Some of Nashville Wraps’ very favorite customers are not humans, but otters! Not your average mammal, these playful critters live at the Downtown Aquarium Denver.
The otters absolutely love our Wood Excelsior Shred for their dens. LynnLee Schmidt, Curator for Birds and Mammals says, “In addition to the otters, our birds, tigers, rats, armadillos, snakes, binturong, and porcupine all like a nice soft Excelsior burrow from time to time!
Natural Wood Excelsior is typically used for gourmet gift baskets. This premium product is also known as “Wood Wool” or “American Moss” and is made in the USA from non-toxic and non-allergenic Aspen wood fibers. All natural and 100% biodegradable, it’s part of our Green Way brand of eco-friendly products.
LynnLee was familiar with Nashville Wraps gift packaging because her mom owns a clothing store in Kansas City and is also a customer. LynnLee says, “Nashville Wraps customer service is bar none, along with product turnaround time and easy invoicing. The aquarium orders a lot of Excelsior wood, and we so appreciate saving on the shipping so we can spend more money on the animals. ”
Downtown Aquarium Denver
The Downtown Aquarium Denver houses over 12,000 individual animals, representing nearly 800 different species! With so many animals to discover, observe, and encounter, the habitats are arranged in ecosystem fashion. You get to see animals that live inside and around water. In the Rainforests of the World exhibit, you’ll come eye-to-eye with piranha, fly river turtles, tigers, archerfish, and parrots. The aquarium offers special encounters, behind-the-scenes opportunities, and dive and snorkel options to take your adventure to a new level.
“Another zoo tipped us off to using Excelsior Wood as an enrichment option for our animals,” says LynnLee. “‘Enrichment‘ is anything we provide to our animals that make their environment new, different, or more stimulating than the day before. Since otters are naturally curious, they keep the trainers on their toes, and we continually have to evolve and think of new ideas to keep them busy!
“Coat condition is also very important to otter health and well-being, so providing a warm place to dry off and groom their fur is vital. Excelsior Wood is perfect for that! It wicks away moisture nicely and is lots of fun to burrow and hide in.”
Meet the Otters!
Slater is the oldest at 20 years of age. He’s one of the oldest otters in the care of zoos and aquariums, and is currently getting laser treatments to help him stay more active considering his age.
Emmet is 6. He plays hard and naps hard. One of his favorite things to do is to collect small gemstones and crystals the aquarium provides and hide them in “secret” locations around his habitat.
Olive is 2 and was a rescue from Florida. Since she’s imprinted on humans, she wouldn’t last long in her native environment. She lives at the Aquarium as an ambassador for her species.
Olivia and Emilia are 2-year-old sisters who arrived with metabolic bone disease which caused their bones to be bent and brittle. These sisters have made a great recovery thanks to the dedication of their trainers, lots of physical therapy, and a proper diet at the aquarium.
Watch the story of LynnLee and Ollie:
