If you have a pet, chances are they'll need a safe place to call their own. A pet cage is an investment in your pet's safety and well being. There are pet cages for every animal, although some, like reptiles, need glass pet cages. Your furry and feathered friends like parrots, gerbils, hamsters and mice all need their own private cage.
Why a pet cage? Small animals are vulnerable to the terrors of the average household, like poisonous plants, electrical wires, walking people, and open doors. A cage gives them security and comfort in their cozy, protected spot.
The first thing to do when buying a cage is to determine the right size. You obviously wouldn't get a parrot cage for a hamster, nor would you have a hamster in a mouse cage. For every animal there's a proper cage size. Each pet should have enough room to stand up and turn all the way around. Birds should ideally have the largest cages possible. If you can not afford a massive cage, the bird should be able to stretch his wings all the way out, and have a reasonable flying distance. Gerbils don't need much room at all, as they're content just being inside. Mice need pet cages that are longer rather than wider. They need a lot of room to exercise and run, so a cage to frolic in would be a treat for him.
Which animal goes into what cage is not the only thing to take into consideration. There are questions like "Can he chew his way out?" "How do I get food to him?" and "What materials might be poisonous to my little friends?" Well, for one thing, a home-made cage can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. If you're an amateur, get a good cage that is professionally made. No animal, with the exception of cats or dogs, should be put in a wooden cage. Little teeth can chew through, leaving a bewildered owner staring at an empty cage. When you buy a painted cage, ask to see its certificate. This ensures that no hazardous or harmful materials were used in the construction of the cage.
A feeding hole is essential to every pet cage. This is where a water bottle is inserted, along with a removable food dish. The edges around these inserts should be closed off, usually by being pressed against a wall. Don't use tape, because this can be deadly to your pet.
The doors to pet cages are the most important part. If the door seems a bit loose, then it's best to wrap a copper wire between the bars and the door, making sure the cut edge of the metal isn't facing towards the animal.
When buying pet cages, always remember that your pet will get bigger, so buy one that accommodates future growth. Make sure no poisonous materials were used, and always remember to cover pet cages in cold weather.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Adopt A Pet
Are you are responsible pet owner? The millions of us that own pets believe that we can honestly say yes to this question. However most of us do not support the humane society or the local animal shelter by adopting animals from the programs. This is the responsible thing to do as a pet owner.
I am not suggesting that every pet owner needs to go adopt a pet from the shelter, but a monetary donation is a great way to insure that these programs can keep going. Also if you are a pet owner that breeds your pet, make sure that the people that adopt a pet from you are going to be responsible and will provide a good home to the animal. At times this may be hard. When our dog had puppies we had to deny one couple from buying one of the puppies. We have Labrador Retrievers. They typically have very large litters. Our dog had twelve puppies that we needed to find homes for. My husband is a hunter and our dogs are whistle and hand trained so there were many hunters that had requested a puppy prior to the litter arriving. However because she had such a large litter we had two puppies that were not spoken for. We ran an advertisement in a weekly sportsmen’s paper that we would take applications from people that wanted to adopt a pet. We had developed a questionnaire that we used as an application. The questionnaire asks how many hours a day the animal would be alone, how much time the owner had to exercise the animal and how often they typically take their animals to the vet.
Some people think that this is a strange form to fill out, but we feel that we have an obligation to the breed to make sure that the people that are going to own the dogs are going to take good care of them. We check out each person that wants to adopt a pet from us. We want to make sure that the animal is getting medical care, good food and exercise. We also want to make sure that the animal is neutered or spayed if the owner is not going to be responsible in researching the breeding lines. The retriever breed is very common so it is important to keep healthy blood lines for those of us that want pure breeds. Because of the number of retrievers that are available some breeders are trying to breed specialty lines in regards to color or skills, such as pointing. This can cause bloodlines that are too close which results in dogs that have high medical needs. Our system of asking questions to the people that want to adopt a pet from us is not going to make a huge difference, but at least we feel we are not adding to the problem of weakening the breed.
I am not suggesting that every pet owner needs to go adopt a pet from the shelter, but a monetary donation is a great way to insure that these programs can keep going. Also if you are a pet owner that breeds your pet, make sure that the people that adopt a pet from you are going to be responsible and will provide a good home to the animal. At times this may be hard. When our dog had puppies we had to deny one couple from buying one of the puppies. We have Labrador Retrievers. They typically have very large litters. Our dog had twelve puppies that we needed to find homes for. My husband is a hunter and our dogs are whistle and hand trained so there were many hunters that had requested a puppy prior to the litter arriving. However because she had such a large litter we had two puppies that were not spoken for. We ran an advertisement in a weekly sportsmen’s paper that we would take applications from people that wanted to adopt a pet. We had developed a questionnaire that we used as an application. The questionnaire asks how many hours a day the animal would be alone, how much time the owner had to exercise the animal and how often they typically take their animals to the vet.
Some people think that this is a strange form to fill out, but we feel that we have an obligation to the breed to make sure that the people that are going to own the dogs are going to take good care of them. We check out each person that wants to adopt a pet from us. We want to make sure that the animal is getting medical care, good food and exercise. We also want to make sure that the animal is neutered or spayed if the owner is not going to be responsible in researching the breeding lines. The retriever breed is very common so it is important to keep healthy blood lines for those of us that want pure breeds. Because of the number of retrievers that are available some breeders are trying to breed specialty lines in regards to color or skills, such as pointing. This can cause bloodlines that are too close which results in dogs that have high medical needs. Our system of asking questions to the people that want to adopt a pet from us is not going to make a huge difference, but at least we feel we are not adding to the problem of weakening the breed.
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