Month: January 2018

Parrots Are High Maintenance Pets

Pets blogger

Have you ever wandered through a pet shop and wondered what it might be like to own a pet parrot? They are beautiful to be sure, and the idea of having someone to “talk” with can be really tempting. But did you know that parrots are some of the most high maintenance pets out there? Before you buy, learn more.

First of all, it should be noted that parrots are very expensive to buy, house, feed, and maintain over long periods of time. Even the little parotlet, the tiniest of all parrots will cost at least $150 to purchase. Macaws, the largest, can run up to $10,000. Most people buy something in between these two extremes, but the point is they don’t come cheap.

Parrots require specialized living habitats: even a medium sized parrot such as an Eclectus or African Grey needs a good sized cage along with play toys, climbing apparatus, and materials to chew on.

Unlike parakeets or canaries, parrots cannot live on seeds alone. In fact, a high fat diet of seeds will be greatly detrimental to a big bird’s health. They need to have a base diet of specially formulated high nutrition bird pellets (available at most pet stores) with appropriately sized nuggets for helping your particular breed of parrot to keep its beak healthy and strong.

In addition to pellets, parrots have other nutritional needs that can only be met with “real” food. Lories, for instance, require nectar to stay healthy. Eclectus parrots need to have fresh cooked legumes such as chick peas and beans as part of their diets.

All parrots have specific additional foods that will help them to have happy lives, and owners must be responsible enough to provide their pets with what they need. There are also foods that are toxic to certain breeds of parrots: responsible ownership means learning as much as possible about your bird.

Parrots are notoriously destructive: macaw owners often dedicate an entire room of a house as playpens for their pet. They will chew on wood windowsills, refrigerator cords, and just about anything else you can think of. If you want your parrot to have the run of the house, you will need to “bird proof” it and keep your bird’s wings clipped at all times. It is definitely possible to “housetrain” a parrot, but even if it only defecates in its cage, owning a bird means cleaning up messes.

If you are seriously considering making a parrot a part of your life, take the time to do plenty of research first. You’ll want to choose one that will fit your lifestyle and whose personality suits what you are looking for. Some parrots are better talkers than others, and some live so long that they have to be put in people’s wills. Are you ready for that kind of a commitment? Think it through before taking that big step!

Dairy Goats for Pets

Pets blogger

Have you ever considered owning dairy goats for pets? These farm animals make great pets and are versatile too. Dairy goats and dairy production is one of the most historical, versatile and efficient forms of livestock production throughout the world. They are known for their milk production efficiencies. Their milk offers health benefits. Most owners of dairy goats will tell you that no animal is more cute and friendly than a dairy goat! Two types of dairy goats are the Alpine and Saanen goats. Each of these goats show distinct characteristics, differences and commonalities.

The Alpine goat originated in the Alps. The term “French Alpine” and “Alpine” are used synonymously. The female and male goats are mostly short-haired. The males, (bucks), show a long-haired beard with long hair usually along its spine too. Both sexes have a straight face with medium sized and fine textured ears. These goats are hearty, curious, friendly, and adaptable animals. They can thrive in most any climate while remaining healthy and maintaining excellent milk production. Alpines produce high volumes of milk. These goats do not have a distinct color but may range in colors from pure white to varying or combining shades of gray, brown, black, red, buff, fawn, and more.

The Saanen dairy goat originated in the Saanen Valley of Switzerland. Saanen female goats, (does), produce heavy amounts of milk. These goats are medium to large in size weighing approximately 145 pounds. They have tough bones and can show pep in their personality. Their temperament is mostly calm and mild mannered. Saanen goats are, generally, easy for children to handle and are popular in showmanship classes due to their calm nature. They are white or light cream in color and have spots on their skin. Breeders are known to refer to these goats as, “living marshmallows”. Their hair is generally short, with some having just a fringe of hair over their spine or thighs. They have a straight face with ears standing erect and pointing forward. The Saanen breed is sensitive to excessive sunlight. These goats perform much better in shady or cooler conditions.

What do the Alpine and Saanen goats have in common? Both of these goats can provide the milk used in various handmade goat milk bath and body products such as: goat milk soap, goat milk lotions, and much, much more! These natural bath and body products are healthful and nourishing for skin. Dairy goats are wonderful animals. Not only are they cute and friendly, they help to provide a multitude of beneficial bath and body products!

Find Alpine and Saanen dairy goats at: http://www.natural-goat-milk-soap.com/dairy-goats.html

Mini Turtles As Pets

Pets blogger

Mini turtles, because of their size, make popular choices for reptile enthusiasts.

Various types of turtles remain relatively small throughout their life span. If you are looking for a moderately proportioned turtle, the mud turtle would be a great selection. Two individual species, the Common Mud turtle and the Striped mud turtle never grow any longer than 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) and average at 3 inches (7.6 cm). Two other types of mud turtle, the Yellow mud turtle and the Sonoran mud turtle boast the adult size of around six inches (15.2 cm), which is about the same length as the Chinese Pond Turtle, also known as Reeves Turtle.

The average size of the spotted turtle and the musk turtle is given as 5 inches (12.7 cm). This specification excludes the Razorback musk turtle, which can grow to 6 inches (15.2 cm). Due to an unusual defence mechanism, musk turtles are sometimes called stinkpots. One of their distinguishing features is the stripe that decorates each side of the faces. This breed comes out at night or early in the morning, when they soak up sunlight and warmth. They swim quite well and also have a talent for clambering up the branches of trees from the water. As juveniles, their diet comprises mainly meat, although they will learn to appreciate the taste of duckweed and water hyacinth as they mature. Pet owners could provide them bloodworm, mealworms, insects and commercial turtle pellets to eat. Remember to include a calcium supplement to promote healthy bone and shell development.

As pets, Reeves turtles are known for their interesting character as well as their enthusiastic feeding. With kind treatment, they will soon show their gregarious side. If you keep only one of them as pet, a tank with the capacity to hold 20 to 30 gallons will be sufficient. For a larger community of turtles, more space will obviously be required.

If you do obtain a Reeves turtle or mud turtle, remember that these two types of turtles are often taken against the law from their natural environment. Under those circumstances, they may have suffered trauma or been injured and this could negatively affect their disposition. The presence of parasites could need your attention. It is always better and more humane to buy from a registered breeder of captive turtles, as these would be used to interacting with people.

Mini turtles are engaging and fascinating to observe and handle. Prospective owners should however bear in mind that they are sometimes carriers of the disease salmonella. Persons specifically vulnerable to infection are the elderly, pregnant women, children under the age of five, organ transplant patients, cancer victims, liver patients and diabetics. With the proper precautions in place, such as washing hands after interactions, mini turtles could still make great pets.

Pets In The Classroom Program Exceeds First Year Expectations

Pets blogger

The Pet Care Trust is pleased to announce that the Pets in the Classroom Program saw surprising growth in 2010. The program awarded 2,060 grants to teachers in 2010, its first full year of operation. With an average of 30 students per classroom, the program has brought pets into the lives of almost 62,000 children. Some of these children may have no other contact with a pet except in their classroom. In many cases, it could be the beginning of a lifelong interest in pets and pet care.

Pets in the Classroom is an educational grants program supporting responsible pet care for school classrooms. Sponsored by the Pet Care Trust, the goal of the program is to establish healthy child-pet relationships at an early age by supporting responsible pet care in Kindergarten-6th Grade classrooms across the U.S. and Canada. Many school teachers have very limited resources for the support of classroom animals. The Pet Care Trust sponsors this program to help teachers purchase or maintain pets in the classroom through direct, no-hassle grants. The program leaves it up to the teacher to select the pet that is most appropriate for her/his classroom. There have been a wide variety of funding requests, from snakes and lizards to guinea pigs and rabbits, proving that many different species provide interesting classroom companions.

As of December, 2010, 2,066 certificates were granted totaling nearly $264,000. . The programs initial goal for the year of 700 grant requests was far exceeded. Pets in the Classroom has funded the following classroom pet requests:

Aquariums- 761
Reptiles- 435
Small Animals- 737
Birds- 93
Sustaining- 40 (These grants help teachers who already have a classroom pet with food and supplies).

The program hopes to fund an additional 2,000 classroom grants in 2011. All funding for Pets in the Classroom has come from the Pet Care Trust endowment. As the program expands to reach more elementary school classrooms across the country, the program will rely on direct financial support from the pet industry. Pets in the Classroom welcomes support from corporate and individual donors through tax deductible contribution to the Pet Care Trust. Visit the Trust website today at www.petcartrust.org.