Sunday, March 31, 2013

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Pet Rat Tricks

Rats are smart and VERY trainable creatures.
Rat bowling is entertaining and fun!













Everyone loves to see animals preform tricks, right? Your pet rat(s) can do lots of tricks too! in fact, it's easier to train them than it is a dog. Just remember to go at the rat's pace and be careful with the amount of treats - a little goes a long way!

Hint: Buying a dog clicker to teach the rat hard commands is recommended.



simple tricks


KISS:

Teach your rat to kiss your cheek. This is so easy and is probably already mastered by now. For shy rats, however, dab a little bit of peanut butter on your cheek and as the rat eats it, say "kiss." Click the clicker at the same time. After a few times, the rat will kiss you after the clicker goes off and you say "kiss."

BEG:

All rats know how to beg! Simply hold a treat above the rat's head and say "beg." Let him get the treat as the reward. You can use your clicker if you have been using it before.

OVER:

This trick is a must for rat-agility and show!(or just for fun!) Rats love jumping or crawling over things. A good object for this is a small ball or a long piece of wood on its side about 2-3 inches wide. Let the rat explore the obstacle before you jump into the whole idea, then when he is in front of the obstacle, hold the treat and drag it across in the air. Say "Over" and click the clicker. He will probably have his jaws clamped on the treat already, so get him over the jump before he can release his grip and eat it. This one may need a little more practice since the rat will need the motivation in order to get across for the first few tries.


SHOULDER SURF:

Rats already like climbing on your shoulder, but will he stay there? Rats over the "baby" age will be calmer and like to hang out on your shoulder. To calm a nervous rat, give him treats and don't walk around, but sit on a chair or bed. Let him sit on your shoulder when you aren't totally focused on just him, like relaxing while watching TV. This is a simple way to keep your rat "out of the spotlight" and not feeling out of place.


Difficult tricks



HOLD:

Here's a cool trick to let your rat try. Get something that is lightweight and small, but not a thing so small your rat might ingest it. A small rubber ball or wood chew works great! Lay it by the rat and wait for him to accept it and put it in his mouth. When he does, reward him with a treat and say, "Good 'hold'!". Don't use the clicker this time, but any other time click it and say "hold." This is one of those tricks which the first try isn't a command, but simply waiting for the rat to see the object and use his instincts, then change that into something he does when you want him to.


COME:

First of all, say the rat's name. Try it over and over, petting and offering treats to your rat. Say: "Here, _____,"(fill in the rat's name) while giving him the treat. After the rat understands his name,(in about a few days,) stand a few feet away from him and hold a treat. Say: "Come," then say his name. Obviously, he will go for the treat, and when he does, reward him with: "Good Come!" Use the clicker if you like. Remember, repetition is the key. Soon, he will not need a treat and listen to your words only!













Thursday, March 28, 2013

Easter Hamsters Might Be Better!

Every Easter, thousands of bunnies are bought in pet stores as a surprise for young children. They are brought home, stuck in an Easter basket, and given as an Easter "surprise." Normally the children receiving the gift squeal with delight and play with the rabbit for a few hours, but lose interest after a while.
Then they leave the rabbit in a very unsuitable housing situation such as a cardboard box.


No Rabbits For Easter

Bunnies have particular needs. If parents just go out and buy a bunny, the rabbit is going to suffer. There are a handful of reasons why you should never get a "surprise rabbit gift" for anyone, including these "Did you Know's":

DID YOU KNOW......?


.......Pet rabbits can live from 8 to 15 years old?
.......Young children and bunnies are not a good match?
........Pet rabbits aren't "low maintenance" pets - they have specific dietary needs and must be handled with extreme care?
........Rabbits must live indoors with the family(see all posts tagged rabbits, indoor, and housing)

Seriously Speaking


So, your child is really leaning on a bunny for a pet? Rabbits are family pets, so if you are going to get a bunny, then it's best to get it as a whole family. In the child'(s)Easter basket(s), put a little note saying that "for a gift, we will visiting the pet shelter." Parents should check out the local website and look for rabbits up for adoption beforehand. A few days before, get a rabbit care guide and read through it as a family. In all rabbit care guides they have a list of needs and things for the new bunny. To avoid improper misplacement of the rabbit, get the cage or playpen on the day before and get it ready. If you have a family of young kids under the age of ten, the bunny should always be a family pet for the rabbits safety. Although adults should be the caretakers, children can help with lots of things. Suggest to your child: "Sophia, help put fresh litter in the tray while I clean out the cage," or "Daniel, would you like to fill this food bowl up for me?" Older children can personally own rabbits if they are seemingly independent and gentle to animals. Always check up on the rabbit to make sure he is being cared for. Some adults have a "whatever you think is best" state of mind. If a bunny hurts himself, the adult should be ready to help the rabbit and research the needs instead of letting the child always taking it upon himself to look it up. The adult should know just as much about the rabbit as the child does.
Bunnies are constantly neglected by people who buy them without research. If you know you yourself cannot take care of the bunny completely, then surely you wouldn't get it for your child. The final statement is, if your family can obviously not take complete care of a bunny, get a stuffed toy or a candy instead.

And remember, rabbits are NOT low-maintenance pets! A hamster or fish might be a better suggestion instead!
A great place for more info is myhouserabbit.com. Check out the blog section to see a video about how Easter bunnies hurt rabbits!











Although rabbits are often portrayed playing happily with children,
young children should never be left unsupervised with them.

Instead of a pet bunny, get a stuffed or chocolate one. It's much
safer and no one get's hurt. (except, of course, the chocolate bunny!)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Rabbits Need Help!

Rabbits really do need help! Adopting a rabbit or donating to an organization helps them out a lot! Some of the organizations listed here are for you to check out. Remember, always get a rabbit from an adopting organization instead of a pet store. There are plenty of rabbits out there that need you to save them!








Also here are some cruelty free organizations to check out for the coming up of April's Animal Cruelty Awareness Month.




















Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Caption Contest:

What do YOU think these critters are saying? Comment below! Later on we will reveal the winner of each caption!





Monday, March 25, 2013

Weekly Spotlight Question: How Much Chocolate Can Hurt a Dog?

(From Yahoo! Answers)






      "My  75lb Pit bull accidentally ate one piece of  Lindors Truffles, milk chocolate, I was wondering If i should be worried for her at all? She literally just ate it a minute ago. Help!"

   A simple way to figure out how much chocolate can hurt a dog is by looking at the chart below. A 75lb dog would probably have to ingest 66 ounces of milk chocolate to have it be toxic for them. Even though that seems like a lot, never feed chocolate to your dog even if it is a small amount. This could easily turn into a bad habit.(For an interactive version of this chart, go to NationalGeographic.com/ChocolateChart






01 Chocolate Toxicity - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!.htm

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Announcement!

One EXCITING announcement: Critter Corner now has a link for you to subscribe by email for free! Critter corner is a completely safe website/blog, so no worries. Simply supply your email address in the type box at the very bottom of the blog and enter the activation button. Soon, you will have Critter Corner's posts and comment replies sent to you every time we update it! It's that SIMPLE! Now that we can bring the blog to you by email, you will enjoy taking it everywhere!

Hope you are just as excited as we are to share Critter Corner with one another! Enjoy!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Lily's Birthday

Lily has turned 2 today! My sister's bunny gets some treats and plays with the cake box. Yay for Lily!

















My sister










Wednesday, March 20, 2013

EMU (Even More Updates!)

Daisy: Hi Guys!

Peanut: Hi Guys!

Daisy: Stop copying me!

Peanut: Stop copying me!

Daisy: Sigh.....We have the announcements ready, Peanut....

Peanut: Sigh..... We have the announcements ready, Pe- OH YAYYAYYAYYAYYAYYAY! Announcements! Can't WAAAAAIT!!!!

Daisy: Uh, get to the point. Announcements? Remember?

Peanut: Oh. Yeah. Riiiight... (gets papers) Today we will announce the stats of the blog audience and readers.

Daisy: Cool.

Peanut: Cool!!???  THAT'S ALL????? Seriously?

Daisy: Well you do I know I review the stats from time to time. Now, PLEASE, continue...Thanks.

Peanut: Oh-KAY......So first, lets see the very famous posts! Top five of this month:

  1. Ailments in Gerbils(148 views)
  2. Betta-fish Feeding(67 views)
  3. Chinchilla Debate: "Death Ball"(52 views)
  4. QUIZ: What Kind of Small Pet is Best for You?(23 views)
  5. See Your Pet Hamster's Point of View(12 views)


Daisy: Wowzers. Looks like gerbils are famous after all. Moving on to the most famous page of all time besides the home page. I can't look!

Peanut: I will Daisy....Andddd it looks like- D-D-Dayyyssyyyysssss Pageeeee????? 

Daisy: Wha? What did you say?? 

Peanut: I SAID: Uh....squee......daisy's page..

Daisy: SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!! OHMYCARROTSICANNOTBELIEVEIT!!!! YEAAAAAHHHHH! 

Peanut: meep.

Daisy: YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA......... Oh. Yeah. Now we will see the audience.

Peanut: Today, 46 people from the USA checked out the blog. Cool, right?

Daisy: Ummmmm....Yeah. Suuuurrreeeee. Thanks for the info. 

Peanut: ALSO...... 10 people from Russia, 9 people from Germany, 5 people from the United Kingdom, 3 people from France, 2 people from Australia, and 1 person from Italy.

Daisy: Hi peeps from Italy! Say hi to my mom! Hola Amigos!

Peanut: That's Mexican.

Daisy: Oh. Yeah. Right. Sorry Mom!

Peanut: Three words. You. Are. WEIRD.

Daisy: Soooo....Byeee......Lets get that over with now, okay? My mom is calling me. I'm grounded for three weeks. Great. Bye.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

15 Reasons(count 'em: 15) Why Rats RULE!

Rats are awesome pets, but SOME people don't like them. If someone in your household needs a little persuading, then print out this list and hand it to them!



1. Rats are personable. They love humans and are social pets that don't hide in their sleeping houses and be shy. They always want to say "hi" to any humans that pass by, rat-lover or not! They also have unique personalities that make them great pets.

2. Rats are affectionate and loving. Yes, affectionate! Rats are sweet, snuggling creatures. Rats have natural instincts to be with each other and they will love to sit in your lap or on your shoulder and lick you. Unlike hamsters, they really want to be with someone.

3. Rats are clean. People think rats are dirty, filthy, diseased creatures. Wrong! Rats groom often, and like cats, they have a second germ-free saliva that foams at the lips while grooming. It acts as a soap to clean their fur and tail. Another way they are clean is their waste. They keep urine and feces in one corner of their habitat and don't leave it scattered all over a room. They can also be litter box trained so they don't even need a cage nearby for playing, just a small "rat-box" in a corner for him to have access to.

4. Rats are easy to care for. Rats don't need a lot of care. Even if you don't have time to play on some days, rats will be happy to explore a safe room while you do house-chores or homework. Everything else is a breeze. Water and food can be replaced every other day. Cage cleaning is simple: every two weeks. Rats don't need as much cleaning care as other pets. The only thing is playtime. Rats shouldn't have a plastic ball. Instead, you should have fun activities for them(cucumber slices in a bowl of water, blanket tunneling, outdoor harness) and especially one-on-one time.

5. Rats are inexpensive to have. Rat owners only spend the most when they first get the rat: probably about $90-$100 max. The rest of his life is very inexpensive. Food lasts longer and is usually only $6-$8 dollars. Cages don't need to be replaced. Accessories like training items, toys, and harnesses don't need to be bought right away.

6. Rats are smart and trainable. Rats are the most common animals used in labs and college psychology
studies. Some people create "Rat Olympics" as school events, and even owners can train rats to spin, sit, speak, open things, fetch, stay, stand, jump......as much as a dog can be taught! Service rats are used to find bombs and even physical problems with people using their astounding sense of smell. Blind use rats to guide them. Children with down syndrome and autism have rats as loving pets for snuggles and to help them learn. Rats are very amazing creatures when it comes to training and intelligence.

7. Rats are great with kids! Rats never bite or scratch and are safe for young children to pick up. They are sturdy, tolerant pets that don't try to "get back" at a grabby toddler. In fact, they want to be petted. Surprisingly enough, rats are perfect pets for kids in hospitals that have cancer or have had surgery. They are therapeutic animals that make you love them forever once you see their personality towards you.

8. Rats are cuddly and huggable. Rats are soft creatures that are good for hugging and loving on. They will love back!

9. Rats are quiet.  Rats are VERY quiet. They don't bark, hiss, or screech. They don't keep you up at night. People who had rats in a room whenever the landlord or their rodent-negative friends came to visit were never heard of or noticed.

10. Rats don't take up much room. Pet rat cages are usually no bigger than 4 feet tall. Living rooms or bedrooms are great places to keep rats, since the cages look modern and cool in those environments.

11. Rats don't need shots or many medical visits. Unlike dogs or cats, rats don't need expensive check-ups unless they are obviously hurt or sick. Spaying and neutering costs $20 per rat, but make sure it is a rat-savvy vet.

12. Rats are loyal. Once a pet rat owner had an unexpected seizure and the rat climbed out the cat door, climbed the top of the fence, and squeaked loudly for the next door neighbor. Rats are loyal, caring pets that care about their owners greatly and will even lose their lives for them.

13. Rats are entertaining and great stress busters. Rats are extremely fun pets to watch and interact with. A simple idea like a tissue box turns into a million ideas for a pet rat! 24/7 your pet rat will be doing something that will be fun to watch. Pet rat enthusiasts take rats to rehabilitation and nursing homes and let everyone watch the rat(s) play and even interact with the people! After a long stressful day at work, pet rat owners can play with their pet rats to relieve stress and anxiety, along with plenty of relaxation.

14. Rats come in all sorts of colors and styles. Rats aren't just white, they come in plenty of colors, sizes, and shapes to fit your needs and likes. Rats can be used for show in 4-H and other animal showing organizations to show off your rat's unique colors.

15. Rats are animals you will get very attached to. Karen Robbins, a rat owner, says: "I used to have goldfish. They were pretty, but when one died, I didn't get sad at all. They were simple to replace, and nobody felt bad." She recalls the day she got her rats. "My mom didn't want anything to do with them, but after a few days of having them, she loved them! She told me they were great pets and that she couldn't believe her feelings about them before." Having rats as pets is rewarding and satisfying. There are many great things about these misunderstood pets that people should know. "These little angels are the greatest." Robbin says. "Each of the many rats I have owned have given me so much love, affection, and joy - more than i could ever ask. I cannot imagine living my life without them."

Monday, March 18, 2013

Chinchilla Debate: "Death Ball"

Okay, first of all, Happy Saint Patrick's Day Everyone! Hope you noticed the background photo changed!(Yay...JELLYBEANS!) Secondly, the squirrel debate poll was good. 
Squirrel lovers unite! 33% versus 66%.

 Thirdly, I seriously have to let the cat out the bag for the close-up picture guessing thing. It's a baby's toy. 

So, you probably are kind of wondering if this is some sort of animal cruelty thing that has been fought over for a long time. Nope. Simply, this is something people don't realize realize at all when they first get their chinchilla. People think, "Aw, cute, a ball. My chinchilla will absolutely LOVE to run around in it......This must be a MUST-HAVE since hamsters and gerbils and other rodents need exercise balls for playing......Let's buy this too!" Those people don't understand chinchillas could seriously die if they go in the ball. Yep, seriously! Look it up and every chinchilla website agrees: "Absolutely NOT!"

(You can see why this is really non-debate-able!)

  1. Chinchillas get overheated VERY easily. Plastic balls are hot for chinchillas to be in.
  2. Chinchillas can get respiratory infections in a small ball filled with feces and urine.
  3. Chinchillas hop, not walk. A round sphere makes it impossible for them to get around normally which can damage the spine.
  4. Your pet chinchilla's 20-year life gets cut in half when always confined to a plastic ball!
  5. Chinchillas are, like rabbits, EXTREMELY social. Playing in a ball every time they come out of the cage can be boring and stressful, so let your chinchilla out in a safe room to play!

Chinchillas may like a basement or bathroom to play. Wood floors or linoleum are easy to clean in case of "accidents" and you can even try training them to use a litter box and supplying them with chewing material like safe wood or hay. Please don't keep your chinchilla confined in something all the time! After all, how would you feel if you had to be in something just to get exercise?? Pretty bad, I'm sure! Chinchillas are our pets and they deserve the best since they cannot speak for themselves. Please let your chinchilla live a long, healthy, and happy life. Use balls only for hamsters and gerbils! (even rats shouldn't be in balls!) Thanks for caring!


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Ferret Toys and Games

It's super fun to watch your ferret play and even funner to play with him! Check out some cool ferret-approved ideas for games and toys that are easy to prepare but exciting to play!




  • My ferrets love-love-LOVE sand pits. I fill big popcorn bowls with sand and then put small plastic balls and household toys in the sand for them to find. My ferrets also love cat toys on sticks with no catnip. They grab on and love to pull and shake 'em! -Jess

  • I know this will make you laugh but it is really fun for my lone ferret. Him and i are really close and we play games together like hide n seek "Bandit Version"!(my little guy's name!)He absolutely loves when i hide under something or behind something and pop out. He does the same thing with me. We also play hand wrestling games or I give him a bowl of dirt and he digs in it. I put down alluminum foil first though, so he doesn't make it hard 2 clean up! -Macy

  • Hiya! I have some PAWSOME games me and my other ferret buds love to play! I luv jingle balls and cat toys! I also LOVELOVELOVELOVE LOVE  crinkle tubes! Super pet has those I think. My owner makes mazes out of a bunch of crinkle tubes throughout the house and connects them to containers and boxes! We create one every Saturday and I play with them!! Totally cool! My ferret buddies also like cheerio hunts. Yes, we get cheerios from time to time. Mom hides em throughout the living room or bedroom or basement and we find them! Same goes with balls and stuff. We also like harnesses for outdoor play in the sandbox and stuff! -Spazzy the ferret

  • Ball pits. At Pet supplies plus or online stores you can get special ferret ball pits that are little tents with 50 plastic balls. The ferrets have A BLAST! I can't explain how awesome it is to see them play in the ball pit. We even have a sign that say's ferret zone on the guest bedroom. We turned it into the ultimate ferret room! We let them play on harnesses too. Awesome! -Daniel C.

  • Ferrets love tubes and tunnels! PVC tubes work amazingly perfect! Also cut-off jean legs work awesome. Connecting them with duct tape from the outside is really easy and best off all they last long and they are super-easy to store in a drawer or on a shelf! -Ferret Lover

  • My ferrets love clothes hampers! Before we throw the load of clothes in, we let the ferrets tunnel into them. Just be careful to make sure there are not any ferrets in the clothes before you put it in the wash! -Missy 

  • Awesome toys for ferrets are dog rope chews! We also get a big pot of dirt and let the ferrets burow into it and make tunnels. We give them a ferret washcloth bath after. Ferrets shouldn't be bathed in the tub because they could drown. -Anonymous

  • My ferrets love blankets! you can do so many things with em'! My ferrets like rides on the blankets, burrow in it, find toys, like to relax on the blanket, have two people create a "hammock" for them to swing, take one end of the blanket and shake it, the people can create air by waving one corner ever so slightly and wait for them to jump on it.......The possibilities are ENDLESS with ferrets! Blankets plus ferrets rule!!! -Everything Ferret.com Editor, and her ferret crew!



Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Some Favorite Critter Websites

If you haven't checked out SmallAnimalChannel.com yet, then maybe you should. Along with the updates of this critter website, you can find some other cool websites that can help you and your critter!


SmallAnimalChannel.com

SmallAnimalChannel has plenty of fun and info for critters! The highlights today are:
Basic Guinea Pig Training; Critter Sippers Contest; Rabbit Grooming Guide; and "Type the Talk!"Forums. (Also check out the Critter Community Quizzes. You don't even need any account to enter, just play the quiz and create a name to see the results!)


SuperPetUsa.com

Play some games and create cool critter stuff for fun! Also check out Super Pet products you can purchase online for your small pet.


HamsterClub.com

Read articles and enter contests in the Hamster Club! Have fun with your hammie!!



ChinchillaChronicles.com

This AWESOME chinchilla website gives you EVERYTHING you need to know about your pet chinchilla. It's GREAT for new chinchilla owners.


EverythingFerret.com

This website brings out the fun in information websites with forums and contests! Dook!(The sound ferrets make when curious and/or happy. Non-ferret owners don't understand.)


HouseRabbitSociety.org

Donate to or adopt a rabbit today. House Rabbit Society is a great organization that helps innocent rabbits in need.



The Dapper Rat(dapper.com/rat)

Show your pet rats to the world and buy cool products, read articles.....yep....this is one rat website you can't miss!!!



AllAboutMice.com

This big website has very tiny residents!! 




SugarGlidersRUs.com

Not very many websites are devoted to sugar gliders....but this one sure is!!!


HedgehogValley.com

Learn about hedgehogs in this cool website!!!














Monday, March 11, 2013

Daylight Savings Time and Your Pets

       Daylight Savings Time is when you set your clocks forward one hour. It starts March 10, and ends November 3 this year of 2013. Everybody loves it when they sit down for dinner and there is the sunlight shining in, or when they go to walk with their dogs and they can see the beautiful sunset. In fact, most people say it's their favorite thing about summer. If you have pets, though, the can get very confused for the first month or so, which leads to dangerous health problems. Here are some tips to keep your pets happy and healthy during the beginning of spring.



Heath Problem Warning

        Many health problems occur around this time. Our pets easily get confused by sudden changes such as this. Included heath problems are stress, heart problems, excessive aggression, extremely upset, sudden seizures, and especially excessive activity.


Why?

       Cats, rabbits, and dogs are crepuscular, meaning they are more active at dawn or dusk.
With cats, they are deeply affected by the time change, mainly because of their eating routines. Unlike dogs, cats know when they get food, where as with dogs, dogs usually get food anytime possible. They have no idea when it will come, and they get more excited when they hear and smell signs of food that is theirs. Cats just expect it, so around the time they usually get food, they are confused when they don't. Around the same time of feeding they do normal feeding rituals: batting paws, clawing legs, rubbing against you, mewing and howling.......etc.
Surprisingly enough, hamsters get the most affected by this. Since they don't consume a whole bowl of food every day, food isn't a priority. Sleeping is. Every good hamster owner knows hamsters are nocturnal, and when you were young you must have learned nocturnal is when you sleep during the day and stay up at night, right? Hamsters usually retreat to bed at 6-7AM each morning, putting aside an extra hour to make their beds for sleeping. At the usual 5AM each morning when they would be making up the bed, it seems a little later, but looks brighter out. "Hamsters use light and human behavior routines to determine time," Mark Evans, vet and former author of ASPCA Pet Care Guides says."Daylights Savings Time shocks hamsters and leaves them sleeping longer, possibly all day and night." Veterinarians agree Daylights Savings Time has the most pets dying or going into comas of shock.



Change Routines Without Really Changing Them.....Huh??

         The simplest way to solve it is to go back one hour in your mind. If you normally feed your dog at 6 PM start serving it at 5:15 PM for two days followed by two days at 5:30 PM and them two days of 5:45 PM and finally 6:00 PM. Same with breakfast, walks, and cage cleanings for critters. For hamsters use the 15 minutes sooner but in the room close the blinds or put him in a dark room. Every two days leave the lights or blinds on fifteen minutes longer until finally you do it normally and he gets used to it.(same with rats, bunnies, mice...etc.) Use a notebook or schedule to keep track. A little flexibility with the routine lets it be less demanding for you and your pets.



I tried the same technique with Daisy's feeding times.....It seems to work!!


  

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Weekly Spotlight Question: "Broken Tail on a Rat??"

(submitted on Yahoo!.com by Anonymous. SpellCheck/edits have been made) 

              "So, a few weeks ago I found my rat Bella in her cage and she had an apparently broken tail. The tail was cut halfway open and all bent(!!!!) and blood and white stuff were coming out of one part of her tail. She was screaming/squeaking and hunched over by her tail. 
I put her in a "hospital carrier" with needs like a bowl of food, a water bowl, an ice pak, and a towel and Critterzzz...(TM)bedding. 
My mom thought it would be ok to try 2 put a fabric bandage on the tail to stop the bleeding. We don't have any rat-savvy vets around here so we looked on a pet website and NEOSPORIN was a good choice. It was doing fine until one day I found a crispy black brown tip on her tail. It was all  hard and droopy where the normal pink park and the black part met. Now more black and brown stuff is spreading towards the base of the tail!!!! Help!!!"


   To say it simply, the rat's tail is decaying. Open flesh quickly gets infected. A rat's tail is very fragile, and the soft, delicate skin is like a baby's. Imagine that left with open, bloody flesh. Although NEOSPORIN can still help the tail's injury, it isn't as powerful after using it every day. Sadly, this means that you will have to either allow the vet to remove the tail, or if he or she is a senior rat, he will be too old to perform surgery on, and this means he will have to be put down."







Sunday, March 3, 2013

It's Daisy....Again!

Hi, it's Daisy. Just wanted to say thanks for reading the blog! Yes, I support my mom's blog.... Anyway, an even BIGGER thanks to all you Daisy fans out there! (did I hear cheering??) You really must love my blog, er,  page, because it's like EVERYBUNNY, I mean, EVERYBODY,  is reading my page more often. I know I said I would do the guessing picture thingie every week, but it's just so FUN!! Besides, weekends can be so boring so I really have to have a little fun and do something. My owner doesn't BARELY even go on the blog on Saturdays and Sundays, so hey! A win-win!  The answer to the last pic was a pink mesh office chair. Cool, eh? Okay, we'll be putting up this picture on the side thing so you can see, but here is the next one: (AND remember, comment your guess below. Do it for me! I am pretty famous, you know!)


This one is hard!