Animal Enrichment Wish List
Enrichment is an integral part of the daily care of the animals at the National Zoo. It helps animals demonstrate their natural behavior, adds variety to their day, allows them exercise, gives them choices in their environment, and enhances their well-being. Enrichment also gives Zoo scientists the chance to study and observe the animals' behavior. 
Read about the Zoo's animal enrichment program.
Zoo keepers have created a wish list of items to help enhance the lives of the animals at the Zoo. You can buy things on the list and donate them at the Zoo, make a donation online so we can buy high-priority items, or you can shop our online store and pick items we'll get on your behalf.
Donate Online
Make
a donation to help us
purchase items for our animal enrichment program.
Shop Online
Browse through the animal enrichment items, chosen by keepers, in our online store, make a purchase, and we'll take care of the rest. Shop online.
Bring a Gift to the Zoo—Choose an Item From Our Wish List
If you would like to buy something from the wish list and bring it to the Zoo's Asia Trail store, we would welcome any unused item from the list below.
Thanks for your generosity.
- Gift cards (pet stores, home improvement stores, hardware stores, wild bird stores, plant nurseries, electronics stores)
- Ice machine
- Bubble machines
- Snake hooks
- Kiddie pools
- Digital cameras
- Video cameras
- Dehumidifier
- Shedding blade
- Dandy brush/finishing brush (horse)
- Horse grooming equipment
- Cable ties/zip ties
- Wicker baskets
- Jolly balls
- Art paper
- Shower radios with CD player
- Dog kennels
- Laser pointers
- Kong toys (various sizes and shapes)
- Paper shredders
- Carabiners
- Flashlights
- Puzzle feeders (bird toys)
- Self grooming toys
- Hand pruners
- Tool sets
- Nontoxic tempura paint
- Bird nest boxes including duck sized boxes
- Binoculars
- 12-quart plastic dish pans
- Indoor/outdoor carpeting (6-8 foot rolls)
- Five-gallon buckets
- Parrot feeders
- Door knockers
- Parrot piñatas
- Small covered plastic terrariums
- 30-gallon glass terrarium
- Clickers
- Heavy duty rope
- Parrot toys
- Small crocks (clay or plastic)
- Heated dog water bowls
- Mirrors (full length and pocket-size)
- Bungee cords
- Night lights and bulbs
- Metal spatulas, spoons
- Peat moss
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- Toenail clippers
- Feather dusters (natural colored)
- Reptile temperature guns
- Artificial plants (plastic, disinfectable)
- Towels/sheets (new or in good condition—no holes, tears, or frayed edges)
- Power drills (electric and battery)
- Electric dremel tools
- Ice cube trays (any shape and size)
- Rope of varying widths
- Plastic crates
- Buster cubes and other feeder toys
- Dixie cups
- Brown paper bags (large and small)
- Pillow cases
- UVA/UVB fluorescent bulbs (for reptiles)
- Mercury Vapor bulbs (for reptiles)
- Varying wattage heatbulbs for reptiles (50W, 100W, 200W)
- Corkbark
- Plastic hides for reptiles
- Nature CDs
- Nature DVDs
- Sound machine
- Socks
- Pantyhose
- Quick links
- S-hooks
- Tupperware or new plastic food containers with lids
- Baby pools
- Heavy duty, shallow pool
- Blender/juicer
- Hot plate
- DVD player
- TV with DVD player
- Vegetable steamer
- Jolly Pets teaser balls
- Small pulleys
- Commercial cat toys
- Zanies furry mice
- Sturdy screw eye hooks
- Hand pruners
- Non-toxic children’s bubble bath or shampoo
- Dramm brass shut-off valves (standard ¾” hose fitting)
- Dramm aluminum 48” extension handle (standard ¾” hose fitting)
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Read
about the Zoo's animal enrichment program. 
Diary of a Zoo Leader in Training. 
