Pet Punter

Archive for July, 2011

Newts and Salamanders eat livefoods but it may be possible to persuade them to ear small goldfish pellets when they are living in water. This is a safer option than other aquatic livefoods available from fish-keeping outlets. Tubifex worms, for example, are likely to introduce unpleasant bacteria into the water, while daphnia, or “water fleas”, may bring parasites or even predatory insects with them, and these could attack tadpoles. The best option when providing livefood is to breed your own. Although daphnia can be cultured in a water tank outdoors, there will be less risk of disease if you use terrestrial livefoods such as whiteworm.

These can be breed at home with little effort, and can be used when these amphibians are both on land and in water. You cannot buy supplies of whiteform in the same way as other livefoods, such as mealworms, but you can usually acquire starter kits. To cultivate whiteworms, you will need a clean plastic container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub. Half fill the tub with a peat substitute and then, with a pencil, dab some holes in the peat. The holes should be partly filled with damp bread, which has been moistened in milk and will has been moistened in milk and will act as nourishment for the worms. Divide the culture up and cover the worms, placing the lid on top to prevent it drying out too quickly. If kept at a temperature of 20⁰ C it should be possible to harvest from the culture after about one month. Lift out the worms with tweezers and drop them into a saucer of dechlorinated water, which will keep them apart from the substrate, and offer them to the amphibians. Whiteworms are a very nutritious food and are especially valuable for young amphibians.

Member of the cat family Felidae range from the great, roaring cats much as the lion and tiger to the small domestic cats. They are separated into different genuses, not because of their size but because of differences in their anatomy. These enable members of the genus Panthera to roar, while the small cat genus Felis cannot do so, Early in the 1900s there were more than 230 species in the cat family, but now there are fewer than 30.Many have become extinct because cats have always been hunted and killed by humans for their fine pelts.

Origins Of Domestic Cats: There is a close relationship between the wild and the domestic cat but it is uncertain which wild sub-species of the Felis genus actually made the leap into domesticity. Wild cats are widely distributed worldwide and they vary considerably in appearance and habits, but experts generally agree that the most likely wild ancestor of the domestic cat is of European, Asian or African origin.

The Path To Domestication: As human developed agrarian society, based on crops that attracted rodents, kittens were tamed and put to work on the land as a form of pest control. But it was in ancient Egypt, around 3,500 years ago, that cats were elevated to a status above rodent-catcher. Cats were revered as symbol of fertility and, in some households, they were even mummified in death. The domesticated cat appeared in the Far East around 2,000 BC, possibly derived from the Asian desert cat. In Europe, the Roman valued cats as symbols of liberty and they smuggled them from Egypt to their northern conquests to be used for mousing.

In fact, the domestic cat has probably been saved by its abilities as a hunter. With the fall of the Roman Empire the cat lost popularity, and for more than 700 years after the first millennium, cats were associated with witches and evil and were widely persecuted. The domestic cat found favor once again in the 1600s, but it was not until the 1800s, the serious interest was taken in the form of exhibitions at country fairs and shows.

Outdoor Housing: Hutches outdoor should be divided into two sections – an outer area with a mesh front, and secure, snug sleeping quarters. Guinea pigs do not sit up like rabbits, so the hutch does not need to be especially tall. When you buy a hutch check that the doors are secure, and add combination locks to latches to deter dexterous foxes. It is also a good idea to oil the hinges every couple of months, enabling them to open smoothly, and helping to prolong their lifespan. Regularly check the roofing felt to ensure that the interior remain dry. A dense layer of hay will help to provide warm sleeping quarters, and will supplement the guinea pig’s diet. If you are planning to construct the hutch yourself, you should give it secure legs, made of 5 cm square timber, that stand at least 30 cm off the ground. The sides of the hutch can be constructed using tongue-and-groove timber, although thick marine plywood often proves to be more durable. The roof should slope from front to back, with an overhang at the back so that rainwater runs off readily, rather than down the back of the hutch where it would rot the wood.

Outdoor runs for guinea pigs are similar to rabbit runs, although, like hutches, they do not need to be as tall. Pet store usually stock a variety runs including ark-shaped designs, which have a dry section at one end where the guinea pig can retreat in bad weather, and rectangular runs, which also have a covered area. Check that you can reach right into the run to pick up the guinea pig, since guinea pigs can be very difficult to catch. Position the run in a shady spot and remember to move it every week or so, to ensure that the area of grass beneath the sides of the run does not die back. Avoid using lawn that has recently been treated with weedkillers or potentially harmful chemicals. Place the run on level ground as a guinea pig may otherwise escape beneath one of the sides; you may not be aware of this danger if the grass is long. Fresh drinking water should always be available in the run.

Indoor Housing: An indoor hutch should combine a cage with a plastic base and a wire mesh surround that prevents the guinea pig from chambering out. The base will ensure that bedding is not scattered out into the room. Wire mesh lids, which lip on to the hutch, prevent attacks from dogs and cats.

Budgerigars are prone to the disease known as scaly face, and in most cases they will have been infected with the parasites that cause illness while still in the nest. This is a relatively easy condition to identify. Symptoms include any tiny white spot, which start out on the bird’s upper bill and spread to the side of the face, causing coral-like encrustations here. Treatment is with a proprietary cream spread over the affected area.

You will need to continue treating the bird for a period after the obvious signs have disappeared, to be sure of eliminating any mites that may still exist in the skin. Otherwise, the infection can recur. It is important to replace the perches at this stage because the bird may have transferred mites, which could reinfect it in the future. Scaly mites can also affect the legs in some cases, resulting in the appearance of white scaly swellings on this part of the body. Red mite is another common avian parasite and this is often spread during the breeding season. The mites lurk within breeding cages and nest boxes, and they emerge to suck the blood of the chicks, which gives them their characteristics coloration. Covering the cage with a white cloth overnight is likely to reveal the presence of red mites in the morning, with their coloration standing out against the cloth. A specific avian aerosol can be useful to kill these parasites, and the bird’s quarters should also be washed thoroughly. The best of the products now available commercially have a residual action and will offer some protection against reinfection. Aside from resulting in anemia, especially in chicks, red mite can also cause the condition known as feather plucking.

Mirrors can help to keep a pet bird occupied but, on occasion, cock budgerigars may end up feeding their reflections repeatedly. This phase will usually pass as the bird’s desire to breed subsides, but there may be another, more sinister cause of the behavior. A crop parasite called Trichomonas, often passed from adult birds to their chicks in the nest, can flare up causing the budgerigar to regurgitate its seed. On closer examinations the crop, at the base of the neck, will also be swollen with air. It is usually possible to treat trichomoniasis successfully, but be aware that the condition may recur again, should any of the parasites have survived.

Pairings of Syrian Hamsters need to be carried out very cautiously to prevent injuries caused by fighting. Once mature, the female can be recognized by the rounded, rather than step-like, profile of her hindquarters when viewed from the side and she will be larger in size than the male. Never be tempted to introduce him to her quarters, because she will almost inevitably attach her intended partner. Aggression is less likely if she is placed in alongside the male, because in the wild, it is the female who journeys in search of a mate. The other alternative is to introduce the pair on neutral ground in a container with a removal partition. If the female is receptive to her intended partner, then mating will normally occur within an hour, after which the pair should be separated again.

It is usually possible to tell when the female is ready to mate by stroking her back. If she stand still with her tail raised, this is a sign that she is ready. Female hamsters come into heat roughly every four days, so you will not have long to wait in any event. In pregnancy, the gestation period for hamsters is among the shortest of all mammals. A female Syrian Hamster will produce her offspring just 16 days after mating, and the five to seven young pups will be totally helpless at birth. The normal gestation period for Russian and Chinese hamsters will last about 19 days in both cases. Avoid disturbing the nest at this can cause cannibalism. The young grow quickly and will start to emerge from their nest at about two weeks old. Within a further fortnight, they will be independent and should be moved to separate accommodation. Males can also be recognized by the relatively longer gap between their anal and genital openings.