The walking stick
The warm up. Small, strange, and the first thing that makes a nervous kid lean in instead of back.
Live animal programs
Birthday parties
The party nobody has been to before. We arrive with the animals, run the hour, and leave with the mess. You get the photos.
Make your child’s birthday the one every guest talks about. A Rizzo’s Wildlife World educator comes to your home, backyard or party venue with seven to eight live animals and runs a hands-on, one hour show built around the birthday kid.
What happens at the party
We set up while your guests arrive. The show starts small with an insect, a frog and a turtle, moves on to lizards and a small mammal, and finishes with the baby alligator and the Burmese python. Kids touch the back of most of the animals, one at a time, while the educator holds every animal the whole time. The birthday child gets a front row seat and the best photos of the day.
What you need to provide
- A clear space about the size of a loveseat for the educator and the animals
- Room for your guests to sit
- That is it. We bring everything else and pack it all out when we leave.
Indoors or outdoors
Parties can run inside any time of year. Outdoor parties depend on the weather, because the animals’ safety comes first. If the forecast does not cooperate, we move the show inside or help you find a new date.
Ages and group size
There is no age requirement. Toddlers, teens, parents and grandparents all end up leaning in. We recommend fewer than 75 kids so everyone gets real time with each animal.
Book your date
Weekends fill first. Send your date, town and guest count, and we will tell you within one business day if it is open.
Other ways to book us
More programs
Schools & camps
A multi sensory assembly that reaches every kind of learner. Curriculum friendly, and the only assembly they will still be talking about in June.
Get a quote
Scout programs
Send us the badge requirements. We build the program around them so your troop walks out with the badge earned, not half earned.
Send badge details
Town days & fairs
The booth with the line in front of it. We draw the crowd, hold it, and keep it moving all afternoon.
Check availability
Special needs programs
Quieter pacing, smaller groups, and educators trained to read the room. Tell us what your group needs and we will adjust the whole hour.
Talk it through
Remote program
Too far, too cold, or the whole class is on a screen. The live remote show puts the same animals on camera with the same educator.
See how it worksWho shows up
The roster
The bullfrog
Amphibian 101, plus the reason we ask everyone to keep their hands clean and dry.
The turtle
Shell up close. Everyone finds out how it is built and why it is not a house she can walk away from.
The bearded dragon
The friendliest face in the crate, and usually the first animal a shy kid is willing to touch.
The monitor lizard
Four feet of claws, tongue and attitude. Kids get the size lesson they will repeat all week.
The rat snake
A New Jersey native. Great for the talk about which snakes actually live in your own backyard.
The green tree python
The one the parents photograph. Bright green, perfectly coiled, and completely still.
The Burmese python
The finale. The big one comes out last, and the room goes quiet before it goes loud.
Before you book
The questions we get most
Yes. Children can touch the back of most of our animals, one at a time, with the educator holding the animal. A few stay off limits for health and safety reasons, and we always tell you which ones up front.
Our wildlife educators keep control of the animals 100% of the time. Our animals are well fed and comfortable, which dramatically reduces the chance of an incident. Animals are still animals, so we work with extreme caution the entire hour.
The program runs one hour and seven to eight animals travel with us. That typically includes an insect, a frog, a turtle, a lizard, a small mammal, a baby alligator and the Burmese python.
Yes. We only need a clear space about the size of a loveseat for the educator and the animals, plus whatever room your guests need. Outdoor programs run May 1 through October 31 when the temperature is between 70 and 90 degrees with no rain.
We recommend fewer than 75 children so everyone gets real time with each animal. We can go larger to fit your budget, but the more children in the room, the fewer animals each child gets to touch.
Programs that can only run outdoors, with no indoor backup, need a $100 non refundable credit card deposit to hold the date. The deposit does not roll over to a new date. The balance is paid by cash or check on the day of the program. Cancel more than seven days out and nothing beyond the deposit is owed. Within seven days, 50% of the program cost is due. Within 48 hours, 100% is due. A program that reschedules and runs on the new date owes nothing beyond the deposit.
Let's plan something wild
Send your date. We will tell you if it is open.
Birthday party, classroom, camp, scout troop or town fair, we bring the animals to you anywhere in NJ, NY & PA.
- We reply to every request within one business day
- No setup, no cleanup, no equipment needed from you
- Program built around your group, your space and your badge requirements
- In a hurry? Call 973-586-0444
