|
Any tips on dealing with a green algae bloom in an aquarium? I'm hesitant to do a total blackout, because I have live plants. Plus, I have otocinclus (algae eaters) and I don't want all the algae to die, just the algae in the water. We think it was brought on because we added a bit of liquid fertilizer (not my idea), even though we have flourite as a substrate. I've been doing 30% water change every other day since the bloom started. Should I do more?
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2008 20:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 14:18 |
|
|
Meow Cadet posted:Any tips on dealing with a green algae bloom in an aquarium? I'm hesitant to do a total blackout, because I have live plants. Plus, I have otocinclus (algae eaters) and I don't want all the algae to die, just the algae in the water. I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding or not, but it sounds like you've got free-floating algae and green water? I battled that in my saltwater tank for a few months, but the thing that actually fixed it was getting a UV sterilizer. I got one of the submersible units, and it worked like a charm.
|
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2008 22:12
|
|
|
Meow Cadet posted:Any tips on dealing with a green algae bloom in an aquarium? I'm hesitant to do a total blackout, because I have live plants. Plus, I have otocinclus (algae eaters) and I don't want all the algae to die, just the algae in the water. A few days of blackout won't kill your plants. For free floating algae Daphnia are very effective at consuming it and make good fish food. I've heard of using a fine meshed net brooder suspended in the aquarium with a daphnia culture in it to clear a tank having a greenwater bloom, but haven't had the need to try it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2008 23:06
|
|
|
So the vet told us to make chicken and rice for our boxer with an enlarged heart. Anything in particular we should know? I assume brown rice would be best?
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 02:42
|
|
|
MoCookies posted:Crating and 100% supervision of the new dog is really the best way to go. He's still figuring out the rules of the house, so as much consistency from day to day as is possible is helpful. I'll second that tethering the dog to you is helpful for bonding, and teaching them how you *DO* want them to behave. It also will help you get more in tune with the dog's signals that he's going to need to go pee/poop soon. At this stage in housetraining (whether puppy or adult) its your job to set your dog up for success, rather than his job to tell you he needs to go out. That sort of thing takes time to work out, its not the starting point for housetraining. Keep treats handy 24/7 and remember to reward when he's playing quietly or just chilling politely nearby. He sounds like a pretty cool dog, so I'm sure that you both will have everything worked out before too long. He managed to walk away right out of my view and managed to tag a wall today. I gave him a firm NO! but it was apparently in mid stream and made him cower in the corner of the kitchen. I feel I may have scarred him because he didn't want anything to do with me  . After his nightly long walk, he seemed happy with me again, but I can't imagine making him cower away too often can be healthy for him. This was about 20 minutes after I had previously taken him out. I'm probably going to pick up a non-retractable leash tomorrow and the treat pouch and give tethering a shot. And since pictures seem mandatory here, here's George with his golem eyes and tongue a flashin':  Also, unrelated question, but what breed do you think he's mixed with? He's definitely mostly dachshund, but his red nose, gums, and general body build makes me believe he has a much bigger dog in him. His feet and tail are about beagle size but I really don't have a clue. His chest doesn't poke down like a dachshund and he's by no means fat as I can easily feel his ribs but not see them. DTMTCM fucked around with this message at 08:45 on Jun 10, 2008 |
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 08:41
|
|
|
My dogs have a disgusting new hobby - catching and eating field mice. What zoonotic diseases might they also be catching? We recently moved farther out of town, and now we essentially live surrounded by pasture. Our grass is a little long, which I actually like because it keeps the awful summer sun from baking it to death. However, it seems the poor little mice like it too. I'd say the dogs have been catching at least one a day for the last week, and they got two fat ones yesterday afternoon. They're having a loving great time hunting down the rodents, but I'm worried they might actually be rats and not mice because they're loving hefty.  So far, the only thing I can think of is makins sure all three have been fully vaccinated and boosted and whatnot for Lepto, but I'm unsure of how real a risk that actually is.edit: ^^^^^^ He looks like he may just be a standard sized Dach which can be pretty large, rather than the minis and toys you're used to seeing around which are. I've got a buddy with a Doxie x Pit, but he looks much bulkier than your dog; he's almost like a Low-Rider Pit Bull, or perhaps a Doxie on steroids. 
MoCookies fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Jun 10, 2008 |
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 17:23
|
|
|
My cat is driving me INSANE. He got this wound on his front right paw, and had been chewing on it, so I took him into the vet. They gave me some antibiotic ointment to put on it, and slapped a cone on him. After about a month, the wound was a lot smaller and had scabbed over, so we took the cone off of him. He was fine for a few days, but then he started to chew on it again, and was throwing up (which we suspect was due to all the grooming he was doing once he was out of his cone). Took him back to the vet, they wrapped his paw in a bandage and put another cone on him, and told me to take the bandage off after 3-5 days. I did, and his paw was still pretty raw looking, and he almost immediately worked out a way to chew on it, where he pins it down with his cone (usually right on the wound, which definitely isn't helping things any) and then stretches out as far as he can so that he can lick/gnaw on the side of his paw. I'm taking him back to the vet tomorrow, but I don't know what else they can do, and I'm seriously on the verge of pulling my hair out. I've already spent about $400 on vet bills over the course of the last month, and my money situation was pretty tight even before that. The part that's really frustrating is that the wound itself doesn't look that bad, and would probably heal on its own if he would just leave it alone. Anyway, I don't know that anyone will be able to offer any advice, I just needed to get this off my chest.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 17:31
|
|
|
MoCookies posted:My dogs have a disgusting new hobby - catching and eating field mice. What zoonotic diseases might they also be catching? Intestinal parasites, I would think... probably want to talk to the vet about getting them on a regular deworming schedule. Once that's done, though, you get all the benefits of raw feeding without any of the work! 
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 18:13
|
|
|
One of my kitties is a bit stressed at the moment, presumably because I was away on holiday for a week and a friend was minding them. I took her to the vets today, and after a full checkup she was given a clean bill of health, and the vet agreed that she just seems stressed out. So... I picked up a Feliway diffuser in an effort to help chill her out. I've not used the stuff before, and I'm assuming it's no problem for other animals in the house? It didn't occur to me until I got it home, but the diffuser is in the same room that the ferrets cage is. That's not likely to be a problem is it?
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 19:21
|
|
|
RepliCarter posted:Why does my cat keep licking himself? He does it so much he's losing fur. I had this problem with one of mine a few years back. I believe it can be a variation of problems including allergies, parasites and skin problems. Mine was cleared up with a change to a vastly better diet, but you'd definitely want to go to a vet to get it checked out, although upgrading to a diet that doesn't contain corn or a lot of grains is always a good idea because not only are they common allergens, they're useless filler for the most part.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 20:51
|
|
|
My dog will not go out and play in the yard without me. I live in apartment so we go outside together all of the time, because we have too. My parents have a fenced in backyard, so I would love to let him go out and sniff around (we have rabbits that live out back, so he has things to sniff and trail on). But he will not leave the door and sits there looking at me waiting for me to come out or let him in (he has sat there for 30 minutes once). When I go out, I can sit on the deck and he will run around, sniff and play, but it is not working. I am thinking about hiding treats back there so he can run out there with me on the deck, find the treat and then associate the backyard with treat. I would like to be able to put him out back and let him run around, but he just wont. This is important because I might be moving back in to the house soon and that would make bathroom time much easier!
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 21:11
|
|
|
When I first got my cat as a kitten, my sister was living in the apartment and she had her adult female cat. They didn't get along at first, but over time, they began to tolerate each other. Then my sister moved out, and my cat was alone. I bought a bunch of toys and a cat condo for him, but I dunno, he started to detach himself from me. So after a few months, my girlfriend moves in and she gets a female kitten for him to play with. Three days and they're friendly and play together. However, when I go to pet my cat, he walks away. He won't let me hold him, if I go near him while he's lying down (sit next to him and pet him) he gets up, walks out of my range and goes back to lying down. The ONLY time my cat will approach me is when I'm on my PC at home and he just hops up on the desk, lies down on the keyboard, and expects me to pet him. Is this normal for a cat? Does he not want to be pet/loved except when it's inconvenient to me? I mean, I'll pet him for a few minutes, but I'm usually working on my computer and can't have him lying on my keyboard (I don't want him on the desk period, but since he generally avoids me, i've made an exception) He's about 10 months old.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 21:22
|
|
|
Regnevelc posted:My dog will not go out and play in the yard without me. If I'm remembering your dog right, its a Beagle or a hound mix. For what its worth, my Beag does the same thing. He'll stand at the door and bark non-stop for hours if left outside, or even with the other dogs to keep him company. My girls (not hounds) love hanging out in the backyard, whether or not I'm around. He will go out there occasionally during the day if I've left the back door cracked for the dogs. I'd love to be able to install a doggy door (rental house), because I think he'd like the freedom to come and go as he chooses. He does like the "treats are hidden in the backyard game", by the way. I seem to remember a post in one of notsoape's Beagle threads about hounds that get separated or stuck will make a racket until someone comes and finds them. I figure its Jax's way of communicating his displeasure at being separated from his pack (me and my bf), and making sure he's indoors and where the action (read: food) is.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 21:35
|
|
|
Are cat flea collars dangerous? They use chemicals and I dont feel comfortable with them in the house around my food, especially with a cat running around everywhere. This is important since im thinking about buying a new cat the last cat i had was eight years go.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 22:38
|
|
|
I've never had a flea in the last few years with my current cats but they are indoor only. I don't treat for fleas or use flea collars. I live in western PA. I also have hard wood floors.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 22:43
|
|
|
Solenos posted:Are cat flea collars dangerous? They use chemicals and I dont feel comfortable with them in the house around my food, especially with a cat running around everywhere. This is important since im thinking about buying a new cat the last cat i had was eight years go. Flea collars don't work. You don't need to worry about them leaching chemicals since you won't even buy them
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 23:19
|
|
|
My roommate recently bought two gerbils (she has a hamster already, and the hamster is perfectly fine with being held/moved/picked up/played with). Unfortunately, we didn't do a terribly good job of holding and playing with the gerbils after first getting them. We've had them for around a month and they are very intimidated and prone to nibbling/biting fingers. We've been taking them out and holding them for 5 minutes each every day of late, but haven't noticed any improved behavior as of yet. Is this the best way to get gerbils used to contact, or is there something else we should be doing?
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 23:21
|
|
|
MoCookies posted:If I'm remembering your dog right, its a Beagle or a hound mix. Rat Terrier and something (everyone thinks beagle). But yeah, that is pretty much it, I will begin hiding treats in the back lawn for him to find.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 23:25
|
|
|
Helanna posted:It didn't occur to me until I got it home, but the diffuser is in the same room that the ferrets cage is. That's not likely to be a problem is it? Wasn't for ours. Sniffing it directly did seem to make them sneeze a bit, though, so you may want to unplug it while they're out playing.
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2008 23:50
|
|
|
I recently discovered tapeworm segments on my cat's "buttular" region. I went out and bought him those tapeworm tablets and crumbled one into a small amount of tuna (which he loves) and he ate about half of a tablet... he's very finicky about odd tastes. While his worms seemed to go away for a couple days, I've since checked his "booty" and discovered more segments. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas how to go about another attempt at deworming. A friend of mine says that she gives animals with worms a small amount of tobacco and worms tend to disappear. Just a retarded home remedy? Thoughts?
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 05:24
|
|
|
This is why you should always ask your vet before medicating your pet. Do you realize that intestinal parasites have a life cycle, and while you are killing them at one stage, you may not be getting ones that are at a younger stage? Deworming medications should be given on a schedule, and you should talk to your vet about it before you do it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 07:59
|
|
|
I have one cat, Jim, who is about 9 months old. He is the most well-behaved and intelligent cat that I have ever met, but I sometimes worry that he's a bit lonely because I tend to work long hours. I'm considering getting a second cat, but I have two questions: - To integrate a new cat, I understand that I should keep them in separate rooms, then slowly introduce them to one another. However, I live in a 1-bedroom apartment.. so there really isn't a room where I can lock up a new cat when I'm not home (other than the bedroom, where Jim hangs out during the day, or the bathroom, where he pees). Ideas? - I'm familiar with the n+1 rule of cat/litterbox ownership, but Jim is toilet trained, and I would like to toilet train my hypothetical new cat. Would two cats happily use the same toilet, assuming that they got along reasonably well? Thanks
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 12:20
|
|
|
In my experience introducing a juvenile kitty to another juvenile kitty is very straight forward. When I got my second cat, the first was about 7-8 months old, and the new kitty was 10 weeks or so (little abandoned kitten) and it took them under 24 hours before they were snuggling together. I was in a 1 bedroom appartment at the time so separation wasn't possible; I just made sure I got the kitten on a Friday afternoon so that I had the whole weekend to supervise them. Similarly when I got my other cats, I didn't really seperate them as they all settled in very quickly. The only exception is when I introduced an adult cat to my now adult cats and that was a bit more difficult. If you're planning to get a second kitten to introduce to your current kitten, you'll hopefully be fine; just try to do it at a weekend or something so you can at least supervise for a couple of solid days, not just putting them together then going to work! Can't help with the toilet thing, since my cats are all litterbox users, but I imagine they'd use the same toilet; my cats all share their trays, food bowls and beds.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 13:35
|
|
|
I've just finished treating my goldfish for tail rot, using methylblue, and today as I was changing his tank back to new, fresh water, I noticed he's got these dark spots on his head. At first I thought maybe it had something to do with the medicine since it turned everything else blue, but that would be really weird. There's 2, symmetric spots, right between his eyes, and it actually looks like the darker colouring is under the skin. I've googled goldfish diseases and such, but it doesn't seem to match anything that I can find. What's going on?
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 20:10
|
|
|
I have a quick question regarding my cat. Cache is about 15 years old and by the hand of god he just can't get enough of drinking water. He'll go in the bathtub and have the water drip on his arm and he'll lick it off. I fill up a cup of water on the sink and he'll drink it until his tongue can no longer reach. Hell, he even licks the condensation off of a really cool glass if its available. If there is water around he will try to drink it. This has been going on for quite some time, by the way. Now I heard this could be diabetes and my question is I guess how badly is this going to effect him in the long run? What can I do to help him out?
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 20:47
|
|
|
-Atom- posted:Now I heard this could be diabetes and my question is I guess how badly is this going to effect him in the long run? What can I do to help him out? You could take him to a damned vet.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 20:56
|
|
|
^first step is to find out if it is actually diabetes. You might be worried for no reason
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 20:56
|
|
|
You should go to the vet and get a full bloodwork panel + urinalysis run. There are other potential diagnoses for polydipsia than just diabetes.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 20:57
|
|
|
Oh I have him scheduled for an appointment in a few weeks, I was just asking to see if what I've researched held any merit.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 21:02
|
|
|
-Atom- posted:Oh I have him scheduled for an appointment in a few weeks, I was just asking to see if what I've researched held any merit. Diabetes is not the only disease state associated with abnormal drinking habits. It's impossible to know which of the problems with polydipsia as a symptom it is without a full blood panel AND a urinalysis. If it were me, I'd try to get him in sooner than a few weeks, but that's just because I like to know these things.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 21:03
|
|
|
Lioness posted:Diabetes is not the only disease state associated with abnormal drinking habits. It's impossible to know which of the problems with polydipsia as a symptom it is without a full blood panel AND a urinalysis. Well this has been going on for a while, and by a while I mean like a year or more. I never really thought much of it and just figured he was just obsessed with water in his older age. But while mentioning it to a co-worker they said I should research it and see if it could lead to something terrible down the road since it didn't sound normal to him.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 21:08
|
|
|
-Atom- posted:Well this has been going on for a while, and by a while I mean like a year or more. I never really thought much of it and just figured he was just obsessed with water in his older age. In an older cat I'd think that renal insufficiency would be a more likely scenario than diabetes, honestly, especially since it's been going on for so long with no other symptoms that are visible to you. But like I said, you can't know if it's any of these things or nothing without the bloodwork, so there's really no point in researching it all now.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 21:10
|
|
|
Lioness posted:In an older cat I'd think that renal insufficiency would be a more likely scenario than diabetes, honestly, especially since it's been going on for so long with no other symptoms that are visible to you. But like I said, you can't know if it's any of these things or nothing without the bloodwork, so there's really no point in researching it all now. Alright, I'll try to move up his appointment to see if there is anything wrong with the old bastard. Thanks for the information.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 21:20
|
|
|
Plus, keep in mind, cats can go downhill VERY quickly, and can be extremely hard to nurse back to health, if it is something like renal failure or diabetes, you really need to get him into the vet. I would definitely try to move up his appointment.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2008 23:58
|
|
|
Please forgive me if this question has already been addressed, I browsed, but couldn't find an answer. I was reading the thread about French bulldogs, and saw some advice I've seen offered before for finding a good breeder. The suggestion is to go to a dog show to make contacts with good breeders and learn from more experienced dog people. While I don't plan on buying a dog any time soon myself, I was wondering: what is the best way to find good dog shows to attend? I'm pretty sure there are dog shows out there that are not very good (those car shows that have pit bull contests, for example, heh), so how do you know which ones are worth attending? I know there are some for specific breeds only and some that aren't; some based on conformation, some based on work, and some based on agility; it seems like a pretty big world with a bunch of different networks, so I'm wondering how some of you navigate them. vvvvvvvvvv Awesome, thank you Kalma! I feel dumb for not finding that, now. Heehee. Little Angel fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Jun 13, 2008 |
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2008 01:08
|
|
|
Little Angel - go to http://www.akc.org/events/search/ enter your state and click search. It'll show you all the upcoming AKC events in your state. There are many different dog breed registries, but this is the largest.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2008 13:43
|
|
|
Bob is now seeking out the other cats simply to attack them. He did it to our new cat, Luca, and at first we thought it was just because he was new, then he did it again. Just now he tore into a cat he lived fine with for over two years. I watched him stalk out of here and saw him haul rear end around the corner to find Baggins and I heard the fight start. Is he not feeling well/losing his mind? This is not the cat I grew up with, this is an evil old bastard.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2008 18:48
|
|
|
Oh yeah, can you change a cats fur somehow? Like it make it more coarse? My parents got this long hair cat and his hair is incredibly fine and soft, the problem is it clumps really, really easily. Requires loads of grooming and combing and even then with daily combings it's not enough to stop it. It would probably help if he had more coarse fur, thicker hairs that didn't clump together so easily. Is it possible his fur will change over time as he ages? He's around 3-4 now.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2008 11:02
|
|
|
His Divine Shadow posted:Oh yeah, can you change a cats fur somehow? Like it make it more coarse? My parents got this long hair cat and his hair is incredibly fine and soft, the problem is it clumps really, really easily. Requires loads of grooming and combing and even then with daily combings it's not enough to stop it. It would probably help if he had more coarse fur, thicker hairs that didn't clump together so easily. I suppose they could start feeding him lovely food and throwing him outside in bad weather, that worked for my mom's cats. But seriously, have they considered having him shaved down? You can't really alter the texture of a cat's coat, but you can keep it nice and short and it won't mat as badly.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2008 17:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 14:18 |
|
|
Well thats the thing, it's usually more manageable during summer, less so during winter, and this cat is both indoors outdoors, my parents live way way out nowhere in the country and he absolutely loves being outside, especially in winter.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2008 18:37
|
|