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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: Dear Mary Jo,
I have an 11-year-old Appendix Mare I am teaching to jump. She tends to rush the fences and end up knocking them down, rather than jumping over them. Do you have any suggestions?
Janelle
A: Dear Janelle,
Horses rush fences for a variety of reasons, and without actually watching your mare go over a jump this is a difficult question to answer. Your mare may be anticipating the jump, in which case I have several suggestions. You can insist that your mare trots into the jump, and if needed you can circle away from the jump several times so she starts anticipating the circle instead of the jump, and will come back to your half-halts. Ground poles placed before a jump will help her stay in the trot, as well as help her find the right spot to the fence. You can also use downward transitions/halts on the same line that the jump is on, to get your horse thinking less about the jump and more about the transition after it. Remember it is what happens before and after the fence, rather than directly over it, that really matters when jumping. It is worth investing some money and time into riding lessons with an experienced instructor, or at the very least try to find some books that give you exercise suggestions for introducing jumping.
Good Luck! Mary Jo
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,
My guinea pig has recently started refusing to eat the hay I buy — a brand I’ve been buying for the last year. I’m at loss as to why, or where to turn for hay now. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Chris
A: Dear Chris,
The reason could be anything from pure finickiness (e.g., your guinea pig is bored with the menu selection) to an actual problem with the hay. Guinea pigs (most animals, actually) have far more sophisticated and sensitive palates than humans give them credit for.
Look for hay that is green, dry, non-dusty, and soft. Yellow hay should never be fed (old hay is yellow or beige in color), nor should hay that is visibly moldy, damp, or wet (or that has been wet recently). Good hay smells fresh, like it just came in from a sunny field; it should not smell moldy, wet, old, or musty. If you know anyone who works with or owns horses, ask them to give you a hands-on sample of good hay. Horse people have excellent noses for sniffing out good and bad hay…and often can pick up on the same nuances in smell that their animals can.
You also want hay that is soft, not full of hard stems and stalks (which can actually injure the inside of a guinea pig’s mouth…an injury that almost always leads to infection and too often requires surgery to clean up). Look for hay that is labeled "second cut" or "third cut" to ensure the softest possible hay.
In stores, the hay products with the most consistent quality and taste appeal are Sweet Meadow Farm, Oxbow, and Zupreem. Some guinea pig owners have good luck finding bales of soft timothy hay at local feed stores (such as Out Front Farm in Monroe, CT), while others work with their local pet supply store on special orders for specific brands or for bulk orders. Still others order online directly from operations like Massachusetts-based Sweet Meadow Farm (www.sweetmeadowfarm.com), Nevada-based American Pet Diner (www.americanpetdiner.com), Nebraska-based Oxbow Hay (www.oxbowhay.com), or Washington-based Kleenmama’s Hayloft (http://www.kmshayloft.com/). These companies also provide other options that can add variety to your piggie’s diet, including meadow grass hay, orchard grass hay, bluegrass hay, and mountain grass hay.
Good luck!
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,
I had a few questions regarding my cat. I have a 5-month-old male kitten named Puma. He's really great and all, responds to his name, comes when he's called (for the most part), greets us at the door, loves to curl up in bed (at times), but the main issue is that he doesn't like for me to hold him. Nine times out of 10 he will kick and scratch, wiggle his body to bite my wrists...my shoulders, hands and fingers. Basically anywhere he can reach while I try to put him down before he really hurts me. At times I've held him to see if he would calm down and he would...for about 7 seconds then his ears go back, his eyes are frantic and he just attacks me without stopping. Even when I place him on the floor he'll recoil backwards then spring at my legs, wrap his four legs around me and continue to bite! I can't take it anymore! I sometimes get so upset that I don't even want to bother with him. My arms and hands are scratched up and daily I'm acquiring more and more scratches! I tell him loudly and stern "NO!"- it does absolutely nothing. It only seems to make him want to test me even more. He'll do the same to my boyfriend but the minute he says NO to him, he takes off running. Is there anything that I can do? Is this normal behavior for a 5-month-old kitten? I'm at a loss as what to do. Please, if you have any advice on what I'm doing wrong, what I could improve, or am not doing, any help would be so greatly appreciated!
Aubrey
A: Dear Aubrey,
Kittens can be pretty crazy while they're growing up. Often if they're separated too early from their mom and littermates, they don't get to learn the limits of rough playing. Since they're bundles of energy exploring everything new in their world, it's not unusual for them to resist cuddling, which we humans are quick to do since they're so adorable.
Play with him a lot to tire him out – use a fishing pole toy or let him wrestle with a stuffed toy. When petting him watch for the signals of overstimulation – thrashing tail, dilated pupils, ears back. Reward him with a treat when accepts your petting without reacting aggressively. Gradually desensitize him to being handled by picking him up and giving him a quick hug and kiss, then put him down. Leave him wanting more affection.
Has he been neutered? If not, he should also calm down once he's fixed.
The rule is to freeze when he grabs your limbs since resisting is an invitation for wrestling. However, you might try hissing or growling at him like mom or a littermate. (Your boyfriend is probably louder than you and his voice does startle him.)
Keep in mind too that some cats are just not cuddlers, but still enjoy human interaction – he does greet you at the door and sleep with you – so don't get discouraged and ignore him. You want to build a bond, not hurt it. Talk to him and play with him. Bottom line is that he should grown out of it.
Sally
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