|
Xoobee posted:New question. I have an anti-social hamster too. I tried and tried to make him more social, but he's a lost cause. Mine is now two years old. Anyway, I had/have the same problems. In order to clean the cage I have to put the whole thing in the bathtub, take the top off, wait for him to crawl out to explore, do the cleaning, reattach everything, put the base back in the tub, wait for him to crawl back in to explore and then put the whole thing back together again. If I reach in there while he's up and about he will bite and blood will be shed. He's obviously just for looking at. Anyway, mine has also had freakout episodes that gave me a bit of a scare. Hamsters can jump quite a bit. I had no idea. He's been fine after each episode though. I think he was just afraid. I don't think you broke him.
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2008 01:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 21:20 |
|
|
When hamsters are freaked they flip over on their backs. You're lucky, my old antisocial hamster would have just attacked the poo poo out of my hand and left me bleeding. Anyway, yeah, they can jump like little freak gymnasts, he's probably fine.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2008 05:51
|
|
|
Phew that's good to hear.  The other hamster I had was laid back compared to this little freak. She ambled around but didn't do any wierd hoppy dances like this one.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2008 04:05
|
|
|
I just adopted a 2.5 year old pug. He's getting neutered after the new year, however, I currently have 2 cats. I tried to have them kinda meet, but the cats are frightened and the pug was getting all riled up. What's the best way to have them all used to each other without the cats clawing his eyes out.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2008 04:20
|
|
|
We will be taking possession of a male toy poodle in mid February, it was born 2 weeks ago. We are also planning to be away for about 5 weeks in June / July, leaving the pooch with my wife's parents. Is that going to cause any issues with us being away from our puppy for that length of time at such a young age? thanks
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2008 13:18
|
|
|
Dr. Horrible posted:I just adopted a 2.5 year old pug. He's getting neutered after the new year, however, I currently have 2 cats. I tried to have them kinda meet, but the cats are frightened and the pug was getting all riled up. I'd suggest getting a baby gate and using to let the cats have a space to escape to when/if they get scared or annoyed by the new dog, and also to use the bathroom in peace. Dogs love to eat cat poo poo and then lick your face.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 01:25
|
|
|
I'm just looking for any friendly tips or advice with caring for border collie mix who at the moment does not have the use of her hind legs. I am fairly experienced with dogs in general and I work with them every day, but this is my first time caring for a disabled dog. I am sure there are easier ways of making this pooch comfortable and happy.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 07:50
|
|
|
I want to, belatedly, buy an Xmas trree today. However, on previous years I've had plastic... this year I want to buy a real tree! But, I'm worried because some stuff I'm reading says that pine is poisonous to cats?? It's almost a guaranteed certainty that my cats will have a chew on the tree. Anyone know for sure?
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 09:48
|
|
|
So I went to visit my sister the other day and she has this dachshund, and while I was looking for some background music I landed on some opera, and after a little while the dog started howling. Now I thought this was hilarious but are the animal's (which is it's name, for the record) ears irritated from the sounds or what have you, or is it just reacting to it for some other reason?
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 11:54
|
|
|
-Atom- posted:Now I thought this was hilarious but are the animal's (which is it's name, for the record) ears irritated from the sounds or what have you, or is it just reacting to it for some other reason? I have no idea what causes it, but one of my family dogs when I was a kid used to howl at some music too. Mostly opera. I can pretty much understand the sentiment though; the music sounds like howling to me as well, so I guess the dog is singing along 
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 14:33
|
|
|
Diocenes posted:I'd suggest getting a baby gate and using to let the cats have a space to escape to when/if they get scared or annoyed by the new dog, and also to use the bathroom in peace. Dogs love to eat cat poo poo and then lick your face. I got soft claws for the cats and capped all their nails and slowly introduced them to the dog, they don't like him (yet) and are mostly afraid of him (they hiss and swat at him). I'll have to get a baby gate and let the cats chill out in the bedroom while he gets free reign over most of the house. He hasn't touched their litterbox so far, and he's getting separation anxiety...I think. When his previous owners dropped him off, he cried alot but I was there with him for a few hours, when my girlfriend came home, she gave him attention but I think he's really attached to me. He follows me around everywhere, cries when I go in the bathroom/shower, cries when I'm not within line of sight. He'll have to get over that too, must buy more toys!
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 15:33
|
|
|
Now that it's winter and cold out, are there any time limits as to how long a dog can be outside? I'm not talking about just leaving a dog in the backyard for a few hours, I mean more in the way of taking walks. Right now it's 20 F and breezy, how long a walk can a puppy endure in this weather? Normally he goes on 45-minute walks with us, but I'm not sure if he's more sensitive to cold as a puppy, or what. I want to make sure he's getting enough exercise, but I also want to make sure that he'll be okay outside.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 19:07
|
|
|
Semper Ubi Sub Ubi posted:Now that it's winter and cold out, are there any time limits as to how long a dog can be outside? I'm not talking about just leaving a dog in the backyard for a few hours, I mean more in the way of taking walks. Right now it's 20 F and breezy, how long a walk can a puppy endure in this weather? Normally he goes on 45-minute walks with us, but I'm not sure if he's more sensitive to cold as a puppy, or what. I want to make sure he's getting enough exercise, but I also want to make sure that he'll be okay outside. Get him a jumper
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2008 19:13
|
|
|
Cat dandruff question! Two of my cats have always been a bit prone to it; Frijj gets it quite bad, in little fine white flakes. The vet shrugged and suggested a bath maybe.  She wasn't worried anyway. Nesquik only gets a bit every now and then. However this evening I noticed Nesquik is *covered* in dandruff; big white flakes, and when I part his fur for a look at the skin it's very very dry and flaky. Now, I'll book a vet appointment if necessary but I think my vet sees me far too often as it is, and Nesquik is 9kg of cat I would have to carry 2km to the vet and then 2km back for a vet trip. Given that I don't think dandruff is too serious a condition, I'm wondering if PI has any suggestions for helping him (preferably other than a bath... last time resulted in many bleeding wounds for me)? He doesn't seem at all bothered by it; eating, drinking, playing, vegetating as normal, no excessive scratching. The only cause I can think of is being inside and very warm/dry?
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2008 19:43
|
|
|
Helanna posted:Cat dandruff question! Consider giving the cats daily supplements of omega oils. I've heard anecdotes of them being the difference between a crappy coat and healthy skin and a good looking coat.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2008 20:07
|
|
|
My vet seems to think that kitty dandruff is often related to weight--that is, obese cats are more prone to dandruff and it improves with weight loss in many cases. Not sure if anyone knows why, but my guess is it may be related to fat cats being unable to reach certain areas when grooming, contributing to poor coat and skin condition. My fat cat (8kg) has dandruff, especially over her back where her coat is also more oily and less well-groomed in general. If it's rapidly worsened lately, there could be something else contributing though--any changes in food, possible sources of stress that might have affected his grooming patterns, maybe even the weather if it's exceptionally dry where you are? As Diocenes said some people think fatty acid supplements can help skin conditions, and some sort of moisturizing or soothing shampoo could help (and bathing cats can be fun in an ear-splitting, bloody and soaking wet sort of way). Supplements and shampoos are things your vet's office might be able to recommend over the phone and have you come in for without an exam as they usually aren't prescription, so it might be worth calling them for an opinion.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2008 20:42
|
|
|
Can any one help me identify what breeds my dog is?  The shelter said he was a lab mix. He has a couple yellow splotches of fur on his back and on his skin he has some black spots underneath the fur. The lab is really obvious but I can't tell what else he may be. The ears don't look lab to me and he is fairly bulky around his chest and shoulders. Thanks.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2008 22:04
|
|
|
Diocenes posted:Consider giving the cats daily supplements of omega oils. I've heard anecdotes of them being the difference between a crappy coat and healthy skin and a good looking coat. Will try that out, thanks Chaco posted:My vet seems to think that kitty dandruff is often related to weight Nesquik is a huge fat rear end. Two different vets assure me he's just fat and not obese though (I remain dubious on this count) and both said a diet isn't really needed at the moment. Chaco posted:If it's rapidly worsened lately, there could be something else contributing though--any changes in food, possible sources of stress that might have affected his grooming patterns, maybe even the weather if it's exceptionally dry where you are? He's the most laid back cat in creation, so I don't think it's stress. He adores people and goes charging over to be petted if anyone comes to the door, even the fast food delivery guys >.< It's very dry in my apartement (judging this from the fact that my hair has been getting static lately), so that's the only immediate cause I can think of. As far as his food goes, he's recently been switched from a prescription Royal Canin diet (one of my cats needed it for urine problems, so they ALL got to eat it; vet said no problem) back onto good old Orijen. I don't think going onto a higher quality food ought to cause that though  Vet is shut now until after Xmas, but in the meantime I might attempt a bath for him (oh god, I can feel the pain already) and some supplements
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2008 23:35
|
|
|
You could try raising the humidity in the apartment. That has really helped our ferret's skin problems. You can buy a little humidifier, put pans of water on radiators/next to heat vents, hang wet clothes up to dry rather than putting them in the dryer, boil water on the stove...
|
|
#
?
Dec 24, 2008 06:26
|
|
|
Crate training question. We recently adopted a dog, whose former owner left her in a crate 20 hours a day. She sleeps fine in the crate at night and no accidents, but today we left for dinner and were gone for about 5 hours and she went in the crate? Other than making the crate smaller. Also she isn't too interested in toys like kongs (even with PB!!!) Is there any thing I can do for her? She also seems to have separation anxiety pretty badly, if i shut the bathroom door she whines? Could the pooping in the crate be from being upset about us being gone? Any suggestions would be awesome!
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2008 04:24
|
|
|
DenialTwist posted:Crate training question. Usually dogs don't like to mess where they're living but a lot of times when they spend extreme amounts of time with nowhere else to go they get used to messing their area. If she routinely spent 20 hours at a time in the crate she's probably just used to going in it so she doesn't worry about holding it in anymore. If the crate is too large this could be another problem. She should have enough room to stand stretch and turn around but not a place where she can chill at one side and go to the bathroom in another area. I don't have many suggestions about what to do about the anxiety problem. If she is stressing seriously about you guys being gone then I would be reluctant to let her have run of a larger area like a room because sometimes dogs get upset and destroy which could end up costing you big bucks and hurt the dog too. But at the same time, if the crate that's really making her freak (talking about more than just whining about it) then I don't know how much good it's doing for her. I kind of went on a tangent there about crate vs. non-crate with a stressed dog but hopefully someone else will throw some other stuff out there about solutions for you guys.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2008 07:06
|
|
|
Does anyone have any good recommendations on winter gear for dogs? I like to take my dog on runs but the combo of ice, cold and salt takes it toll on his paws. The boots on Petsmart seem to get pretty lovely user reviews but I haven't found much else.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2008 21:45
|
|
|
DenialTwist posted:Crate training question. To help with seperation anxiety, there are a few things you can do. First thing is to exercise the dog before you're about to crate him for a few hours. I don't know what kind of dog you have, but my dog is happy with a brisk 30 - 45 minute walk/jog. Once the dog exercises, it takes their "edge" off so they're less reactive and want to rest. Another good thing about exercising the dog is, it gives the dog a chance to relieve itself before it goes back inside. Also, never let the dog out of the room or the crate when it whines or barks. This lets the dog realize that whining and barking is a way out. Let the dog whine and bark. When the dog is quiet for a minute or longer, let the dog out (but don't make a big deal out of it.) Eventually, the dog will learn to stay quiet when put in its crate. I hope that this advice helps. Good luck!
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2008 02:41
|
|
|
Where is the best online resource for finding a good place to neuter/spay your pets? What kind of things should I look for? For reference, I live near the Dallas area, so how much should I expect to pay? She's about 4 months old now.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2008 03:19
|
|
|
Bad Sandwiches posted:Does anyone have any good recommendations on winter gear for dogs? I like to take my dog on runs but the combo of ice, cold and salt takes it toll on his paws. The boots on Petsmart seem to get pretty lovely user reviews but I haven't found much else. The guy in this thread had success with Muttluks boots.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2008 03:26
|
|
|
Adrenochrome posted:Where is the best online resource for finding a good place to neuter/spay your pets? What kind of things should I look for? For reference, I live near the Dallas area, so how much should I expect to pay? She's about 4 months old now. Are you looking for some sort of low cost spay/neuter program, or just a regular vet? If it's the second, I would either ask people in your area for recommendations, since you'll need a good vet anyway, and if price is an issue most places should be able to give you a quote for the surgery by phone so you can call around.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2008 03:59
|
|
|
Chaco posted:Are you looking for some sort of low cost spay/neuter program, or just a regular vet? If it's the second, I would either ask people in your area for recommendations, since you'll need a good vet anyway, and if price is an issue most places should be able to give you a quote for the surgery by phone so you can call around. I just recently got her, and have been on the road- so I haven't had a chance to take her to a vet yet. She hasn't even had her rabies shot! I guess that's a sign I need to look for a good vet, isn't it? What type of things should I look for when going to a vet? I want to make sure she gets all the basic care she needs, but I don't think she needs 15 x-rays and 5 cat scans everytime I take her.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2008 04:42
|
|
|
I've been taking care of two outdoor cats in my neighborhood that were undernourished when I found them. I've gotten them both spayed/neutered and their basic vaccinations and I'm pretty sure I have found a home for one of them, but I don't know what to do with the other one as its gotten pretty comfortable being around people and being fed regularly. Is it okay to just leave it as I found it, as an outdoor/stray cat, when I move to another state in a couple weeks? Is that my best option? I would take it with me, but I'm allergic.
El Kabong fucked around with this message at 17:57 on Dec 27, 2008 |
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2008 17:42
|
|
|
Adrenochrome posted:I just recently got her, and have been on the road- so I haven't had a chance to take her to a vet yet. She hasn't even had her rabies shot! I guess that's a sign I need to look for a good vet, isn't it? What type of things should I look for when going to a vet? I want to make sure she gets all the basic care she needs, but I don't think she needs 15 x-rays and 5 cat scans everytime I take her. Call cat shelters or other cat oriented social services and ask them for a recommendation as they usually know the vets you can get the most value from.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2008 17:45
|
|
|
El Kabong posted:I've been taking care of two outdoor cats in my neighborhood that were undernourished when I found them. I've gotten them both spayed/neutered and their basic vaccinations and I'm pretty sure I have found a home for one of them, but I don't know what to do with the other one as its gotten pretty comfortable being around people and being fed regularly. Is it okay to just leave it as I found it, as an outdoor/stray cat, when I move to another state in a couple weeks? Is that my best option? I would take it with me, but I'm allergic. I wouldn't do this, personally. My parents raised me to either leave stray/wild animals alone (because they are probably doing just fine on their own, or there is a chance that they are sick and could bite and get you sick), or if I start feeding a stray I've made it dependant upon me and its now my responsiblity to take care of said stray. This was how I ended up with my first cat. My parents taught me that feeding an animal makes it hard for that animal to go back to hunting for its own food, and can put an animal in danger if it goes to look for food in the wrong place at the wrong time. But this is just what I was taught, right or wrong, I think the principle is in the right place though. I'm allergic to animals too, but I have never ever let that hinder my interaction with animals since I was small. I ignore my hives, if the sneezing is bad I take Zyrtec, and thankfully my allergies are no worse than those things. I realize that what I do isn't an option for most allergy sufferers though, but my point about allergies is that I sympathize and you must be in a rough spot. I would contact local no-kill shelters and see if they can make a spot for a stray you've gone on your own and taken such good care of. Make it clear that the cat is a stray, and since you can't have a cat the cat would be left to fend for itself if they can't take the cat. If that doesn't work, see if they will help you list the cat on PetFinder or something like that- I know my local shelter (where I got my current cat from) has done that. If THAT doesn't work, start putting ADs in the paper, or on (though I hate the idea, if its your last resort) craigslist.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2008 23:34
|
|
|
How do you introduce a dog to a new puppy? My mom bought a puppy from a pet shop to be a friend for our dog that is 7 years old. Both dogs come from pet shops and all that. The older dog is not the most ideal personality but he's pretty relaxed. Today was their first day together and the older dog did not like the new dog. He even growled at her a few times and we were worried he'd bite her. What do you guys recommend in this situation?
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 00:14
|
|
|
Why does my dog put her tail between her legs while she's eating? She normally has it down or slightly out, but it's under her about as far as it'll go when she eats. The only other time she does this is when she gets scolded. Just now she came over to say hi after eating, and it's back out again.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 00:18
|
|
|
I convinced my parents a couple of months ago to switch from Purina One to Wellness and now one of my dogs has the smelliest gas, sometimes. Apparently this is new (I am at college most of the time so I don't know). She doesn't have any other signs of food allergies that I can tell, what's the deal? It was really difficult to convince my parents to switch, I don't know if I could get them to switch again.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 01:31
|
|
|
Phillyt posted:How do you introduce a dog to a new puppy? My mom bought a puppy from a pet shop to be a friend for our dog that is 7 years old. Both dogs come from pet shops and all that. The older dog is not the most ideal personality but he's pretty relaxed. Today was their first day together and the older dog did not like the new dog. He even growled at her a few times and we were worried he'd bite her. What do you guys recommend in this situation? You kinda hosed up by not planning for this ahead of time, but here is a guide to introducing a new puppy from the ASPCA's website: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_anotherdog
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 01:40
|
|
|
C.TheRaven posted:good advice If I have to I guess I'll take her with me and keep looking for a home. She's going to just love the 4-5 day car ride though...
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 01:44
|
|
|
El Kabong posted:You kinda hosed up by not planning for this ahead of time, but here is a guide to introducing a new puppy from the ASPCA's website: Well, we did some things wrong and some things right. I really feel bad as my mom and sister basically did this with no planning and the only advice they took was pet shop employees...
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 02:02
|
|
|
jrr posted:I convinced my parents a couple of months ago to switch from Purina One to Wellness and now one of my dogs has the smelliest gas, sometimes. Apparently this is new (I am at college most of the time so I don't know). She doesn't have any other signs of food allergies that I can tell, what's the deal? It was really difficult to convince my parents to switch, I don't know if I could get them to switch again. I was having this problem with one of my dogs when I switched to Merrick. I thought it could just be because of the food change so I kept her on it for a little while, but she continued to be gassy. I switch to Solid Gold a month or so ago when the gas never cleared up and she's been much better. I think Wellness may have a lot of fruit and vegetables in it like the Merrick does so she may be like my dog and can't tolerate those things. I'd maybe have them try the Solid Gold since you can get that easily at Petco.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 03:34
|
|
|
Bella, our Great Dane, just turned 3 and we adopted her in October. She's adapted really well from being in a single person home to being in my place, with a large cast of characters. She's quite good with everyone. Except my sister's boyfriend. She barks at him when he comes in, does that with nobody else. When he stands up, she barks at him. Her tail is wagging and there doesn't seem to be any sign of aggression, but she barks at lot at him; sometimes just when he's sitting down. It's been several months now and while the behaviour has lessened a bit, every so often something sets her off. Come to think of it, she did the same with my other sister's fiance. She'd spent about ten minutes sitting in his lap, then she started barking at him for no apparent reason. We're all at a bit of a loss as to what to do, aside from give her time, obviously.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2008 21:35
|
|
|
So my sister just moved out to California and left her two guinea pigs in the care of my mother. This now makes three guinea pigs she's taking care of, and the cost of bedding is really getting expensive. When she only had one, she used Carefresh exclusively, but now that there are three, she has no choice but to mix in a little bit of wood chips otherwise she'd be shelling out $20 a week on a big bag of Carefresh to keep all the cages clean, and this on top of the increased cost of food. One particular problem is that one of my sister's guinea pigs is a water guzzler. Drinks nearly an entire bottle a day, which means he obviously pees a lot more. Because of this, his cage needs to be cleaned more frequently. Now, I recently added kitty litter to the bottom of my ferrets' litter pan (underneath the usual layer of Yesterday's News) and found that the smell is greatly reduced and the pan doesn't need to have a full change as often. What I'm wondering is if this can in any way work with guinea pigs. Right now the bedding set-up is several layers of newspaper, a very thin layer of wood chips, and then Carefresh on top of that. Would it be ok to put some kitty litter under the Carefresh, replacing the wood chips? Or even sandwiching it between some newspaper to keep it further removed? My concern would be that sometimes the pigs rip up the paper and eat it a bit when they're bored or want to be fed, so there might be a small amount of ingestion. Is there any kind of kitty litter that would not be dangerous to them, but still be very absorbent? If it doesn't work, I might get her to try some of the Yesterday's News, but it just doesn't absorb as well. Any help on this or more economical guinea pig bedding would be very appreciated.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2008 00:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 21:20 |
|
|
any advice for treating an open wound on a dog? It isn't a large wound, but it is open. It's right above one of his paw pads, actually the pad farthest away from the paw. It just has missing skin, and a bit of skin is peeled back. It looks recent so I'd like to do whatever is best to treat it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2008 01:44
|
|
