Some Great Alternatives to Getting a Dog Or Cat

Not all animals make great pets. There is no doubt about that. But there are some animals that people can have in their home that you would never think of. Some of loving, some are not, some are just a great gift to get for your child as a birthday present.

Here are some great options of pets to get that are not cats and dogs.

If you are interested in getting some sort of reptile for your son or daughter, you may have a bad conception in your head and the first thing that might jump out at you is a snake. Many people are very happy having snakes as pets, but I am not one of those people. Something like an iguana, however is an easy pet to care for and can eat bugs around the house.

Another pet that I had as a child was a Prairie Dog. I cannot tell you how loving this creature was. My mother hated it at first, but learned to love it. Just be careful, because they have bottomless stomachs and will get fat if you don't watch their diet.

Hailing in from Madagascar is the Sugar Glider. This marsupial is similar to a flying squirrel in physique, with webbed wings that allow it to glide. Maybe not the most loving creatures, but they certainly are cooler than a Maltese.

Turtles are wonderful creatures. While they are not the most affectionate animals, they are adorable and your child will love them. Just keep the paint away so your kid doesn't paint them like the ninja turtles.

An ant farm is a popular and easy to maintain project for your son or daughter at a young age. Make sure to keep it in an area that is well ventilated, so it doesn't stink up your child's room.

These are just some of the great options of different types of pets to get for your home.

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Hermit Crab Molting - A Drastic But Normal Change

Molting is a process of shedding off the old skin to reproduce new and better ones. It is a constant habit among animals especially selected reptiles and specific crustaceans. Just like the famous skin-shedding snakes, hermit crabs have also been known to utilize the process of hermit crab molting. These creatures are the crabs you see at the seashore with seashells anchored on their backs. These seashells are their main source of protection and shelter. Other than their shelter, they also protect themselves through their pincers and their tough skin. Though crustaceans' tough skin may seem durable enough, here is a time when they shed it off to regenerate and protect themselves with newer and harder skin.

Just like any other molting creature in the animal kingdom, hermit crabs have signs and symptoms of skin molting. Before the process begins, they undergo preparations and anatomical changes to aid in molting. Their antennas stiffen, their eyes start to get hazy and they tend to move sluggishly as if they are near hibernation. When these changes occur, they are then ready to dig a hole under the sand to look for a comfortable place to start the undisturbed process of skin shedding. In the process of molting, every body part will be changed and limbs that were lost due to unexpected reasons will eventually be regenerated. By the time they come out, their bodies may seem fresh and small, as their skin is brand new. Since the skin hardening is still ongoing, they will eventually regain their original forms in a few days.

Hermit crabs are animals not meant for domestication or to be kept as pets, as they can never be tamed and they need to live in undisturbed habitats due to their delicate activities. But in case you have hermit crabs in your tank as pets, be sure to buy molting tanks at the pet store to aid in undisturbed molting. When you notice them digging a tunnel, don't assume immediately that they are molting. Other factors might trigger the behavior such as extremes in temperature. Keep in mind that crustaceans are cold-blooded animals and they need aid from some non-living objects to adjust to the temperature. One of the most important things they are going to need is the presence of sand.

They tend to adjust to the environment by digging a hole to make them feel comfortable. To assess if they are either adjusting to the environment or starting to molt, try to smooth a hole that the hermit crab dug and sprinkle a bit of water at night when he is underneath it. On the next day check if your pet surfaced to look for food to eat or water to drink. If so, then he might probably not start molting yet. If you see that the hermit crab didn't, then it might be ideal to transfer him to the molting tank. The molting tank will then aid an undisturbed hermit crab molting process.

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Sugar Gliders as Pets : How to Feed a Pet Sugar Glider

You need to decide what is healthy to feed your pet sugar glider; learn how and what to feed your pet sugar glider in this free pet care video. Expert: Elizabeth Cantu Bio: Elizabeth Cantu has owned and been working with parrots since 1994. She has been active in captive parrot rescue and rehabilitation. Filmmaker: julio costilla

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Sugar Glider Info: Diets and Nutrition

Foods/diets to stay away from, highly recommended diets for sugar gliders, and treats for your sugar gliders. More info: sugarglider.com glidercentral.net suzsugargliders.com luckyglider.org

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Poor Gizmo, Post Neuter

Gizmo was neutered Wednesday, and Thursday night he got out of that e-collar and chewed out all his stitches...he's back at the vet now :(

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How to Take Care of Ferrets

There is a lot to consider when toying with the idea of having a ferret for a pet. You may be wondering where to find a complete source for ferret care information? The ferret comes from the Mustelidae family of exotic creatures. When fully grown it exhibits a distinct odor. People who do not intend to breed ferrets can have them fixed and scent gland removed. Neutering prevents getting stuck with a fresh litter if you bought several and descenting gets rid of the nasty odor. It is equally important to pay a veterinarian a visit and get ferrets vaccinated and it also never hurts to bring new pets in for periodic checkup.

Balanced diet like premium ferret or cat food is a must for ferrets and these are easily available in nearby pet stores. See to it that the chosen pet food contains no less than 20 percent of fat and 35 percent of protein. Cats require lower levels of fat compared to ferrets. Poultry fat is one example of balanced fats that include key fatty acids which works great for these creatures. Keep water steadily available for your pet ferret.

It prefers to drink from a bowl than a bottle. Water in water bowls need regular changing so if you cannot do this switch to a water bottle.

Ferrets should also be housed in safe environments. Pick cages that have ample room and are easily cleaned as well as completely secure. The spaces on the cage also need looking into. A ferret should not be able to force its tiny head between the bars as it might wind up hurting itself. Buy cages that do not have areas that can trap ferret feet in. Your typical ferret is big on play and frolic. An appropriate cage is necessary to avoid causing injury to the ferrets.

Aside from enjoying hiding in dimly lit and cushioned areas a ferret is also big on sleep spending around 15 to 20 hours daily dozing off. Hammocks and nap sacks are great for both sleeping and playing. It might be a good idea to drape a sheet over a section of the cage to afford your pet ferret privacy and a place to have fun.

This mammal likes chewing a lot too so anything in its path can pose a potential hazard. Check its cage frequently to ensure it is not munching on any item that could be harmful. Ferrets accidentally eating something strange could mean intestinal obstructions that might require a surgical procedure to remove. But ferrets can be extremely friendly too. Once it reaches one month of age you can begin introducing it to other humans. Be sure to set the ferret loose in a ferret friendly space about two times every day. Avoid leaving your furry pet unsupervised while out of their cages for extended periods. This helps minimize their chances of being injured. Repeated handling of these animals makes training them easier. It also presents an opportunity for more personal interaction. No ferret will turn away from a good cuddle and as an owner there is no better feeling.

Potty training ferrets usually is very doable. Introduction to a litter box if done early leads to better toilet training success odds. A ferret is affectionate and loves to have fun and with each new interaction their life and happiness expectancy grows.

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Clean-up Your Hermit Crab Aquarium the Right Way!

Hermits are wonderful inexpensive pets since they are not only very friendly but they are also intelligent, free from any foul odor and they are clean. Hermits are terrestrial animals that could live on land and utilize empty snail shells as their temporary houses. These shells also provide them with the protection that they need. A hermit can be maintained in a 10-galloon tank with about 3 to 4 inches of substrate at the bottom. Typically, two empty bowls that contain water on them are required, one of which is filled with de-chlorinated fresh water while the other one is filled with salt water. To prevent your pet hermit crab from drowning, it is imperative that these bowls were placed in such a way that the crabs are allowed to easily get out from it.

Just like in any other type of pets, ensuring the overall health and well being of your hermit crabs will entail you to make some consideration about a few things with regard to their diet and habit. A responsible pet owner should know how to clean a hermit crab aquarium. Here are the steps on how to do it properly:

In a large pot, boil the de-chlorinated water before placing it in the tank.
Take out your pet from the hermit crab aquarium and place it someplace where they cannot climb out.
Discard any papers or sand that lines the tank.
In a large bucket, fill in about half of the boiled de-chlorinated water.
Place in everything that you have to clean inside the large bucket of water such as the old shells and food bowls.
Soak these things in the large bucket until the water cools down
Wash down the hermit crab aquarium with the remaining boiled water, drain it and allow it to dry.
At the bottom of the tank, pour in the substrate then put everything back into the tank. Place your pet on its newly cleaned hermit crab aquarium.

Additional tips:
Just like when buying any other pets including hermits, everyone should do a thorough research into the general maintenance and health. Remember, hermits do have special health needs. If these requirements are not met, these could result to disease or even worst, death of your beloved pet.

Maintaining a clean hermit habitat is vital to their health and well being. Cleaning the aquarium should be done on a weekly basis. Also, it is important that you refrain from using chemicals or detergents in cleaning any part of the hermit aquarium, with food dishes and water bowls included. It is recommended that you visit my site to get more info about proper maintenance of hermit crab aquarium.

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Found my other half - Pets Next Door

Im about 9 month old since i was born and about 6 months since im out of my mom's pouch. My diet for a long time now include fruits and other healthy food. 2day is my wedding night with bell. We are sleeping together and at night we'll b playing allover. We both love each other and forever b friends. More cute animals at www.petsnextdoor.com

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Hermit Crabs and Care

To learn how to care for a hermit crab, it is crucial for you to get very familiar with its natural habitat and living. Otherwise, your hermit crab pet would only die in a few weeks' time after buying it.

Before getting a hermit, a healthy environment must be organized first. Everything you need to set up a hermit crab home can be found in a pet store. You have to buy an aquarium or glass tank, seashell containers, sand, rocks, corals, hermit foods and so forth. You can just ask the pet store staff for all the things that you must have for raising a hermit.

Upon getting home, begin making the hermit crab home by placing the aquarium or glass tank in a clean area where there is enough lighting. It has to be in an area where you can easily spot it, so that you would never forget to take care of the hermit crabs. Pour the sand into it and arrange all the accessories around it. It is best if the sand you have bought is fortified with calcium since this nutrient is a basic need for hermit crabs. Since hermits live in the tropical scene, make sure that there is around 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit of temperature and at least 70% of humidity surrounding the hermit crab home. Anything lower or higher than the requirement is not going to give hermits the chance to survive.

After that, you can now buy hermits from the pet store. It would be much better if you buy a group of them since they love to socialize. Make sure that you choose healthy crabs that wear natural shells on their backs.

Introduce the hermits to their new home. Provide them with food, dechlorinated water and saltwater. Water is an extremely essential part of their lives since they need it to have moisture all the time for their gills. Enjoy watching them explore their new habitat as they also get to know each other. At times, you would find them playfully digging into the sand.

Aside from the hermit crab home, you need to buy extra shells as well for them to have new ones after the molting process. Never provide them with painted shells. Give them a variety of shells with various sizes and styles. In that way, you can distinguish them from one another. You can also have fun by giving each of them a name.

Another thing to remember on how to care for a hermit crab is to clean their place monthly. Their food and water dishes should always be washed and cleaned as well by water. Fill it with new food and water everyday. If you let food sit in for more than 24 hours, this would cause molds and bacteria to appear.

From time to time, you can take your pets out of their home to play with. When it is your first time to do that, it is better to wear gloves to avoid getting pinched. But if you are not scared, then you can handle them with bare hands. Once you get pinched, don't swing the hermit around to lose their grip on your skin as this would aggravate it more. Just relax and dip it in warm water. Hermits are not fast creatures so it is all right to let them roam around your table or couch. However, keep a close eye on them. When they sense that you are there to care for them, they would then feel comfortable in trusting you and interacting with you.

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