Animals In Hands

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Animals in Hands offer educational hands on animal encounters with a difference! We are a North Birmingham based Company covering the whole of the Midlands.

We also offer a free rescue, free advice and free support service on any unwanted exotic pets. As a well established Natural History Lecturing Service, working in a variety of different settings from schools through to care homes, we are now expanding our popular hands on experiences with animals through Corporate Events and Birthday Parties. We use exotic and furry animals to bring alive the excitement of being able to safely handle animals that might otherwise be seen at a distance or from behind glass! We currently have over 40 species of animals that you are able to select from to enhance a Corporate Event or a Birthday Party. Would you like to handle small or VERY large snakes - lizards -tree frogs - marine toads - pygmy hedgehogs - pole cats or perhaps even a tarantula!? Why not contact us for a full list of the animals that we have available and for the cost of using our services. Animals in Hands ~ Parties & Events with a difference! All of our facilitators carry fully enhanced CRB certificates and the Company has full Public Liability Insurance. Please feel free to contact us for further information or check our website at:

www.animalsinhands.com

31/10/2026

Unique Halloween & Christmas Parties with Animals in Hands!
Meet the misunderstood stars of the night – owls, reptiles and more. Fact over fright, fun over fear. Perfect for half‑term and festive gatherings. Book early to avoid disappointment!

30/10/2026

📖 OCTOBER HALF TERM FACT SERIES — THE FULL PICTURE

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
More than 2,000 years ago, the Celtic peoples observed Samhain at this time of year. It was a seasonal observance — one of four great fire festivals — marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. Historical sources describe it as a time of gathering, lighting fires, and remembering ancestors — a cultural and seasonal milestone, rather than something dark or fearful.
📌 Source: Information drawn from recorded Celtic history and folklore, including research by the School of Celtic Studies, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, and the British Museum's reference materials on Iron Age Britain.

HOW IT BLENDED INTO TRADITION
Centuries later, the Christian church established All Hallows' Eve on 31 October. Over time, earlier customs and Christian observance combined — bonfires became lanterns, seasonal gatherings became celebrations, and what began as a harvest marker evolved into the Halloween traditions we recognise today.
📌 Source: Historical timeline sourced from the Church of England, the Folklore Society, and Oxford Dictionary of Folklore.

HOW ANIMALS BECAME VILLAINS
Because this time of year was traditionally linked to the transition between seasons and the spirit world in folklore, animals that moved quietly, came out at night, or lived in places we rarely visited — shadows, corners, undergrowth — became associated with mystery and unease in stories. This was folklore, not fact. Every one of these creatures plays a vital role in keeping our natural world healthy and balanced.

WHAT WE CAN DO NOW
Enjoy the costumes. Love the lanterns. Appreciate the history — in all its layers. But when you step outside tonight and see movement in the shadows? Remember — it's not coming to get you. It's just another living thing, making its way through the dark, same as us.

The night isn't theirs — or ours. It's shared. 🌍🦊🦉🦔🦇🐍🕷️🐀🕯️

Happy Halloween — the kind one. ✨🍂

© Animals in Hands Education — Do not copy without written consent

30/10/2026

🌅 Morning Quick Fact
Halloween began over 2,000 years ago as Samhain — a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest and start of winter. It was a time of gathering, not fear. Later it blended with All Hallows' Eve — history, not horror. 🕯️🍂

www.animalsinhands.com

29/10/2026

🌙 Evening Elaboration

KEEP THE MAGIC — ADD KINDNESS

This week, while you're enjoying pumpkins and lanterns, here are four simple things that cost nothing but mean the world:

• 💧 Leave fresh water out — wildlife struggles to find water in winter

• 🔥 Check bonfires before lighting — hedgehogs, toads and slow-worms often crawl inside for warmth

• 🍂 Leave a wild corner — log piles, leaf litter and thick hedges give snakes, spiders, hedgehogs and bats somewhere safe to shelter

• 🪔 Dim outside lights — bright lighting disrupts nocturnal animals finding their way

Halloween is about seeing things differently. This year, let's see the night not as something to fear — but as something to share. With respect, everyone can celebrate safely. ✨🕯️
📌 Source: Guidance adapted from Hedgehog Street / PTES, The Wildlife Trusts, and Bat Conservation Trust seasonal advice.
© Animals in Hands Education — Do not copy without written consent.

29/10/2026

📅 THURSDAY — Gentle Actions This Halloween

🌅 Morning Quick Fact
You don't need to do something big to make a difference. Leave a gap in your fence. Put out a bowl of water. Check before you light that bonfire. Small acts = a safe night for everyone. 🍂🦔
www.animalsinhands.com

28/10/2026

🌙 Evening Elaboration

AS EDUCATORS, WE CAN DO BETTER

There's nothing wrong with dressing up, telling spooky stories or having fun — that's all part of the magic. But when the story becomes "that animal is bad, stay away from it" — that's where the harm begins.

Fear protects nothing. Respect protects everything.

We can say: "That story is just for fun. But in real life? The toad keep insect numbers down, the owl keep rodent numbers balanced. That snake controls pests. That spider eats flies. That hedgehog is right at home in your garden."

We don't have to spoil the party — we just have to be the ones who say: "The monsters are make-believe. The wildlife is real — and it belongs here." 🎃🦊🦉🦔🦇🐍🕷️🐀
📌 Source: Research shows that most animal phobias are culturally learned rather than innate. Studies from the Royal Society for Public Health and educational psychology support the idea that early positive experiences significantly reduce fear of wildlife.
© Animals in Hands Education — Do not copy without written consent.

28/10/2026

📅 WEDNESDAY — Fear is Learned, Kindness too.
🌅 Morning Quick Fact
We aren't born to afraid of owls, snakes or spiders — we learn it from the stories we hear. That means we can also unlearn it — and teach the next generation something kinder instead. ✨
www.animalsinhands.com
parties uk

27/10/2026

🌙 Evening Elaboration

WHY SO MANY CREATURES GOT A BAD NAME

It's not just the ones we see after dark. Over centuries, all sorts of animals became linked to fear and folklore — not because of what they do, but because of how little we understood them:

• 🦊🦉🦔🦇 — Night-time creatures. Active when we sleep. Quiet, unseen. Our ancestors filled that silence with stories instead of understanding

• 🐍 Snakes — They keep close to the ground, move silently, and in Western tradition became tied to ancient symbolic stories. "Most UK snakes are harmless — the adder can give a painful bite if threatened, but it's very shy and would rather avoid you.

• 🕷️ Spiders — Many are active at night, hiding in corners and appearing unexpectedly. Their webs look "abandoned" and "spooky" — yet they're nature's pest control, eating flies and insects

• 🐀 Rats — Mostly active at night and in places we don't go. History linked them to disease and decay, and that label stuck. They're intelligent survivors that simply prefer to keep out of our way

Whether they live in the night, the shadows, or just out of sight — they weren't judged on their behaviour. They were judged on our discomfort. And that's never a fair way to see the living world. 💛
📌 Source: Much of this folklore analysis is referenced in works such as "The Natural History of the British Isles" and publications from the Mammal Society, Bat Conservation Trust, British Arachnological Society, and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.
© Animals in Hands Education

27/10/2026

🌅 Morning Quick Fact
Black cats, foxes, owls, snakes, spiders and rats too. Some are active at night, some keep to shadows and corners. All are misunderstood. All got painted "scary" simply because we don't see them often enough to know better. Mysterious ≠ dangerous. Fear ≠ fact. 🦉🦇🐍🕷️🐀

www.animalsinhands.com

26/10/2026

🌙 Evening Elaboration

WHERE DOES HALLOWEEN COME FROM?

Long before pumpkins and sweets, this time of year was honoured by Celtic communities across Britain and Ireland. Samhain was one of their four great fire festivals — a pre-Christian, sacred observance marking the transition from the bright half of the year into the dark.

It was a time of remembrance, gratitude for the harvest, and welcoming the quieter months ahead. People lit bonfires, gathered together, and remembered those who had passed on.
📌 Sources: The information about Samhain is widely documented in Celtic studies and folklore research. The integration of All Hallows' Eve with earlier seasonal customs is recorded by organisations including the Folklore Society and widely referenced in historical and religious studies.
Later, around the 7th century, the Christian church established All Saints' Day on 1 November. The evening before became All Hallows' Eve — "Hallow-e'en." Over time, ancient customs and Christian traditions wove together into what we know today. It's a rich tapestry of beliefs — and we can respect all of them without turning the night into something frightening. ✨🕯️

© Animals in Hands Education — Do not copy without written consent

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Birmingham

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07870 776505

Website

http://www.animalsinhands.com/

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