Some time ago, we headed off to Florida for a super cool Porcupine Encounter Experience.
This amazing porcupine feeding experience was one of highlights of trip to Florida in 2024.
So, now we’re back in the UK, we wanted to share some of the locations throughout the UK where you can do a porcupine experiences.
Porcupine Experiences
Since our porcupine experience post is quickly gaining a lot of attention, we’ve been a asked quite a few times about where we did it.
As keen animal lovers, we’re happy to share our experiences with like minded people (hence the blog).
The porcupine experience that we did in Florida was amazing, but unfortunately we can’t be travelling to Florida every day! So we’ve compiled a list of 5 of the best places in the UK to do a porcupine experience.
Note that they are in no particular order!
Porcupine Experience at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary
The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary offers Porcupine Experiences and Close Encounters.
They provide participants with an opportunity to engage closely with their resident porcupines, Anna and Elsa. Really, it’s ‘Snow Joke’….. moving on.
These porcupine experiences are designed to educate visitors about the porcupines’ unique and curious characteristics.
Guided by an expert keeper, attendees can feed the porcupines, take photographs, and observe their behaviours.
Very exciting!
Pre-booking is essential because this is a very popular animal experience. Bookings can be made online by visiting the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary Website here.
How Much Does the Porcupine Experience at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary Cost?
This experience costs 30 pounds per person.
Each porcupine encounter lasts approximately 20 minutes and is scheduled at 12:30 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
There is a maximum of four participants per session, and a minimum age requirement of 13 years.
We thought this was very reasonably priced.
As with all anima encounters, their health and happiness is the most important thing.
If the porcupines don’t feel like doing it that day, you’ll be refunded or asked to change dates.
Click here to visit the Porcupine Experience booking page
Porcupine Experience at Hemsley Conversation Centre – Sevenoaks
Next up, the Hemsley Conversation Centre porcupine experience.
So, the porcupine experience was recently removed and rolled into their Rainforest VIP experience.
The Rainforest VIP Experience, provides participants with an exclusive opportunity to engage closely with several of the centre’s rainforest inhabitants.
This includes prehensile-tailed porcupines, monkeys, armadillos, and sloths.
This immersive experience includes a guided tour of the Fragile Forests exhibit.
This allows guests to observe and feed these unique animals. Obviously this depends on the animals’ willingness to participate.
Purchasing the experience gets you free entry into the zoo itself too.
How Much Does the Porcupine Experience / Forest VIP experience cost at Hemsley Conversation Centre?
The Forest VIP experience is priced at £89.99 per person and accommodates a maximum of two participants per session.
It lasts approximately 30 minutes and as we mentioned, includes free admission to the zoo for the day.
Participants must be at least 12 years old, and those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult with valid admission.
Advance booking is required, with experiences valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Head over to The Rainforest VIP section of the website to book.
Porcupine Experience – Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm
Coming in at number 3 (remember in no particular order) is Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm.
They offer a Porcupine and Skunk Encounter, allowing participants to engage closely with these distinctive animals.
This experience includes hand-feeding porcupines and skunks under the supervision of a keeper. The keeper also provides insights into their behaviours and characteristics..
Of course they’ll be on-hand to answer any questions you might have about these super-cuties.
How Much Does the Porcupine Experience at Noah’s Ark Farm Zoo Cost?
The porcupine experience at Noah’s Ark Farm Zoo costs £40 per person.
Each session accommodates one or two participants, and the minimum age requirement is 10 years old.
It’s important to note that the porcupine and skunk experience fee does not include admission to the zoo on this one.
Participants must purchase day admission separately. Members of the zoo receive a 10% discount on the encounter fee.
Booking is required in advance and can be done so by visiting their booking page here.
Porcupine Experience at Beale Wildlife Park, Reading
Similarly to Hemsley, Beale doesn’t offer a standalone porcupine experience.
However, you can meet the porcupines as part of a ‘Meet the Oddball’ package that allows you to select 3 animal species from their selection.
Options include reindeer, pigs, tarantulas, genets, porcupines, wallabies, and cuscus.
During this 45-minute session, you can get up close with your chosen animals – grabbing those Instagram pictures until your heart is content.
Also, the knowledgeable keepers share insightful facts and answer questions about each chosen species, allowing for a deeper understanding of these unique animals.
How Much Does the Meet the Oddballs Experience Cost at Beale Wildlife Park?
The experience is priced at £60 per person and like the previous, it excludes park admission.
The experience is available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 2:00 PM and is open to individuals aged 16 and above, with a maximum of two participants per session.
Advance booking, at least 48 hours prior, is required to secure a spot. Participants are advised to arrive by 1:30 PM on the day of their booking.
While the park strives to accommodate animal preferences, availability cannot be guaranteed for every species on a given day.
To book the experience, head over to their booking page here.
The Meekat and Porcupine Experience at Feadon Wildlife Centre
Heading down to Redruth in Cornwall for our last one – Feadon Wildlife Centre.
Anyone who reads this blog or follows our social channels know that we love Cornwall. So, it makes sense that we would have a wildlife park from this part of the world.
As with porcupine experiences, this experience is not a standalone event – you share it with the meerkats.
But, this is still a chance to get stuck in and meet their two porcupines Qulibert and his little brother.
The porcupine feeding will however be done using long-reach tongs, rather than hand feeding.
This is a 30 minute experience and suitable over 12s only.
How Much Does the Meerkat and Porcupine Experience at Feadon Wildlife Centre Cost?
The experience is priced at £40 per person and must be booked in advance.
All individuals in the group must hold a pre-booked ticket for the encounter – spectators must hold a spectator ticket and must be accompanying a participant (child or adult).
Check out their website here to find out more and to book
Thank You
Thanks for reading our list of porcupine panda experiences in the UK, if you have your own amazing encounter to share, feel free to leave us a comment!
If you are looking for more animal experiences, why not try our Red Panda Experience post? It’s full of places where you can get up close to Red Pandas in the UK.
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