Little Ray's Nature Centre

03/12/2026

Nature Ninjas - Presented by Little Ray's
Monday, March 16th at 5:30 PM
Succursale Greenboro (363 Lorry Greenberg)
For ages 13 to 17
Come with a friend and meet extraordinary creatures!

Découvrez les mécanismes uniques qu’ont développés les reptiles, mammifères et invertébrés pour se défendre. Pourquoi les furets sont-ils si flexibles ? Comment font les tarentules pour se protéger des prédateurs ? Vous obtiendrez toutes les réponses à ces questions, et plus encore, en...

10/27/2025

It's that time of year again and our 'Not-so Creepy Crawlies' are back to say Happy Halloween!!!

Photo credit: Naomi Leclerc

09/16/2025

Little Ray’s support of the critically endangered wood turtle is still going strong in our third year of the program, with a record 55 neonates born this year. These turtles will be raised for two years in our care before being released, a process called headstarting, to give them a huge advantage against one of their major threats in the wild, predators like raccoons and foxes that easily eat eggs and hatchling turtles.

08/30/2025

This cute little guy is another one of our rescues. His name is Peter Quill and he is a four toed hedgehog, also known as an African Pygmy Hedgehog. These little creatures have 5000-7000 quills( which are actually stiff hollow hairs). When they feel threatened they curl up into a tight ball with the quills facing outwards. They are nocturnal and love to eat bugs!

08/29/2025

Meet "Ruby" our resident tomato frog. They get their name from their bright red colouration, not how they taste! In fact when a predator grabs them they secrete a large amount of a white sticky poison. This poison can cause an almost immediate allergic reaction in the predator, forcing it to let go. Humans can have this same allergic reaction, although it is NOT deadly.

08/27/2025

Here is a short video of our 2 toed sloth - Iris. She is coming down for her morning snack.

03/24/2025

To Our Beloved Friends and Community,

Today, we share a bittersweet announcement. After much thought and consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Hamilton Nature Center. This decision was not made lightly, and we understand how deeply this place has touched the lives of many — from your children’s first encounters with wildlife to the countless moments of wonder and learning shared by families, friends, and animal lovers alike.

While this chapter comes to a close, we want to assure you that the heart of our mission beats stronger than ever. Our organization is thriving, evolving, and growing in exciting new directions — especially by finding innovative ways to connect people with nature on an even larger scale at various museums and zoological facilities throughout North America. Little Ray's will continue to maintain our long-standing involvement in exotic animal rescue through our Ottawa and Syracuse facilities — a mission close to our hearts. On a positive note, through our museum exhibits program, we will be working hard to find a home for one of our temporary exhibits in the greater Hamilton area on an annual basis to ensure our community will have at least seasonal access to our fun, interpretive, educational programming.

For the animals currently in our care at this facility, we want you to know that each and every one of them will be treated with the utmost respect and love during this transition. Some will remain with us at our other locations in Ottawa and Syracuse, and for those who will not be staying, we are dedicated to finding them new, appropriate homes, where they will continue to receive exceptional care.

The last day that the nature center will be open to General Admission is Monday April 14th, 2025. We are still honoring private tours and offsite programming that has already been booked up to the end of June 2025, and will have limited slots for these programs still available to be booked. Please come visit us, our animals, and our team, one more time at Little Ray’s Hamilton, though you will see plenty more from Little Ray’s in the coming weeks and years throughout your communities.

We are profoundly grateful for the support, dedication, and love this community has shown over the years. Your passion has made every moment of this journey meaningful. Though this facility’s gates may close, its legacy lives on in every life it touches and in the future work we continue to build together. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of this story — and for joining us as we embark on the next chapter.

With gratitude and hope,
The Little Rays Nature Center Team

03/05/2025

Hello Everyone,
We have another animal looking for a home.
This is a young ball python that was left abandoned in an apartment. The gender of the snake is unverified. This wonderful little snake needs a home and some love. The snake eats well and has a gentle temperament. If you are able to help out please contact Michael. His email is [email protected]
There is a $100 adoption fee. The snake does not come with any supplies or a habitat.

02/22/2025

Great News Summer was adopted!

01/23/2025

We are deeply saddened by the devastating news coming out of Madagascar. Severe flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi has submerged the Lavavolo Tortoise Center, a sanctuary that protects over 12,000 critically endangered Radiated and Spider Tortoises. Tragically, hundreds of these incredible animals have been lost, and the survivors—along with the dedicated team and local community—are in desperate need of help.

The Turtle Survival Alliance is doing remarkable work on the ground, but they can’t do it alone. They urgently need support to provide emergency care for the tortoises, assist staff and their families, and rebuild this sanctuary.

Good news: The cost of construction in Madagascar is not what it is in North America. We are working to help them raise an additional $100,000 to rebuild the facility. With this support, we can help save 12,000 critically endangered tortoises that are being rehabilitated for release back into their natural habitats. Your donation will not only rescue these animals but also contribute to repopulating their native environments.

If you can, please consider helping. Every donation makes a difference. We’ve included the link to help support TSA here: https://give.turtlesurvival.org/give/656939/ #!/donation/checkout

Please give generously. Together, we can make a difference for these incredible animals and the people working tirelessly to protect them.

I support Turtle Survival Alliance, their commitment to zero turtle extinctions, and the work they do to protect and revitalize tortoise populations in Madagascar.

12/05/2024

Two snakes. One is the longest species of snake in the world. The other is the heaviest species of snake in the world. They have have super obvious differneces(other than colour) and many similarities. Can you guess what each species is ?