Posts Tagged ‘term’
I have read in forums and books that hamsters are very fragile and sensitive animals and here are 3 things to consider before buying a hamster
I have read in forums and books that hamsters are very fragile and sensitive animals and here are 3 things to consider before buying a hamster.
- Are you committed to take care of it?
- Will you love it?
- Do you have the ability to take care of it?
1. Commitment: Having a hamster requires you to be committed in taking care of it. It needs fresh water and food every day. Besides that, depending on the hygiene of your hamster, you have to wash its cage regularly (about once every 1 or 2 weeks). It is a long term commitment of about 2 to 3 years and you have to ask yourself if you really want to do this. Thus you must be prepared and excited to take care of this little ‘baby’, that you are about to buy, for 2 to 3 years.
2. Love: Other than needing a lot of attention from you to take care of its basic needs, a hamster also requires love. Showing it love means doing things like talking to it, taking it out to play and feeling happy when you see it.
At the beginning of my article, I mentioned that hamsters are very sensitive animals. I read from a book that hamsters are able to sense the feelings of others when they are nearby. For example, if you do not love to play with your hamsters and feel that it is a burden, your hamsters will be able to sense it.
On the other hand, if you are happy to see your hamsters everyday and look forward to interact with it more, your hamsters are also able to sense it and it will help their growth and mood too.
3. Ability to take care of it: Having the ability to take care of your hamsters is a very important factor you have to consider. You know, although these rodents are known to be relatively robust and healthy, they may fall ill at times. You will have to bring it to the vet and the charges may amount to quite a bit. Other than that, you have to provide it with a good home and nutritious food which requires constant replenishing.
Part of many cat’s personalities is independence
Part of many cat’s personalities is independence. Since most cats can fend for themselves, are very good hunters, and cautious by nature they may not be very social. Or in pet terms, they just don’t care if you want them to do something; they do what ever they want.
This really irritates some people to no end. They want to have a pet that responds to their directions. For the most part, my advice for those people is to get a dog. But cats can be social or friendly with a little training. I’m not absolutely sure they may really mean it but they will at least act like it.
Two things all animals respond to are food and affection or positive reinforcement. Many animals will not respond to punishment or physical discipline, especially cats. So the best method I’ve found is to bribe them. Many cats who are prone to hissing or even threatening to strangers do so because at one time or another they were mistreated. Cats aren’t very trustworthy to begin with and any memory of a bad situation just confirms their belief that all strangers may pose a threat.
I’ve spent a lot of time rescuing abandoned or feral cats and in order to catch them and find them a home you need to gain their trust. Food and patients are your only means of trying to restore that trust. Some who were recently abandoned are pretty easy; cats who were born feral are a lot tougher. Sometimes it takes up to 6 months of constant work to bring them around. A few never adapt depending on their age and natural disposition.
But if you have a cat that is aggressive or hides when company comes, you have a cat with a social problem. Some may not even have had a bad experience; they are just suspicious of anyone. You may never completely eliminate the problem but you can make some serious progress. It does take a little work and effort.
One of my best tricks is to get the stranger to offer the cat some food that they especially like. Obviously you need someone to help in this type of training. And you may have to take it in very small steps. The food is offered to the cat, if they still don’t calm down or if they still run away, set the food down in a neutral area. Not to close but not to far away. Over time the cat will come out or stop the aggressive behavior, inch by inch.
The room needs to be quiet, no sudden movements by anyone, and once you put down the food you need to pay no attention to it or the cat. The food has to be irresistible and I try not and feed the cat for a few hours before the training exercise. Most of my experience shows that on the first few times you may have to put the food down and back away at least 20-25 feet, giving the cat a clear escape route. Slowly but surely you move the food closer to the person.
Once the cat starts taking the food right in front of the person, they need to slowly try and pet the cat. No fast or sudden motions, and just one or two strokes to start with when petting. Once the cat starts recognizing that they will get food and attention from a stranger, they will start being friendlier.
Aggressive cats require very quick reactions just in case. Never put yourself at risk, I’ve seen a cat shred someone’s hand or ankle in nothing flat. And on the scardy cat problems, you need to start eliminating the far away hiding spots. Give them somewhere to hide but keep it close so they can smell the food and get used to new people being in the same room.
Like I mentioned, this may take months of working with the cat. Repetition will get results but you need to be patient with the cat. You are trying to overcome a basic insecurity (that may be justified) and these behavior modifications are slow to stick. And some may never totally overcome their problems but most do improve. I had one especially aggressive feral cat that started out as one mean son of a gun. Within a few months he would come up and rub against people. Now you still had to keep any eye on him, but he wouldn’t beat up other cats (he also used to beat up dogs too) or take a swipe at people who went to pet him anymore.
One of the key factors on finding a rescue cat a home is that they learn how to behave around new people and quickly adapt to their new family. And a cat that will attack people is definitely not a good thing for visitors, human or animal. Positive reinforcement and a little effort can make a huge improvement on cat social skills.
These types of food materials are different with different grades of liking by the dogs
These types of food materials are different with different grades of liking by the dogs. Dogs like dry foods only if they are tasty only and however, on comparison, the dogs prefer only the canned food items. Reason for such preference by the dogs is that in case of canned food items, the moisture is about seventy to eighty per cent but in case of dry food, it is only about ten per cent.
However, if you view it in terms of nutrients, often the dry food contains nearly ninety per cent nutrients whereas the canned food items contain only less per cent of nutrients and most of the times. It is only soy products that are structured so well to look like meat pieces.
Hence, to make up the nutritional balance in the body systems, the dog has to eat more amounts of canned food materials than the dry food materials. Hence, just compare the cost factor related to this feature by you. Many dry food items are soybean and rice based.
Now some dry food items are based on corn. Sometimes, beef based or chicken based food items come in the cans along with mineral and vitamin supplements suited for the upkeep of the dog’s health status. Larger dogs that weigh more than thirty pounds need to be fed with semi moist food items or dry food items in most of the occasions.
This is to satisfy the food receptors in the stomach. This is due to the fact that the larger dogs need to eat plenty of moist food or the canned food items to satisfy these criteria. But it may not be practically possible in these larger dogs. The small sized dogs may have a satisfactory level of nutrients if fed even the moist food items.
However, the caloric density of the dry food should not be forgotten. Enriched dry food items are highly welcome ones than the non -enriched food items.
Oriental shorthair is a feline breed that has occurred in thailand, alongside the siamese, for a long time as a self-colored cat and was brought over with other cats from the orient to britain in nineteenth century
Oriental Shorthair is a feline breed that has occurred in Thailand, alongside the Siamese, for a long time as a self-colored cat and was brought over with other cats from the Orient to Britain in nineteenth century. Even as it was initially just considered a non-pointed version of the Siamese, the Oriental Shorthair gained formal recognition only in the twentieth century when, in the fifties, development of the cat was started through breeding with Abyssinians, Domestic Shorthairs, Russian Blues and Siamese. The cat was termed as ‘Foreign’ in United Kingdom and ‘Oriental’ in United States. It was another two decades before official recognition and championship status was given to the graceful cat. Today it is registered and recognized as a distinct entity in nearly all cat fancies around the world. Occasionally, as in the case of Cat Fanciers’ Association, it is coupled with its sister breed, the Oriental Longhair, into a single breed called simply the Oriental.
A svelte and finely built animal, the Oriental Shorthair is amongst the most attractive of all domestic cats. Its lithe, tubular body appears slender but is in fact quite well muscled. Head is wedge shaped with large pointed ears and slanted almond shaped eyes that occur in blue or green colors. Legs and tail are long. Coat of the Oriental Shorthair occurs in an amazing array of colors and patterns, with over three hundred variations recognized. Combinations include bi-color, parti-color, shaded, smoke, solid and tabby.
Like their longhair counterparts Oriental Shorthairs are prone to certain ailments in some of their lines. These include dental disorder, Amyloidosis of liver and dilated cardiomyopathy. These conditions are rare overall though and generally the cats live a long healthy life of fifteen years or more.
Oriental Shorthairs are very curious and intelligent. They like to explore everything and are not shy to open cabinets and get on top of cupboards to satisfy their natural inquisitiveness. They are athletic and maintain their active, playful lifestyle even as they age.
Although golden retrievers are very sociable, lovable dogs many of them end up in rescue centers each year for a variety of reasons
Although Golden Retrievers are very sociable, lovable dogs many of them end up in rescue centers each year for a variety of reasons. These centers are typically run by volunteers who care for the dogs until a new owner is found. You may have wondered if golden retriever adoption is a good option for you. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of adoption and where you can find your dog if you do choose to adopt.
Should I Adopt a Golden Retriever?
The first question to ask yourself is whether adoption is a good path for you. If you have no dog ownership experience then you should not adopt a dog. Many of these Goldens have been mistreated and require good dog handling and training skills to make them well balanced retrievers again. Also you need to be certain that you are committed to long term ownership otherwise the dog will not be much better off in the long run. If you have owned dogs successfully in the past – ideally Golden Retrievers then you should definitely consider adoption. You will be putting your skills and experience towards improving one more dog’s life.
Why Do Goldens End Up in Rescue Centers?
Many abandoned dogs come from less responsible breeders who breed more puppies than they can sell. Some come from owners who neglect or mistreat their dogs. Sometimes it isn’t the owners fault for the dog’s position – the owner may be forced to move house or change locations where keeping a dog isn’t feasible.
Places Where You Can Adopt a Golden Retriever
There are two main places where abandoned Goldens end up: animal shelters and breed rescue centers. Animal shelters cater to a wider variety of pets (mostly cats and dogs) whereas breed rescue centers are places for just one particular breed of dog. If you don’t have one particular breed in mind animal rescue centers would be a good place to look. You would be able to select from a range of dogs and find the best one regardless of breed. If you are set on adopting a Golden Retriever then you should definitely contact breed rescue centers in your area and view some of the dogs. In most rescue centers the dogs still receive plenty of care from volunteer owners who often run foster homes for the dogs. If you do decide to adopt a dog, you will have to submit an application and you will receive a house visit to make sure you can provide a good home for your new dog.
For more information on golden retriever adoption check out my site at www.goldenretrieverinstruction.com where you can learn more about golden retriever adoption and how to be successful in your adoption application.