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Archive for December, 2011

Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) are slender, fast running, wingless insects that are approximately a centimetre and a half to two centimetres in length. They are metallic silvery-blue in colour with antennae at the front of their bodies and three long bristle-like tails protruding from their rear end. Their fish-like darting movements and their colour gave rise to their name. These insects are very ancient creatures having been around for over 300 million years and are found throughout the entire world but are especially associated with human habitats.

How do silverfish breed?

The male silverfish lays his spermatophore (basically a capsule containing his spermatozoa) which is then taken up by the female for fertilisation, who of course will then produce fertilised eggs. The female silverfish will lay her eggs in small cracks and crevices in places that are damp and warm. The eggs will hatch usually between two weeks to two months later depending on the conditions prevalent at the time. When the young silverfish emerge, they will look just like smaller versions of the adults and will reach maturity in about six months.

Where do silverfish like to live?

They favour moist, humid places so can be found in and around shower rooms, bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, damp floors, cupboards (particularly under the sink), sinks, windows, old pipes and skirting boards. Sometimes they can become trapped in the bath or the sink as they slide down whilst foraging for food and are unable to climb back up the slippery surfaces. You can suspect the presence of silverfish in your home if you find yellowy stains on paper or material, evidence of scales or excrement, or if books and wallpaper look notched or damaged at the ends. They don’t like the light and are nocturnal by nature so will usually been seen scuttling around the floors, pipes and skirting boards at night, which is also when they like to feed.

What do silverfish eat?

Silverfish like to feed on just about anything and are particularly attracted to starch and polysaccharides. They will eat away at adhesive bindings or anything containing glue substances, photographs, cotton and other material and fibres, wallpaper, wallpaper paste, books and papers, detergent residues, shampoo, shaving foam and other toiletries containing cellulose, dried and powdered foods, cereals, leather, and have even been known to feed on dead insects at times.

How do silverfish get in the house?

They can quite easily be transferred into the house inside cardboard boxes, old books or papers, or on any starched fabrics as well as other materials.

How do I get rid of silverfish?

Silverfish are not harmful to humans but they are considered a nuisance pest, particularly if they are present in large numbers. You can treat existing infestations of silverfish yourself quite easily with a residual insecticide making sure that you apply it to window frames, skirting boards, cupboards and shelves under the sinks, floors around the toilet and bath, pipes, cracks and crevices and anywhere else that you suspect they may be lurking. You could also try airing rooms regularly to prevent a build up of moisture and treating any damp areas as silverfish cannot survive in dry conditions. Another option is to remove or at least restrict their food supply by clearing up old books and newspapers that are lying around, making sure that any detergents or residues from shampoos and other toiletries are thoroughly rinsed away and that all containers are properly sealed. However, removing their food supply as the only means of prevention is not effective as silverfish are able to survive for many months without any food at all.

Anyone who has owned a pet knows that buying pet supplies can become an extremely expensive endeavor. Pet needs are almost always underestimated until you actually have the animal living in your home, and you quickly realize that the animal needs proper bedding, toys, a carrier, leash, outdoor containment, grooming tools, as well as medicine and food. Properly taking care of your pet shouldn’t have to cost a fortune.

The resources below will help you find pet supplies, medicine, and food that will cost far less than the retail prices you’ll find at any grocery or department store.

Coupons for Pet Supplies

One of the first places to look for significant savings on pet supplies is through using coupons. Coupons can provide some significant savings on supplies, sometimes up to or greater than 50%. Various outlets, such as PetSmart, even offer free shopping for orders over a certain size. This means that by simply doing your pet supply shopping online, you are saving a fortune.

One of the best coupon providers with the most coupons for pet supplies is Coupon Mountain, with coupons for pet supplies, pet medications, and online deals for most of the major pet supply retailers. A few examples of the deals to be found at Coupon Mountain

• $5 to $20 off K9 Advantix at 1-800-PetMeds
• Get $15 off orders of $75 or more at PetCo
• 15% off orders over $40 at PETsMART
• 10% off any order at DogToys.com
• 15% off orders over $100 at PetCareRx
• 15% off Lambert Kay Pet Care products

This is only a very small sample of the long list of coupons and deals provided at Coupon Mountain.

Direct Pet Superstore

Direct Pet Superstore is a large discount retailer of everything you could possibly need for your pet. This includes toys, treats, grooming supplies, flea & tick management, medicines, and even an entire section with additional coupons and promotions.

Direct Pet has an entire section dedicated to saving money on your pet’s prescriptions called “Pet RX”. You can find medicine from Pfizer, Virbac, Boehringer Ingelheim, and other pharmalogicals at impressively competitive prices.

Other ways to save at Direct Pet Superstore:

• Sign up and you will be notified of exclusive specials on new products and sale prices for existing products.
• A current promotion is a $100 shopping spree for five lucky winners.
• Request a free catalog
• Discounts on supplies and medicine throughout the website

My Pet Outlet

MyPetOutlet.com is a fantastic discount pet supply website with multiple deals going on every month. A few examples from the main page include Dr Noys Swizzle Teaser for 15% off, a Merrick Meaty Beef Dog Bone at 25% off, and Kitty Hoots “Zoom” Organic cat nip at 20% off.

Categories at MyPetOutlet.com include supplies fro dogs, cats, birds, fish, and even reptiles and small animals. There’s even a clearance section where you can find some rock bottom prices. This week MyPetOutlet.com is offering 15% off every order over 50, as well as a free toy and free shipping. With prices this low, it doesn’t make sense to walk into a retail pet store anymore – shopping online saves so much more.

Pet Portraits, Send 5% Savings to an Animal Rescue Foundation

One of the most unique things you can do to capture the character of your pet, and to show people how much love you have for your furry friend, is to have a pet portrait done by professional artist Nikky Hughes of Los Angeles. Nikky was classically trained at the Mission Renaissance art school, and she focuses on capturing not only the beauty, but the unique character of each animal. She will accept photos through the mail of pets, and then create stunning portraits from those pictures. Pet portraits are ideal because they can be done from a photo (as apposed to getting the pet to “pose” at a studio.)

The great thing about Nikky is that she’s a pet lover herself, and this is reflected in how she runs her business. She discounts every commissioned painting by 5%, and sends those savings as a donation to an animal rescue foundation. This shows how Nikky’s love for all animals is not only reflected in her heartfelt portraits, but also in how she runs her business.

PetCo

Of course, another way to save a fortune off of pet supplies that you wouldn’t normally save if you simply visit a brick-and-mortar store, is to visit that store’s website. Petco also has a comprehensive online website where shoppers can shop virtually for all pet supplies. Petco provides internet only discounts to internet shoppers, such as free shopping, some of the lowest prices available anywhere for Frontline products, and each category (dogs, cats, fish, etc.) has a section devoted to sales, where you can find some impressive discounts off all kinds of pet products.

Question – Is there really such a thing as urinary tract health cat food, one that will make a difference to my cat’s health?
Answer –  It depends on how advanced the disease is, what treatment has taken place up til now, how healthy your cat was before, how old you cat is and so forth. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know.

Q – So what is the best urinary tract health cat food?
A – You can never go past raw food as the best all round, healthy cat food, for any disease.

Q – My vet tells me that raw meat has worms and parasites which will exacerbate an already ailing cat.
A – Cats have evolved on raw food over millennia. Their digestive system can deal very effectively with any worms or parasites, when they are healthy. When they are not healthy, caution needs to be taken during the change over, to ensure it doesn’t become a problem.

Q – I have heard that the best urinary tract health cat food should be a low protein diet. Surely a raw diet is high in protein?
A – Cats have evolved on a high protein diet. I don’t believe you should reduce their protein intake. What I believe is at the heart of the problem here is the modern farming methods. The artificial fertilisers that are commonly used today upset the delicate mineral balance in farm animals. Address that and the high protein then isn’t a problem.

Q – Why is it so common for cats to develop renal failure?
A – The kidneys are cats weakest link. So getting into the habit of giving your cat the best and healthiest cat food from the start will ensure optimum health and life expectancy.

Q – Is it difficult to work out what the best urinary tract health cat food should be?
A – I’ve already done it for you, so all you have to do is follow in my footsteps.

Q – Is a good urinary tract health cat food expensive?
A – When I worked out the cost of the best cat food versus the highest priced dried or processed cat food, I found they came out at about the same. And look at the additional bonuses of a healthy cat, so fewer trips to the vet!

Q – Is it time consuming to this prepare diet? I work, so have limited time.
A – Once you’ve got your head around the concept, it’s really easy. Just make the change over slowly, so you and your cat get used to it gradually. I find that’s the best way of learning something new and guarantees you’ll find it easy to stick to.

Q – What about high ash? I’ve heard that’s not a good thing in cats with ailing kidneys. Shouldn’t a good urinary tract health cat food be low in ash?
A – High ash means high mineral levels. Again, I feel that comes down to bad farming methods putting the delicate mineral balance out of whack. Cats need minerals to be healthy, but they need them in a natural, balanced form. Quality, raw food is the best source.

Q – I’m a vegetarian. It would be difficult for me to prepare raw meat.
A – I totally understand your predicament, I am too. But cats need meat, they’re true carnivores. So if you want to give your cat the best chance in life, you’re going to have to get used to handling raw meat. Or get your partner to…

Some Facts About Silky Terrier Pet Dogs have forever been man’s best buddy. Nowadays, however, person-canine relations have been entirely tense chiefly because of residence living. Many people nowadays live in condominiums or residence building where pets aren’t allowable. Because this, people complete that they, both essential to get another place or to get one of the robot dogs that many companies are selling today. There is, however, an alternative -many people today are receiving “toy” pet dos like honeyed terriers.

These “toy” dogs are the way to go if you want the heat and companionship of a pet dog lacking the hassles. In this section, we are vacant to argue the many virtues of having a sleek terrier pet dog.

One of the best characteristics of the shiny terrier is its coat. If you have a glossy terrier pet dog, the first thing you will discern about is the way that it coat shines. A shiny terrier’s coat is actually where it gets the name from since its coat is plump and soft. One of the highest reasons why dogs aren’t tolerable in apartment buildings is because of fur shedding. Some dogs have the bent to shed their coats and abscond clumps of fur insincere around the house. This can be very tricky if not outright disgusting.

One of the virtues of having a glossy terrier pet dog is the reality that its coat truly doesn’t shed. This means the people can be clearly that their pet dog does not effect a furry disaster when it explores a space. Thus, your carpeting is reliable from dog fur.

Naturally alert and gracious, the silken terrier can make a brilliant overseer because of its terrier quality. It is friendly, but a silken terrier pet dog can be rather possessive with their family. It does not certainly like to be left forlorn for long periods of time and would perform their best when somebody always home with it.

One thing you penury to keep glossy terriers as pet dogs is commitment. The coat of the soft terrier is flat to matting and tangles, which means that you ought to brush it evenly. It also wishes to be shampooed regularly to uphold the shine of the coat. Care should also be taken with the throat sine a honeyed terrier pet dog has especially receptive trachea. You see how much mind a soft terrier pet dog requires?

Training could also be quite a challenge since a smooth terrier pet dog may be tiring to housebreak. People who own one accede that it takes a lot of energy suitably to educate a soft terrier pet dog. A smooth terrier pet dog, however, will do well in guidance if a fill collar is not used. The coach requests to be resolved but just to the animal.

A smooth terrier petted dog can also be satiated of energy. This means that you must constantly to keep it dominated with activities. Boredom is one of the enemies of the smooth terrier pet dog. It likes to be given the fortune to run and play but it also is very apposite for an apartment. You also need to keep a silky terrier pet dog dominated socially.

A silky terrier petted dog may be a handful, but it is great if you want a little globe of fun to keep you business.

Keeping healthy chickens is so much easier than you might have thought. There is such a wealth of information available that is so easy to access at the touch of a button and with the recent renewed worldwide interest, chicken keeping really is something to be experienced and the pleasure of eating fantastic tasting free range eggs laid by your own hens is not to be underestimated.

For a long time keeping chickens was not so much a hobby as a necessity, people lived on small holdings or farms, or were too remote from a store that they could not simply pop out to buy eggs. With eggs being so versatile and playing such an important role in our diet, keeping chickens was just something that you did and nobody paid much attention to it.

In these fast furious times we have moved away from taking simple pleasures in life but are gradually coming back around to realising that we have been missing out.

With intense chicken farming and the mass production of eggs needed to supply our constant demand, the industry really does not go anyway to cater for more the most basic needs of laying poultry’s welfare and this has been reflected in the quality and taste of eggs.

There is absolutely nothing to compare with the taste of organic, free range eggs laid by your own poultry. It has been shown that they contain one third less cholesterol and at least one quarter less saturated fat than caged produced hens eggs for a start.

If you are serious about keeping chickens, you will need to be able to address their specific needs but, they are very simple creatures and it only takes minimal effort on your part to keep them healthy, happy and producing tasty eggs.

The most important consideration is housing, not just the size of the coop but also where you decide to position it too. Chickens are susceptible to extremes of heat and cold so, to be able to supply adequate ventilation or heat depending on the weather is helpful. Obviously they need to be dry and protected from other elements such as wind or possibly snow. Above all, they need to feel safe from predators.

Your chickens will rely on you to provide them with the sustenance they need to produce good eggs and to enable them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So, by giving them a balanced diet with the correct amount of proteins, vitamins and minerals this is easy to achieve.

Chicken keeping can be extremely rewarding, you have the benefits of a constant supply of fresh organic eggs that not only taste better than eggs bought from your local store with extra added health benefits, also you can be proud because you are keeping healthy chickens that are able to endlessly provide eggs for you.

Building a hen house can be simple and is great fun when you are given the correct information. They are practical, easy to assemble and will save you a fortune.

There are dozens of poultry related websites that claim to offer visitors great hen housing plans, but few sadly seem to offer little more than a single basic design. However one of the best chicken house design websites online that has been endorsed by hundreds of chicken breeders and owners worldwide so far contains a wealth of chicken data and related information that is well worth reviewing. (http://www.chickenhousekit.com)