A Rubdown for Your Dog
Remember just how good a massage feels after a particularly hard day- those first pained responses as your muscles reacted to the beginning of the kneading, pulling and pinching motions- later followed by a more soothing and relaxed response to the...
Dog training - reward training basics
Training with treats and other food based rewards is a great way
to motivate your dog and speed the training process along. Most
dogs are highly motivated by food rewards, and treat training
using this kind of positive reinforcement is used to...
Flea Control With Cats and Dogs
Fleas are the most common external parasite of pets in North America. Fleas are small wingless insects that use their specialized mouth to pierce the skin and siphon blood from their host. When a flea bites, it injects a small amount of saliva into...
How to choose a dog breeder
Generally people are very keen on animals, dogs especially,wanting to have one in their apartments or houses. The dog breeders are the persons you can contact whenever you want to take a pure breed dog. Yet, the problem of the dog breeders's...
Shih Tzu Grooming Tips - Coat Handling Basics/The Little Guys
Use gentle action. When bathing, thoroughly wet the coat with warm water, apply shampoo and gently squeeze the suds through the coat to cleanse rather than scrubbing the hair back and forth. Use a gentle, all natural shampoo such as HealthyPetNet...
Pet Rat Care: The Top 10 Mistakes Of New Rat Owners
Being a dedicated rat owner can be very rewarding. All it takes
is a little research and a lot of preparation.
If you're getting ready to adopt a rat as a cherished pet, there
are some pitfalls that you should be aware of beforehand. Here
are 10 of the most common pet rat care mistakes that first-time
rattie owners make:
1. Getting only one rat.
A person might think that getting two rats is too much extra
work... or that a pet rat will bond with a human owner more
readily if there is no other rat around to become friends with.
The truth is that rats are highly social creatures. They need to
have other rat-friends to play with and to "talk" to.
Furthermore, taking care of two rats is not much more work than
caring for one.
2. Getting the wrong kind of bedding.
Sometimes a rat owner will want to cut corners and use newspaper
or cheap bedding. Rats are very sensitive to the chemicals in
the ink and cheap bedding can often have dusty particles that
will irritate their lungs. If you see a red discharge coming
from their noses, chances are, there is an irritant present in
the air. Pine wood chips are not safe!
3. Feeding the rats an imbalanced diet.
No, it's not cute how your furry friends can eat almost as much
pizza as you. Caring for pet rats means feeding them healthy
food. Look, there's no excuse. Fruits and veggies are not
expensive items to buy; also, be sure they get their share of
lab blocks, seeds, and a daily dab of a vitamin supplement.
4. Not cleaning the cage often or thoroughly enough.
Their urine will decompose and produce ammonia. This, along with
the decomposing bedding can irritate their lungs. Yes, it's a
pain to do. But putting up with the unpleasant aspects will only
help you to appreciate them more. Clean and disinfect with
bleach-water once a week, or up to two weeks, maximum.
5. Not taking them out to play often enough.
Rats will eventually get depressed if they remain cooped up
inside their limited cage environment. If you make play time fun
and challenging, you will be looking forward to the bonding time
as well!
6. Deciding to breed for the wrong reasons.
Breeding responsibly is not a lucrative or easy hobby to get
into, especially at the beginning. Don't get stuck with a litter
of rats that wind up becoming snake-food at a pet store.
Instead, try investing some time volunteering for or starting an
apprenticeship with a breeder.
7. Not giving them enough toys.
If you bore your rats, they will become boring. Rats not only
love to play, explore and solve problems, but they actually need
to be constantly stimulated by a challenging learning
environment. Provide them with a variety of toys and games and
switch things around constantly. They'll love you for it!
8. Entering them into a fancy rat show before researching it.
You may love your rats and think they are just the most perfect
rats you have ever seen, but the American Fancy Rat and Mouse
Association (AFRMA) has very strict standards and those judges
have seen hundreds--if not thousands--of rats in their day.
Before deciding to enter your rats into a show, visit one first.
Interview a handful of judges and learn exactly what makes a rat
top in its class. Then decide.
9. Procrastinating on researching a qualified vet for small
animals.
The moment one of your rats becomes ill, you will want to have
the phone number of a good vet handy. Not all vets will treat
small animals or rats. Do the searching beforehand and spare
yourself the frustration and desperation an emergency situation
can sometimes bring about.
10. Underestimating the importance of belonging to a rat club or
rat society.
Belonging to a rat club or rat society such as AFRMA will go a
long way in getting your key rat questions answered. Moreover,
doing so will connect you with a community of rat lovers who are
likely to want to share what they know for the sake of advancing
the hobby as a whole.
About the author:
Colin Patterson is author of a guide to pet rat care that will
explain all you need to know if you're thinking about getting
pet rats. Visit Colin's site at http://www.petratguide.com
