(Animal Scene, February 2009) Our pets have no control over how they are cared for. Only we as pet owners have the responsibility to take care of them and provide them with their basic needs, we also need to take the necessary steps to ensure their safety towards untoward incidents. Although we can never fully ensure their well being, having a first-hand knowledge of what to do with your pets decreases the chance of these untoward incidents from happening. So without further adieu, here are some of the Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to you household pets.
Guinea Pigs and Rabbits
• Do : Feed them pellets that are specifically designed for them.
• Do : Check the drinker nozzle every so often, if the ball inside is stuck, replace the drinker to avoid drought.
• Do : Give them their daily Vitamin C requirement in their water supply.
Don’t : Use the leftover Vitamin C solution for tomorrow. It spoils easily so it’s advisable that you always use a fresh batch.
• Do : Feed them fresh grass like Guinea grass, Napier grass, Carabao grass and Lawn grass. Just make sure that you clean them well before feeding.
Don’t : Give too much Cabbage, Romaine Lettuce and other succulent green vegetables. These are known to cause diarrhea.
• Do : When diarrhea occurs, give them a piece of apple to stabilize their system.
Don’t : Give any drug, Guinea pig are especially sensitive to medication.
• Do : Give them an enclosed housing for their protection from the elements and security.
Don’t : Place them under direct heat and draft. Guinea Pigs are sensitive to temperature changes and are prone to heat strokes.
• Don’t : For Rabbits, don’t place the males and females together for more than a day during breeding. The male has a tendency to continue mating until they are exhausted to death.
• Don’t : For long haired Guinea Pigs, don’t place them together in a single area. Guinea Pigs love to nibble on each other’s hair. Place a solid divider in between individual cages to avoid this from happening.
Dogs
• Do : Check the flooring. If your using a plastic flooring, make sure that Its of the right size to hold your dog’s paw without them slipping through or getting caught in their holes.
I encountered this problem a while back with my beagle. My dog was barking and howling in the middle of the night but no one was anywhere near her. I checked if there was a problem with the dog and there I saw her paw stuck on the plastic flooring. It took a little oil and some elbow grease to get her paw out. This incident could’ve turned into an injury if her paw wasn’t attended to in the nick of time.
• Do : Check the swivel on your dog’s leash. A stuck up swivel can lead to strangulation or even death.
Don’t : Tie your dog to a bike or car when taking it for a walk. This is an accident waiting to happen to both you and your dog.
• Don’t : Feed pointy bones to your dogs. This can sometimes pierce the throat of the dog. At times, this can even lead to death.
Hedgehogs
• Do : Give them a regular intake of animal protein like insects and super worms. Although feeds are available it’s still detrimental for them to have these sources of protein.
• Do : Use a cage with solid flooring. This should be lined with hay or wood shavings if possible
Don’t : Use cat litter or linen. The feces cake the vent when it comes in contact with these materials.
• Don’t : Never disturb the nest box during breeding time. This is self explanatory, wait until the babies are out on their own then and only should you open the nest box for viewing and cleaning.
Birds
• Do : Use the proper cage for your bird, if you’re caring for smaller birds like finches, get the cage that has the appropriate wire gauge and bar gap of 3/8 inches, the same can be sad for bigger birds like parrots.
• Don’t : Use too much accessories, especially those that have wires sticking out. These wires are hazardous to birds with leg bands, I’ve seen too many cases of broken appendages wherein a bird’s leg band was caught on the wire and struggled, only to break its leg or wing.
• Do : Secure your cage. Place it in a stable position and away from possible dangers such as smoke, cats, rats and poisonous plants.
• Don’t : Use deep bowls especially when your birds are rearing a chick. When chicks wander, there are cases that they were found to have drowned in their drinking bowls because it was too deep.
• Do : When making soft food or egg food, prepare only the amount you’re going to use.
Don’t : Give the excess on the next day. These foods spoil easily and birds have no way of telling if they’ve already gone rancid.
• Don’t : For those taking care of African Lovebirds, don’t mix them up with other species and never introduce an African Lovebird into a flight on different times. This is a bloody mistake waiting to happen since African Lovebirds are territorial and will attack anyone with ferocity.
Well that’s about it for our do’s and don’ts on some of our favorite household pets. One last Do’s and Don’ts for the readers out there:
• Do : Research on the pet that you want before you even acquire one.
• Don’t : Be ignorant, knowledge can mean a life and death difference to you and your pet.
• Do : Feed them pellets that are specifically designed for them.
• Do : Check the drinker nozzle every so often, if the ball inside is stuck, replace the drinker to avoid drought.
• Do : Give them their daily Vitamin C requirement in their water supply.
Don’t : Use the leftover Vitamin C solution for tomorrow. It spoils easily so it’s advisable that you always use a fresh batch.
• Do : Feed them fresh grass like Guinea grass, Napier grass, Carabao grass and Lawn grass. Just make sure that you clean them well before feeding.
Don’t : Give too much Cabbage, Romaine Lettuce and other succulent green vegetables. These are known to cause diarrhea.
• Do : When diarrhea occurs, give them a piece of apple to stabilize their system.
Don’t : Give any drug, Guinea pig are especially sensitive to medication.
• Do : Give them an enclosed housing for their protection from the elements and security.
Don’t : Place them under direct heat and draft. Guinea Pigs are sensitive to temperature changes and are prone to heat strokes.
• Don’t : For Rabbits, don’t place the males and females together for more than a day during breeding. The male has a tendency to continue mating until they are exhausted to death.
• Don’t : For long haired Guinea Pigs, don’t place them together in a single area. Guinea Pigs love to nibble on each other’s hair. Place a solid divider in between individual cages to avoid this from happening.
Dogs
• Do : Check the flooring. If your using a plastic flooring, make sure that Its of the right size to hold your dog’s paw without them slipping through or getting caught in their holes.
I encountered this problem a while back with my beagle. My dog was barking and howling in the middle of the night but no one was anywhere near her. I checked if there was a problem with the dog and there I saw her paw stuck on the plastic flooring. It took a little oil and some elbow grease to get her paw out. This incident could’ve turned into an injury if her paw wasn’t attended to in the nick of time.
• Do : Check the swivel on your dog’s leash. A stuck up swivel can lead to strangulation or even death.
Don’t : Tie your dog to a bike or car when taking it for a walk. This is an accident waiting to happen to both you and your dog.
• Don’t : Feed pointy bones to your dogs. This can sometimes pierce the throat of the dog. At times, this can even lead to death.
Hedgehogs
• Do : Give them a regular intake of animal protein like insects and super worms. Although feeds are available it’s still detrimental for them to have these sources of protein.
• Do : Use a cage with solid flooring. This should be lined with hay or wood shavings if possible
Don’t : Use cat litter or linen. The feces cake the vent when it comes in contact with these materials.
• Don’t : Never disturb the nest box during breeding time. This is self explanatory, wait until the babies are out on their own then and only should you open the nest box for viewing and cleaning.
Birds
• Do : Use the proper cage for your bird, if you’re caring for smaller birds like finches, get the cage that has the appropriate wire gauge and bar gap of 3/8 inches, the same can be sad for bigger birds like parrots.
• Don’t : Use too much accessories, especially those that have wires sticking out. These wires are hazardous to birds with leg bands, I’ve seen too many cases of broken appendages wherein a bird’s leg band was caught on the wire and struggled, only to break its leg or wing.
• Do : Secure your cage. Place it in a stable position and away from possible dangers such as smoke, cats, rats and poisonous plants.
• Don’t : Use deep bowls especially when your birds are rearing a chick. When chicks wander, there are cases that they were found to have drowned in their drinking bowls because it was too deep.
• Do : When making soft food or egg food, prepare only the amount you’re going to use.
Don’t : Give the excess on the next day. These foods spoil easily and birds have no way of telling if they’ve already gone rancid.
• Don’t : For those taking care of African Lovebirds, don’t mix them up with other species and never introduce an African Lovebird into a flight on different times. This is a bloody mistake waiting to happen since African Lovebirds are territorial and will attack anyone with ferocity.
Well that’s about it for our do’s and don’ts on some of our favorite household pets. One last Do’s and Don’ts for the readers out there:
• Do : Research on the pet that you want before you even acquire one.
• Don’t : Be ignorant, knowledge can mean a life and death difference to you and your pet.
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