Happy Birthday!

I would like to shout out to my friend Jenna who's birthday is today! She was the one I visited and held her now nearly full-grown West Highland Terrier puppy! Happy Happy Birthday to my great friend and I hope your other pets celebrate it as well! Have a Happy Happy Birthday!

I hope you like my birthday wish!

Chickadee Taps on Window?

One of my Blogger buddies told me about a mysterious chickadee bird tapping on the window. Here is some info and links you might want to check out, along with plenty of my own information.

"Black-Capped Chickadees are bold and inquisitive and are usually the first to find a new feeder. They appreciate a reliable food source and have been known to tap on windows if the feeder runs low."



The Chickadee may be trying to get your attention or most likely get in. A good solution is to check the feeder for daily fillings, or look for something that is irritating the bird. For example, a large squirrel was bombarding our feeder, and the birds got angry at him. They perched in the pear trees and would chirp loudly.  We put out safflower seeds and not as many squirrels came.

 

i have a small bird that goes from window to window tapping on the glass, it does this on the window of any room i'm in?

Do you feed the birds? If so, they have an uncanny ability to sense when the seeds are going out. We have  chickadees and titmice, purple finches, mourning doves and nut hatches near out house. Everyday at noon they gather in the two trees in front of our door and wait for us to open it and spread some seed on the grass and patio. It's great fun to see and hear them. Another reason for your bird to go from window to window is that it sees its own reflection in the glass and thinks it's another bird. We had a bird last year who kept attacking our glass patio door all day long until it was exhausted. We didn't know what to do. Finally, we put a piece of cardboard over the door and that seemed to work. Good Luck!

Saturday Video

To watch a beautiful and short film about pets by Keith Hopkin, click on the link below! All credit given to this great photographer.






http://cuteoverload.com/2013/04/27/savour-every-moment/

I haz...

"I haz" is a very common animal meme. Here are my top 7 I found that are SUPAH SUPAH CUTE!!!1111!!! (P.S: Pardon me for noticing, but every animal is (or has a little bit of) white. Hmm..... could white be a very popular cute color for animals? Daisy and Peanut sure think so.

Maddie On Things

Uhhh... Maddie? Helloooo?

The link above takes you to a cool website....MADDIE THE COONHOUND


And this takes you to a Book Tour YouTube Video about Maddie.  Maddie on Things - YouTube



This is not my picture or dog or video (obviously..) So given all credit to Maddie and her owner. The book is available to purchase only online or the Book Tour. Hope you love Maddie1 She's very sweet....And patient too!

Spotlight Question: Why Is Citrus Bad For Rodents like Rats and Mice? (And Rabbits!)

Whether Feeding Rodents Citrus or not can be CONFUSING! It may be "no" on some websites or "yes" on another!

"My understanding of feeding any citrus fruits is that the acid contained in them is much too harsh on the lining of the hamster’s stomach! Keep in mind that they certainly won’t kill your hamster, but will upset the lining in their stomach. We certainly wouldn’t want that. With this in mind, it is not a recommended food to be feeding your hamster in any of the books you read."

"as far as I know it's okay to feed to them..."

"First, it is only male rats that you need to be careful with when it comes to oranges. It is because of d-limonene in the skin oil of oranges. Because of a protein that male rats have in their kidneys it can cause kidney damage and kidney cancer. When they make orange juice, they use the whole orange which means d-limonene gets into the juice. You can feed male rats pieces of peeled oranges if you're careful to wash it off after you have peeled it. Orange juice is safe to give to female rats."



"  Our rabbits get orange pretty much every day during harvest season. I give them the peels of the fruit we eat, as well as fruit & peel from oranges that have fallen off the tree. In the beginning of the season they may get 1/4 orange each as a treat every few days, but as time passes the amount they get increases until the end of the season (which is really long for us as we harvest from January to June/July). Although I'll generally give them 1/4-1/2 an orange, when I have enough windfalls I'll give them a whole fruit each. It's amazing how quickly a rabbit can polish off a whole orange!"

"Anything acidic is supposed to be bad."

Rodents and rabbits should Not (and I mean N-O-T!!) eat citrus. Male rats can't have citrus, but female rats can. Why? It has very high acid levels, and it causes mouth ulcers. Rabbits have SUUUUPPER delicate digestive systems, and they cannot vomit. Their appendix - That's right, the useless thing you most likely had removed as a kid - helps them digest hay and grass. Acidic foods break down that delicate stomach lining and cause death! Feeding oranges is NOT recommended at all! Even if websites say so, rabbits and rodents SHOULD NEVER HAVE CITRUS! Only female rats can have it Veeerrry sparingly.

Peanut Update

Peanut has a little problem here. She got a painful broken leg that she cannot walk on at all..... I found a website that describes ways to care for a broken leg hamster. Will do!



Below there is the page describing hamster broken legs.

HAMSTER BROKEN LEG

As painful as this might sound, hamsters may suffer from broken limbs. It’s very hard for both hamster and hamster owner, so it should be avoid, taking all the precaution methods. In this moments, a first aid kit for your hamster is very useful.

How to prevent a broken leg:

Carefully handle your hamster. Make sure that, in case he intends to jump or escape from your “powerful” grip, he won’t hurt himself. Try handling him by sitting in the bed, couch, on the floor or however you consider that is comfy. Remember that hamsters have very poor eyesight so they do not know if there are 0.5 meters (1.64 feet) or 5 meters (16.4 feet)! They just jump…

Be careful when the hamster is handled by children.We all know how children are…And we know how hamsters are too… So we have to watch these pesky kids (yep, I am talking about hamsters, too). Hamsters are very quick and they tend to escape very quickly when handled by little kids.

Tell everyone in the house that the hamster is running in his ball. Sometimes, people aren’t aware that a hamster is in it and they kick it. Check to see that your hamster doesn’t have any access to stairs, steps, basements, pool (it sounds silly but it wiser to prevent).

Buy a plastic wheel for your hamster. Avoid wire ones because those are vey dangerous because the tiny hamster can get his foot stuck between the bars!

Try not to let him wonder around in the house.You can accidentally hit him with the door, step on him, or he can just be unlucky and something may fall on him, causing a very bad injury. Hamsters are smart rodents and if they run in the house they will easily find their way out. I am sure you don’t want that so NEVER let your hamster run in the house without supervising him.

Symptoms of a broken bone: limping, not using one leg (or more), laying on one side, slow moving or unable to move, bone poking the skin (severe cases), dragging one foot, totally or partially paralyzed.

 What to do if your hamster has a broken limb(or you suspect so):

Examine your hamster carefully. Did the bone penetrate the skin?

If so, take your hamster to the vet IMMEDIATELY as he will need antibiotics treatment to prevent any further infections. Meloxicam and Carprofen are some pain medication that are prescribed in such cases. A splint would be applied to allow the bone to heal properly..* if you don’t see the bone poking the skin, your hamster is very lucky! He will need home treatment (yep, you will be his nurse and guiding angel), because no vet can treat a hamster broken limb.With proper care and devotion from you, he will recover all by himself and the broken limb will be just a bad nightmare.

Remove the wheel from he hamster’s cage, along with all his toys, ladders etc. If you have a cage with multiple levels, remove them as well. Don’t put your hamster in his play ball for at least 2 weeks! All these precaution measures will help your hamster to recover the broken limb, by reducing all activities that require effort.

Lower the water bottle to make it easier for your hamster to reach it.

Was the hamster living in with other hamsters? It is better if you let him alone in a cage, to recover in peace.

If possible, move the hamster to an aquarium or a bin. This will stop him from climbing on the bars as usual.

Provide plenty of fresh bedding for your hamster to help him feel  comfortable.

Feed your hamster small amounts of bread soaked in a bit of milk or dog biscuits. These two are very high in Calcium and they will help your hamster to heal the wounded bone easier and quicker.

Spoil him. Give your hamster treats, chew food, or any food he enjoys. Also, supply him with fresh water and food.

Your hamster’s leg should be up and running in about 2 weeks. Sometimes, depending on the severity of the affection, the hamster might end with a small limp. But the little one doesn’t seem to be bother by this and he keeps his habits of running and digging.

Choose your vet wisely! Ask him if he has treated hamsters before. If he says a few, avoid going to him. Hamsters are tiny creatures and require special attention and care!

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 April 4, 2013 |  kandee |  Leave a comment 
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adopt your own virtual pet!

5 Ways To Have A Critter Earth Day

1. Give Cardboard and paper to your critter for him to shred.

He will love to tear up the cardboard for fun!

2. Take your pet dog for a walk to the place you have to go if it isn't too far away.

It will be pollution-free and your dog will get his exercise!

3. Grow your own food and feed it to your small pet!

It will healthy and there will be no pesticides!(see "Pet Grass" Post for a cool in-home idea for growing "pet's" plants!)

4. Adopt, Don't shop. 

Lots of pets in shelters need homes! There are millions of pets that need your help. Buying pets from inhumane pet stores doesn't help save the Earth!

5. Charge things using solar power - and protect your pets.

Pets can get electrocuted by chewing deadly charger wires. Solar mats you can put your phone on top go up high and your pet doesn't get hurt!

AS IF They're Not Spoiled Enough! Riiiiight?

So, if you watch TV, (which probably nearly all of you do), on Nat Geo Wild there is a new series called Spoiled Rotten Pets.Spoiled Rotten Pets | Nat Geo Wild (click link to view site)

It's (obviously) about how people spoil their pets. The episode this coming Saturday is supposedly the second one so far. My opinion? After watching people dress up their pet rats in Barbie dresses and tuxedos for a newcomer's birthday party( The Rat Pack | Nat Geo Wild ), I was surprised. I thought I pampered Daisy a lot when I took her to a super-nice kennel that she was cared for by an expensive "in-home" caretaker. (She got to be the Welcome- Bunny for all the pets there!)

So, what's your opinion about this extreme pampering? My opinion, for starters, is it is slightly sickening to see a dog with a master bedroom larger than the owner's, or a person cooing over a "sweet good little puppy doggy..." I don't really think pets should be that spoiled. But I think the best "spoiling" is once in a while. I think Daisy loves sharing a bowl of popcorn with her humans the most indulging. Plus, don't you wonder if the pet feels a little embarrassed? My final word: "You don't have to dress up a pet to spoil her, a hug or kiss goes a long....long...way!"

Pet Grass!

Critter Corner's pets got a special treat today. Pet grass! The discovery at the store was unusual - it was next to the avocados we were going to look for for our "famous" guacamole. Pet grass, also know as wheat grass, is basically grass grown from wheat. All animals(except maybe for fish, birds, and hermit crabs and terrarium pets) can have these yummy treats. We think Daisy, Lily, Peanut and friends' pets all love pet grass! It's very delicious, it seems. Dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, hamsters, gerbils....... most pets can enjoy this tasty treat! Plus, most pots of it only cost 2 dollars! Another plus? Pet grass grows back after you cut it. Simply trim, rinse, and give it to your pet. 

Pet grass is the same grass you use for those "Grass Heads" your kids can trim to make funny styles of hair! The pictures show the pets enjoying their pet grass.

Spotlight Critter Is The New Craze on Critter Corner!

In the More Fun/Contests and events areas, you can submit your critter and send us your picture link if needed. Usually seen on More Fun, we decided to show it here first so you can see how cool it is! Today's cool critter: Caramel! Remember, commenting telling us everything about your pet is easy as clicking on the "comment" box and supplying your pet's name. This critter was submitted by Anonymous, but you can also create a cool critter name or your first name only. Thanks!

Hi, I'm Caramel, the winner of the Critter Corner Pet Spotlight Contest! My owners say I have the personality of being adventurous and fun. I'm a golden female hamster and I love peanuts as a snack! I also love burrowing in things like blankets and I love my exercise ball. My pet friends include Peanut and Butter the dachshunds, Jingles the cat, and Blubster a fish. I am happy to be on Critter Corner because I read it often! 

Caramel is a cute hamster. We are so happy
for her and her owner! Thanks Caramel for
submitting!

CC Cooking Show: Hamster Peanut-Banana Crunch

A short video showing how to make this incredibly easy hamster treat that is a mini variation of the human version of bananas and peanut butter on toast!

TOP TIP: This hamster delight is yummy for humans too, and you may find yourself licking your fingers. But remember, before and after handling any food, wash your hands. You have most likely touched your hamster and/or his items and to avoid getting sick, good hygiene is a must to keep you and your hammie healthy and happy.