Welcome to Vickie's Petz Zoo! Within are all sorts of creatures from the rare to the mundane. We are currently home to over 100 animals n addition to our resident catz and dogz (who can be read about at another site). The zoo was established in December 2003 by Vickie, a University senior with nothing better to do. The animalz here receive top notch care.

This site exists for the sole purpose of storing information about my "Wildz" petz and having the occasional adoptable petz. They exist only in the game Petz 5 by Ubi Soft. You can learn more about Petz from the official Petz site or my other site Vickie's Petz.

When you visit the animals in the zoo, you will be able to see them in their natural habitats. Information is provided at each exhibit, including the animals' taxonomy*, a photo of the non-petz counterpart, and pictures of some of the animals we keep here. While the info seems deceptively limited, much can be told by just the enclosure and taxonomy. For example, you can tell that ferrets are active creatures that cannot be continuously caged by the fact that they are pictured loose in the visitor center (the Petz Living Room). You can also tell by their taxonomy that they are closely related to catz and dogz and not actually related to rodents or rabbits. Some petz were designed to resemble a generic creature rather than a particular species. For these, taxonomy is given down to the grouping it is meant to portray.

You will also be able to interact and see an animal in action for most species, using the "Play" feature. And, of course, wild petz had to come from somewhere, so you will find links to the creators' sites at the bottom of each page. Several animals were developed right here at VPZ and can be found in the Research Center. (I also developed most of the enclosures myself.)

Animals are divided into the Petting Zoo (domesticated creatures) and Wildz Exhibits (wild animals). The domesticated animals are located either roaming or caged at the visitor center building or in the nearby barn and pasture. Wild animals have specially designed enclosures either in the open or in a separate indoor complex (especially those with special temperature/humidity/light requirements). You may wonder why certain animals were classified the way they were, but I stand by my groupings. Even though parrots and snakes are often kept as pets, I would not consider them domesticated, and they do far better in an enclosure that mimics their natural environment. (Domesticated animals actually do well or even better--mentally and physically--in a home or farm setting.) Also, domesticated animals have been selectively bred for some human purpose for many generations.

*Taxonomy is a term that refers to classification. In the Linnean system, animals are classified according to similar anatomy and the probable evolutionary relationships. The broadest grouping is Kingdom. Each Kingdom is divided into Phyla, then each Phylum into Classes, etc. A species is defined as animals that breed and produce fertile offspring (loose definition, there are others).

The Petz Player is not featured on enough websites, so we are proud to present it here. The "play" feature on many of our petz pages allows you to play with some of these wild breedz--even if you don't own the Petz game(s)! You do need to download the Petz Player from http://www.petz.com

One little glitch about hexed breedz in the petz player... They cannot have their special voices or fur textures. So no textured petz will be available to play with here, and all these petz will meow or bark and only with one breed's personality (I believe it's Great Dane and Russian Blue). Also, it seems that only 1st generation petz work with the Petz Player. (Another glitch is that sometimes the Player won't start for another pet until you close your browser and launch again...)

Wild animals are not pets. They are not domesticated and can never be considered "tame." It is a grave error for people to keep any wild animal as a pet. Wild animals in captivity can do fine,as long as they have appropriate care and a proper enclosure. Good zoos do not simply cage animals. They provide habitats, diets, and lifestyles as close to the natural setting as possible. A house does not offer the setting a wild animal needs to thrive. No matter how hard you may try to provide a happy life, it is impossible to meet most animals' social, space, and other needs in a home, a farm, or a circus. Monkeys are not people. Ocelots are not house cats. No wild animal should be condemned to that kind of life.

Livestock and many kinds of rodent and small animals are domesticated, having been bred in captivity often for non-cryptic coloring (meaning they cannot hide easily) and without fear of humans or even natural enemies. Domestication of more unusual pets often originated in science labs (rats, mice, degus, gerbils, etc.) or fur farms (ferrets, chinchillas, skunks, etc.), and these animals were bred especially for docility and/or color. Never release a domesticated animal into the wild. They cannot survive and will suffer and die. In some cases, certain animals will adapt to an environment where the weather is fair and there are no natural enemies (such as California and Australia), and released animals can be detrimental to the ecosystem. This is why there are laws governing the ownership of many animals... Please do your research before taking any pet into your household. Pets are not a decoration nor a status symbol; they are your responsibility, and a few irresponsible people can ruin pet ownership for everyone.

This is why my site is designed how it is, into a "petting zoo" for domesticated animals and a section for wildz. It also drives the point home that wild animals are not pets, because this site is a zoo and emphasizes the fact that wild animals need specially designed enclosures--not merely cages.

Most photos on this site came from Animal Diversity Web and are permitted to be used for educational purposes. Other pics here are also creditted. Even if a photo or graphic has no note under it, it is not public domain (some were given to me by others) and may not be "borrowed." Please visit linked sites or Animal Diversity Web if you wish to obtain graphics, and respect the copyright holders' wishes as to how the images may be used.

I owe many thanks to Carolyn, Cheetah, Marinsa, Random, and ButterflyChaser for getting me started and helping muddle through various hexing connundrums--and to Minibyte for converting my first breedz and a few other things I was having trouble with. I would also like to thank Judy and Daniel Wright for hosting my files. Thank you to Jess for making the Coming Soon forum, which has proven to be immensely helpful and of course to all the people whose comments and suggestings have allowed me to make my breedz much better than I could have imagined.

I do neglect my email--A LOT. Please bear with me. It is draining to try being fully devoted to my "college carreer" (I will be graduating from the university in December), planning for the future (I haven't had the time to start applying to graduate programs yet :-( ), my rats (25 and counting... some are rather elderly and ill right now... Plus a lot of people always have rat questions for me), and Petz (obviously the LEAST important).

Petz is a game I enjoy in what little free time I have. I do not answer questions about the game or my site. I'm sorry. I don't have time, and when I get frantic emails about someone has a dying pet rat, and I know I have advice that can help save its life, I do tend to overlook emails asking me why their "petz" won't breed or how they can get sounds installed.

I'm sorry. I will update WHEN and IF I have free time. I will answer adoption forms--eventually. Don't hold your breath waiting for other emails to get answered. Petz may mean a lot to some people, but don't pull me into it. I use it as a release--NOT an extra stress in my life. This weird petz-fanatic phenomenon is the reason I had to abandon my first Petz sites (Vickie's Petz, Woodland Park, and Petz Specialists). (I can see how a younger person--even a younger me can devote a lot of time and have fun with petz stull, but not anymore. I just don't have the patience.)