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African Grey parrots’ food must not be only seed, however. Such an incomplete, imbalanced diet is likely to cause illness. Seeds are high in fat and carbohydrates, and your African Grey will probably pick out its favorite seeds, making the diet even less balanced.

Most parrot experts agree that an African Grey parrots’ food needs can only be met with a formula diet supplemented with a variety of other foods.

Organic Pellets

What is a formula diet for an African Grey? Organic pellets. I say “organic” pellets because many of the conventional pellets have unhealthy ingredients. Some have even been noted as containing potentially toxic ingredients.

African Grey parrots’ food should never contain menadione. If the pellets you are considering for your African Grey list menadione as an ingredient, read on. The FDA requires a warning on every bag of food that contains it. That warning must read, “Person who handles needs to wear protective outfit, gloves, mask, and glasses.”

Menadione may be added to give your African Grey additional vitamin K. A better option is to provide full spectrum light for your parrot. An African Grey will get vitamin K from the light, just as it would if living outdoors.

Organic pellets also let your African Grey avoid the high quantities of sugar in colored pellets. Most African Grey parrot owners care enough about the bird in which they’ve invested so much money, that they don’t want to give it a diet that is high in sugar.

African Grey parrots’ food that is based on organic pellets will be free of contaminants that might be found in other pellets. In the U.S., government regulations force companies making organic parrot food not to use pesticides or other contaminants.

In addition to a basic, formulated pellet food, African Greys need many of the same food you eat.

1. Fresh vegetables: Offer your African Grey a wide variety of vegetables, raw or cooked. Think bright, deep colors for the most nutrition. Most vegetables that offer high nutrition to you and your family will be good for your parrot as well. Cooked legumes such as beans and lentils are good. Sprouted seeds are also good. Your African Grey will love them. To avoid contaminants such as pesticides, you may want to use organic vegetables for African Grey parrots’ food.

2. Fresh fruits: In the wild, African Greys eat fruit freely. The trick is to keep your parrot from filling up on its favorite food and neglecting pellets and vegetables. As with vegetables, choose bright, rich colors in fruit for the most nutrition. Also, purchase organic if possible.

3. Other supplemental foods: African Grey parrots enjoy cooked eggs and small amounts of yogurt now and then. African Greys are more prone than some parrots to calcium deficiency, so you may leave the egg shell on the hard boiled egg, if you wish. You should not need to give your parrot calcium supplements if you are using a good organic pellet food. You may give a few seeds as a treat, but go easy on them.

No, Thank You

African Grey parrots’ food dishes should never contain avocado, chocolate, or rhubarb. They should not contain any human junk foods or processed meats either. It should go without saying, but your African Grey should never be given anything containing caffeine or alcohol.

Water, Please

Remember, when thinking of your African Grey’s dietary needs, that it should have fresh, clean water in its cage at all times.

Helpful Tip

For healthy African Greys, be sure you clean the food and water dishes every day. If your parrot decides on an impromptu bath, wait until it is done, wash the water dish, and give it a fresh supply of water.

By: Anna Hart

Saltwater aquariums are a source of pleasure in many homes, and young and old people alike love to watch them. These tanks show us a wonderful glimpse of what life is like under the surface of the ocean. There is quite a variety of life that can survive in an aquarium. Plants and fishes are not the only life forms that live in the sea, so why restrict your aquarium by using these two categories alone, to beautify it?

Artificial oysters are common as a release for air bubbles in many aquariums – the oyster opens to let the bubbles out. But with more and more people trying to recreate the ocean floor with their saltwater aquariums, Pearl producing oysters are a special treat for those with home saltwater aquariums. However it is their lesser cousins you will normally find in home aquariums, and understandably so. Did you know that if you place an oyster or a scallop in your tank, they will require more care than any other life form in the aquarium? It is vital that you realize that before you get one for the tank. It is such a let down to see people spend good money on oysters, and later realizing they have bit off more than they can chew on.

Oysters demand a very special water condition. They are not for those of us who are a bit lazy when it comes to maintaining a clean aquarium. Keep in mind, they will not live very long if your tank gets dirt in it often – oysters need cleanliness and care. Nature has a nice way of dealing with this issue – oysters do clean out the water so they can balance the effect, but they can do it only up to a point and no more before it takes its toll on them. Did you know you will have to take special care of their diet as well? Don’t say we didn’t warn you! You need to feed every oyster separately through their pipette upstream. Here it is vital to note – keep the number of oysters in your aquarium minimum, unless you want to spend your entire day feeding them! You will need to give them nutrition supplements as well as a microscopic amount of plankton to keep them healthy.

Some varieties of oyster can survive more often in artificial environments than others. So if you are new at this, go for one of these. You could go for the more delicate ones once you are sure of your self. You will often see varieties like the spiny and the thorny in aquariums. These are such accurate names for these beautiful creations of nature. I bet this article has got you interested in getting an oyster into your saltwater aquarium. Why not visit your local store to see what they have available?

Here’s a scenario for you to think about.  Your child is out in the back yard, running about with your 1-year old dog, when unexpectedly, you hear that dog yelp in pain.  Wasting no time, you head out the door and observe that the dog appears to have an injured hind leg, holding it aloft as it trots along on the other three.  As if by magic, the dog starts running again on all fours like normal, appearing that nothing had been wrong in the first place.

To add to this scenario, it dawns on you that you have noticed this behavior becoming more and more frequent so now you are concerned enough that you wonder if you should call your veterinarian and make an appointment.  Stop wondering and make the call.  Your cherished pooch is most likely the victim of a luxated patella, or more simply, a lipped   kneecap (or trick knee).

This discomforting malady is hereditary and causes the kneecap to move out of its normal position (dislocates), typically shifting towards the inside of the animals leg. Additionally, it normally occurs in both of the back legs but to a more severe degree in one than the other.  When the dogs kneecap is positioned normally, it sits within a deep groove where it slides down and up in a controlled manner.

As this groove gets more and more out of shape or becomes increasingly shallower, the kneecap begins to slip out of its normal position more frequently.  The leg then locks up, causing the foot to be elevated off the ground.  As a result, the dog cries out from the discomfort that results.  Typically, the condition is more common in the smaller breeds of canines than the medium-sized or larger ones.  The result of the conditions onset is immediate lameness and pain.

In less severe cases, the kneecap slides freely in and out of position voluntarily, but as the condition becomes increasingly more severe, the dislocation can become permanent requiring a vet to either pop the kneecap back into place or, in the most severe cases, correct the condition surgically.  Also, as the condition worsens, the knee capsule itself is injured and the dog appears to be bowlegged.

As we mentioned above, the condition doesn’t just happen overnight, although the initial onset of it would make the owner of the animal speculate as such. Luxated patella is an inherited condition and is most likely present when the puppy is born.  Fortunately, the condition is not crippling even in its most severe stages.  The worst case scenario is that it will have to be surgically repaired and your dog should be able to live a happy and normal life afterwards.

As a final cautionary note, assuming that this condition is inherent to the breed of dog and then neglecting to take action is a huge mistake with unpleasant consequences.  In younger dogs, not  taking care of this oftentimes results in torn ligaments or more severe damage to the knee.  In older canines, neglecting the condition has been known to lead to diseases in the bones and the joints as well as causing arthritis.  So please, don’t gamble with your dogs well-being get the condition corrected immediately.

Automatic litter boxes are a wonderful convenience for cat owners with busy schedules. They don’t require daily scooping or a lot of general maintenance which allows us to enjoy more free time with our pets. Many brands, like Littermaid only require that you empty the bottom receptacle a couple times a week, while others like the Cat Genie only need you to keep an eye out for clogs and replace the sani-solution every once in awhile. Of course you would need to do both more frequently in multiple cat households.

My favorite thing about robotic litter boxes is that they allow you to mark cleaning the litter box off of your daily chore list. You also don’t have to worry about buying special cat box liners. And best of all there is no more need to scoop the poop because automatic litter boxes mechanically clean up the waste each time your cat uses the bathroom.

This type of litter box has been around for awhile so you have many models to choose from. Some even come with a cover which provides a more pleasing appearance while allowing your cat to have maximum privacy. But most important, a cover will keep litter particles from being scattered about when your pet jumps in and out of the litter box. Its also important to note that most brands require the use of a premium scoop-able cat litter. Premium litters often have better absorbency for trapping urine which will keep the automatic litter box from jamming. Generally a better quality litter will control odor more effectively than any of the cheaper brands you might find.

Prices for these type of litter boxes can range anywhere from one hundred to three hundred dollars. But if you are tired of raking, scooping and bagging cat litter, investing in an automatic litter box can be worth every penny. They are convenient, clean and most of the popular brands on the market today will adequately sense movement to rake away your cat’s waste in a matter of minutes.

Overall, an automatic litter box is a great investment for the dedicated cat owner. They reduce the amount of litter used on a day to day basis and at most you will only need to keep an eye on when its time to empty the receptacle bin. They keep the house consistently odor free and allow us to enjoy our cats without the constant stress litter box cleaning. Chances are you will feel that it was worth the investment and your cat will thank you.

Want to learn more about automatic litter boxes? Visit http://www.healthycatcare.com/index.php/automatic-litter-boxes for more tips and info!

Buying a horse is actually the simple procedure of exchanging dollars and cents for an animal of your choice. But buying an animal suited to your abilities is a difficult task. Before looking for a horse decide what use and purpose the horse will serve, for pleasure, for breeding, or for showing. Each of these is in a different category and requires a different kind of animal. However, you may be fortunate enough to find a combination of all three attributes.

Consider these tests before you buy a horse:

1. Look at him from a distance and examine his build as a whole. This is called conformation, and each breed of horse has certain characteristics that identify him by form. The animal should carry his head well and be neatly put together.

2. Check for soundness. Run your hands up and down his legs. Look for an unexplained lump or sign of soreness.

3. Test his vision. A horse should blink when you wave your hand in back of his eye.

4. See whether or not he leads in or out of the stable easily.

5. Watch saddling and bridling. See if he is uneasy when cinched. Some horses are afraid of a girth, caused by too tight a cinch. Notice whether or not he is bridle shy, touchy about the ears; whether he opens his mouth to receive the bit.

6. Have the owner ride the animal so you can see how he handles. Watch whether he stops easily, reins well, backs, and has an easy gait. Have the owner work the horse to a gallop. Try to determine if he is speed crazy. The owner should guarantee the safety of the animal as to training. Also, note whether or not there is excessive breathing, noise with the breathing, and flanks that heave spasmodically.

7. Most important! Ride the horse yourself. Is he smooth in the walk, trot, and canter? Does he shy? Is he spooky? Can you start and stop him? Is he too spirited for you to handle? Does he switch his tail constantly? Can you ride him away from the stable? A tail-switcher means that the animal has been pushed too fast in training and indicates nervousness. Usually a horse that has been trained by a woman will not like a man rider, or will be uneasy with a man on his back. Sometimes this works in the reverse. Many times it is because of the handling of the reins. A man is normally heavier handed than a woman. However, this depends on the horse and the rider in the main, but it is something to consider in buying a horse that has been privately owned by one person for some time.

8. Don’t buy a stallion. He may look good in the movies but is not practicable in real life. He is likely to be unpredictable and should be managed only by an expert horseman. He belongs, mainly, on the breeding farm. You’ll find just as much spirit and animation in a good mare or gelding and far less trouble.

No horse is perfect, but whatever faults are present you must decide whether or not they may be eliminated with some training. Many times all a horse needs is work. Horses also respond to owners. They have their likes and dislikes. Personalities clash just as between people. Whole personalities have changed with ownership.

Be sure the animal is suited to your own capabilities. And, once again, don’t buy the first horse you see. Some­where there is a horse suited to you. Two things are important: the age of the rider and of the horse, and the experience or lack of it in both rider and animal.

One must equal the other, rider and animal, because no matter how well trained the horse, if the rider does not understand this training, then the horse will not work well. And a good horse can soon be ruined by a poor rider.