Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever
America's favorite dog, the Golden Retriever is one of the friendliest and lovable animals on Earth. The Golden Retriever breed was developed largely in Scotland in the mid-to-late 1800s. Lord Tweedmouth at Inverness-Shire, Scotland played a key role in breeding this type out of a Yellow Retriever crossed with the now obscure Tweed Water Spaniel, Irish Setter and even some Bloodhound.

A Golden Retriever was first shown in England in 1908. The first Golden was registered in the U.S. in 1925.
The Golden Retriever is known to be obedient, loyal, and eager to please. Although they are large dogs and need plenty of space and exercise, they make wonderful pets. Easily trained and hard working, they are used, not only as hunitng dogs, but in many other occupations including as guide or assistance dogs for the physically, visually or hearing impaired and as drug sniffing dogs in law enforcement.

After the AKC introduced their Obedience Champion title in 1977, the first three winners of the title were Golden Retrievers.

Friday, March 1, 2013

A Note About Substrate

Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) Русский...
It’s one of the first things all Leopard Gecko owners learn:  Don’t use sand as a substrate.

I’m sure you experienced owners already know this.  But if you’re new to the Leopard Gecko care scene, make sure you stay away from sand as a substrate if at all possible.  It’s quite easy for Leopard Geckos to suffer from impaction when housed on sand, even calcium sand.  This is especially true when they’re younger.  They ingest some of the sand as they hunt, and sometimes even purposely if they feel deprived of minerals like calcium.  This sand blocks their digestive tract causing major health problems and even death.
Artemis was originally housed on sand for 2 weeks until we were able to get some suitable tile for the bottom of her habitat.  Now she happily lives on a combination of half tile and half reptile carpet. 

We’d suggest using either reptile carpet or tile as a substrate.  Reptile carpet is great, but sometimes causes the geckos to snag their teeth while hunting.  Tile is great, but must be carefully installed.  You want a tile with texture, not a smooth surface.  You also have to be careful there aren't any sharp edges on the tiles.  And finally, you have to make sure that the tile is holding the appropriate temperature.  Use a thermometer to monitor it, and even a thermostat to help control under tank heaters and lamps.  Use multiple layers of thinner tiles if necessary. 

Getting the proper substrate installed in the habitat is the first step to providing your Leopard Gecko with a great habitat in which to live. Want to learn more about animals? Check out my other horse site.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

A Gecko Vacation

English: A juvenile leopard gecko



Your Leopard Gecko is actually one of the easier pets to care for during a vacation. The older the gecko, the easier it is as well. Before we left, we went out and bought a light timer. Light timers plug directly into your outlet and allow you to set a daily time range for the outlet power. The heat lamp can be plugged into one of these (remember to have the light in the ON state). I had it set to give Artemis 10 hours of heat lamp each day, just as her normal schedule does.

You can leave the under the tank heater on like normal. That is what we did. So that solves the heating and light issues for the vacation. But what about food and water?

The absolute best way to handle a vacation is to have someone come over and feed your gecko on a schedule. We had my girlfriend’s sister do this for Artemis. She came over on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to feed Artemis and change her water. This worked out well for all of us. Artemis stayed fed with fresh water available, and my girlfriend’s sister only had to visit 3 times during our 6 days away.

Artemis is old enough that she doesn’t eat daily. But even if you gecko eats daily, they will be fine with a week or two of every-other-day feedings. Just make sure they’re getting their vitamins and calcium during those feedings and everything will be fine.

So that’s it. That’s how we recommend you care for your Leopard Gecko during a vacation. No fancy medicines like you might have to carry for a dog.


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Pangolin Problems


Were you aware that 8 species of Pangolins roam the Earth? Well, me either. In fact, I didn't even know what a Pangolin was, until I found out some troubling news. The scaly mammal that resembles an anteater is one of the most endangered species in the world, and is at risk of going extinct. Why, you might ask?

Living in both Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, Pangolins are losing their habitat and being poached for illegal wildlife trade. People are scooping these large roly-polys up, just to brag about having a Pangolin, only to sell it to someone else that can brag about having a Pangolin. They are also used medicinally; their scales mixed with bark and other wildlife elements to protect from witchcraft and evil spirits.  Furthermore, they are hunted for their meat (a delicacy in China), and their scales have been used for fashionable jewelry, thought to bring good luck and keep evil spirits away from the wearer.

Here's the deal, guys:

Trade cards, not wildlife. Whatever happened to good old fashioned stamp collecting? Or baseball cards? It's never too late to put an end to a bad habit (like KILLING AND TRADING PANGOLINS) and picking up a new hobby or past time (SOMETHING NOT SAD AND ILLEGAL).

I believe in alternative medicine, I really do. But there are plenty of other options to improve the body and soul than concocting a scale and bark brew. Plants, trees, berries, you name it.

Leave the Pangolin of your plate, and instead go for a nice hearty surf and turf meal...you know...if that surf and turf isn't on the endangered species list and/or a household pet.

Fashion trends come and go. Though I'm not the best fashionista in the world, let's just say Pangolin scale jewelry is so last century.