Caring for your Pet Hamster

Over the years, hamsters have become increasingly popular as a household pet.Hamsters are often the pet of choice amongst pet owners due to their size, cleanliness and the fact that they are just downright cute!  Hamsters make terrific first pets due to the fact that they are easily cared for by pet owners of any age.

When caring for your pet hamster, one should consider appropriate housing, nutrition, exercise and entertainment. All of these will play an important role in the development and health of your pet hamster.

Declawing

First, please note that declawing your cat so he won’t scratch your furniture is cruel and inhumane. It is the equivalent of cutting off your finger up to the first knuckle. There can be serious physical and psychological effects. Instead, you should train your cat to use a scratching post. Other alternatives include a quick, painless trimming of his claws (which you can do at home using special clippers) or covering the claws with soft sheaths (which you can purchase relatively inexpensively). Scratching is one of your cat’s most ingrained instincts. Keep a scratching post near where the cat usually sleeps or, if he has already picked out a corner of your sofa, keep it next to that chosen spot. You may need to train your cat to use his scratching post. Do not pick him up and put his paws on the scratching post (that will only make him want to avoid it). Make the scratching post appealing to him: rub catnip on it or mist it with catnip spray; drape a heavy string (a long leather shoelace works great) over it and wiggle it to catch his interest; put treats on the very top. Important:  Invest in a scratching post that is 24″ or 30″ tall, with a sturdy base – your cat may be using the arm of the sofa because he can stretch higher than his scratching post will allow. Most of the ones you will find at the store are only 18″ high so you may need to visit a pet supply store. I recently found THE best scratching post for our cats!  It’s made out of rough sisal (NOT the rope, a weave!).  It’s tall (29 inches), doesn’t fall over, doesn’t wobble, and doesn’t slide across the floor.  And, of course, the best part:  all the cats love it.  It’s called the TopCat Sisal Scratching Post. A few cats don’t like scratching on a vertical post, but will scratch willingly on a flat scratching pad. If your cat prefers a flat surface, you can either buy one of the cardboard scratching boxes (typically available from mail order or pet stores), or buy a scrap of plywood and a carpet remnant, large enough to fold around onto the back of the plywood. Cut the corners on an angle, fold the carpet remnant over the wood, and tack the carpet on using carpet tacks or heavy-duty staples. Sometimes changing to a scratching post that is covered with sisal rope or a different texture will kindle his interest in the post, as well. An additional idea, one that worked well when there were more vacant rooms in the house, is to follow the instructions above for a flat-surface scratching pad, then mount it on the wall at a convenient height for the cat, in a hallway or in the laundry room. Other solutions: If he’s scratching wood furniture, rub strong-smelling furniture polish into it. For sofa and chair sides, cover the edges of the sofa with heavy plastic (available at your local fabric store – typically used to cover footstools or protect tablecloths – you can buy twist-pins while you’re there to hold the place neatly in place) or aluminum foil for a retro, funky look (use velcro or double-stick tape to hold in place). Or spray a cloth thoroughly with one of the sprays formulated for keeping a cat off the furniture, and pin it to the sofa, chair, or your speakers (don’t spray directly onto the furniture). Or, put strips of self-adhesive velcro (loop side out) on the favored scratching spots. If all else fails, everytime you see him actively clawing the furniture, spray him lightly from a bottle of water (do this only when he is actually scratching, not when he is approaching or leaving the furniture).

Clipping Bird’s Nails

An important part of proper bird care is keeping your bird’s nails properly trimmed. Pet birds that live in captivity do not have their nails exposed to constant use, so they may be prone to developing overgrown nails. To prevent this, it is essential that you keep your bird’s nails trimmed. However, trimming your bird’s nails should be done with extreme care, since it is possible to cut into the blood supply inside a bird’s nail.

STEP 1

Prepare your clipping tools. It’s best to use a small nail clipper that is designed for small animals such as cats, birds or dogs. If you have access to an electronic filer, this can also be used to make the trimming process slightly easier. It’s highly recommended that you also have a styptic powder available while trimming your bird’s nails, since this is an effective tool for stopping any bleeding that may occur.

Bird – Open Mouth Breathing

One of the most common health issues in pet birds is respiratory problems. Most pet birds will develop some type of respiratory illness at some point in their captive life, which may or may not be life threatening. Many veterinarians report that behavior such as “open-mouth breathing” is one of the most commonly reported respiratory symptoms by pet bird owners. There are many different factors that can cause open-mouth breathing in a pet bird, which may sometimes require immediate veterinary attention.

Bird Food

Caring for a pet bird involves also ensuring that they receive proper nutrition. There are hundreds of different pet bird food formulas available on the market, each of which is marketed as providing the “best” nutrition for your bird. With all of these choices, deciding which bird food formula to feed your pet bird can be extremely difficult. However, having some basic knowledge about pet bird food that can make the process much easier. In addition to this, you are able to take complete control of your bird’s diet by choosing to use a variety of ingredients to feed your bird. Being familiar with some of the general information about pet bird food is a very important part of pet care, since it will ensure that you are able to keep your bird’s best interests in mind when choosing a formula.

Basic Grooming Equipment

GROOMING BRUSH

A grooming brush is probably one of the most integral tools for grooming your dog. Brushing your pet dog’s fur on a regular basis goes a long way towards maintaining the overall health of your dog’s coat. In order to choose a grooming brush, you first need to identify certain aspects of your dog’s coat. For example, if your dog is a short-haired breed, you will most likely require a brush that has short, coarse bristles. This type of brush will be the most effective in removing excess hair from your dog’s coat. If you have a long-haired dog, you will need to purchase a grooming brush that is specially designed for dogs with long hair. Choosing a grooming brush is essential to the grooming process, and is also very important in overall pet care procedures.

Picking the right shampoo for your dog

Taking care of your dog’s health involves a lot of responsibility. Your dog’s personal hygiene is actually an important part of their good health. When choosing the proper shampoo for your dog, there are many factors to consider. Not every dog can use a certain shampoo, as some shampoo formulas are specifically designed for different types of dogs. Depending on the needs of your dog, you may choose from several different dog shampoo formulas.

Finding the right groomer

Some dogs require grooming several times per week, which requires a significant investment in time. Since not every dog owner has enough free time to groom their dog on a regular basis, many different commercial grooming services are available. Once you have made the choice to turn your dog’s grooming needs over to a professional, the next step is finding the right groomer. This is actually a bit more difficult than it sounds, since there are many factors to consider when choosing the right groomer for your dog.

Litterbox Training your Cat

Owning a cat can be both a wonderful and rewarding experience. However, there is a significant amount of responsibility involved in owning a cat, and in helping your cat to understand the rules of your household. Training your cat to use the litter box is a very important part of pet care, since it involves establishing the boundaries of your home with your cat. While some cats may be receptive to litter box training, some cats may have initial difficulty in accepting a litter box training program.

Making your own bird food

STEP 1 – RESEARCH YOUR BIRD

When making bird food for pet birds, it is best that you first research the specific nutritional requirements that your bird has. This is extremely important, since it will prevent you from constructing a diet that is not adequate for your bird. Even though some commercial bird food formulas market themselves as being “formulated” for specific types of birds, this does not necessarily mean that you can follow their ingredients as a guideline. Different birds may need different types of food ingredients in order to stay healthy, which can usually be found by researching your specific species of bird.