Rolling Out "Wild Wellness" Events - Introducing the "Staff"

Posted: June 4th, 2026

Texas Care South Wayside has been going to different community members (including but not limited to churches, libraries, summer camps, apartment complexes, and churches) and next week we will be beginning our Wild Wellness presentations. We go to the requested location at no cost to give a presentation to kids or families about mental health using our "common exotics." We've found kids are more receptive to learning when they have an interesting visual to watch while listening to the talk. We get a lot of questions from our community partners, so this will serve as an introduction to the animals who are present in the speech and what their role is.

Matilda or "Tilly" is our superstar. She is a two-year-old Green Cheek Conure and was the first to begin attending health and resource fairs. She knows a few behaviors to demonstrate during the talks but is our primary handleable animal. She is trained to turn her back to guests and be pet (gently) on her wings. She was trained using permission-based methods and is always allowed to signal she's done interacting. To do this, she simply turns around to face the guest. She hasn't done this recently though because she knows she will be rewarded for her efforts. Guests are warned that part of Tilly's diet includes nuts and gluten, so allergies can be triggered from exposure. Tilly is fully flighted, so she wears a harness during events.

Tonto is our 8-month-old ultramel (het pied) ball python. He is very chill and perfect for photos because he is comfortable being held and will also "give kisses" when he tongue flicks to smell the visitors. Tonto has helped many people overcome their fear of snakes because of his gentle nature and various funny outfits. He was trained slowly over time to become comfortable in presentation environments. He demonstrates "defense mechanisms" (curling into a ball) which bridges into conversations about how humans protect themselves and better alternatives.

Piplup is our ~6 month blue budgie and brand new to events. While she isn't yet ready to be held or pet by strangers, she does great when demonstrating how to train animals. People are encouraged to give her treats (millet) and she can show off how to teach behaviors using positive reinforcement. Our goal for Pip is to get her comfortable stepping up onto hands so that those who are nervous about Tilly can have an easier bridge into parrot handling. Tiny beak = more comfort.

Jaaziel or "Jazz" is our 4-month-old arctic axanthic hognose snake. He is only a baby and still in training. Because he is venomous, people are not welcome to handle him. He is not dangerous as hognose snakes have rear fang venom which feels more like a bee sting and isn't the same threat as a rattlesnake or copperhead. Jazz will only be used during presentations to teach about what makes people unique (we use his morph to bridge into this) and to discuss misunderstandings and better communication styles. Come to a presentation to hear how we make that bridge.

Betsy Blue is a four-year-old mini Australian shepherd. She is not used in presentations or fairs because she is still in training. We will be finishing Piplup and Jazz's training before bringing her into presentation practice. She will demonstrate many different trick behaviors and be more interactive for kids to train. That likely won't be launched until 2027 as we always move at an extra safe pace with the animals.

Interested in having us out? Please email southwayside@texascarecenter.com and we'd be happy to discuss it!