varies by item. Most items are between $10-$15.

Jody inspects a Little Tikes tool workbench.

Burrito plays with a slinky.

Jamie and Foxie examine a variety of toy enrichment.

Rayne drinks from a cup.

Raisin Boards

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Brief description: Raisin boards are plastic boards with small raisin sized holes drilled in them. Chimpanzees must use tools to push out the raisins.

Materials: Trex composite decking, eye bolt, chain, fire hose

Assembly instructions:  Drill multiple raisin sized holes into piece of decking material, Attach eye bolt to the top of the board and attach a small length of chain to the bolt. Cover the chain with fire hose.

How to use: Raisins are pushed into each hole. Use a padlock to attach them to the inside and outside of the caging. Give each chimpanzee a tool to use (chop sticks work great).

Price: Approximately $7 per board.

Jamie uses a chopstick as a tool for removing raisins from her board.

Gordo, Rayne, and Dora mastered Raisin Boards after only being at the sanctuary for a short time.

 

Straw/Hay or Wood wool

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Brief Description: Substrates such as straw or hay are versatile enrichment items.

Materials: Fresh straw or hay

Assembly Instructions: No assembly required

How to Use: Put out large quantities of straw/hay. Fill buckets and other large containers with straw/hay and mix in forage treats so the chimpanzees must search through it. It also makes excellent nesting material and hay can be wadged at the chimpanzee’s leisure. Wood wool is another option for nesting material. It doesn’t absorb water the same way that straw or hay does so it will last longer in an enclosure

Price: $10-$20 per bale of straw or hay. Wood wool is more expensive (~$100/bale)

Negra makes a straw nest.

Paper

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Brief Description: Different types of paper can be added to enclosures to make for interesting nesting and play materials

Materials: Toilet paper rolls, paper towels, recycled packing paper, computer paper, magazines, newspaper, etc.

Assembly Instructions: No assembly required

How to Use: Set out piles of recycled paper for the chimpanzees to use as nesting material. If using toilet paper, string it around the enclosure and try leaving a roll partially intact for playing. Remove staples from magazines.

Cost: Free if using recycled paper. Toilet paper $5+ ,depending on amount purchased.

Jamie on toilet paper day.

Jamie makes a large nest out of paper and blankets.

Holidays and Parties

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Brief Description: Creating enrichment for holidays and parties

Materials: Possibilities include: paper plates/cups, streamers, piñatas, gift bags, wrapped packages, themed food and drink.

Assembly Instructions: No assembly required

How to Use: Set up a forage of themed holiday/party treats and other enrichment. Use as much creativity as you want.

Cost: Party supplies can be purchased reasonably from a retail store or they can be homemade.

Foxie opens up a Halloween gift bag.

Bubbles

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Brief description: Chimpanzees may enjoy catching bubbles as a novel enrichment. They also enjoy playing in mounds of soap

Materials: Soap and bubble wand/bubblemaker or plant based food grade dish soap. Always use non-toxic soap.

Assembly instructions: No assembly required

How to use: Either manually blow bubbles towards the primate’s enclosure or set up a bubble machine to do the work for you. Another option is to set out buckets or pools and add a little food grade dish soap to them. Using the water pressure from a hose you can create a bucket of suds to place in the enclosure for the primates to play in.

Cost: Bottles of bubbles can be purchased at the dollar store (wand included) and bubble machines can be purchased either online or from your local retail store ($10+). Dish soap can be purchased online or at your local retail store ($5+).

Foxie and a mouthful of non-toxic, plant based soap.

Piñatas

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Brief description: Piñatas can be either handmade or store bought food puzzles for chimpanzees.

Materials: For homemade piñatas: Flour, water, salt, balloons, newspaper strips, shredded paper

Assembly instructions: Mix equal parts water and flour into a paste. Add salt to prevent mold. Dip newspaper strips into paste and remove excess paste with fingers. Apply strips to an inflated balloon until it is covered in a layer of paper (leave a small opening at the base of the balloon so it can be removed after it pops). Add several layers of pasted newspaper strips to the balloon until the walls become thick. The thicker the better, when making puzzles for chimpanzees. Let the balloon dry completely. Decorate to liking (following enrichment protocols). Pop balloon and remove completely from the inside of the piñata.

How to use: Fill piñata with shredded paper and desired enrichment treat. Seal it with more newspaper paste strips and let dry completely. For added challenge, hang piñatas outside the enclosure so chimpanzees must find a way to get them in the enclosure.

Price: Materials are very reasonable if purchased from your local grocery store. Use recycled newspaper. Prices for pre-made ones vary.

Foxie inspects the homemade Rubik’s Cube piñatas made for Missy’s birthday party.

Negra holds a beach ball piñata (purchased from Amazon) during a Summer Lovin’ party at the sanctuary.