Fish experts!

Art Bell and Scott Henderson are not businessmen.  They are aquatic (and reptile) hobbyists like you.  They have a combined experience of over 30 years as hobbyists and 15 years working in various pet stores in the area. Send any aquatic questions to Art and Scott.

Q: Hi Art and Scott,
We were given 2 very large goldfish, even though they are pinkish white, by a neighbor before she moved 4 years ago. They were then thought to be 8-years-old. Anyway 1 is smaller than the other, the large one always monopolizes feeding time, hence he is much bigger and stronger. The last week and 1/2 the smaller one is struggling, can't swim to the top to eat, falls on his side, stays in one corner of the tank. We cleaned the tank as usual, although late for schedule by a few weeks. We checked levels...had dangerously high levels of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, so we believed that he was poisoned. So we blasted the tank with the removal solution for the "emergency treatment" and all but the nitrate levels have returned to normal or safe now for several days. We are seeing a very, very slow, if at all, recovery with the little guy. He can't eat much either because he can't swim well enough to get his food, so I try to put some food near him in the tank, but carefully remove what's left over later to avoid noxious chemical breakdown. Are we doing anything right, wrong or anything you suggest. I hate to see him suffer if we can help. Thank you.
Lisa
A: Dear Lisa,
One of the most important things to add to a tank in distress is some form of bacteria. There are many companies that put out beneficial bacteria (all pretty much the same) that should be added every few days during the problem. If at all possible set up a small hospital tank using an air pump and sponge/submersible filter for the smaller fish. Use at least half of the water to setup the hospital tank from your existing tank, this will help keep the little one from going into shock. The symptoms you've described could be from swim-bladder disease or from dropsy, both of which will end in the demise of the fish without the proper treatment (and even with the proper treatment death is still possible). There are medications that can be purchased at your local aquarium shop that are for dropsy/swim-bladder disease. Just follow the directions except begin with a half-dose of whatever the directions say. This will again help to prevent shock. If you have any further questions on this or any other matter don't hesitate to contact us directly. aquaterrium@aquaterrium.com, 203-294-1797.
Art & Scott

Guinea Pig Expert!

Whitney Potsus has owned guinea pigs for nearly a decade. She is Vice President of The Critter Connection, Inc., a Durham-based non-profit dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abandoned and neglected guinea pigs. You can find the rescue on the Web at www.ctguineapigrescue.org. Please direct all your Guinea Pig questions to Whitney.

Q: Dear Whitney,
I have a Guinea Pig that I've had for about two months. He has lately gotten into the habit of running in circles around the bottom of his cage, and sometimes I feel like he might give himself a heart attack because he gets so worked up. Is this normal Guinea Pig behavior? Am I doing something wrong or not giving enough attention/food/water/etc.?
Thanks, Katie
A: Dear Katie,
It's not uncommon for Guinea Pigs to engage in these running fits in their cages to burn off some energy. The younger ones will do it more often than older ones, but a six-year-old pig is as likely to have these bursts of energy as a six-week-old pig.
If he's doing it frequently, it's likely that he could use more exercise/play time on a regular basis. Out-of-cage playtime in a safe, enclosed play area does Guinea Pigs a world of good and needs to be a part of their daily routine. These excursions to a play space that gives them more room to run, and a change of scenery and toys, offers both physical and psychological benefits for your pig's well-being.
I have a list of products and suggestions for creating a safe play area at http://www.squidoo.com/guineapigconnection, which can help you devise something fun for him and practical for your living space. In the play area I have set up for my pigs, they have an entirely different set of toys, tunnels, and hidey houses than they have in their cage; every couple of weeks, I exchange one item for something else from the "toy box" to keep things fresh.
You also might want to reconsider the size of his cage, to give him more living (and running) space. The cubes and coroplast (C&C) cages let you build different sizes of cages, in one and two-level configurations. You can find more information on these cages at http://www.guineapigcages.com/. You can purchase the cages from Sue, and also can purchase them from The Critter Connection rescue in Durham.
From what you've described, you're not doing anything wrong. You just have a happy, active Guinea Pig.
Hope this helps, Whitney

Ask The Cat Lady!

Sally Bahner is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and has a private feline consulting practice. She is the "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com), found on Sirius, the Martha Stewart Living channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.

Q: Dear Sally,
My husband and I adopted a 5-year-old female tiger cat from the local shelter. They told us that she was shy. She had been at the shelter for a long time, had been adopted twice previously and returned both times. They told us that originally she had been found in a sealed box in a parking lot with her litter of kittens.
We have had her for four months and she still won't let us get near her. She runs away whenever she thinks we are getting too close. Initially, she stayed under the bed. Gradually she came out and sat on the bed. She likes to play with toys and does so either at night when we're asleep or when we're not home (scattered rugs and moved toys are the evidence). She's very curious and alert – any door left open is an open invitation to explore.
She loves to eat and will meow at us from a safe distance if she feels we are a little late in giving her the Fancy Feast. She waits until we leave the room or I'm sitting a safe distance away before she'll go to her bowl – she immediately bolts if you go anywhere near her while she's eating. She is like an invisible cat – she never approaches us – obviously we've never been able to pet her.
She doesn't destroy anything-she likes her scratching post. She's a perfect cat – you would never know we had a cat. I considered adopting a friend for her but a subsequent call to the shelter revealed that she also takes a dim view of other cats. Our household is extremely quiet. She has the house to herself and there’s just my husband and me. I quite frankly wanted a cat that I could interact with. I naively thought that the "shyness" would have been overcome by now. Is she a hopeless case? I've considered bringing her back to the shelter but I hate to give up on her but I would really like to have a cat. She always walks around with her tail down – I've never seen it held up. We've given her a lot of latitude – we never confront her. If she's asleep on one of the beds, I'll speak softly to her from the doorway but if I enter the room, she's gone. As far as I can tell she would be very happy if we moved out and left her the house. I've looked at some articles about fearful cats but they don't seem to apply to America--the name given to her at the shelter.
I'd appreciate any suggestions, Gail
A: Dear Gail,
Patience, patience, patience. This kitty has been through a lot and it's going to take time to build her trust. Four months is not all that long in five years of mistrust and it does sound as if she’s making progress.
Talk to her as much as possible so she gets used to the sound of your voices. Maybe think about shortening her name to "Merry," which sounds brighter and has the high-pitched sound that cats seem to respond to. When you and she are in the same room, just sit there and read a book so she gets used to your presence and even read the book out loud, again so she gets used to the voices. Leave a TV on, a radio with classical music or soft jazz.
Just adopt a matter-of-fact attitude, say hello when you walk in the door and in the morning even if you don't see her. Keep a bright pleasant attitude. Don't creep around, just go about normal business (but don't go around slamming doors either...)
There are lots of flower remedies that might work: Bach: Rock Rose (terror or fright); Aspen (fear of unknown things); Mimulus (fear of known things); Larch (lack of confidence). Spirit Essence (www.spiritessence.com): Self Esteem, New Beginnings, Scaredy Cat. The essences can just be dropped in her water, even food. In her case, the essences should really be used consistently.
While she may not be the cuddlely cat you wanted, she should come around to be more interactive. Speaking of interactive, try playing with her with some fishing pole toys that don't require getting too close. Or toss some treats (dried chicken), so she associates something yummy with your presence.
A kitty-friend may work if introductions are done properly and the right kitty is chosen. You wouldn’t want to end up with two scaredy cats or worse yet, a bully.
You really need to be patient!
Sally

Reptile Man!

Ron Wulff, the Reptile Man, has worked for one of the big retail pet stores for 6 years as a reptile and aquatic specialist. He rescues reptiles and runs www.nopaws.com, dedicating his time to educate people on exotic pets. Direct your exotic pet questions to Reptile Man.

Q: Dear Reptile guy,
Is it possible to keep more than one snake in the same cage?
Susan
A: Hi Susan,
I have kept a few species of snakes in the same cage with other snakes of the same species.  Ball Pythons, Corn Snakes, Garter Snakes and Red Tailed Boas are a few.  But, you should never feed the snakes together.  Trying to untangle two snakes that have both grabbed the same mouse or rat is something you are better off never experiencing.  Bigger pythons and boas should be kept separated until the meal has been swallowed and the snake relaxes.  I once had a python strike at a rat that was already swallowed by another snake. Because the python can read the heat from the rat with pits along its lips, it literally struck the lump in the other snake and tried to coil around it.
There are also some species of snakes that will take any opportunity it gets to eat other snakes.  King Snakes are very well known for this.  One time when I was doing a live animal program, I made the mistake of handling a wild Garter Snake that one of the kids had brought to class, right before I took out the California King Snake I brought to show.  The Garter Snake had released a musky scent on my hands, so my hands smelled like distressed snake to the King Snake that was trying as best as it could to bite and swallow my finger. 
The most shocking case that I ever saw of snake eating snake was when a friend of mine, Tanya, got a beautiful Brazilian Rainbow Boa.  She also had another unusual species of boa called a Dumeril Boa, that is from southwest Madagascar, that wasn't that much bigger than the Rainbow.  She put the rainbow in the tank with the Dumeril so it would be warm while she set up a cage for it.  When she went back to get it, she was just in time to see the last of the Rainbow's tail going down the Dumeril's throat. The only good thing about witnessing the last bit going down was being spared the thought it was missing.
On a note to everyone that cares about all animals we are about to lose another animal person.  On December 31st the very same Tanya is leaving the Valley Shore Animal Shelter in Old Saybrook after running it for many, many years and finding homes for tons of animals, to get married and join the world.  Best of Luck Tanya. The rest of us are going to have to take up the slack you know.

Equine Expert!

Mary Jo Zanolli is an instructor at Connecticut Equestrian Center in Coventry. She has over 12 years experience teaching beginner and intermediate riders, and over 20 years experience riding horses. Send all of your horse related questions to Mary Jo!

Q: Mary Jo,
I have a question for you. I know a horse that I really adore that has a biting habit. He used to live at a very bad stable and people would treat him bad. He was poked in the nose and whipped and beaten. Now though, he is at the stable I go to which is very nice and we treat him very well. But, he still has a bad biting habit and we don't know how to stop it. We leave him alone when he is eating and wants to be alone, but when he looks happy near his window in his stall, when you reach out to pet him, he lays his ears back and snaps at you bad. How can we fix it?
Cynthia
A: Dear Cynthia,
First of all, congratulations on taking a horse out of a negative environment and providing him with a barn where he can live and feel safe and cared for.
You didn’t say how long this horse has been in his new home. Horses can take a long time (years even) before really bonding with their people. This is especially true if the horse has had negative experiences with people in the past.
It is probably very important for this horse to have his own area where he feels "safe". For the time being. This means no one should enter his "space", such as a stall (unless of course you are wanting to halter him and lead him out of his stall). I think you should respect that this horse, at least for the time being, doesn’t want people going into his stall or window area and petting him.
What you CAN do is halter the horse and put him on crossties outside his stall. Spend a long time fussing over the horse- find his "itchy" spots where he seems to appreciate being brushed. Spend time hand-grazing him. Greet him when you first see him at the barn in a happy tone.  Try to figure out how to make this horse look forward to your visits, and just maybe months from now you’ll notice his ears prick forward when he hears you call his name upon entering the barn.  The horse will tell you when he trusts you enough to let you visit with him in his stall area.
Good luck, and be patient. Mary Jo