PetHobbyist.com Site Blog - ExoticHobbyist

Featured Pet Photo: Loving Couple..

nospam@example.com (Cheryl Cooper) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:35:52 -0600

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There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

Featured Pet Photo: Twinkie and Nibbles cuddled.

nospam@example.com (Cheryl Cooper) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 09:33:59 -0600

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There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

Featured Pet Photo: Sharing our Fortune.

nospam@example.com (Cheryl Cooper) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:29:17 -0600

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There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's f

Featured Pet Photo: Setting up for the New Year's Eve Party!

nospam@example.com (Cheryl Cooper) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:28:10 -0600

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There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

Featured Pet Photo: Merry Christmas from the Exotic Pets

nospam@example.com (Cheryl Cooper) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:39:37 -0600

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There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

Michigan's oiled turtles have a hero on their side

nospam@example.com (Cindy Steinle) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:02:00 -0500

The folks in Eaton, Mich., love animals and they are taking steps to show even normal people can become extraordinary heroes.

Going above and beyond their normal daily lives, they are taking steps to ensure the wildlife affected by the oil spill gets cleaned up and a second chance. From the Lansing State Journal:

Then there's the woman known as the "Turtle Rehabber," Kay Frasher. Frasher, who works as a vet tech at the Holt Veterinarian Clinic, is licensed as an animal rehabilitator and specializes in turtles native to Michigan.

"Anytime we get turtles, they go to Kay," Sagaert said. Frasher says cleaning a turtle with Dawn liquid detergent, using cotton tipped swabs for the creases in its neck and legs, can take from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on how tarry it is. It's painstaking work that often involves a few bites, especially in the attempt to grab the turtle's head in order to clean its neck.

Frasher, though, isn't complaining. "I've really been amazed to see this come together in such a short time," she said of the large rescue site in Marshall. "I'm honored to have been called and to be here." There are countless examples of loving dedication every day at the rescue site.

To read the tales of all the rescuers, click here.

Featured Pet Photo: Meet Professor Pendragon!

nospam@example.com (Cheryl Cooper) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:22:33 -0500

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There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

Daily happenings at a national wildlife refuge

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:18:54 -0500

From the beginning of the oil spill, US wildlife refuges sprung into action, taking a vital role in rescuing and rehabilitating the animals affected by the oil. On their Website the US Fish & Wildlife Service reports on the work of just one of these dedicated employees at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge:

Jackie Isaacs is on the front lines, nearly every day, as the wildlife biologist at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. A small refuge in Gulf Shores, its beautiful beaches support the nests of threatened loggerhead sea turtles and endangered Kemps ridley sea turtles, snowy plovers and the endangered Alabama beach mouse.

We normally have a permanent staff of three on the refuge, plus seasonal volunteer interns and a term park ranger, said Isaacs, a five-year U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service veteran.

However, since the oil hit we now have contractors from BP cleaning up our beaches. We have Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams doing assessments, researchers conducting oil-related research, Natural Resource Damage Assessment teams conducting surveys, resource advisors overseeing and minimizing impact of cleanup operations on refuge property, as well as Fish and Wildlife employees helping the refuge conduct our daily spill response operations. The office is full of people we dont normally employ who have come to help us.

Article continues here.

Smithsonian catalogs life before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:25:53 -0500

As research into the Gulf oil spill continues, scientists will turn to the Smithsonian for help in assessing the damage to the Gulf. The Smithsonian has previously catalogued thousands of specimens from the Gulf. These data will be used to determine how the Gulf has been affected by the spill.
NPR reports:

It'll take years to fully know the effects of the BP oil spill on wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. One thing we do know now is what that wildlife was like before the 206 million gallons of oil spewed into the water. For that knowledge, we have the Smithsonian Institution to thank.

The Smithsonian Institution's Museum Support Center is an anonymous beige warehouse complex just outside Washington, D.C. It doesn't look like anything special until you get inside.

These buildings house all the things that don't fit into the museums on the National Mall, in endless rows of jars and bottles and boxes. Among them is the world's largest collection of invertebrates from the Gulf of Mexico, all floating in 150-proof alcohol. It's a pretty comprehensive snapshot of life before the spill.

Article continues here.

Pet First Aid - Round up two!

nospam@example.com (Cindy Steinle) — Tue, 25 May 2010 08:28:25 -0500

April was Pet First Aid Awareness and the folks at Austin Pet First Aid are taking things very seriously. Pethobbyist.com and Austin Pet First Aid staffer Therese Kopiwoda shared daily pet first aid tips for the entire month on Austin Pet First Aid's Facebook page. This round will be a good reminder of things to watch for with the summer months! Be sure to check out our initial first aid tip post!

If you use any chemicals on your lawn, make sure you keep your pets out of the yard until everything is dry. Otherwise they're likely to lick the chemicals off their feet, which can cause serious illness. Better yet, make sure the chemicals are not hazardous to cats or dogs or simply forego lawn service in the areas where your pets play.

Also remember things like loose mulches and cocoa mulch! Make sure what you put in your yard is dog and kid friendly!

When taking your pets in the car, be sure they are secure. Cats should be in a crate that fits snugly behind the passenger seat. Dogs should be in a crate that's fastened down somehow, or in a seatbelt/harness. Unsecured pets can jump out of a car, be thrown out during accidents, or even work as projectiles during sudden stops or accidents and cause harm to people in the car.

I can not tell you how many notices I see each summer for lost dogs from car accidents. Having the bullies, I am always reminded that my dogs may be perceived as dangerous, so I take those extra precautions in the event I get out of my vehicle at a traffic stop.

Don't assume your dog can swim - not all dogs are natural swimmers. Whenever your dog is around water, whether you're near a backyard pool, lake, or ocean, keep your eyes on her at all times. You might even want to get a doggie life jacket.

Ours all have life jackets! Brutus, our american bulldog actually can't swim, he sinks! So when we go out of town, have been on boats or even traveled via car on ferry, they have their life jackets! A good thing is to practice wearing these before you actually use them so dogs get used to the clothing.

Don't let your dog ride in the back of a pickup truck. Debris may blow into his eyes or ears, he may get excited & jump out, or he may get thrown out if you're in an accident or stop fast. Keep in mind that the sun beats down on the truck, which means the hot metal may burn your dog's feet..., and he may suffer from heatstroke. It's best to let your dog ride in the cab with you.

They don't have thumbs and can't hang on. Also in some places, much like people riding in the back, this is illegal!

Lastly, as summer cranks up and festivals start in neighborhoods, this one holds true for any holiday.

Keep your pets in mind during holiday celebrations. Common holiday items such as tinsel, chocolate, decorations, Easter eggs, candy, fireworks, alcohol, and barbecue grills can be hazardous to your pets.

Pet First Aid - Round up one!

nospam@example.com (Cindy Steinle) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 22:52:00 -0500

April was Pet First Aid Awareness and the folks at Austin Pet First Aid are taking things very seriously. Pethobbyist.com and Austin Pet First Aid staffer Therese Kopiwoda shared daily pet first aid tips for the entire month on Austin Pet First Aid's Facebook page. We here at Pethobbyist will share a selection of these tips with you!

Make an emergency vet sheet and include information about the nearest animal emergency clinic. Include their phone number, hours, if a veterinarian is on duty at all times, and a map or directions on how to get there from your house. It's also a good idea to add your regular veterinarian's... address/phone number. Put it in a place that's easy to remember if you need it in an emergency.

I keep a copy of my dogs rabies vaccination information, photo copies of their licenses and basic information in both our vehicles as well!

In hot weather, be extremely careful with brachycephalic (short-nosed) breeds such as bulldogs, pugs, and pekingnese. These dogs are extremely sensitive to heat and can suffer heatstroke fairly quickly.

With an American Bulldog in my home, I have to watch this carefully. Brutus tires very easily and has a harder time catching his breath. This is a very common issue, so I make sure to keep his exercise to a minimum in extreme temps.

Store antifreeze in a place where your pets can't get to it. Dogs and cats like the smell and taste, but a few ounces is enough for it to be deadly.

Thankfully, many states are changing this policy to add a bittering agent into the antifreeze. Wisconsin, where we live, is passing a bill to require this additive to protect our pets.

Keep such things like string, tinsel, yarn, and thread away from your cat. Cats like to swallow all of these things, and when they do, it can get twisted in their intestines. This can result in emergency surgery to remove the item.

Also with warm temperatures, remember fishing lures are very entertaining and dangerous toys for cats.

And the last tip for this week:

If you have indoor plants, know what kind they are and whether or not they're poisonous to your pets. If they are, consider giving them to someone who doesn't have pets, and replace them with plants that aren't harmful.

This is something important to ALL pet owners here on our communities. Cats, dogs, ferrets, iguanas are all prone to eating plants. Know what you have and be sure to keep your pets safe!

Will California's Ferrets Ever Get to Come in from the Cold?

nospam@example.com (Christie Keith) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:19:47 -0500

From SFGate.com:

They're cute, affectionate, furry and playful. There are tens of thousands of them in California, and they're allowed as pets in most countries and every state except Hawaii.

So why are ferrets illegal in California?

It's an old story, characterized by battling sets of statistics and interpretations of natural history. To the California Department of Fish and Game and some environmentalists, ferrets are wild animals with the potential to establish feral colonies and wreak havoc on native species if they escape from captivity.

But as Jeanne Carley of Californians for Ferret Legalization has pointed out, the ferret has been classified "as domesticated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Smithsonian Institute, Museum of Natural History, the Humane Society of the United States and 150 zoos, zoological societies and other authorities."

More on the furry little critters and their battle for legal status here.

A $22,000 cat?

nospam@example.com (PetHobbyist) — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:43:25 -0500

Coming across PR Newswire, via PetConnection, this morning, news about a newly developed exotic/domestic cat, expected to sell for around $22,000:

On first sight described by many as a mini-leopard, the Ashera is a new ultra-exotic breed of domestic cat that already has wealthy animal devotees paying to get on the waiting list. Developed by crossing two exotic feline bloodlines with a regular cat, the distinctive result is the Ashera, which features leopard-like spots and contrasting tiger stripes. Growing up to 30 lbs., the Ashera is believed to be the largest pet cat available today.

Full release here.