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Animal Discovery Room

Come to the Animal Discovery Room (ADR) and:

  • Hold and touch gentle animals
  • Learn about the behavior and habitats of exotic species
  • Try out self-guided activities and specimen models
  • Discover more about yourself and other organisms

Visitors of all ages can experience something new every time they visit the Animal Discovery Room. During the hours the ADR is open, our staff members are available to answer your questions.

School Year Hours: Open 1:30–4:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays and on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day, and Veterans Day. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Spring Break Schedule: The Animal Discovery Room will be open most days from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. from March 31 to April 15, 2012. Closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Summer Hours: The Animal Discovery Room will be open daily from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. from June 9 to August 19, 2012.

Not all animals are on public view every day. See a list of animals you might meet when you visit.

Learn more about our live animals in our classes, birthday parties, workshops, day camps, and education programs for schools and community groups at the Lawrence Hall of Science or your site.

News

New Public Program Activities

What can we learn from the flashiness of a Blue Morpho Butterfly from South America, or the cleanliness of a local nasturtium plant? Scientists' imaginations run wild when they discover the amazing ways animals interact with the natural world. Check out the new activities in the Animal Discovery Room showcasing these organisms and discover why scientists are stretching their creativity to mimic these amazing biological processes. On display during the Imaginate Exhibit, February 4 to April 29, 2012.

Explore the natural nanotechnology of the Blue Morpho butterfly wing. Watch the video now.

Animal Adoptions and Donations

New: ADR Animals Up for Adoption!

There are a number of animals in the Animal Discovery Room that have served us well for many years and are now ready to retire from the world of education. In some cases, we have more of one species than we really need. We are looking for permanent homes for these wonderful animals. A small adoption fee helps ensure that each animal goes to a family that is ready to take on the responsibility of adoption. Below is a current list of adoptable animals as well as criteria for adopting them.

 
 Beginners:  

Sorry, there are no beginner animals available at this time.
 Intermediate:
  
Betty and Boop, Long Evans Rats (must go together)
 Betty and Boop the Rats

Criteria For Adopting

  1. You must set up a time with the Animal Discovery Room Manager to talk about species-specific enclosure requirements and the animal's husbandry needs and history*. See Contact Us page for general contact information.
  2. You must provide your own enclosure with proper set up and food for the animal prior to picking it up.
  3. You must pay the $15.00 adoption fee for most animals. Mice are a $5.00 flat adoption fee, regardless of how many are adopted at once. Rats are $5.00 each.

*Note: Not all adoptable animals are recommended for households with small children.

Donations

Many of the animals in the Animal Discovery Room (ADR) have been donated by patrons of the Lawrence Hall of Science.

We do accept donations on occasion, but due to space limitations, we carefully screen all animals before they become a part of our teaching animal collection. ADR animals must be easily handled and even-tempered, since many are used in classes with children and members of the public.  We also occasionally accept used animal enclosures as long as they are in good condition.

We house more than 50 species of animals and attempt to maintain variation in the ADR when accepting animal donations. Please contact us if you are interested in donating your animal or used animal enclosure to find out if it meets all of our criteria. 

Animal Care

Special care is taken to ensure that all of our animals are housed correctly, with the proper substrate, heat, light, humidity, and enrichment. Undergraduate Animal Discovery Room (ADR) helpers, with the assistance of TEAMS interns, conduct daily checks of all ADR animals.  Helpers and interns are the first to notice any changes in the animals’ behavior or physical appearance. If there is a behavioral or physical change in an animal, it is monitored and may receive vet care depending on the severity of the situation. In order to monitor all of the ADR animals, we conduct monthly weight checks. New or sick animals are weighed weekly to ensure that they are adjusting well and staying healthy. When needed, we administer medicine, supplied by our veterinarians.

UC Berkeley Office of Laboratory and Animal Care (OLAC) veterinarians provide care for all LHS animals according to campus animal care and USDA regulations. Veterinarians are available 24/7 to provide quality veterinary care and advice. They do routine checkups on all of the animals, as well as operations and x-rays, and provide other veterinary services.