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Pet Advice

History of Pet Dogs

July 3rd 2009 16:01
The domesticated, pet dog has been so for centuries- thousands of years even. And, because of these years of breeding, socializing, working with, and living with dogs, they have become man's best friend. It's safer to live with a dog than without. Now, that may be hard to believe, but it's true. People with dogs are statistically less likely to have a home intrusion or break-in.


Personally, I think more people need to be interested in the History of the Domesticated Dog versus the current or future status, because just like people, history for-tells and predicts the future. Well, not really 100% accurate, but at least if more people understood the history of the domesticated dog, more people would understand their actions and behaviors. In general, we would have more educated dog owners

Dogs have been used for herding, guarding, protection, hunting, and home pets for years. They have been bred for these traits, and even now individual dogs that aren't used to herd sheep will still show tendency of herding.

Ancient Egyptians mummified their dogs, and treated them as Gods. There are many civilizations who treated their dogs better than many of the people in that society. Dogs have always been held higher than they are- animals, which is to no wonder as to why we now treat them as children, better than such at times.



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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Dogs
   


Housing a Green Iguana

June 30th 2009 16:11
Housing a green iguana can be a pain if you're expecting the baby iguana to stay small. These guys need large enclosures, and they don't just stop growing just because you keep it in a small enclosure, so you want to be very careful in your research before and after you get a pet green iguana.

Enclosure Size: Because adult iguanas can be very large- up to 6 feet- you want to have a large enclosure. They are not limited to the enclosure and will continue to grow throughout their lifetime. A young iguana will grow out of a 55 gallon aquarium within the first year.

You want to be able to provide exercise space as well as an actual enclosure when you can't watch your iguana. Generally, you'll want the enclosure to be at least 6 feet tall at bar minimum. The width of the enclosure should be at least half of an adult iguana's length. The larger the cage, the better off your green iguana will be. If the enclosure is too small, the reptile will quickly and easily become stressed and start banging his nose on the glass, causing nose wounds.

Baby and juvenile iguanas do not need huge cages, just remember that they do grow quickly. A large aquarium will suffice for the first year, but start making plans for a larger enclosure quickly.

Temperature: Green iguanas need an enclosure that is very warm. You need to be able to provide a basking spot of 90-95F with air temperatures of at least 80F.

If the iguana is not able to get enough heat and cannot stay adequately warm, it will have problems properly digesting its food and absorbing the nutrients. Growth will be stunted and the iguana may suffer malnutrition.

In addition to the basking spot, you also want to provide an area where the iguana can get away and cool down if he needs to, and a day/night scenario that will need a timer to help keep things fairly constant.

Lighting: Iguanas need both UVA and UVB rays in order to stimulate natural behaviors. It's very important that you include this as a part of your iguana's habitat. If you opt to use UV tubes, you want to change them every 4-6 months.

Also, consider creating a safe outdoor habitat so that your green iguana can get natural sunlight so that it can absorb natural D3 to properly metabolize calcium in the body, to prevent MBD.

Humidity: Green iguanas need a relatively high humidity. You'll want to provide a large water bowl and mist the enclosure as needed in order to provide 65-75% humidity levels. Iguanas a prone to dehydration in captivity, which is why it is very important that you are able to ensure that your iguana has accurate humidity levels.; dehydration can affect the kidneys and can potentially cause and early death, which is why it is very important to provide high humidity.


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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


What to Feed a Green Iguana

June 28th 2009 15:53
Iguanas are strict herbivores and should have a diet consisting of only fruits and vegetables. In captivity, we have complete control over what the reptiles eat, so you want to make sure that you do not offer any insects and such; yes, in the wild they occasionally eat a cricket or worm, but generally, it's when the insect is on a leaf of fruit. It's not intentional.

You want to make sure that you offer fresh food and water daily. Over time, you'll be able to figure out how much you need to offer in order to ensure that your iguana is full.

Check out this listing of foods that you want to offer your pet green iguana and those that you never want to offer.

Foods to feed an iguana:
* Greens (40%-45% of diet): Collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens (with flowers), escarole, water cress.
* Vegetables (40%-45% of diet): Green beans, orange-fleshed squashes (butternut, Kabocha), snap or snow peas, parsnip, asparagus, okra, alfalfa (mature, not sprouts), onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, sweet potato, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots.
* Fruits (10% or less): Figs (raw or dried), blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, mango, melon (cantelope, honeydew, watermelon), papaya, banana, apple.
* Grains (5% or less): Cooked rice or pasta, whole wheat bread (makes for a great treat)
* Supplemental Proteins (5% or less): Alfalfa pellets (rabbit food) or recommended commercial diets (see below).

Foods to offer in small amounts:
* Spinach, beets, beet greens, swiss chard, dock, sorrel, whole grains, celery stalk, kale, carrot top, kale, brocoli, cabbage, bok-choi, turnips, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, rutabaga, tofu.

Foods to never feed your iguana:
* Insects, worms, mice, pinky mice
* Dairy products (milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.)
* Eggs
* Dog food, cat food, monkey biscuits, monkey chow and other pet food
* Meat (beef, chicken, etc.)
* Rhubarb
* Lettuce (iceberg, romaine, Boston, butter)
* Wild plants and flowers
* Acidic foods (citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, limes, kiwi fruit, lemons, pineapple; and tomatoes)
* Tofu
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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Picking a Puppy Out of Its Litter

June 25th 2009 17:48
When choosing a new puppy, you want to make sure that you've explored all of your options before you decide which shelter or which breeder you want to get your puppy from. When searching for a new puppy, you'll quickly find that there are so many dogs and puppies that want and need loving homes, that it's unreal, which is why it's always best to adopt from a rescue versus buy from a breeder, but everyone has their preferences and remember even purebred dogs need homes (check breed specific rescues for a specific breed pup if you can't find the breed in a local shelter).

But, anyway when you're pretty sure you've found the rescue or breeder, it can be a challenge to pick that one puppy out of a litter of say 10 cute, butterball puppies that are running around and trying to get your attention.

The breeder or a shelter worker should be there with you to help you make your decision because there will be one puppy that will always be better for you, your family, and lifestyle.

Picking your new puppy may be a challenge, but the more time that you spend with the litter and each pup individually, you will be able to decide which puppy is best for you. For example, if you just pick the smallest puppy, largest, cutest, or fattest, you may end up bringing home a highly rambunctious puppy for your pretty docile lifestyle, or it may be a submissive puppy for your active lifestyle. Not only that, but by just picking the first puppy, you may not get a chance to best evaluate the others, and you don't want a pup who at a young age exhibits more dominant tendencies if you're not educated and prepared enough to potentially have an adult dog with those same tendencies which have probably worsened with time and age and improper training and correction.

If you have searched the local animal shelters and you've checked around for breed specific rescues and you just can't find the puppy that you want, then I guess that it's time to start searching for the perfect dog breeder. But, remember that there's really no reason to get a purebred dog from a breeder unless you plan on competing with the dog.

Many people believe that if you don't get a purebred dog, then you don't know what temperament the puppy will be prone to, but in all reality, mix-breed dogs typically have better overall dispositions than most purebred dogs from backyard breeders. And, remember there are many purebred dogs in shelters and rescues across the nation that need loving homes.

As for dog breeders, you want to make sure that the breeder is serious about what he does, and doesn't use his dogs as an outlet for extra, under-the-table cash. You want a real, reputable dog breeder that can ensure health certified dogs. Choosing the dog breeder that you will potentially purchase your puppy from can be just as important as which puppy you'll end up picking out.

There are many determining factors that will tell you whether the breeder is a serious breeder of the breed versus just a backyard breeder, but generally, it will take more than a short conversation to determine.

A few Identifiers of a backyard breeder can include:
* He breeds multiple breeds, and doesn't focus on just one main breed.
* He's doesn't know much about the history or standard conformation of the breed.
* He registers the dogs with Continental Kennel Club or doesn't have them registered at all.
* His dogs aren't trained for competition, whether show, agility, obedience, retrieving, etc.
* His dogs and puppies aren't health certified.

When it all breaks down, you'll need to choose your best judgment when determining whether or not the breeder is serious about the breed and is doing all that he can to better the conformation, temperament, and overall disposition of the breed via his puppies.



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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Dogs
   


Donating to Animal Shelters

June 22nd 2009 16:00




When trying to make your weekly, monthly, or annual donation, it's always beneficial to the animals if you opt to help them out. Even if you can't adopt a cat, dog, horse, hamster, or snake, it's still ok to send a check or donate items to the cause.

There are millions of pets in shelters, and it helps when you can donate items, such as leashes, collars, beds, towels, and food, to help care for the pets. If you don't have the money to donate so that the shelter can purchase what they need, and you don't have the money to purchase items to donate, you can always donate your time to the cause.


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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Pet Tips
   


Tips for Raising an Ant Farm

June 19th 2009 15:52
For years, probably over 50 years to be a little more exact, children and adults have both enjoyed watching ants in an ant farm. Although, no one enjoys ants within the home or even outside, you'll find that an actual ant farm will go over big as a birthday or holiday gift for a young child.

There are the basic traditional ant farms and the new modern gel ant farms. The gel ant farms look way cooler, but the traditional ant farms typically last longer. Most reviews for the gel ant farm pretty much consist of the ants living and making cool trails in the gel in order to find a way out, but when they give up, they die in a few weeks. No matter what ant farm you prefer, you'll want to make sure that you have the proper knowledge about raising ants in an ant farm


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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Insects
   


Severe Dog Attacks

June 16th 2009 13:32
We hear about dog attack all the time in the news, but most of the time the attacks are in regards to "pit bulls," but I bet you don't realize that labs, retrievers, terriers, and loads of other breeds and mixes have attacked, seriously injured, and/or killed children and adults.

The real statistics aren't usually broadcasted across the media like a shark attack or 'pit bull' attack, but you will commonly see 'pit bull attacked child' as the header, but read into a news article to find it was some other breed. Recently, I read an article that started off as a Rottweiler attack, but ended up a lab mix by the end of the article


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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Dogs
   


Best Dogs for Children

June 13th 2009 14:23
It can be a hard decision picking a dog for a family with children, because parents always want to keep their child safe. Many people swear that certain breeds of dogs are better for children than others, but in all reality it all depends on the owner's want to train and socialize certain breeds.

As for choosing the best dog for you, your family, and your children, you want to consider adopting a mix breed dog, as they will generally get the best traits from any and all breeds that made him. And, if you're looking at a specific breed, you should still check out your local shelters and nearby breed rescues before purchasing from a breeder, as in most cases you can probably find your purebred dog at a shelter or rescue


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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Dogs
   


When Should We Get a Puppy for Our Family?

June 10th 2009 14:00
Most people find that the dog breed is the most important factor as to which dog fits into their family, but in reality a big factor is timing. Everyone, especially parents, are very busy, which leaves the question- who will take care of the dog? You just can't expect a 5 year old to take sole responsibility of a new dog, so it's that you find the perfect time when schedules are lighter before your bring home that new puppy.

Studies have shown that most incidents between dogs and children occur when the child is under 6 years old, so by waiting until the child is a little older before you bring home a dog, you'll find that the child is more mature and will accept the rules of the new dog. Plus, it'll keep everyone safe


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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Dogs
   


Keeping Children Safe Around Dogs

June 8th 2009 13:12
When it comes to making the decision to bring a dog home in a family with children, you want to make sure that you do the best thing for the dog and the children in order to keep everyone safe. Dogs do not look at children as people because children, especially younger children do not sound, smell, or act like adults. Children are usually more rambunctious, high pitched, messy, which is why there are more dog bites to younger children than older children or adults.

Dogs need to be socialized around children, but at the same time children need to be taught how to treat dogs, as they do not understand how to interpret dog behaviors and language


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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Dogs
   


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