Posts Tagged ‘Happy’

Owning a ferret can be great fun. But before you can enjoy some time with your new pet, it is important you know what it takes to care for your little fun loving fur-ball. Ferret care can be very easy, its just you need to know what's best, most of which is common sense and if you have owned other pets then you are off to a good start. This top 10 guide will walk you through the things you must know about your ferrets care.

Ferrets Care Tip #1: Pay Close Attention to What You Feed Your Little Critter. Ferrets are carnivorous animals and will therefore generally eat meat and meat byproducts. Since they have a very high metabolism and a fast acting digestive system, they will be eating numerous times in a given day. Therefore, it will be your job to ensure that it gets food each time it is hungry. That said note that a typical ferret diet needs to be high in protein and fat while low in fiber and carbohydrates.

Ferrets Care Tip #2: Leave a Constant Supply of Water Ferrets drink a lot of water in a day therefore you need to ensure that they have constant access to clean water. At the same time you also need to make sure that the water is fresh. Hence, you should be changing the water at least twice in a day if possible.

Ferrets Care Tip #3: Opt for Plastic Flooring in Your Ferret's Cage Having a plastic floor in your ferret's cage will not only benefit your pet, but it will also help you out in the long run. Since most wire mesh cages run the risk of the little critter getting its feet stuck somewhere or the other, the plastic floor will help negate this problem and allow your ferret to roam freely in its cage. Meanwhile, the plastic flooring will facilitate the cleaning of the cage; something you must do at least once every week.

Ferrets Care Tip #4: Give Your Ferret Enough Playtime These little fun loving fur-balls are playful animals and therefore you must give them at least 2 hours of playtime outside their cage daily. Not only will these sessions keep your ferret happy, but they will also act as exercise which keeps them in tip-top shape.

Ferrets Care Tip #5: Have Your Pet Sprayed or Neutered Not only will this help reduce any pet odor, but it might also help save its life. The latter point is truer for female ferrets, which if not bred in heat, can sometimes die of anemia.

Ferrets Care Tip #6: Keep a Close Eye on Weather Conditions It is imperative that you protect your ferret from heat and sunlight. Anything over 80 degrees Fahrenheit can be lethal for your pet so be careful each time the weather gets hot.

Ferrets Care Tip #7: Give Them Toys - The More The Merrier Giving toys to your ferret will stimulate and enhance its play time. Just make sure that the toys do not contain any item that can be swallowed, for instance a button.

Ferrets Care Tip #8: Visit a Veterinarian Vaccinations for your pet are an integral part of care and ownership. Therefore, make it a point to go to a vet who will not only vaccinate your pet, but will also tell you about various preventive measures for common diseases and viruses ferrets are prone to.

Ferrets Care Tip #9: Treats Treats can be a very good idea when training your pet. They allow for positive reinforcement which will greatly enhance the training sessions. Remember though that you must never overindulge in giving treats as the high amounts of vitamins and fatty oils in the treats can cause serious health concerns. As a rule of thumb; never give your ferret more than a single teaspoon of treats in a day.

Ferrets Care Tip #10: Love Your Pet As you probably guessed by now these animals are extremely social creatures and therefore the love you shower on your pet will go a long, long way to keeping them happy. It is imperative that you spend time with your ferret on a daily basis. Your love, and your care, will ultimately decide how happy they are.

Megan Howard is a real ferret enthusiast with years of experience in keeping and raising them. Since being bought her first pet ferret when she was 7, she has gained an enormous amount of knowledge and know how over the last 15 years on how to create the best relationship with your pet and how to ensure your ferret is the happiest, healthiest and most fun loving ferret it possibly could be.

If you would like more ferrets care tips and advice then why not visit http://www.babyferretcare.com, theres even a FREE email mini-course you can get on how to Raise a Healthy Ferret!

No, feeding ferrets Twinkies is not a good idea! As a matter of fact, it is highly unacceptable to feed your fuzzies any sort of sweet treats. Not only will this make your ferret temporarily hyperactive like when the Chipmunks got a dose of sweet creamy latte, giving them an over abundant dosage of sugar could lead to diseases which could cause its death.

One of the diseases that your pet ferret could acquire is insulinoma. While the disease itself has to do with insufficient glucose or sugar in the ferret's system, this is only an aftershoot of a tumor that makes the ferret produce more insulin that thereby absorbs the glucose in the system. Unchecked, this could eventually lead to death.

Feeding ferrets is akin to feeding a ravenous carnivore. That's right, carnivore. That cute little bugger sitting on your lap won't take in carrots or celery, it would surely give it back to you. It eats meat.

Before you fry those pork chops, well, don't give it pork chops. Pork chops are high in fat. You wouldn't want to have an obese and chronically sick pet would you? Instead prepare for it specially prepared ferret food that you could buy in pet shops. Doing so minimizes the risk of you just basically screwing up its digestive system.

Feeding ferrets is a matter of careful scrutiny and research. You may occasionally give it poultry. However, before you do, you should ensure that you are not loading that chicken with breading or flour. Chicken breading is usually loaded with Mono Sodium Glutamate, which in sufficient quantities could be classified as outright dangerous even to human health.

Remember, ferrets are strict carnivores. That's why they are ideal companions when hunting rabbits. As a matter of principle, natural food (i.e. live rabbits) are its favored diet. The lean meat has enough protein to sustain it and rabbits are not particularly famous for eating daily at McDonald's, so they don't have a high fat content. It's just a simple fact that hunters don't eat veggies. Ergo, ferrets are hunters and therefore they eat meat.

Care should be taken in selecting it's diet. You just don't grab a mouse and then throw it to the ferret. Smaller animals, particularly rodents, guinea pigs and hamsters are not advisable for your ferret. Rats in particular may contain a host of bacteria and viruses that could infect your pet ferret. Trust me, you wouldn't want your ferret to eat a rat.

Aside from those, never give it the following:

Dog food or low quality cat food
Twinkies and other candy
Anything that is high on carbs and sugar
Fruit and vegetables

If you really want to have your pet ferret fed with a safe diet, a healthy serving of boiled or steamed chicken breasts is one of the safest bets. Their digestive system just doesn't play that well with carbohydrates and sugar. Could you imagine giving a lion a hunk of cabbages.

Feeding ferrets with the right diet ultimately results in a longer life span. Unlock the secrets of giving your fuzzies the best ferret food and care at http://adopt-a-ferret-101.com

It is important to understand rabbits behavior in order to have a successful relationship with one. Rabbits are often seen as adorable cuddly animals and many people especially children see them as an ideal pet often times with bad results. Rabbits make wonderful pets but unlike cats and dogs they have a unique form of communication primarily through body language and occasionally verbally. They can also understand some human words but primarily respond based on your tone of voice and your body language. Once you learn their language and also the basic care requirements you will be on your way to a pleasant experience as a rabbit owner.

It helps to put into perspective the rabbits instinctive position in the wild. Rabbits are prey animals therefore they are constantly on the lookout for danger and ready at anytime to take action to avoid predators. They live in social communities called Warrens and develop a hierarchy based on domination, as far as your rabbit is concerned you are also a rabbit and will have to establish your place in the Warren. Rabbits are also very territorial and will defend their territory against invaders.

To understand your pet rabbits behavior you will have to learn the many ways of communicating. Sometimes your rabbit's expression can mean very different things so you will have to do some interpretation based on your experience with your rabbit.

Sniffing - May be annoyed or just talking to you

Grunts - Usually angry, watch out or you could get bit!

Shrill scream - Hurt or dying

Circling your feet - Can be part of a courtship dance or a means of getting attention. If other aggressive indicators are displayed, e.g. an erect tail and laid back ears, an attack is about to take place.

Chewing - is a natural behavior. This keeps your rabbits teeth ground down and is instinctive to keep any obstruction (electrical cords, etc.) that are encroaching on the entrance to his burrow

Spraying - Males that are not neutered will mark female rabbits in this manner as well as their territory. Females will also spray.

Chinning - Their chin contains scent glands, so they rub their chin on items to indicate that they belong to them. Same as a cat rubbing its forehead on people and objects.

False pregnancy - Usually just unspayed females may build a nest & pull hair from their chest & stomach to line the nest. They may even stop eating as rabbits do the day before they give birth.

Bunny hop/dance - a jump straight up with a mid-air half turn and a twist usually executed in mid-run. A sign of pure joy & happiness!

Begging - Rabbits are worse than dogs about begging, especially for sweets. Beware of giving the rabbit treats as overweight rabbits are not as healthy as trim rabbits.

Boxing - rabbit stands on hind legs with their dukes up and throws punches. Stay back or your going to get it.

Territory droppings - Droppings that are not in a pile, but are scattered, are signs that this territory belongs to the rabbit. This will often occur upon entering a new environment. If another rabbit lives in the same house this may always be a nuisance.

Flop - rabbit literally throws his/herself onto their side which looks like they just keeled over. You have a happy at ease rabbit.

Playing - Rabbits like to push or toss objects around. They may also race madly around the house, jump on and off of the couch and act like a kid that's had too much sugar.

Burrowing: Tunneling behavior. Instinctive Rabbits are burrowing animals

Bunching - Pushing, pulling, and biting bed linens, towels, pillows. Organizing to their liking

Don't touch my stuff - Rabbits often are displeased when you rearrange their cage as you clean. They are creatures of habit and when they get things just right, they like them to remain that way.

Stomping - He's frightened, mad or trying to tell you that there's danger (in his opinion).

Teeth Grinding - Indicates contentment, like a cats purr. Loud grinding can indicate pain.

One of the joys of having a rabbit as a pet is to fully experience all of the behaviors your rabbit will exhibit as a happy rabbit. In order for your rabbit to be happy it is important to know how to care for and keep you rabbit comfortable.

Rabbits are social animals and do best with a fellow rabbit companion along with lots of attention form you. Make sure you provide plenty of play time along with human interaction. If your rabbit is happy and comfortable you will find that they will seek you out to cuddle and often times will curl up on your chest to take a bunny nap but don't forget most rabbits don't like to be picked up. Most rabbits will get along just fine with other animals such as dogs, cats, and other small mammals be they need to be properly introduced. Most rabbit organizations can guide you through the steps. Be cautious if you have young children since rabbits can be easily squeezed to hard and injured. Understanding your pet rabbits behavior is important but most or all enjoy your pet rabbit to the fullest.

for more information on understanding your rabbit's behavior visit www.furryfriends4life.com

Hamsters are solitary animals, meaning they should live by themselves in their own little home, but you should try to give your hamster the biggest cage you can afford and have room for in your own house. Usually, a proper sized hamster cage is at least one square foot in size, but like I said, if you can get a bigger one your hamster will really love you for it! You should only keep one hamster per cage, otherwise the hamsters may fight and seriously hurt each other, except for dwarf hamsters who tend to be more sociable, but it is still a good idea to only keep one per cage.

In the wild, hamsters like to run several miles each night, so you should make sure to include a hamster exercise wheel because it will provide hours of fun for your hamster, and it will also keep your hamster fit and in shape. I think the wire wheels are unsafe for hamsters, because the hamsters leg can get caught in the wire while the wheel is turning, causing a broken leg. You will need to provide fresh wood shavings in the bottom of the hamster cage for bedding. A pet hamster will love you even more if you provide some fun toys to play with. Hamsters are notorious escape artists, so you need to make sure whichever hamster cage you decide to buy is secure. Hamsters like to dig tunnels and can maneuver through small spaces to escape.

I think the best hamster cages are the ones with a hard plastic base and wire body, with a hard plastic top. These cages sometimes come with various accessories to make your hamsters life more entertaining, such as various tunnels and lookout towers. Some people prefer to let their pet hamsters live in aquariums, which is also a fine home for a hamster as long as you make sure the aquarium has a lot of air circulation and that it does not get too hot or humid for the hamster. Never keep a hamster in a cardboard or wooden box unattended, because they can simply chew their way out. Of course, you always want to make sure your hamster is kept safely away from other pets that can harm the hamster like cats and dogs. Keep this information about hamster cages in mind, and always keep learning more about your pets and continue to have fun with them.

P. Anderson is an animal lover and pet care enthusiast. For more valuable information about hamster cages and hamster care in general, visit http://www.hamster-care.com

How can you make your little hamster as happy and healthy as possible?

The first and possibly best way of improving your hamster's quality of life is to give them a nice big cage. If you think about it, your hamster is spending all day inside their cage and the more room they have to run around the happier they will be. Of course you need to make sure that the cage is kept nice and clean with a fresh supply of food and water.

Larger cages also give more opportunity to introduce more toys for your pet hamster to play with and this is the second of our tips for a happy hamster. Add both shop bought toys (such as wooden toys to chew and interact with) and toys you make yourself. Toilet rolls, paper towel tubes and the long cardboard tubes from wrapping paper all make great toys for a dwarf hamster to explore and chew. Do make sure that anything you give your hamster is non toxic and do not give them toys made out of soft plastic as they will chew it and it can do damage to their intestines.

Of course you will want to give your hamster the opportunity to run about outside of his cage always under close supervision and with doors and windows closed. A safe way of giving them this extra exercise is a hamster ball. The hamster ball is much like a fully enclosed hamster wheel made of clear plastic that you can pop your hamster into and then let him roll around and explore the world outside his cage, without the danger of his getting lost or hurt. Because a hamster can get up a reasonable speed in a hamster ball you should not let them play at the top of stairs, or in a room with cats or dogs. An alternative to the hamster wheel is a hamster car, which is a small plastic car, with a big hamster ball in the middle. As your hamster runs, so the car moves forwards.

The final tip for a happy hamster is to play with them! Hamsters love human interaction as they are very sociable pets. A good time to play with your hamster is early evening, when they are just waking up (as they are nocturnal animals your hamster will be asleep during our day time and awake during our nights).

Remember, a good hamster cage is a great start to helping your hamster become a happy pet. Have you considered one of the unusual designs available, or a pink hamster cage?

Simon Murray is a pet lover and writer and likes helping other hammy owners care for their pets.

Having dogs or cats in your house can be great. They can be beautiful pets, also playful and funny. But how many times have you had to get out of the house to walk your pet on a cold winter day? How many times have you found your house upside down because your pet wanted to play. Also having a dog or a cat can be costly. That's why we think that hamsters can be great family pets. They are also not as pretentious as other pets, and they are easy to take care of.

You should carefully choose your hamster to be sure that you will be satisfied. If you want a small hamster that is also great as a companion, then you should choose a dwarf hamster.

If you want to raise happy, healthy dwarf hamsters, you should know something about taking care of those kinds of hamsters. Dwarf master care is easy, but you will have to remember some useful hints.

Try to buy your hamster from a hamster exposition or from a well known pet store. That's how you can be sure that your pet was born in a healthy environment. Also the expert raisers have increased knowledge about matching the pairs in order to breed the best hamsters you can get.

The next step is to make sure that your cage is enough for your pet when he or she will grow. It is not good to change the cage after, because your hamster will be stressed, and it takes time for him to get use to the new cage. A little house is appreciated by the hamsters. Also make sure that the house and toys are easy to clean and disinfect.

Try to avoid cedar abatement. Cedar contains oils that can harm your pet. Also try to choose diversified food. The dwarf hamster usually eats as much as he needs, but tends to make himself stashes of food. Give your hamster little portions of fruits and vegetables. Try to avoid lemons and oranges, also green salad, garlic or onions. Broccoli, apples and pumpkins are much appreciated by the dwarf hamster.

Cleaning the cage is mandatory at least once a week. You should also talk to your pet and brush him from time to time. Dwarf hamsters can recognize voices, and also get attached to the person who takes care of them. Also keep in mind that the hamsters cannot see too well on the edgeways. You should not put your dwarf hamster on the table or in your bed. Also try not to let them free in your house. The dwarf hamster is very small and can be easily stepped on.

Usually hamsters don't get sick, but this could happen. Try to get your pet to the veterinary immediately after buying him. Hamster diseases act very fast, so you should be prepared in case this happens.

I'm sure you and your kids will be thrilled about your new dwarf hamster. You can also teach them about dwarf master care, making them more responsible and preparing them for their lives. Keep in mind this simple advice, so you can be sure you have a happy, healthy dwarf hamster.

Are you ready to learn everything you need to know about Dwarf Hamster Care? Visit http://www.dwarfhamsterlife.com today for more information!

A happy dog makes a superb companion. And by making your dog happy it can not only help strengthen the bond you have with your dog but can also be of benefit to you both. Here are five ways that can help to make your dog happy.

1 Special Playing Time. Just as we enjoy our own recreational treats, dogs enjoy them too. Dogs like play and, by playing and having fun with your dog, it will not only help the rapport and understanding you have but can also benefit your dog physically and mentally. Much depends on the type of dog you have as to what you play but discover games and activities you both enjoy and set time aside for sharing and enjoying. Possible games could include hide and seek, fetch or playing ball. Also, you can add to the fun by combining a playing session with a trip out. Dogs do enjoy going and getting out and again a change of scene can do you both good.

2 Treats. Dogs like treats and you could find it helpful to have some dog toys that are just brought out as a treat and special occasions. These could be toys you feel your dog would particularly value and, by bringing them out occasionally, your dog will appreciate their specialness. However, at the end of a playing session, do make sure these toys go away. This not only reinforces in your dog's mind that you are in control but emphasizes the value of these particular toys and with your dog appreciating the chance to use and enjoy them. Playing with special toys helps your dog feel special too.

3 Acknowledge and reward good behavior. Dogs enjoy praise and when your dog has done well, such as responding to training instructions, helped you in some way or behaving well when you are talking to someone, show your pleasure perhaps by giving your dog a few dog biscuits you have handy. However by indicating to your dog you are pleased and rewarding your dog accordingly you will be encouraging your dog to behave in like manner again and, when your dog knows it has done well, it too will be all the happier.

4 Give your dog attention. In addition to spending and enjoying time with your dog, show you care by grooming and giving your dog attention. Dogs not only enjoy the added attention and pleasures - and sometimes cuddles - that come with grooming but it has other benefits too. Grooming allows you to check your dog's general condition as well as help with your dog's general hygiene and well-being. Brushing your dog's coat can, for instance, help prevent skin disease, allow you to sort out tangles and make your dog more presentable. Similarly brushing your dog's teeth can help prevent gum disease, tooth loss as well as help combat bad breath. Also, do keep your dog's eating area clean, giving good food and particularly replenishing your dog's water bowl. Just as it is essential for us to drink often, it too is important for your dog - and with fresh water. Show you care - and your time and attention will be rewarded with a healthier and happier dog.

5 Dogs like to be active and valued and so give your dog a purpose. Train your dog to get the post, to carry something or give your dog new tricks to master. By giving your dog something to do it will help to give your dog a sense of achievement and worth. And when your dog has done what you want, give praise and appreciation and perhaps a treat. Also, if your dog is left alone for any length of time, leave out something to keep your dog occupied. In this an activity toy filled with something tasty could be especially appreciated. Boredom can lead to problems so do give your dog something to do or chew on. We all like to be valued and dogs are no exception. Value your dog and you will help make your dog feel special - and happy.

By Neil Whiteland. For some great dog training and caring advice visit [http://www.GreatDogTips.com] For more dog tips visit Neil’s blog at http://www.Great-Dog-Tips.blogspot.com