Archive for the ‘Pets’ Category

Different Types of Pet Carriers

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

In the good old days buying or choosing Pet carriers used to be a rather boring or not so likeable option. But these days these pet carriers themselves have become a style statement on its own, with different varieties that is available to choose from. Apart from the regular varieties or regular models there are stylish pet carriers which come in different shapes and sizes and colors suiting your style statement.

There are various different types of pet carriers available everywhere. These include the regular kennel type pet carrier, the special airline approved pet carriers, designer pet carriers, standard models, front side carrying type, rolling model and the regular crates.

You can choose according to the need of yours. If you are a stylish or fashionable person there are specially designed stylish pet carriers. They actually don’t look like a pet carrier at all instead looks like an extended accessory of yours. This would be ideal for those fashionable woman folks.

With so many options available it is up to you to choose the right according to your specification and need as well as importantly your pet’s needs. You can buy them online if you really want to save some time and also more importantly some money.

If my puffed up parakeet sick?

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

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I purchased my parakeet at petsmart 3 days ago. Yesterday I had to take him back in to get his nails clipped cause they were so overgrown that one of them was bent backwards and seemed sore. They clipped his wings for me to make it easier to tame him. I’ve seen a parakeet fly into a wall and die so I’ve been paranoid about that anyway. He also had not eaten anything since I brought him home on wednesday so they gave me a bag of the food he was eating at the store. Last night he finally ate a little.

I know they get lonely and maybe depressed for a while but I think something is wrong with him. Today I haven’t seen him eat again and he just sits there. I’m talking not a peep and he doesn’t even move. He’s just sitting on his perch all puffed up.

I got him bells, wheels, a ladder and even one of those little fake birds… all kinds of toys and he doesn’t touch them. We took him out of his cage for a while and my daughter followed him around for a while but he just doesn’t seem happy. Can anyone tell me if he’s sick?

My best bet is that he is a little scared of his new home. I know when I got my little feathered friend he didn’t eat for days and he actually was not comfortable with my house for about 3-4 months before he started talking all the time. Go here to read up some more tho! Also, it would not hurt to have him looked at just in case. http://parrotcentral.net/parakeets.htm

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he is probably just a little scared right now. being puffed up is okay. it either means they are a little flustered or comfortable. if you have a fountain or music of water he would like that and it may calm him down. playing soft music will work as well. just leave him in a quiet room with the fountain/music and just talk to him real gently. it will take a while for him to calm down. going to a new home and being handled a little roughly to get tripped and clipped probably grated on his nerves quite a bit.

What’s wrong with my cat??

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

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She a kitten and we just adopted her…But she’s constantly meow all day and all night. She has food and water and she does eat and drink. At first the meowing was cute but now its driving me insane.

You didn’t give enough information with your question.

You said this is a kitten, but how young is she? Where did you adopt from? Has she been seen by a vet? Are you feeding her the same food she was given at her previous “home”?

If she is very young - 2 months or so, she may be lonely for her mother and littermates. Give her lots of attention - playing and cuddling time. Hopefully she was successfully weaned from her mother before you adopted her. If so, you should be feeding her the same food she was used to - at least for awhile, until she gets used to her new surroundings. It sounds like she is eating and drinking, so that is good. If you adopted her just from another person and not from a shelter, make sure to take her to a vet. She should have a thorough check up and get set up with her shots and perhaps de-worming.

How to Clean a Koi Pond?

Monday, July 14th, 2008

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I’ve had a koi pon built for a longtime. I finally was able to get the right filter and my husband is picking up the fish next week. The pong is now really dirty and I need to know how to clean it. I just installed the filter. It helped a bit, but it is still really gross! This seems like an overwhelming task. Any tips? Also, where can I get dechlorinator for the water?

Your question really doesn’t specify what the problem is that’s making the pond dirty. You can but nest to remove fallen leaves and other debris that gets blown in to the pond. And since a pond is more than likely a closed environment just like an aquarium, you should do partial water changes to remove any nutrients that are built up (from decaying vegetation/leaves, planting media, fish poop [when you get the fish]). You can do this a number of ways, from using a garden hose as a siphon (you just need to have a lower spot to run the water to), to motor-powered pumps to draw the water and wastes out.

If the problem is algae, you can control this by reducing the nutrient levels in the pond through water changes, but also by controlling the amount of light your pond receives. Adding floating plants or plants with floating leaves will shade the algae so it doesn’t get as much light for photosynthesis, and it also provides some shade and hiding places for your fish. They also help to keep the water temperature cooler because of the shade they provide. Adding barley hay to the pond will help control new algae, but you may have to physically remove algae growing on the walls of the pond yourself. If the algae is free-floating (green water), an ultraviolet sterilizer can help.

You should be able to get a dechlorinator at any pet supply or pond supply store (also check at garden centers that carry pond supplies). But first, be sure that what your local water company uses to treat your water is chlorine, not chloramine.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebInd…
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/chlor.h…
http://americanaquariumproducts.com/Aqua…
http://aginfo.psu.edu/news/2002/8/barley…

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We’ve had a Koi pond in our backyard since 2000. This year our pond looks absolutely wonderful. This spring we drained our pond and hosed it down, added new water. I have been using Liquid Barley Extract regularly, Aquaclear SAB (string algae buster) and Aquaclear Dry Bacteria. This is the best our pond has ever looked. We also purchased a PondoVac 3 that we use weekly to vacuum any debris that may accumulate on the bottom of the pond. The PondoVac 3 vacuums the pond and dispenses it out a hose in the back, so it is all done in one step. Our Koi are really getting large, they are approximately 24″ long now and seem to be really healthy. Hope this helps with your pond.

Vinyl or Aluminum Fences

Monday, July 7th, 2008

So you’ve just recently purchased an old-fashioned ranch just outside the city limits. You want to fix the place up and make it very presentable. Also, you have thought of purchasing a few horses for your children and dream of making the place the perfect home for you and your family. The first thing you thought of putting up is a good and sturdy fence. There are many choices for fences and you can choose from either vinyl or aluminum fence or a horse fence to keep your horses in. When choosing a fence, here are some practical ways on what to look for.

1. Quality. Fences are long-term investments. Although it is a fact that you will have to replace them one day, it’s best that you choose something that will last you some good years. When deciding on vinyl fences, choose companies that are known in the business. You ran a risk on purchasing from foreign companies because most of their products can contain items harmful to humans, like lead. If you plan a family-friendly home, you must be very careful about purchasing fences that are safe and durable. Vinyl fences, using advanced technology uses polymers that are more reliable than regular vinyl. They are rust free and can last a long time.

Aluminum fences on the other are more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. There can be problems when it comes to rust but some manufacturers today have developed powder-coating to prevent the onset of rust. Traditional horse fences made of wood are still being used today but there are already choices of vinyl and plasticized horse fences or the type used on airlines and bridges. There are also mesh horse fences that can help keep not only your horses in but also your dogs and other pets.

2. Budget. Fences would also depend on your budget. The most inexpensive ones are always the traditional wooden fences but have serious implications when it comes to strength and durability. A vinyl fence is a bit more expensive especially if you are planning to surround the whole property but it can definitely last longer than wooden fences. Mesh wire fences are more budget-friendly while aluminum fences would depend on the quality, although they can be quite sturdy and can withstand rain and wind.

3. Other factors. These factors would include aesthetics and purpose. Aluminum fences give a very romantic touch to fences but so do vinyl fences. If you have a small area to cover, you can use vinyl or aluminum fences and you can alternate with other types of fencing material for the rest of the area.

Cleaning my tank?

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

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heyy. i have to dwarf puffers and i wanna clean my tank. ik there is a LOT of waste in the gravel. so, if i stir up the gravel, take out the water with the waste in it, put in new water and add aquaclear, will that be sufficient???? also, how much water should i clean out weekly????

and waaaaaay off topic, but can one ocellaris clownfish and one chocolate chip starfish fit in a 10 gallon? if not, why, because i see like, 10 clowns in a 10 gallon tank and like, 5 choc. chip starfish in a five gallonat petco. so why can they do it and i cant???

get a gravel vacuum……
add dechlorinater to the bucket of new water not to the tank.
do weekly water changes (can go up to 50% with these little devils)
Ya I know they make a mess of a tank.

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you don’t need to stir up the waste at all
just get yourself a gravel siphon, this will do it for you
25% waterchanges are required weekly, because they’re very sensitive to wrong waterconditions

as for the clownfish and starfish

no you can’t keep them in a 10 gallon tank
why they can do it?
because they’re there only for a short period of time

Do russian blues…?

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

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Get along well with other animals except for cats?
I have a russian blue cat and i’m thinking of getting a dog!

My russian blue and english springer spaniel love each other. It took some time at the beginning. But the dog was not a puppy, so he wasn’t all into playing all the time. When they go too wild, when they first met, they had a seperate room for time out (5 minutes). The cats time out room was in the room where her liter box was at. It took about a week or two and they were running around playing with each other.

Make sure the dog you get is okay around cats.

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Introducing a puppy to a cat is usually pretty easy; the puppy is too young and friendly to think it should chase the cat, and you can teach it not to.

The main thing to consider is the dog breed. You might want to get a breed known for being friendly towards animals, like a labrador.

How do you clean a fishtank?

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

I have a small one!

Actually a lot depends on the type of tank you have. I will give details for two common types. The small fish bowl and the small aquarium tank.
Fish Bowl.

Using a fish net, carefully catch the fish and place in another bowl or clean container that has never been washed by soap. Rinse the tank well and be sure to get the debris out of the gravel, etc. Add room temp water and a dechlorinator and reintroduce fish.

While fish bowls are effective for a Betta, it is actually a very bad idea to keep other fish, especially goldfish in a fish bowl. They need much more space and water oxygenation.

A small aquarium should not have to be completely changed. Each week, you should be able to remove 20 to 40% of the volume and replace with fresh clean water. There are many easy to use siphons with gravel cleaning attachments. These are excellent for removing debris from the gravel and siphoning water into a sink or bucket. Once you have remove a portion of the water, rinse your bucket well and refill with treated water at room temperature or as close to the tank temp as possible. It is important to use dechlorinated water as many cities use chlorine and chloramine to treat water and this is toxic to fish.

NEVER use soap on aquariums. Soaps leave residue that is toxic to fish. Often the phospahtes and the detergents added to cleansers will cause distress and even death in fish. Use warm water and if you need to scrub, add salt as a scouring agent and rinse very well.

Partial water changes are best for any aquarium, as it does not disturb the bacterial balance the tanks needs to do well, and it removes many of the biological waste products that build up. A total tear down of any tank larger than 5 gallons is not advised and you should do partial water changes.

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Use a brush to clean the tank and use a hose to siphon
all the dirt from the rocks but only change the water partially.Wash the rock only with the old water because new tap water will kill all the good bacteria. For long term and crystal clean, use a lot of small rock in the tank so the good bacteria can grow on it and eat up the dirt that are too small to see and to be filtered out by any mechanical filter.These are the dirt that make the tank look so cloudy. The bateria will be fully grown in 4 to 6 weeks so be patient. You can do an experiment to realize what I mention by using a bucket and fill it with some dull water from your tank and transfer some rock from your tank and wait for a few weeks.
You will see how clean the water will become. Make sure keep the water supplied with oxygen by running an air pump so the bacteria can “breath” .Never! Never! use soap because this will kill the fish and any good bacteria in the tank no matter how good you rinse the tank afterward.