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DECEMBER 2008
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THIS ISSUE:
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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.
A note from the reptile guy...
I have received several inquiries about multiple species terrariums. I am going to just lump them together and use it as a chance to update you on the multi species tank that I have been experimenting with since spring.
It started out with a tank that is a about the size of a 15 gallon aquarium standing on its end, with doors that open in the front. I used the soil-like bedding that comes in a brick under a couple of different names at the pet store. I pressed about an inch of the soil on the bottom of the tank. Then I put a flower pot with a live tulip in the center. I sprinkled wild bird seed on top of the soil and covered it up with another layer of soil building up a little bit around the pot. I added a couple of tiny green tree frogs and a millipede my son found.
Within a week, the seeds started sprouting, creating roots and making a nice cage bottom that could absorb and hold water. When the tulip bloomed out and the flowers died off, I was able to replace the potted plant because the roots had left a hole for me.
After at least a month most of the vegetation had died out or was eaten by the crickets and the millipede. About the time I was getting ready to change the tank, I got another tree frog and an anole. I ended up putting in another layer of soil, with more seeds on top of that, covered by another layer of soil. This time I might have used more seeds and it seemed to grow better and last longer.
At some point the new tree frog vanished and I assumed it had got out the top. Months later, with the plants starting to die, I unexpectedly acquired another tree frog. I decided to go a third layer. In just a few days I had sprouts coming up. After about a week the new frog, an Australian Whites tree frog, started showing the beautiful teal color I had hoped for. I decided it was time for a new potted plant with some color. The new pot was a little bit bigger that the one in there, so I had to dig a bit into the soil beneath it to make room.
I confess I may have jumped a bit when my hand hit unexpected frog. The missing frog had burrowed under the pot and had been down there all along. (I guess I didn't need to hot glue the top on after all). The frog didn't look a day different than when I put it in there. After several months without ever being changed the quality of the soil down where the frog was living was like the soil in my yard. It suggests to me that with the grass growing in the soil, waste from the animal is being converted into food for the plants, creating a mini ecosystem.
I have since moved the whole lot into a bigger tank, I have 5 different kinds of frogs and an anole in there now and will probably add a few more once the new lawn comes in. This time I laid down a mix of wild bird seed and lawn seed pretty heavy. I have a Bromeliad plant that houses the whole crew. Even though the green tree frog is smaller than the rest of the frogs they seem to have no problem hanging out together. I will keep you posted on how it turns out.
Ron
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,
I'm concerned that our cat is not getting enough food because his behavior has changed dramatically in the last month. Over two feedings, one in the morning and one at night, he manages to get a maximum of 4.5 to 5 oz. of food eaten.
He is a small cat, but has always been very playful and happy. Lately he has been very isolated, and often sits against the wall with his face to it and his back to everyone else. He no longer plays with his "brother" or us, even with his favorite laser toy. He is always lying down or sleeping, and doesn't even lift his head up when we come in the door anymore, which is highly unusual for him. He has gotten very skinny in the last few weeks, has no energy, and just seems really depressed.
He still gets excited for food, but will only eat a little bit at a time before he runs away. He seems to have trouble eating the chicken pieces. We've tried isolating him during feeding, letting food sit out a little longer, and making it "soupier," but we just can't seem to get him to eat enough (or so we think).
Perhaps his depression has nothing to do with eating, but I'm hoping you have some insight and advice for how to proceed in getting our frisky little cat back.
Linda
A: Dear Linda,
Your kitty should see a veterinarian immediately! There's more going on than "not eating enough." 4.5 to 5 ounces isn't that little for a small cat, but he needs to be checked out thoroughly – teeth, bloodwork especially, anything age-related. A behavior change that dramatic, especially accompanied by weight loss and lethargy, must be checked out by your veterinarian.
Your veterinarian will need to know how long your kitty has been acting depressed, any change in litter box habits, if there’s been an increase in water consumption, approximately how much weight has been lost, if there are any areas of sensitivity around his body. Think about these questions and make some notes. It’s always a good idea to make a list of questions to ask your veterinarian at the time of an appointment.
Sally
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. Susan can surely answer all of your rabbit questions!
Q: Dear Susan
My bunny has always been a good hay eater and now all of a sudden does not seem interested in eating any hay I try giving him. Why would this happen?
Fran and Pippin
A: Hi Fran and Pippin,
Great question. Actually this happens often with bunnies. Many rabbits get molar spurs. There back teeth can get pointy and it hurts them so they stop eating hay. Usually that is the reason although other things could be the reason such as wet moldy hay that would need to be thrown out. Or bad hay with too many prickly weeds in it. I would suggest making an appointment ASAP with your rabbit vet as it is crucial for rabbits to eat and eat hay to keep the digestive system working.
Susan
Ask the Vet!
Lauren Mascola is the veterinarian at Petcare Veterinary Services in West Hartford. She studied at UConn for undergraduate and Tufts for Veterinary Medicine. She has over 10 years experience and 2 dogs and 3 cats of her own. She is excited to answer your questions!
Q: Dear Dr. Lauren
I have owned a Chihuahua for many years now. The question I have is, what causes puppies, some at 10 weeks, some 12 weeks or order, to start to go bald, not completely, but lose a good deal of hair. Then with nothing wrong, grow it back in a few months. Not all have done this. A breeder once told me it was the Mexican type Chihuahuas that do this. But from owning many different lines I have seen it in 4 or 5 times in my life. A few friends have seen this also. Are there just some bloodlines with this trait?
Thank you, Kathy
A: Hi Kathy,
Great question. I have to say, I am not answering this question based on personal experience. I did research on the topic and found there are 2 possibilities.
Pattern alopecia (baldness) is a known entity in Chihuahua puppies and I saw some pictures of a 15 week old Chihuahua in the article I found. There is no treatment for this and, as you know, the hair usually regrows without incident.
Color dilution is another condition Chihuahua puppies can have and it seems to be associated with the steel blue colored dogs. They might appear black/grey, but their color is truly blue. The pigment in the hair shafts is affected and can make them look hairless in areas. It is thought that in some of these cases, the condition may be associated with pyodermas (bacterial skin infections), so there may be treatments required. I did not find any cases where this condition lasted into adulthood, so I assume most of them recover eventually, as well.
Thanks again for the question, Dr. Mascola
Ask the Lazi Birds!
Steve and Diane Lazicki have been rescuing and working with birds for over 8 years, as well as raising them as pets since childhood. They live with over 150 birds in their "bird house," so they have a wealth of bird expertise. Direct your bird related questions to the Lazi Birds.
Q: Dear Lazi Birds,
With the holidays coming, I was wondering how the festivities would effect my Quaker parrot.
Curious
A: Dear Curious,
I have to say, I think it depends on what your Quaker is used to. If it is used to a lot of company, then it may take the festivities in stride. If not, it may experience stress. I have found that blinking lights on a Christmas tree has caused stress to our birds. Lights that remain on were more readily adjusted to. Company can be stressful if it is not a 'normal' occurrence. If your bird exhibits any signs of stress when you have folks visiting, I would recommend putting the bird in another room where it is quiet. If you are a family that enjoys entertaining on a regular basis, you may want to work on 'adjusting' your bird. This can be done by having folks over that enjoy animals. You can entertain in the room where your bird is and have your guests interact with him/her. The main concern is not to stress your bird. If you have further concerns, you may email me at grammiecracker@aol.com.
Lazi Birds
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