Outdoor Cat House

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Ned

Outdoor Cat House for Winter

Despite having a fur coat, cats can have trouble keeping warm during winter. An outdoor cat house will protect your pet from the environment, whether it’s extremely cold or hot. It’s important to know which type of outdoor cat house is best for your pet. Here’s some helpful information on how to provide a convenient outdoor shelter for cats.

Insulated Outdoor Cat House

It’s important to have an insulated outdoor cat house, so it can remain cool during a hot summer, and warm during winter. There are many shelters that are safe, warm, and elegant-looking, but the important thing is that they help you ensure your pet’s health.

What should you look for in an insulated outdoor cat house? The first thing is to make sure that the insulating material is high quality. It’s a plus if it has flap doors that can let your pet go in, and protect the inside from the elements. It’s also very helpful if the house is raised from the floor, as it isolates the bottom part from the ground temperature. Lastly, it doesn’t hurt to have a nice-looking shelter. If you want you want the best care for your cat this is an investment worth making.

Outdoor Cat Igloos

outdoor cat igloos

Outdoor Cat Igloo

Igloos are an excellent choice to keep your cat outdoors, and they are usually insulated. If you’re going through a harsh winter, it’s good idea to put a sleeping bag inside, so the house has a warmer flooring. It’s important to place the igloo somewhere where it’s not too exposed to the weather. For example, a garage could work well, or a place that has some sort of cover against air currents. We suggest keeping the shelter on top of something to keep it warmer. It can be something as simple as a piece of wood, or you could also have a small stool for it. This can help keep other animals from entering the outdoor cat house if this is an issue.

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What do Turtles Eat?

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Ned

There are two important factors to consider about what to feed a pet turtle: age and species. Most turtles at a young age begin by eating worms and bugs, but later in life they include plants in their diet. Broadly speaking, there turtles can be herbivores (they primarily eat plants), carnivores (their diet includes mostly meat), and omnivores (a mix of the last two).

The diet of different turtle species varies due to their natural habitat. It’s important that you know what type of turtle you have. Common carnivore pet turtles are Map Turtles and Chinese 3-Striped Box. River Cooter and Malayan Box Turtles should eat mostly plants with very little meat. American Box Turtles are omnivores, and Red-Eared Slider Turtles prefer meat while they’re young, and become omnivores with age.

What do Pet Turtles Eat?

The main areas that a turtle’s diet covers are protein, vegetables, fruit and sometimes even flowers.

For protein any of these will work: boiled eggs, small portions of cooked chicken turkey or fish, different types of worms (waxworms, earthworms, silkworms, mealworms), shrimp, snails and crickets. You shouldn’t feed raw meat to a turtle because it has too much fat, and it’s easily contaminated, which leads to illness. Be careful not to feed too much protein. It can cause stress on the kidneys and shell deformities.

There’s a greater selection of vegetables you can feed to a pet turtle. Leafy greens are usually best such as lettuce, dandelions, grape and fig leaves, carrot, red clover, duckweed, and turnip greens. Other veggies you can use are corn, beets, green beans and peas.

You can also feed fruit to turtles. Some you can try are apple, strawberry, kiwi, bananas, tomatoes, mango, blueberries, grapes, and melon. Turtles can also eat flowers such as roses,lilies, carnations, geraniums, petunias, among others.

Foods that turtles should not eat

You should never feed dairy products or milk to a turtle, because they are unable to digest them. These types of food can harm your pet and cause sickness. Don’t use any kind of processed or canned food. There’s usually ingredients that can damage your turtle such as preservatives and large amounts of salt. Lastly, watch out for poisonous plants. If you keep them near your turtle they will likely be eaten, and even though they eat them in the wild, it’s safer to avoid them.

Important diet observations for turtle health

It’s important to expose your pet turtle to sunlight often. If for some reason this isn’t possible, you can use bulbs for reptiles that emit UVA and UVB. Turtles need vitamin D3, which they produce when they receive sunlight. They also need calcium and phosphorus, the latter is obtained through most foods, and calcium sources can be found in boiled and crushed eggshells, cuttle bone, and crushed oyster shell.

You can keep your turtle happy and healthy by keeping a resemblance to their natural habitat diet. It’s important that you feed them a variety of different foods, just as they would do so in the wild. You can add turtle pellets to their diet. I personally prefer Tetrafauna Reptomin, and my turtles seem to enjoy it, but it’s easy to overuse them. Don’t feed a single type of food, always keep it varied.

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Sugar Glider Cages

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Ned

The following things are really important when choosing your sugar glider cage. Sugar gliders are vulnerable to a number of things, and they are skilled at getting out of cages, so make sure that you get the right cage.

Size and spacing between bars

A sugar glider’s cage should measure at least 3 feet in height, and 2 feet for width and length. Generally, the bigger the cage, the better for your pet, so we recommend buying him the largest you can afford.

The spacing of the wire is important if you want to make sure your sugar glider can’t get out. They are skilled escapists, they can get through 1 inch gaps quite easily, so the recommended spacing is of 1/2 inch.

The material of the cage is very important

Sugar gliders aren’t able to chew through much, so getting him a plastic cage should be fine. Although, the preferred material for these pets is PVC coated wire, which is also easy to clean. It’s important to pay attention to the materials of the cage, because some can be a death sentence on your sugar glider. Avoid galvanized cages at all costs. They may contain zinc residue that is deadly for your pet.

Not all cages are alike, so we really recommend making sure that your cage is coated with PVC. A lot of cages look the same, but some of them have epoxy coating, and are cheaply manufactured. What happens is that this coating starts chipping off after a few months, and your sugar glider can easily get zinc poisoning.

Indoor vs Outdoor

Your sugar glider should be kept inside, because he’s protected from predators and any weather changes. If you decide to keep it outside because of space or odor issues, you should know that they are very sensitive to extreme weather conditions. If it’s hot outside, keep him away from direct sunlight. Choose an area with shade. Under cold climates it’s necessary to provide him with an insulated nest box.

Strong latch

Make sure your cage has a secure latch. Sugar gliders are known to be capable of unlatching doors and showing themselves out.

Floor

There are varieties of floors you can choose. One option is to use a solid plastic floor. A floor made out of wood absorbs urine, and it’s harder to keep clean. Another choice is to use newspaper. It’s enough to absorb any droppings, and it’s easily changed. One last option is to use pine shavings. They will keep a nicer smell, but sugar gliders can make more of a mess if they decide to play with them.

If you opt for pine shavings, make absolutely sure that it’s pine and not cedar. Cedar shavings have a chemical residue that’s known to cause respiratory problems.

Some unsuitable cages for these pets are indoor rabbit cages, hamster cages, and fish tanks. Your sugar glider is a very active creature, and needs a lot of stimulation, so following these tips should be enough to get an adequate home for your pet.

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Indoor Rabbit Cages

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Ned

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Reasons to get an indoor rabbit cage

The first thought that might come to mind when you think about a cage for your rabbit is that it’s unfair. Maybe you’ve thought about letting your pet roam free around your house, but it’s dangerous to let it out unsupervised, and you need to provide a den where it can feel safe. Setting your rabbit free in your home will create all sorts of problems. It’ll start chewing things like phone cables, or worse, electrical cords. You run the risk of stepping over it, it can eat something that will cause illness, and the list can go on. It’s good that it can hop and run, it needs the exercise, but never leave it unsupervised. Rabbits in the wild usually have dens, so don’t feel guilty about putting it into its cage. It needs a place where it can hide and feel comfortable.

What to look for in an indoor rabbit cage

Size

A good rule of thumb when it comes to size is 4 to 5 times the size of a adult rabbit at the least. They should never be housed permanently in small cages. Keep in mind that you will add items into the cage, so think about how comfortable it’ll be for your pet to get around.

You should get the largest house your budget can allow. This way, you won’t have to upgrade as it grows. You can get a multi-level cage, but only if you’re willing to clean it up on a regular basis. It’s best to have a smaller clean den than a dirty bunny mansion. The height of a cage should be enough so the rabbit’s ears don’t touch the top as it stands straight.

Floor

Most cages will have grid floors. You should make sure to add a solid padded surface. Some breeds do not have enough cushion on their feet, so they can end up getting irritated or damaged.

Easy access

You’ll want a large opening on your cage to take your rabbit in and out with ease. This will make it much easier to clean. Some doors also work as ramps, which is good, unless it has a metal grid surface. Others will let you remove the top entirely, but in the end it’s a matter of personal preference.

Litter box

Rabbits are usually clean creatures. You can easily train it to use a litter box, so look for a model that has a litter box or enough space to place one.

Indoor rabbit cage or outdoor hutch?

The benefit of an indoor cage is that they are usually easier to move around. Outdoor hutches are often heavier, and are not made to be portable. The decision is up to you, maybe you live in a cold area, and it’s not suitable to have your pet outdoors. You can also get both, indoor cages are great to keep it warm and safe, and outdoor hutches will allow it to breathe fresh air and get a workout on the grass. It’s important that you think this carefully. It’s more convenient to make the investment once. Let it grow into a house that will still have enough room for it to be comfortable. No matter how large its cage is, it’s very important to let it out often. You must supervise it, unless you have something like a rabbit run that keeps it out of harm.

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Healthy Dog Food

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Ned

If you’re reading this, it might be because you know all about what’s in most economy dog foods. You may be looking to buy healthy dog food, but you want to know which is the best. If this is the case, feel free to skip to the next section, otherwise please read on as we review the ingredients and myths of most dog foods found in supermarkets.

Dog food myths and realities

A common myth is that you can feed the same dog food to your pet for long periods of time (maybe even his entire life). Nothing could be further from the truth, especially if we’re talking about cheap commercial dog food. In order to make more profit, many mass producing manufacturers use the cheapest ingredients to comply with the guaranteed analysis. This is, the minimum requirements for things like protein, fat, and fiber.

In order to increase the percentage of protein, some companies will use grains as a main ingredient. The problem is that dogs cannot properly digest foods like corn, wheat and soy, besides the fact that they cause strain on their kidneys, and result in premature aging. You’ll find these in dog food labels as ground yellow corn, ground whole wheat, whole grain corn, among other names.

So, do they use meat at all? Yes they do, just not the quality you’d expect.

That’s where terms like “by-products” and “meat and bone meal” come into play. This is meat that’s not qualified for humans, such as chicken heads, fish heads, intestines. Dead pets, animal farms or roadkill are all included under these terms. Animals that may have been injected with steroids, antibiotics, or died of different diseases and traumas. They’re ground up in factories, and can make for a large percentage of your pet’s food.

Chemicals and preservatives are the worst part of these foods. They can be in storage for up to 18 months before they’re even put on the shelves, so they need powerful chemicals. The top 3 chemical preservatives used are BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin. The first two are known carcinogens, and can cause liver and kidney failure. Ethoxyquin is used as a rubber stabilizer.

Buy Healthy Dog Food

So, here’s how to buy healthy dog food:

  • Read the label. The first few ingredients will be the predominant ones. Look for meat as their first ingredient, followed by other types of meat, a vegetable or grain.
  • Look for ingredients preserved with Vitamin E or C.
  • Avoid foods that list grains, by-products or meat and bone meal as their main ingredient.
  • Avoid those that have BHT, BHA or Ethoxyquin as preservatives.

Best healthy dog food brands

With an increasing number of people who expect better quality food for their pets, there have been many companies to step up to the challenge. The Whole Dog Journal
is a great publication we recommend you sign up to. Every year they release a report in which they rate the best wet and dry foods. There are some incredible products out there, some of which are mentioned below.

Holistic dog food such as Life’s Abundance, Flint River Ranch, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack. They offer both canned and dry food with fresh, nutritious ingredients and no toxic preservatives.

Another option we recommend is cooking for your dog. You can prepare it from scratch, or you can use dog mix. All you have to do is add meat and water to get an all-natural, homemade dog food in a matter of minutes. Flint River Ranch, Sojourner Farms, Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health, The Honest Kitchen are fantastic recommended products under this category.

With any dietary change, it’s recommended you do so gradually to allow your dog’s stomach to adapt to change. At the very least, you now have a better idea on how to read pet food labels, but we highly suggest you make an extra effort and find him the best you can offer. You can also include supplements in his food. Your pet has the potential to live well into his 20s if he receives the proper nutrition. He’ll appreciate it, and so will you.

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Dog Food Allergies

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Ned

The first step in treating dog food allergies is to make sure the problem is due to his diet. It’s recommended you have a veterinarian confirm this is the issue, and discard anything more serious. The most common symptoms you can pick up on are skin irritations (hotspots, scabs), loss of appetite, constant vomiting, chronic diarrhea, blood or mucus on his feces, excessive scratching or paw licking.

At this point it’s time to rule out other reasons for his allergies. Covering other allergies is not the intention of this post, but we’d like to point out that it could be due to enviromental reasons.

Try to remember if he has eaten anything different lately, or if someone could’ve fed him a snack. Otherwise, if this has been an ongoing problem, then most likely dog food is the cause, especially economy dog food found in supermarkets. Many mass producing manufacturers include all sorts of chemicals and questionable ingredients in their formula, which makes it the worst dog food for dogs with allergies.

Just so you have an idea what’s in most dog foods, let’s take a look at some ingredients. Afterwards, it’ll seem only natural for your dog to react this way.

Corn, wheat and soy

Cereal grains are known allergents (corn is the third most common known allergent among dogs). Some pet food companies will use grains as their main ingredient to increase the percentage of protein. The problem is that dogs are not able to digest them, and can cause strain on their kidneys. You’ll know these are main ingredients if you can find terms like “ground yellow corn” or “ground whole wheat” in the top three in the label.

By-products/meat and bone meal

By-products are essentially meat not fit for human consumption. Chicken or fish heads, intestines, pig feet, among others. These are also indigestable protein sources, and they can include contaminated or diseased slaughterhouse meat.

Meat and bone meal can legally include roadkill, dead pets or farm animals. This is meat of animals that could’ve died from diseases or traumas, that may have had steroids or antibiotics put into them. They’re ground up in rendering factories, and marketed as “wholesome”.

Chemicals and preservatives

Companies that produce mass quantities of food will use preservatives, because they can be stored up to 18 months before you see them on the shelves. BHA, BHT (which are known carcinogens that cause kidney failure) and Ethoxyquin (used as rubber stabilizer), are commonly used for this purpose. In addition, there will be artificial coloring and flavors. Any of these ingredients could be the cause of your pet’s condition.

After reviewing what’s usually in pet foods, one can wonder if it’s really about allergies or just poor nutrition.

What you can do

One thing you can do is upgrade to healthy dog food. The best dog food for allergies we recommend are holistic foods which have natural and nutritious ingredients. These don’t use any of the chemicals seen here. These higher quality ingredients will make all the difference in your dog’s health.

The best dog food for dogs with allergies might be that which you can cook yourself. There’s no single ingredient that causes dog food allergies, it can be from chicken or beef to preservatives, so this way you can have a better idea of what triggers his behavior. For this process we recommend consulting with your vet, and making a slow transition to his new diet to take it easy on his stomach. It’s also recommended to include supplements, such as Omega 3 fatty acids, this will help especially if there’s problem with his skin or fur.

A quick emergency fix

If your pet’s situation is grave, and he seems to vomit everything, your best option is to feed him cream of rice, wheat or oatmeal. If his stomach is irritated, this will provide a coat and allow it to heal. Give it to him in small portions, making sure he holds it down. Add a little low-fat milk to give it a thicker consistency.

It could be difficult to find the cause of his allergies, but knowing what we’ve reviewed here will provide a clearer perspective on things. You can first cook for him in order to pinpoint his allergy, but if in time it get’s too time consuming, you can feed him a mix of holistic pet food with your cooking, or try dog food mixes which only require boiled water.

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