A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FOR KIDS : Party Animals

If you’re tired of clowning around, invite Teresa Pollock and her brood of snakes, lizards, turtles and frogs to your next party. The former camp counselor and animal trainer has been entertaining kids--ages 4 and up--and adults for more than two years. During her presentation, which lasts an hour and costs about $125, she introduces up to 15 species and talks about where each one comes from, how it lives in the wild and what it eats. The creatures are large and small, ranging from an 11-foot Burmese python named Jason to a basilisk--a type of iguana with an inflatable pouch on its head--called Meeler.

Although the cold-blooded creatures make some party-goers squirm, most eventually warm up to them, Pollock says. “Reptiles are mysterious . . . some children are scared when I begin but get over it by the end. It’s an adventure.”

Teresa Pollock, by appointment only; (818) 787-4768.