Know your bird !

When considering whether to trim a bird’s wings or not, consider the following positive and negative results:
Positive • Birds will be protected from themselves – they will be unable to fly into mirrors, windows and ceiling fans • Trimming can cause a bird to be more tame and less aggressive Negative • Trimmed wings can cause a bird to lose its balance both on a perch and while in flight • Unbalance flight can cause the bird to crash and injure itself • The bird will be unable to escape predators like cats • The bird could get caught behind furniture or doors and not be able to get itself out • Incorrect clipping can cause wing damage .

Bird owners who choose to clip their birds wings should trim the wings every 6 – 10 weeks after the start of the molt cycle as new feathers grow back. Before trimming your bird for the first time, you may want to find an experienced person or veterinarian to assist you. The first trimming should not take off too much of the feathers giving the bird a chance to adjust to its lifestyle with limited flight capabilities – each time you trim you can take off a bit more. It is important to not cut too deeply so as to not cause the feathers to bleed – never clip the blood feathers or the pin feathers.

Nail and Beak Care
Bird’s nails and beak should not be trimmed using conventional clippers or scissors – clipping the nails can create an emergency situation if the nails begin to bleed. To smooth out the beak or nails of a bird, use an emery board to file down the sharp edges of each nail and the end of the beak.

Bathing
Birds in the wild bath themselves in the rain and in puddles formed by the rain. Caged birds and indoor birds should be given the same opportunity to bath by providing them a bowl of regular household tap water to splash in. The moisture on their wings will remove dirt and dust and encourage preening. If you prefer not to deal with a water mess that may be caused by a bowl of water, you can use a spray bottle to mist the bird – the spray moisture will also encourage preening.

After a bath, birds should be allowed to dry completely in a warm environment – preferably out in the sun. If you choose to use a hair dryer, hold the hair dryer at least a foot away from the bird and use a low heat setting to prevent burning the bird.

Feather Molting
Throughout a bird’s life, its feathers will grow old, fall out and be replaced by new colorful feathers. This natural physiological process of feather replacement is call molting. Molting occurs at regular intervals that vary between different bird types. Environmental conditions, such as climate and location, also will influence the molting cycle.

Your bird info is here !

BIRD Feeding Information
Birds require a well balance diet with plenty of variety of the right kinds of foods that contain essential vitamins and minerals. When feeding birds, be sure to offer foods that are high in nutritional value, and not mixed with nuts or seeds. Birds are picky eaters and will consume the nuts and seeds and ignore the nutritional foods. The following details specific things to pay attention to when feeding your bird.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is critical to your pet bird’s health. This vitamin helps maintain healthy feathers, skin, eyes, intestinal tract, respiratory system, and reproduction organs and tracts. To ensure your bird gets an amply supply of Vitamin A, be sure to provide a variety of vitamin A rich foods such as sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, spinach, corn, apricots, eggs and fish oils. Seeds do not contain sufficient Vitamin A - birds that prefer to eat nothing but seeds (called “seed junkies”) eventually become sickly due to the lack of Vitamin A and shorten the bird’s overall life span.

Nuts and Seeds
Seed Junkies refuse to eat anything but sunflower seeds, pinenuts, peanuts and other types of bird seed. Seeds and nuts contain addictive fats that can create an energy boost, similar to a “sugar rush” that humans feels when consuming sugary products. This boost from fats creates a preference for high-fat foods. When birds become hooked and then are deprived of the fatty nuts and seeds that they prefer, they become lethargic and depressed. Recent research shows that not only are sunflower seeds common in pet bird’s diets, but also can be particularly addictive.

Variety
Birds should be fed a regular diet of nutritious fruits and vegetables, supplemented with common bird feed. A with most pets, birds are creatures of habit and like to see familiar, common foods at regular intervals. It is common for birds to shy away from new or unfamiliar foods and will take some time observing the new food before they will give it a try. As new foods can cause the bird stress, it is important to keep the bird’s diet consistent and familiar when they are ill – introducing new foods during times of sickness will cause the bird to eat less and not recover as quickly. It should be noted that during sicknesses, any change from the normal routine (feeding times, cage location, etc.) will cause the bird additional stress .

BIRD Grooming

Grooming and FeathersWing Clipping
The decision to trim a bird’s wings is clearly a preferential decision made by the pet owner. Owners of free roaming birds may enjoy seeing their birds fly around the home and may not want to trim the bird’s wings. Cage bird’s wings should be trimmed regularly to prevent the bird from injuring itself by trying to fly around in its cage.

Hamster (part 2)

HAMSTER Medicine Information

Liquid Medication

• Liquid medication is best given by using a syringe or eye dropper to draw up the required amount of medication.
• Hold the hamster’s head and neck with one hand and use the other hand to insert the tip of the syringe or eyedropper behind the front teeth.
• When the hamster opens its mouth to try and spit out the syringe, slowly administer the medication into its mouth.

Tablet Medication

• Pills should be crushed before they are given to hamsters.
• Mix the crushed pill with ¼ teaspoon (1ml) of flavored Sustacal or Ensure.
• Use a syringe or eyedropper, as described above, to administer the liquid.

HAMSTER Emergencies

When faced with life threatening illnesses, hamsters will require veterinary care with in hours of the first symptoms. Do not delay in seeking medical help for your hamster if it exhibits any of the following sypmptoms:

• Uncontrollable bleeding – from self induced injuries or if attacked by a predator.
• Broken bones – including injuries caused from falling
• Extreme drop in body temperature – including shock caused by being drenched with water
• Severe Diarrhea
• Difficulty breathing or labored breathing
• Blood present in urine – orange or red colored urine
• Poisoning – look for signs of temporary paralysis

I Love Hamster

The modern day pet hamster was first discovered in Syria in 1830. An Israeli Zoologist working in the Syrian desert brought the hamster back to his lab and was successful in breeding them. Later, in 1839 a British zoologist named George Waterhouse gave them their modern day name – the Golden Hamster. All common household pet hamsters are descendents of the Syrian desert hamsters.

Hamsters were shipped all over the world arriving in the United Kingdom in 1931 and later in the United States in 1938 for use in lab research. Hamsters are healthy, disease free animals and have the potential to have a new litter of babies nearly every month.

General Care Information

• Get the right equipment – cage, bedding, nesting materials, toys, water bottle, foood
• Provide a good variety of foods – in addition to hamster mix and hamster treats, provide fresh fruit and vegetables
• Clean their cages weekly
• Get regular checkups with the veterinarian
• Handle your hamster with care – wash your hands before and after handling your hamster

Handling your Hamster

Hamsters that are handled regularly, beginning when they are young, become docile friendly creatures. But beware, if a hamster feels he is being handled too rough, or if he is disturbed when resting or sleeping they can become aggressive. If the hamster becomes aggressive you can grab the hamster by the skin on the back of its neck to move it back to its cage. The next time you pick up your hamster you may want to try using gloves.

To pick up hamsters, follow these general guidelines:

• Cup your hands around the hamster and press your palms against it.
• To pick up on the back of the neck, cup your hand under the hamster’s rump and use your thumb and index and middle fingers to grab the loose skin on the neck.

Bird

Modern pet birds were first domesticated thousands of years ago, with some species being domesticated as pets within the last several hundred years. Canaries were first bred into captivity in the early 1600s, while the parakeet, with its varied and diverse classes, is believed to have been domesticated for thousands of years.

Birds have had an enormous impact in human life serving as a primary source of food and also in performing important tasks. As a source of food, recent estimates indicate that every year more than 9.8 billion birds are raised, slaughtered and consumed for human consumption in the United States alone. In addition to food, birds have performs such tasks as carrying communications (Homing pigeons), hunting (falcons), scientific research (chickens and pigeons), and protecting miners from poisonous gasses (canaries).

Pet birds provide lively, constant companions that can fill a home with relaxing chirps and singing. Additionally they can bring vivid color and life into quiet corners of the home. Some species of birds can live well into their 60s and 70s creating a life long bond with their owner.

General Care for your bird
Birds, like all pets, require care, attention and companionship. When bringing a bird home make sure you are prepared for a little noise, an occasional mess, and a long term relationship.
Birds don’t just sing beautiful songs, they also screech and holler at what can seem like random intervals.

Expect to clean up after your birds as they toss thing from their cage and scatter food and seeds around their cage.
Regular cleaning of the cage should also be expected.
Some types of birds can become extremely attached to their owners and lose all zest for life if abandoned or sold.

Sunlight – Ultraviolet W
Caged birds need sunlight and rarely get enough ultraviolet radiation from the windows in the home. Birds require ultraviolet (UV-W) light through their skin to facilitate the absorption of calcium as food passes through the intestinal tract. Without enough calcium, birds will develop weak bones and lose muscle tone.

Be sure to get your bird outside as often as possible, especially on sunny days. Place the bird in its cage in a well ventilated sunny spot that is well out of the reach of neighborhood cats and other predators. On hot summer days, be sure to partially cover the cage with some shade so that the bird can move in and out of the sun to stay cool.
In areas of the world or in certain owner situations where direct sunlight is not always available, artificial light sources can be used to create the needed ultraviolet light birds need.

Sunlight – Ultraviolet W
Caged birds need sunlight and rarely get enough ultraviolet radiation from the windows in the home. Birds require ultraviolet (UV-W) light through their skin to facilitate the absorption of calcium as food passes through the intestinal tract. Without enough calcium, birds will develop weak bones and lose muscle tone.

Be sure to get your bird outside as often as possible, especially on sunny days. Place the bird in its cage in a well ventilated sunny spot that is well out of the reach of neighborhood cats and other predators. On hot summer days, be sure to partially cover the cage with some shade so that the bird can move in and out of the sun to stay cool.

In areas of the world or in certain owner situations where direct sunlight is not always available, artificial light sources can be used to create the needed ultraviolet light birds need.

Oh,Boy!

Some experts speculate that horses were first domesticated almost 10,000 years ago. Throughout time, these sturdy and resilient animals have been used for transportation, to transport cargo, and sometimes for food. Around 2000 BC, historical records indicate that horses were used by many different cultures and societies.

Once domesticated, horses began to be bred for their specific abilities and characteristics. As humans began to find various uses for these animals they began to breed certain horses for pulling plows and wagons, for riding (with and without saddles), and as mentioned before, some cultures used horses as a source of meat and milk. Modern day horses are used mainly for recreation, although in some areas of the world horses are still used for work. HORSE Scientific

Information :
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: MammaliaOrder: PerissodactylaFamily: EquidaeGenus: EquusSpecies: E. caballus .

Horse care :

Horses will require on going care and attention - educate yourself on the cost of owning a horse
Make sure horses have access to plenty of nutritious foods and fresh water
Horses hoofs need regular attention and care - about every 6-8 weeks
Take your horse to the Veterinarian every year for a check up and a tetnus shot
Horses need regular exercise - establish a regular exercise routine
Horses need protection from the elements - provide your horse with adequate shelter to protect them from wind, rain, snow and heat
Horses need to be de-wormed every 6-8 weeks - consult with your local veterinarian for the best de-worming solutions .

HORSE Grooming:
Grooming your horse regularly produces many benefits. A regular, daily regimen of brushing will keep your horse clean, disease free and will help keep your horse accustomed to being handled. Additionally, grooming provides a gentle massage to your horses coat to promote good circulation and further enhancing resistance to disease.

To groom your horse, us a good stiff brush and stroke your horse using a firm broad stroke in the direction of the hair. Do not brush your horse against the grain of its coat. To remove unwanted dirt or stains, use warm water and a brush. You should avoid using soaps and shampoos that will remove oil from the horses coat – these natural body oils are important for keeping the horse clean and warm, especially during the winter months.

HORSE Housing
Whether in a barn or in the field, horses need to feel safe and have the ability to find
seclusion and rest. Horses should be provided some sort of shelter from the elements where they can escape the bitter cold, pounding hail, strong winds or even the heat of the sun on hot days. Typically, barns and stables are used as temporary holding locations for horses, as horses prefer to be outdoors where they can run for exercise and graze. Sometimes, horse owners will stable their horses to prevent them from over eating or if they are stress from the elements or pets.

As a side note, if you must tie up your horse, do not tie up the horse so that its nose is tied closely to the pole, restricting the horses’ movement. Feeling constrained and being unable to turn its head from side to side, horses will panic and may injure themselves or damage their harness.

HORSE Exercising
Horses, like most animals, need plenty of exercise. Regular exercise will improve your horse’s circulation and digestion and improve the strength of muscles, tendons and bones, and will build endurance, stamina and resistance to disease. Horses kept in open fields will find ways to keep themselves in shape, while stabled horses need the focused attention of their owners to get enough exercise.

As you begin to exercise your horse, set up a regular schedule or routine for your horse. This will insure that your horse gets consistent attention and will allow the horse to gradually build up strength over time.

Before beginning a regular, strenuous exercise routine, horses need to build up strength. Start with light running and walking, allowing your horse to get accustomed to the activity. Remember to walk your horse before trotting and trot before running. Horses that are not adequately warmed up and stretched can injure or pull muscles.

Before beginning stretching, take your horse for a brisk walk to warm up the muscles. To stretch your horse, pull gently on each leg – do NOT use excessive force as you may injure the animal. Stretch each leg for 30 -60 seconds.

As you exercise your horse, be sure to choose exercises that you and your horse both enjoy. Activities such as running, climbing or jumping will appeal to different horses in different ways. Be sure to follow cues from your horse as to what activities it prefers.

love your pet!

"Woof, woof, woof! Ruff, Ruff!"

The origin of the canine can be traced back with some certainty to the Eocene Miacids that existed nearly 55 million years ago. The modern day dog evolved from the Canoidea line (a coyote type of dog) that existed around 38 million years ago, which again evolved into a fox-like animal (the Leptocyon) and then into a wolf-like animal (the Tomarctus) about 10 million years ago. The Tomarctus was apparently native to the North American continent, and from there began expanding throughout the various parts of the world. The dog like Tomarctus was a dog-like carnivore that eventually evolved into the modern day dog.

DOG Scientific Information:
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Canidae Genus: Canis Species: C. lupus Subspecies: C.l. familia

Care Your Pet :

*Puppies should begin training at approximately 10 weeks of age
*Dogs need plenty of daily exercise – three times a day is recommended
*Dogs should be checked frequently for ticks, fleas and other parasites
*Dogs should be bathed with dog shampoo and not human shampoo (baby shampoo ok for washing the head)
*Dog ears should be cleaned weekly
*Dog teeth should be brushed at least twice a week – dog biscuits between brushing will help keep teeth clean and breath fresh.
*Dry dog food is recommended, supplemented with a high quality vitamin
*Dogs should take a heartworm pill once a month
*Dogs should visit their veterinarian once a year for an exam and regular vaccines

Dry Dog Food
A quality dry dog food should contain approximately 10% water and contain a mixture of soy, meat products, grains, vegetables, animal fats, and added vitamins and minerals. These types of dry dog foods are coated with a meat flavoring to encourage consumption. Smell and taste the animal fat on the food and will eat until they are satisfied. In addition to nutritional value, dry dog foods provide a rough texture to help clean the dog’s teeth and gums.
Unless specified as a dietary precaution by the dog’s veterinarian, the dog’s food bowl should be kept full at all times to encourage healthy eating.

Canned Dog Food
Canned dog food is generally not recommended as a regular dietary item. Although dogs will prefer the taste of canned foods, canned dog food is mostly water (nearly 80%) and does not help promote good health for the dog’s teeth and gums. Care should be taken that dogs do not over eat when fed canned food.

Caring for your dog’s coat .
Your dog’s coat should be brushed daily – frequent and regular brushing will help to remove loose fur and loosen pet dander. The fur should always be brushed in the direction of the fur.
Dogs should be shampooed with a shampoo that is meant for dogs. To give your dog a bath, place him in a tub of warm water and use a cup or hand held shower head to wet him. Rub the shampoo in evenly over the entire dog, paying particular attention to the legs, underbelly and paws. If you are concerned about getting shampoo in the dog’s eyes, you can always use baby shampoo on the dog’s head. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.
After taking your dog out of the tub, towel dry the fur and use a brush to smooth out the fur and prevent knotting.

Trimming your dog's nails
To trim your dog’s nails, purchase a set of nail clippers that are meant for dogs at your local pet store. Scissors generally do not work well, and can cause unneeded discomfort for your dog during clipping.

Begin by holding your dog's paw in one hand, and the clippers in the other. Place the clippers over the nail and clip only the tip of the nail. Be careful not to clip too close, as cutting off too much will damage and expose the vein. As the vein can be difficult to see, begin by clipping off a bit at a time. If the vein does accidentally get cut, apply pressure to the wound with a clean gauze pad until the bleeding stops.

Cleaning your dog's teeth
When brushing your dog’s teeth, do NOT use regular toothpaste as it isn’t safe for dogs to swallow. Use a medium to heavy bristle toothbrush or a rubber “finger brush” to gently rub on your dog’s gums and teeth.
To open your dog’s mouth, hold its mouth open by lifting the loose skin at the sides of his mouth. The teeth should be brushed in the direction that they grow. Choose a special doggie toothpaste that comes in a flavor dogs prefer.
A dog’s teeth can also be cleaned by providing it with a dog biscuit that is designed for keeping tartar off your dog's teeth.
Dogs teeth should be checked and cleaned during it’s annual visit to the veterinarian.

Cleaning your dog's ears
To clean your dog’s ears, lightly dampen the end of a cotton tip swab. Do not stick the swab directly into the ear, as you may inadvertently damage the dog’s ear drum. Use the damp swab to gently clean the exterior areas of its ears. Mineral oil should never be used to clean dogs ears – the oils tend to remain in the ear causing hearing problems.
Frequent ear scratching generally means ear mites. Dog’s ears should be checked annually during their regular visit to the veterinarian.
If you encounter difficulties in grooming your dog, take him to a professional groomer and watch to see how it is done. The dog groomer can also give you advice and more tips on how to deal specifically with your dog.

DOG Housing
When choosing a location for a dog’s bed or living space, it’s important to remember that dogs are creatures of habit –where you start out your puppy is probably where your grown up dog will end up sleeping. If the dog will be an indoor dog, choose an out of the way location that is cool and well ventilated. Puppies that are allowed to sleep in the owner’s bed will grow into large unwelcomed sleeping partners later in life.

Outdoor dogs should be sheltered in a dog house that will prevent wind and rain from getting inside. The house should be big enough to allow the dog to enter completely, and turn in a full circle before lying down. During the winter months, a heavy cloth should be hung over the door to keep in heat and prevent wind and moisture from entering. Dogs prefer loose bedding, generally a couple of warm blankets work best. Make sure to clean the dog house regularly to keep the dog healthy and comfortable.

DOG Exercising
The amount of exercise required by dogs varies from dog to dog – smaller dogs get plenty of exercise just playing with a ball in the family room, while larger dogs need room to run and stretch their legs. But regardless of how much exercise a dog needs, it’s important that they a get regular, daily opportunity to run. Just like humans, dogs need plenty of water and intermittent rest during exercise, especially on hot days.
Sometimes the best exercise for dogs is to allow them to play with other dogs in the neighborhood. As outdoor dogs get more exercise just doing their normal routine, indoor dogs can be encouraged to exercise by providing them with toys.