JANUARY 2007

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.

Q: Hi Ron,
I bought a baby dragon lizard for my son at a renaissance fair and it doesn't seem to be eating the food it came with. Can you give me some info on them?
Jenny

A: Hi Jenny,
I have received quite a few inquiries on "baby dragons".

The lizards being sold as baby dragons are actually adult green anoles. The containers they are sold in are not suitable to keep them in. The food that is supplied with them is seldom noticed as food by the lizards. It is the new reptile version of a goldfish in a bowl.

Green anoles are arboreal lizards from South America and the Gulf coast region. The basic correct set up is a 10-gallon aquarium. You can get a regular fish tank cover, the cheaper kind with the two 15 watt incandescent bulbs rather than the fluorescent light or a screen cover, with some kind of heat light on top for about the same price. The temperature needs to be between 80 and 85 degrees on the warm side of the tank. If you get the blue or red light you can just keep them on all day and night as a steady heat source that won't make the room bright.

Anoles are tropical lizards that need a humid environment. Pet stores have bedding that comes in the shape of a brick that you soak in water to make expand.

You will also want some kind of branches or plants for them to climb on since they usually don't spend a lot of time on the ground.

They generally will not drink out of a bowl so you need to spray down the tank at least twice a day with water, so they can drink the water drops.

They won't eat that dry food that they come with so you need to feed them live crickets or meal worms.

They don't like handling, so if you hold them in your hand firmly but gently for 30 minutes as instructed they will pass out. Lizards seem to go into a paralyzed state when something is eating them. If you need to handle the animal it is better to let it walk on you. If you present your hand as a new piece of furniture like a branch, rather than a predator looking to swallow it, you will have better luck.

Keep in mind that the lizards will not be the least disappointed if you don't pick them up.
Ron

Ask The Cat Lady!

Sally Bahner has spent the last 10 years specializing in writing on cat-related issues, specifically nutrition, holistic care and multiple cat behavior. She was editor-in-chief of "The Whole Cat Journal" and has contributed to "Catnip", "Catwatch" and the new "Whole Cat Journal".

Q: Dear Sally,
I’ve been doing a lot of reading about feline nutrition and I’m trying to upgrade my cat’s canned food from the grocery store brands that have a lot of by-products and fillers to a higher quality food. The problem is that my cat just doesn’t like the new food. What can I do to get her to accept the better diet?
Emily, Finicky Francey’s mom

A: Dear Emily,
Congratulations on wanting to improve Francey’s diet. As you’ve seen, it can be hard to transition a cat to a new diet if he or she has been eating the same food for a long time. I always recommend that cat owners start out feeding a variety of foods from the beginning to avoid fussiness and tummy upsets if a new food is introduced.

Pet food manufacturers like to build brand loyalty, but variety also ensures that your cat will receive a full range of vitamins and minerals.

There are some tricks to get Francey to accept her new food. First, try mixing the old food with the new food, gradually adding more and more of the new food. Bribe foods are also helpful. You can use dried Bonito flakes, found in health food stores or sold in pet supply stores, as Kitty Kaviar. Halo’s Chicken Liv-A-Littles are irresistible to most cats. In addition, you can run some dry food through a blender and sprinkle it on the canned food.

The options for better cat foods are increasing, so there’s certain to be several that will appeal to your cat. Remember, too, that it should take a lesser amount of a better quality food to satisfy your cat.
Sally

The 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.

Q: Hi Whitney,
My daughter’s guinea pigs have grown picky about the vegetables we give them each day. They used to love romaine lettuce and carrots, but they seem less enthusiastic about them now. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Jessica

A: Hey there, Jessica,
They sound like guinea pigs who are bored with their food. No one likes to eat the exact same thing day after day, and guinea pigs are no exception. Fortunately, there’s a huge variety of fruits and vegetables that you can feed them, and most owners say that trying to provide variety in their pigs’ diets also helps put some variety in their own.

Mix up their daily diet by creating "mini salads" with a little of this and a little of that, changing it up a little each day by alternating ingredients. Use chunks of sweet bell pepper (red, orange, yellow, or green) or cucumber. Tear up leaves of romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce (no iceberg!), Swiss chard (including stems), curly endive (also called "chicory"), and escarole. Throw in sprigs of curly or flat-leaf parsley, or try a sprig of cilantro if you make homemade salsa. As a special treat once in a while, throw in a little Belgian endive or radicchio. Other foods that you can feed once in a while (but don’t overfeed!) are spinach, kale, and dandelion greens. During good weather toss in some fresh clean grass from your yard.

You also can try cherry tomatoes, grapes, or orange sections (cut them all in half) once in a while, along with occasional chunks of apple. Melon (honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, crenshaw, juan canary) is also a welcome treat. Visit Guinea Lynx (http://www.guinealynx.com/diet.html) for a full list of what produce you can feed, what you can’t feed, what you need to provide in moderation, and so forth.

As you introduce new things into their diet, do so with moderation so their stomachs can adjust to the new selection. Know, too, that some trial and error will be in order; while some guinea pigs will eat anything, others are as finicky as cats and humans.
Whitney

The Bunny Expert!

Susan adopted her first house rabbit 5 years ago and soon after got highly involved in rabbit rescue. She has volunteered at a local rabbit rescue group and a local animal shelter working with rabbits. She has since co-founded 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue Inc.

Q: Dear Susan,
We just adopted a 6-month-old female bunny. We are new to bunnies and someone told us that bunnies go into heat twice a year and as long as we don't have her near a male during those times we don't need to have her spayed. Is this true?
Patty Ann

A: Hi Patty Ann,
Congratulations on your new pet.

No, this is not true. There are many reasons to spay and neuter bunnies. As the rabbit grows it will hit the hormonal period where it is normal for bunnies to get nippy. Spaying will calm her down. Also litter box habits are better with spayed and neutered bunnies and will normally stop the urine spraying.

I have heard of many instances where people have said, my rabbit will never be near the opposite sex. Then I hear how the child and friend put two rabbits together for ha ha's and oops, guess what, now we have eight baby bunnies to find homes for. It only takes a second for those rabbits to breed. Then the boys can breed with mom and sisters and before you know it, everything is out of control.

Also spaying and neutering can help with health problems such as cancer often found in females.

Spayed and neutered rabbits make better companions since they will be calmer without hormones raging. They can also be bonded to another rabbit if both are spayed and neutered and have a love match.

Female rabbits can be spayed at 6 months and older. Be sure to use a qualified exotic/rabbit savvy vet. You can read information about spaying and neutering and how to find a rabbit vet at www.rabbit.org. Depending on where you live, you can check out some vets listed at www.3bunnies.org. The two web sites listed have a lot of educational information you can read as well as post groups you can join. There is a lot to learn about rabbits and their needs and they can be wonderful pets.
Hope this helps.
Susan

Dog Training?

Lynn Whittaker, Dog Trainer and owner of Bow Wow University has been training dogs for several years, has extensive rescue experience, is a pet sitter certified in Pet First Aid and specializes in aggression management. She is also an Aroma-therapist and a Reiki II practitioner. She has attended professional dog training school and later became the director of the facility she attended. She is currently studying canine athleticism and nutrition.

Q: Dear Lynn,
I have a 3-month-old Border Collie and she constantly bites me, and it really hurts. How can I get her to stop biting me?
Thanks,
Dee

A: Hi Dee,
Its important to understand that your puppy's biting is a physiological urge to chew. She physically cannot help herself from biting. Puppies develop at a rapid rate. By the age of a year, they are almost fully developed. Your puppy bites because she is assisting her adult teeth to settle in and push out the baby teeth.

In a month or so, you will start to see that she begins losing teeth and her adult teeth begin to come through. Give her lots of things to teethe on, like puppy Kongs stuffed with peanut butter, yogurt, or even kibble. You can also use things like canvas teething bones; simply put them in the freezer for them to become ice-cold treats. There are many toys out there that promote chewing and will assist your puppy in breaking those new teeth in. Don't give her things like old shoes to chew on, unless you want your brand new pumps chewed on too. In the meantime, if she should chomp down on you, yelp at her, and say something like "Ouch, no bite". Draw your hand back to you showing her that you have experienced pain. Eventually, she will stop, look at you, and once you have her attention, praise her for not biting you. If you praise your puppy early on for good things, your puppy will learn that good things bring her attention, affection and praise. Thus, she will want to do many more good things for you. Eventually, all those baby teeth will fall out and become adult teeth and with proper training your puppy will grow into a lovely behaved adult Border Collie who no longer feels the need to teethe on you.
Good luck,
Lynn