First Coast Pet

Archive for April, 2009

The concern to eat healthy foods seems to equally apply to humans and pets, since many animal owners prefer to buy organic products to feed their four-legged friends. One could be surprised at the large organic dog food offer available on the market. Just like for humans, there are unsurpassed health issues that one could put a stop to or prevent in the first place. A pet fed on organic dog food will show a lower incidence of skin diseases for instance. The reason for the positive health effect is the lack of additives, chemicals, colorants or pesticides. Instead there will be just grain extracts and high quality proteins as ingredients of organic dog food.

Organic dog food also brings more nutrients, and this aspect is reflected in the most relevant of ways in the higher levels of energy and the healthy weight of the pet. Regular dog food is often behind diabetes and overweight with all the additional problems that accompany these health issues: poor mobility, bone ailments and organ failure. How can organic dog food help here? Well, organic food items for pets do not contain bulk fillers, these products are packed with nutrients to generate energy and not fat. Yet, it is best and a lot easier to prevent health issues than to treat them afterwards.

Good digestion and overall stronger immunity: these are other main benefits that come together with the use of organic dog food. Because of the lack of chemicals regularly present in normal pet food, your dog will no longer vomit, experience gas or diarrhea. A healthy metabolism goes hand in hand with a healthy diet. Then, the risk of infections is also much lower thanks to the stimulation of the immune system by the nutrients available in organic dog food.

To put it in a nutshell, veterinarian experts claim that with organic dog food, your dog will gain in longevity and the ravages of old age will not be that difficult to cope with. Most of the time, pet owners who choose organic dog food, are also interested in applying the same health rules to their own diet, sticking to clean natural products that boost up body functions and keep intoxications and disease away. Ask your dog food provider about organic dog food, and if you don’t find what you need with the local shop, try to order it online. Lots of web sites sell organic dog food for very good prices.

Do your children like animals? This activity is part pet care, part science lesson, and all fun! You can get eggs, take care of them for a few weeks, watch them hatch into adorable baby birds, then return them so they can live out their lives on a farm. If you live in Southern California, there’s a store in Orange that makes this easy to do.

Wagon Train Feed & Tack in Orange sells chicken, duck and quail eggs and rents out incubators. You bring the eggs home, keep them warm in the incubator, and in a few weeks little beaks will start breaking out of the shells. The kids can enjoy the babies for a day or two and then bring them to back to Wagon Train.

It’s pretty inexpensive for such a great experience.  The incubator rental costs $25. Eggs cost between $12 & $30 a dozen depending on the type. If you’re going to do this often (maybe you’re a teacher?) it might be worth it to buy an incubator. Eggs are available all year, not just in the spring.

Don’t forget about the older kids. I always picture this kind of activity taking place in a Kindergarten classroom, but older kids enjoy it too. And they actually understand more than the younger kids. You might have to answer more tough questions, though!

Have you hesitated to get a pet?Don’t have a big enough house or enough time to commit to a pet?  Hatching eggs is something that you do indoors and for a short period of time, so this could be the ideal way to expose your kids to animals.  Or you could offer to organize this for your child’s classroom.  Kids always benefit from animal-centered activities.

Here’s the information about the store:

Wagon Train Tack & Feed
7618 E Chapman Ave
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 639-7931

The eggs come in on Tuesdays, so be prepared to pick them up on Tuesday or Wednesday. Call at least a week ahead to order the eggs and reserve the incubator.

Wagon Train seems to be the only store that offers this service in Orange County. If you find a feed store that’s willing to do this in your area, please let us know.

Thanks to Mrs. Maffetore, Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire, for this info!

While bluebirds will sometimes nest in a birdhouse that is not designed specifically for their species, they are more likely to nest in a bluebird house, meaning one that is designed specifically for them.On how to build a bluebird house there are different plans are available for free.  These plans usually also give instructions on the placement and care of the bird house so that there is the best chance possible for the birds to nest there.  If the person’s house is not in a wooded area or at least one that has a lot of trees and bushes available for the bluebirds to eat from, then the bluebird house is unlikely to attract them to the area.

Habitat For Bluebird House

Bluebird houses should usually be placed in an area where there is low vegetation and some bushes in which there live insects for the bluebirds to eat.  Bluebirds will usually perch on branches of the trees to spot insects that are dwelling in these areas before flying down to capture them.  Meadows and fields are great places to put a bluebird house since it allows the birds to clearly see the insects that they eat and swoop down to eat them.

When placing the bluebird houses in the yard, they should not be placed closer than one hundred yards apart since the birds are very territorial creatures.  They do not like to be too close to each other when nesting.Keeping bluebird’s house at least hon hundred feet from any brushy area or area with dense trees where wrens will nest prevents the bird house to be taken over by them, if it is too close.  It should also be placed at least a quarter mile from a farmyard or barn where sparrows tend to live so that they will not be as likely to take over the bluebird house.

There is also the issue of the birds being able to easily find nesting material even there is feeding availability and the spacing of the bluebird houses.  These birds usually like to use grasses and pine needles as nesting material.  The bluebird house should be placed in an area where these materials are easily available so that the birds do not have to travel as far to obtain them and carry them back to the house.  In addition, there should not be any pesticides used so that the birds are not inadvertently poisoned by these insecticides.

Have you pondered learning to play piano? Currently you don’t even have to purchase a real piano. Alternatively you can get hold of a perfectly adequate second-hand digital piano for a very low cost. Once you have bought it, the next course of action is sorting out lessons. If you have loads of money, personal one on one lessons are a very good way to learn. You would need to locate a local teacher and then plan lessons with them once a week. The main negative aspect of this is that it can be exhorbitantly pricey.

The better solution is to learn via online piano lessons or piano lesson DVDs. As an example one of the best DVD based piano courses out there is this one http://piano-lessons-reviews.info, which includes an amazing14 DVDs of interesting course material. There are lots of other courses on the web that offer great teaching and are very low in cost. They have many advantages over a normal human tutor. These include: learning at your own speed, lower cost, ability to play along to a backing musical piece and less travel time. Imagine not having to repeat the same piece of music over and over again in the same room as a human teacher. Instead it’s much more fun to play on your own with the aid of an online program or DVD player. The DVD will not criticise you or make you feel dumb. It definitely is a brilliant way to learn. The lessons usually come with video clips, sound clips, support forums, electronic books. They are also enhanced by a wide variety of piano music and music styles including modern music, jazz and classical.  

Another major advantage with online piano lessons is that they are extremely flexible and can adapt to your learning speed. You can take a lesson when you have the time available, you are not stuck to a fixed time every week. If you are home for a period of time you can use the extra time having additional lessons! If you are really busy in the day you can squeeze in a lesson in later on in the evening.
If you are seriously contemplating about learning to play the piano and are unsure of the best way to approach the problem then click on the link above to navigate to one of the very best online piano lesson review sites. 

Training a dog takes patience and dedication. A rescued dog will require double the patience and dedication to achieve the desired results. However, the rewards will be worth the effort.

The practice of neutering and spaying of dogs has been around for many years but unplanned births continues to be a reality. As a result of this there are just not enough homes for all of the puppies that are born. When we add the number of dogs that get lost or wander away, rescue missions and shelters everywhere are filled to capacity. For many of these dogs being euthanized will be the sad reality.

Some of the lucky ones will get a second chance. Some will be adopted into the care of a loving family or rescued from the street. However, these generous souls often find themselves at a loss with their new companion.

Dogs that are brought to shelters are generally not in the best condition. Horrible living conditions, abuse and neglect are often a part of their history. And in some circumstances dogs are released into the wild to take care of themselves.

A dog’s nature is to be a pack animal. Even wild dogs don’t do well on their own. A domesticated dog that has been released into the wild and no longer has human or animal interaction do poorly. Wild dogs such as these are usually fearful and distrustful of humans, but with proper training they can learn to overcome these traits.

The first thing you should do after you have rescued a dog is to get a full health examination. A dog will not be able to respond positively to any training if it is in pain or sick. It is very important to give the dog enough time to regain weight and energy.

If possible try to get any information regarding the dog’s history. Your training efforts will be helped if you have information on the dog’s past abuse or medical history.

It is important to establish trust with a rescued dog slowly. It is important not to force yourself on the dog. The animal will begin to seek you out once they have learned to trust you. A suggestion would be to work on trust with a treat. After placing some food on the floor you can back up a bit. Avoid direct eye contact. Once the dog takes the food make sure they get enthusiastic praise.

Some rescued dogs will seek physical contact right away. Others may take a few days or weeks. But once you have established it, try to roll the dog over onto his back and place your hand on their chest. You can expect that the dog will either resist if they tend to be aggressive or a fearful dog will accept. Neither aggression nor fear is good. In normal training, you would force the aggressive dog to take on a passive role. This will not work with a rescued dog. Remember to take your time when establishing trust. By speaking in a soft and calm tone of voice and gently rubbing the belly a fearful dog will know that being on its back is a positive experience and not a punishment.

Be patient as it is often difficult and slow to train a rescued dog. They are often older dogs, mixed, and with difficult temperaments which makes training more challenging. Hang in there. Your perseverance will pay off.

Avoid at all cost feeling sorry for the dog. It can make the training even more difficult. Be patient, loving and understanding but don’t let the dog have the run of the house. You must establish your position as a leader and let the rescued dog understand that you are the alpha of the pack.

Rescuing a dog from a shelter is great adventure and with a little extra work and patience, will give you a great companion for year.

Stefan Hyross is a writer for All About Dogs ‘N Puppies. Read about dog behavior problems and learn how to correct them. Feel free to visit the site for puppy potty training techniques and tips for you and your dog.

Making changes to your cats behavior problems has just become easier with the complete cat training system which was created by Paula Robb. Not will this only save you money in regards to using professional cat trainers, and training classes, it will create a stronger bond between you and your cat.

Being a cat owner can at times be very frustrating. Your cat can seem aloof to you at times, often ignoring you. Especially when you are trying to modify some of your cats behavior problems. Your pet will often resist your attempts to train it in any way. You will find that unless something is done to change the situation you and your cat will grow apart.

Cats Problems can vary:

Your cat may not use its litter tray on a regular basis.

Your cat may show signs of aggression against you or other members of your family.

Your cat may drive you insane by constantly scratching your furniture.

You may find your cat jumping onto areas that you don't want it to.

Whatever changes that you want to make to your cats behavior problems, will now be possible by Paula Robbs Complete Cat Training System. There are no special skills required to change your cats behavior problems. A good understanding of how a cats mind works is the key. The complete cat training system will provide you with this, along with the most effective, tried and tested techniques to successfully change your cats behavior problems.

Your capacity to understand your cat will increase. Knowing what lies behind any problem is the key to solving that problem. On top of the knowledge of training your cat, you will find that the both of you will form a stronger bond. This will occur because you will be knowledgable about your cat, and your cat will be more knowledgable as to what pleases you.

A lot of people mistakenly think that a cat can be trained in a similar fashion to a dog. Your cat is not a dog. A cat will not be bullied into doing something that it doesn't want to do. Your cat will not respond to harsh words or other forms of punishment. Like a dog, your cat does want to please you, and for you to e happy with it. But don't think that your cat will go against its instincts.

If you want to train your cat, you will be required to learn about these instincts, and try to use them to your advantage. With the complete cat training system you will learn to understand what makes your cat tick, and some of the quickest and effective ways to change your cats behavior.

Do you own a dwarf hamster or you would like to? Then, you have come to the perfect place. You can’t find some Dwarf Hampsters in here but you will surely find some good information on how to pick the best hamster for you and how to care and train them. Yes, that’s right, Dwarf hamstes are easily trainable just like any other domesticated animals. If you can train penguins to shoot a basketball, so you can, too, with hamsters. But what are really hamspters? For most people, what they know about is there are only a few or just even two species of hamsters. Well, they are wrong. There are many or several species of hamster and the most popular of all are the Syrians and Dwarf Hamsters. Out of the two, the latter is the cuter of them both. Dwarf Hamsters can only grow up to four inches long. Some people prefer “quiet” animals but are amazing to look and this is where this little guy comes into play.

But just like any other pets, it is not enough to give them a good home and lots of food. You also need to learn some Dwarf Hampster care so they can live happily and healthily. You have to learn how to simulate their natural habitat in order then can live in accordance with how they are used to. A Dwarf Hamster can find himself not happy is he sees that his surrounding is not fit for him. You also need to learn some basic knowledge on what to feed him and how, the right time and the right amount. Just like any pets, it is dangerous to let him eat more than he needs.

Proper Dwarf Hampster care is the essential way to make your pet happy. To make it convenient and easy for you, you need to find a book guide so you can teach yourself all of these things anytime and anywhere and not rely on online tutorials alone as sometimes, internet connections go whacky.

Of all animals, why need a hermit crab pet? Well, a lot of people today go for hermit crabs because they are really fun to look at. They interact not only with other pets inside a fish tank but with humans as well. Sometimes, you will be amazed at how they act if they see someone is watching them. But not so long ago, Hermit crab pets used to be regarded as “throwaway” pets, meaning, they can’t live longer than any other pets do. But with proper care and mimicking the original environment of these animals, you can expect them to live for 20 years or so. But always remember that in order for these crustaceans to survive, they should live in groups of their own kind. They are so gregarious that they seem not be in a gaily mood if they are living alone in your fish tank. You should at least buy 5 of them so they can have a good time together.

However, the usual problem for most people who wants to own Hermit crabs pet is how to take care of them the right way. As with any other pet animals, it is very essential that one needs to learn how care and nurture their pets. You might say that giving them food is enough to make them grow happy and healthy but that is not so. Don’t you know that if give them food more than what they usually eat, it is dangerous for them? You also have to know how to clean the tank to make them happy and healthy and of course, you also need to learn what kind of environment they used to live in the wild so you can simulate their surroundings and make them feel at home. A hermit crab pet needs to have all these things in accordance with their habitat. To make it convenient for you, be sure you find a book guide that has all the tips and advices on how to make Hermit Crabs live happily and healthily.

The Koi come in a wide variety of patterns and colors. The black Koi are being distinguished due to their color, and nothing more. They can live up to 35 years, but the oldest of them have lived around 200 years! They are seen regularly in outdoor ponds throughout the globe.

The male Koi are recognized and distinguished by their concave anal section, and their breeding spots on their head. They can lay up to 1,000 eggs. The fry (baby Koi) will start emerging within around 4 to 7 days, depending on the water’s temperature. It’s amazing that their color will emerge when they’re about 3 to 12 weeks old. When they were first bred in Japan from carp mutations, they only had two colors. More and more colors appeared due to breeding, which showed a variety of magnificent patterns and colors.

These species can reach up to about a length of 36 inches, which calls a need for them to be kept in ponds that are large in size. The species known as the Magoi is one of the first black mutations that can grow very long. Their color is actually deep bronze, but seen as black when viewed from above. Due to their unique possibilities in terms of size, the Magoi blood is re-introduced to other species to maximize their growth potential.

The Karasu (Japanese for "crow") is one of the extremely old species of black Koi. It is characterized by its black body and fins. It has an orange or white belly.

It can change its color due to environmental or dietary effects. Their color changes from duller shades to brighter ones. The Matsukawabake is known for this characteristic, which is typically black in color that has areas or white on its own body. Depending on the water's temperature or the season, its color can completely change. It can turn to a full white or full black, and will go back to its original color once the temperature conditions will change.

The Kumonryu (”kumonryu” which means “dragon fish”), which first appeared in the 1980’s, is considered to be as the most popular of the species. It was designated with such a name as it is reminiscent of the bodies of dragons that are depicted by the paintings of the ancient times (others would say they look like dragons ascending through the clouds). This can also change in color.

Owners are attracted to the Koi's variety of colors and patterns, and there's nothing more exciting than owning a fish like the black Koi that can change their color right before your very eyes!

Aquarium fish can be extraordinary and interesting for most people who love to maintain fish at home. Even if there is no aquarium fish is maintenance free, but at least there are some fish that easier to keep than other fish.

The best and easiest aquarium fish that you can look after in your aquarium is those which are tougher in health and more forgiving of any mistakes, like the freshwater fish. These fish are proper for the beginners who apt to make more mistakes in keeping fish. The freshwater fish are the Betta, the common goldfish and the plecostomus.

Bettas

The Betta which is also recognized as the Siamese fighting fish is maybe one of the easiest aquarium fish to look after as well as being one of the most good-looking fish. He has a robust physical constitution and has been famous to live in small bowls successfully, unlike other fish. He also emits less waste than goldfish. 

On the other hand, the betta is an aggressive fellow and often fights with other fish. He will kill another male Betta as he was breed to battle in fish fights. Female Bettas are more social with other tropical fish. They are drabber in color and have much shorter fins than the male bettas. They can eat the equal foods as the other tropical fish with a fussy desirability to bloodworms.

Regular Goldfish

Many hobbyists say that the regular goldfish and its close relation, the Comet Goldfish are the easiest aquarium fish to keep. These goldfish are much more social than the Bettas and they have radiant colors. They don’t require singular diets and they can tolerate just about any ornament you care to plop into the aquariums. 

But not all goldfish are easy to take care of. You must understand that the egg-shaped goldfish that have bubble eyes, swim slowly, no top fin or have long fins are not considered easy to look after. They should not live in the same aquarium with usual or comet goldfish.  It is as they swim so fast that the fan-tailed or egg-shaped goldfish will never be able to get their fair share of food.

The Plecostomus

The name “plecostomus” refers to a family of aquarium fish that has hundreds of kinds. Some of the plecostomus are harder to take care of than others. They are bottom feeders like catfish or Chinese Algae Eaters and require their own types of food.
But any plecostumus you may see in your local pet stores amongst other tropical fish should be easy to maintain.

The plecostomus are rather strong and tough if you compare them with other kinds of aquarium fish. You must be careful as they are quickly to overgrow in the aquarium they live in. It is usually come about unpredictably and there is still no reason that can explain that happening.

In order to keep your good-looking fish alive and have their pleasureable place to live, you must be aware of their foods and their habitats. You can have a book or search on the internet to get the best thing for your fish. This is to sustain your aquatic hobby.

Want to know further about aquarium fish? Let’s explore more on the links here and you will get much more about aquarium as well as any thing related.