Cattle

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Now that you have your ferret, you will want him stay fit and healthy.  One of the many ways of achieving this is with the correct diet.

When it comes to feeding your pet ferret, you will need to make sure that you are giving him the best ferret diet possible.

After all, you will want to make sure that he stays fit and healthy, and not suffer through a poor diet.  And to achieve this, you will need to make sure that his food is rich in fat, meat-based protein, and vitamins and minerals.

Below are some tips on what, and what not to feed your pet ferret.

1.  Do not feed your ferret on fruits or vegetables, or anything that contains starch or sugar.      Feeding your ferret with the wrong foods can lead to a number of health difficulties, including obesity. The wrong types of food can also shorten a ferrets life span.

2.  Ferrets are classed as “obligate carnivores” which means that they must eat meat.  Most of their nutritional needs are supplied through a meat-based diet.  From a scientific standpoint, they must eat meat because they are “hyper carnivores”.  Ferrets over many centuries have become adapted to a very strict meat-eating diet.

3.  If you intend to feed your ferret on kibble, be sure to moisten it with water first.  Not only is kibble very abrasive, but your ferret will find it difficult to digest if it is not moistened.  This could bring on some very uncomfortable, intestinal related problems.

4.  Some people believe that dry kibble will help to wear down tartar build up on a ferrets teeth.  The truth is though that dry kibble will only wear down your ferrets teeth, it can be that abrasive.

5.  Always avoid feeding your ferret with products that contain corn, or that are made up of frozen fish.

These are just some of things that you should be aware of if you are new to ferret keeping.  To ensure that your ferret lives a long and happy life, just follow the basic guidelines for your ferrets continued good health.

For much more information on a ferrets diet.

Watching a dog perform his obedience routine with no lead attached to his collar is a thing of beauty! It appears to be magic, the way he anticipates his owner’s moves and wants to just BE there, exactly on the money. Here is how to achieve that doggy ballet of movements.

One secret to good obedience training is never to give your dog the chance to disobey. Make sure he understands the command and what you want him to do, and move toward it with baby steps so he always ALWAYS succeeds. Your happy praise at every turn is what he lives for.

When he is at that comfortable stage on lead where he yawns at every new command, this means he is sure of it and relaxed, then it’s time to move on to removing his lead. This will cause a little anxiety at first because his lead is his life line and guide to pleasing you. So make sure everything you are about to show him off-lead is something he knows VERY well with the lead attached.

On-lead heeling, turning and stopping is very smooth and controlled. Before starting off, instead of hooking the lead into the ring, slip the entire lead through his collar, not in the ring, and wrap the end around your hand so you can eat it up as you walk, until the lead slides completely out of the dog’s collar. He will barely notice this, just keep walking with no change in gait or tone of your voice, act like nothing new is happening.

When you come to a stop and your dog sits predictably at your side like always, pause a moment then PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE! Your dog will look at you funny, as if to say, “What’s the big deal? We do this all the time”. It’s quite funny. That’s when you know it has worked the way it should and your dog has made the transition effortlessly.

As you work, keep the dog close at hand, you do not want him to get the idea he can run off. If he makes the slightest off move, take his collar by the live ring and tug. Remember those little tugs that he dislikes so much he learned quickly how to stay in the exact right spot? Remind him that off-lead has the same controls, so you must be vigilant. If he backslides, go back to on-lead. He will learn quickly that he prefers the independence of off-lead work and to get it he must obey your every command.

As to the long line “Come” command, go back to the short line and leave it on the ground so you can grab it if he does not come to you in a timely fashion. Give him no room to think about disobeying. Gradually extend the distance until he is coming to you at a run totally off-lead. He loves this!

With patience and vigilance, your dog will be just as dependable off-lead as he became on-lead. And you both will enjoy it more!

Is your cat refusing to use the litter tray or box, no matter what you try to do?

Then you’re not alone, because you, me, and millions of other cat owners are either facing this problem right now, or have done so in the past.

I’ve had many cats in the past, and one of them recently posed a huge problem. He is a lovely cat, but he is not litter trained and just pees just everywhere. Even though he had a litter box that he used once only, he still used to pee and poop on everything.

Luckily I already have several proven tricks up my sleeve, and in this quick article I’d like to share a couple of mistakes I’ve learned the hard way, which will help speed up the time it takes to train your cat to use the litter tray.

So, here are two common cat litter training mistakes…

Mistake #1 – Not realizing that your cat is choosy!

Did you know that cats may have personal preferences when it comes to their litter box? It’s true, and sadly, your cat’s preferences may not coincide with the owner’s preferences in most cases.

Choosing the right cat litter and cat litter boxes for your cat (and not for you) is important. The rest of this article explains some key things to remember when picking the right cat litter and cat tray or box…

Mistake #2 – Not providing enough “drop zones”

Many owners do not provide enough litter boxes, particularly in households with numerous cats. The number of boxes in the home should equal the number of cats, plus one. For example, a two cat household needs three litter boxes.

It’s a good idea to distribute your cat litter boxes evenly around the home. In homes with several floors, there should be at least one litter box on each floor of the house.

Finally, don’t forget that each litter box must be kept very clean. Boxes should be scooped daily and completely emptied, washed and disinfected thoroughly every 1-2 weeks.

Isn’t it time you discovered why most cat training aids don’t work, and how to get inside your cat’s mind and quickly teach them perfect behaviour from any age?

Well, right now, you can discover these secrets for free, with my 9 part guide to perfect cat behaviour at http://cattrainingtricks.com

There, you’ll discover many easy ways to end cat litter box problems for good, plus so much more…

The Collie is a wonderful family dog. They come in two varieties, smooth coated and rough coated. They are generally good with kids and other animals and love their adopted family. The most famous Collie is Lassie. They may not be suitable for an apartment as they need room to exercise. A properly fenced in yard would be ideal.

Approximate Adult Size

The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the male Collie is 24 to 26 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 60 to 75 pounds. The female ranges from 22 to 24 inches to the withers and 50 to 65 pounds.

Special Health Considerations

Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Collie is no exception. Be on the look out for Progressive Retinal Atrophy (inherited disease of the retina that can cause vision loss and blindness), canine hip dysplasia (genetic based looseness in the hip joint that can lead to arthritis pain and lameness), and they can be drug sensitive.

This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

Grooming

The Collie comes in two varieties, smooth and rough. In general, the outer coat is harsh to touch and straight. The inner coat is soft and dense. She is prone to shed and should be brushed regularly. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, avoid mats and help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet. Generally a guillotine type trimmer is the best for this chore and competent instructions to accomplish this can be found on the net.

Life Span

The Collie can live between 12 and 14 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

History

The Collie comes from the Scottish Lowlands as a sheepdog. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1885.

A chicken tractor is probably the easiest to construct of all the types of Chicken Coops. All you need to have is some chicken wire and lumber. Make sure that you provided at least 4 square feet of space to the chicken inside the tractor, in order for the chickens to freely roam around the tractor. The reason why chicken tractors are commonly called chicken ark is because of the fact that the common shape of a chicken tractor is “A”. The tractor should not be any more than 3 or 4 feet long while being around 3 feet high. If you have more chickens, then add more space to your tractor.

Choose the correct size of the wire mesh for your tractor to be able to protect the chickens from predators. It should be 15 mm square at the largest. The tractor should be surrounded by a fence with wire mesh. The base of the tractor should be buried at least 30 centimeters below the ground to keep animals like rats and foxes from digging underneath it. Tractors should be well-ventilated but the chickens should not be directly in the wind. Include roosting poles too, because this is where chickens sleep. Place one nesting box per four or five chickens in a dark corner and a little off the floor. Put a plastic tray under the roosting pole to easily clean up droppings. Make the entire tractor easy to clean.

Keep the feeders and waterers filled up for the chicken. Bear in mind that you need to keep moving the tractor around your backyard for you to have the desired result. Observe how quickly your birds tend to operate so that you may determine the frequency of moving the tractor to new places. Remember that chickens take “sand-baths” which means, that if you leave them on a spot for too long they will probably scratch away quite a lot of the top layer.

Keep in mind all these matters for you to have a great chicken tractor.

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