Pet Punter

Archive for the ‘Feeding Your Pet’ Category

Feeding the cats could be as easy as feeding the dogs if you are able to study its mood rightly. Cats are extremely clean creatures and thus require everything of theirs to be maintained separately and cleanly. Once you have fixed the eating spot for your kittie, do not change the location unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Also, make sure that it always has a bowl, which carries clean and fresh water for your cat to quench her thirst.

Visit your vet to find out a proper feeding program for your cat and when you find your cat comfortable with the cycle of food intake, do not change the pattern unless the doctor suggests including some. Cats have unique nutritional need and hence do not mess up with the other pets’ food.

Speaking about the healthy food, which a dog should eat, it should be a balanced diet just as we have. It should have a perfect blend of protein, carbohydrates, fats, energy, water and proper feeding of these nutrients to your lovable pet. Of course, adequate amount of water should also be the vital part of its diet to be healthy. While proteins help promoting the digestibility and palatability, the carbohydrates form the major source of energy for the animal.

Fats, though harmful if taken in excess, is also required for normal growth and healthy, glowing skin. The energy requirements of the dog are the same as the amount of food required for its basic life functions. Hence it is the healthy food which could make your pet perfect and healthy to lead a long life.

The palatability of dry foods can be improved by soaking them in a little water to soften the texture. Any leftovers will then need to be removed at the end of the day. You will soon be able to estimate quite accurately how much food your new tortoise needs on a daily basis, and this will help to prevent wastage.

A heavyweight bowl of drinking water should be accessible in the vivarium at all times, but ensure that the design of the bowl is such that the tortoise cannot fall in and drown. In older tortoises, particularly if they are eating mainly soft food, the edges of the jaws can become overgrown, and this will require veterinary treatment.

The most common digestive upset in rabbits is caused by a sudden change in diet. This means that the bacteria that play such a vital part in the rabbit’s digestive process cannot adapt in time. Treatment with antibiotics is difficult because these drugs interfere with the functioning of the bacteria.

For this reason, it is essential to be aware of what food your new rabbit has been eating, and to keep to it for the first two or three weeks. Changes should be made gradually, with the new brand being introduced at the end of the second week after the rabbits are rehomed.

Rabbits have an unusual digestive system, which means that they are susceptible to digestive upsets. This makes feeding your rabbit one of the most important aspects of its care. Mix the new food with the old, and increase the percentage of the new food over the next couple of weeks, to allow the rabbit’s digestive system time to adjust to the change.

This allows the nutrients to re-enter the digestive tract, passing to the small intestine, where they can be absorbed into the body of the rabbit. The process of rabbit eating should be noted down by the pet owners at all times.

Waxmoth larvae are also very popular as a diet for lizards, and these are particularly valuable for rekindling the appetite of a sick individual and helping it to regain condition. The waxmoth larvae need to be kept cool to delay their pupation.

If the larvae are allowed to develop, they will emerge as moths and can be fed to various lizards, such as chameleons, which will enjoy being able to catch their dinner themselves if the moths are emptied into the vivarium. The substantial size of all kinds of the lizards means that they will feed happily on giant mealworms.

A wide range of commercial diets are now produced for tropical fish, with specialist foods, such as catfish pellets, available for specific varieties. Pelleted foods sink to the bottom of the tank, whereas flake foods float on the surface, which makes them valuable for surface-feeding fish. Although these foods will keep the fish in excellent health, it does not help to vary their diet. The provision of livefoods will help to trigger breeding behavior.

Although aquatic livefoods such as tubifex worms can be provided, there is a risk that they will introduce disease. It is safer to feed livefoods such as tubifex in a freeze-dried state; food prepared in this way can also be stored for longer. You can purchase frozen fresh livefoods, which should be defrosted before being fed to the fish. Never overfed with this food because it will quickly decay in the aquarium if left uneaten.

Carbohydrates are the major energy source for most animals, but the cat can, in fact, survive without them. The cat’s main natural food sources, birds and mice are relatively low in carbohydrates, apart from what is found in the stomach of the prey. Carbohydrates are a cheaper energy source than protein-rich meat and fish and are usually incorporated into most commercial cat foods. Carbohydrates should not make up more than 40 percent of the diet.

It can provide a beneficial boost of readily available energy at times of growth, pregnancy, nursing or stress. They are also a useful source of fiber, which, although not digested by the cat, provides bulk in the faeces. A wild cat could obtain fiber from the fur, feathers or stomach contents of its prey, but he domestic cat obtains in from most commercial cat foods in the form of cellulose or plant fiber.

The range of specialist foods now available makes feeding marine fish straightforward. Formulated foods are available for some marine invertebrates. It is important that the food matches the dietary needs of your fish. You may need to use different types if you have vegetarian and more omnivorous species sharing the tank. Feeding small quantities, several times a day, is recommended to prevent food being wasted and polluting the water. In some cases, as with seashores, you will need to set up a brine shrimp hatchery to maintain a constant supply of food. Brine shrimp are obtainable in the form of eggs, which are then hatched in a well aerated aquarium of heated water.

Checks on other aspects of water chemistry, such as the nitrite level and pH, will also be required. Use a pipette to extract water samples from the aquarium. Using a test kit, you can compare the color change in your water sample to an accompanying chart to determine the result. Should the pH fall below 8.0 then you will need to replace a quarter of the volume of water, checking the specific gravity as well. The nitrite level will give a good indication of the efficiency of the filtration system, and a filter maturation product is helpful for this purpose. It will peak at a figure of about 15 parts per million and should fall back to zero to confirm that the chemicals is being converted to nitrite. Watch the fish first introduced to the tank, as they will be vulnerable to develop signs of the parasitic illness known as velvet disease.

You can feed your rodent a seed-based diet, which contains cereals such as wheat and flaked maize or, preferably a pelleted diet, which contains all the necessary ingredients to keep rats and mice in good health. If you are not feeding your rodent a pre-formulated diet you may need to use a supplement to compensate for any nutritional deficiencies. Sprinkle the supplement over the rodent’s favorite tidbits. When it comes to fresh food, it is best to offer it in small amounts on a regular basis. Although it will not contribute greatly to the protein intake, it will provide valuable vitamins and minerals. Large amounts of fresh food eaten at one time can trigger digestive upsets.

Avoid using mixes that contain significant proportions of oil seeds, such as sunflower or peanuts. These are not recommended for rats and mice on a long-term basis as they are likely to provide skin irritations. There is no harm in offering another treats, such as small subes of cheddar cheese and raisins. The occasional sunflower seed or nut can be used when taming your rodent to feed from the hand. Attempts to hand-feed could lead to bitten fingers. A water bottle that attaches to the rodent’s quarters and an earth ware food container are both essential.