Here are some general Guinea pig handling tips to make sure you have the most content and happy pet guinea pigs.
Food: – Guinea Pigs need vitamin C daily. However buying a brand of guinea pig food with added vitamin C is not sufficient; your guinea pig will need fresh food too. Fresh food they like; carrots, cucumber, celery, peppers, baby sweet corn, apple, grapes, melon, cauliflower leaves, and romaine lettuce. This is in combination with the dry general guinea pig food.
Checkups: – Make sure you check your guinea pig’s ear, eyes and nose daily. The ears should be warm, and eyes and nose should be clear and the eyes bright.
Teeth: – Guinea Pigs need to have a constant supply of fresh, non dirty hay to help them grind their teeth down. A hay rack is advisable so the hay is not on the bottom of the pen. If their teeth overgrow they will not be able to eat and a tell tale sign of this is saliva round the mouth.
Nails: – These will need trimming regularly. I suggest you go to the vets for this.
Grooming: – Some people groom their pigs daily (especially if they are long haired guinea pigs). Sometimes a quick coat trim is required if it is hot. Also a bath is required when your pig get smelly.
The lives of seals in Northumberland are being threatened by fisherman. The clever seals have learnt that to take fish from the nets of the fisherman as an easy meal, but the fishermen are claiming that this is costing them thousands of pounds every year. So, if they have a license, the fishermen are allowed to shoot the seals. This law applies in England, Scotland and Wales but in places like Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man it is now against the law. A row has broken out as people believe it should be made against the law everywhere. However it is being reviewed in Scotland so with any luck if it becomes against the law in Scotland it might set a president for the rest of the home nations.
Someone call the Animal Rights Groups, or at least Trading Standards.
A zoo in Gaza City, in the Middle East has decided to dye its donkeys! After the zoo’s zebra past away the cost to replace the zebra would have been £20,000. Due to strict rules the zoo would have had to smuggle them in so instead they decided to dye a couple of donkeys instead.
I don’t suggest trying this with your own pets though, the zoo had to use masking tape and black hair dye as the paint (!!!) they used the first time didn’t work.
Apparently the children don’t know any different and believe they are zebra, therefore leaving the zoo happy.
Sexuality in animals has often been debated – if humans can be straight or gay then it is logical that the differences can also appear in the animal kingdom too. However a zoo in Germany came under attack this week from Gay Rights groups. The zoo had discovered that three of its penguin couples we same sex couples (all males) and had taken a decision to introduce 4 female penguins in an effort to create mating couples. The Gay Rights Groups protested against the experiment claiming that the zoo was forcing the couples to part.
In a statement to the Major of the German city the Gay Rights Group were protesting against;
the organised and forced harassment through female seductresses
The zoo has now abandoned its plans for the penguins and now says;
Everyone can live here as they please
Bees aren’t strictly pets but they can make a great hobby for an animal lover.
Bees are great pollinators so are useful for your garden. You will obviously also benefit from producing your own beeswax and honey. Bee populations are on the decline in the UK so keeping them is actually helping the environment.
You don’t need a huge garden to keep bees but you should make sure that your neighbours are ok about it before you invest in any equipment.
There is an abundance of beekeeping advice to be found in the internet and there are also many books available on the subject. You may find that there are bee keeping clubs and associations in your area so have a chat with them before you take the plunge.
If you are lucky enough to have your own garden you can enjoy it even more by encouraging wildlife into it. The intention should not be to make the wild creatures tame but to gain pleasure from observing them about their daily lives.
You are more likely to get wildlife in a garden where there are plants and trees and pesticides are not in use. Having a pond is also a great idea as you will attract frogs and aquatic insects as well as providing a valuable water supply for other animals.
Compost heaps are commonly used by hedgehogs as shelter and they also attract insects which in turn provide food for birds.
Rabbits make great pets but can suffer from health problems as any animal can. Below you will find details of some of the more common rabbit health problems and ways to deal with them.
Overgrown Incisors
Rabbits front teeth never stop growing which is ok for wild rabbits but can cause a big problem for pet rabbits. In order to keep the teeth in good shape, gnawing blocks such as logs with ark on and hard food such as root vegetable should be provided.
Overgrown Claws
Wild rabbit claws are kept worn down by digging and burrowing. Cage kept rabbits don’t often have this luxury so claws can be kept in trim by clipping them. It’s not difficult but some people may prefer to use a vet for this procedure.
Obesity
Rabbits can become very overweight if they are kept in confined spaces and/or fed the wrong diet. Fat rabbits should be given as much room as possible to roam and exercise.
Bengal Cats are a fairly new breed and were originally bred by crossing an Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic cat. Bengals have a wild appearance but have a domestic temperament.
The conformation of a Bengal is similar to normal domestic cats but their legs and back are longer. They have small heads, short muzzles and large eyes. They weight from 3 to 7 kilos with the males generally being heavier than females.
There are ten sub species of Bengal with variations in colour which is often influenced by the geographical origin of the cat.
The beautiful coat and markings can unfortunately draw the attention of the fur trade.
Puppy farms are like factories for producing dogs and are run for profit only. The dogs are treated as commodities and are often unhealthy, bred from more than they should be and can live in terrible conditions.
The pups are usually removed from their mothers far too early which can leave them traumatized. They are shipped around the country by rail or in trucks and sent to dealers or pet shops. Many pups don’t survive the experience and those that do often have health or temperament problems.
If you love dogs then please don’t buy one from a puppy farm as they can only survive if there is a demand. Pet shops should also be avoided as it is likely that their pups have also originated at a puppy farm.
Feeding wild birds can bring you great pleasure as well as providing a valuable source of nutrition for our feather friends.
The main time to put food in the garden is in the winter when food is scarce. Many birds migrate to warmer climates but the ones that remain have to compete for food with birds that come to the UK from more northern countries than our own.
Suitable feed for wild birds would include fruit, nuts and seeds, leftovers including rice and cakes. You can feed bread but it should be soaked as dry bread swells in the bird’s stomach.