Thursday, January 31, 2013

Guide to the Macaw

In my opinion, the macaw is the most beautiful parrot in the world. Bright, beautiful colors with long tails; they are easily recognized by their bare facial patch on their faces. These birds are intelligent, playful, loving, and social; they make a wonderful lifelong companion. Most macaws can learn to talk.

The Macaw is also loud, raucous, and demanding. They screech! They also are destructive chewers. Chewing is what they do best. Watch your furniture, house moldings, door frames and anything else that can be chewed.

Feeding the macaw can be quite expensive. The cages need to be large, and cages are costly too. Veterinarian bills can cause you to mortgage your house. They must have a lot of time with you and your family. Make sure their cage is where the family usually hangs out. In their natural habitat, they are complexly social. You MUST be their family.

I bought a baby Blue and Gold Macaw some years ago. I named him Riker. Yes, the actor Riker from Star Trek. I always described everything I was doing while near my birds. This benefited their speech capability greatly.

The macaw talks in their natural voice. There is little variation in tones whereas an African Grey will vary a great deal in pitch and sounds. Never choose a bird for their ability to talk, because many may never say a single word. Buy a bird because you love them; love to spend a lot of time with them and want a lifelong companion.

Purchasing your Bird

Most important before you even worry about the health of the bird is to make sure it is a banded bird. Most captive bred birds are closed banded. It is a bracelet steel or aluminum band, with a letter and a number code stamped on it. It is worn on the leg and soldered shut so it cannot be removed. If it is not branded, it could be an illegal, smuggled bird.

Before you buy and bring home your bird, have him tested by an Avian Veterinarian. These tests should include a complete blood count, (CBC) Chlamydia Screen and a culture of the throat and vent. Make sure a signed vet certificate accompanies the bird. Make sure he looks healthy, with bright and healthy feathers. Not ruffled up, or the puffed up look. Check his vent for evidence of diarrhea and check to see if his droppings look normal.

It is usually wise to choose a bird that has been weaned and is eating on this own. Some of us have been taught to hand feed, but unless you’re experienced, this could lead to torn or burned crops, infections, and other problems.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Teaching your Parrot to Talk

As far as I am concerned parrots will do much more than mimic; they can communicate. In fact, I think the case studies done by Dr. Irene Pepperberg–the world’s foremost authority of parrot intelligence and trainer of Alex the African Grey Parrot. Pepperberg proved that parrots can use sophisticated language and can have an extensive vocabulary.

Alex was also able to deal with abstracts and was good at problem-solving. Pepperberg was able to exchange thoughts with Alex. I believed she proved to any non-believers that birds can do much more than mimic, they can communicate.

I never taught a bird to talk by repeating a phrase or word over and over. I taught simply by example. I would talk to the bird, ask questions, describe what I was doing while going about my daily activities.

When I was a young child we had a parakeet. I am not really sure whose pet it was but remembering back it was my mother who spent the most time with him.

She would repeat a phrase over and over again, and that is exactly what Blueboy did, said the same thing, over and over again; pretty bird, Blueboy, pretty bird, Blueboy. That is why you teach communication, not repetition.

One of my first parrots was a hand-fed baby. I would spend hours a day with this bird. Even if I couldn’t spend one on one time with him, even if I was just cleaning house I would always talk to the bird. I just simply described what I saw, depicted what I was doing, asked him questions, though it was a while until I saw the results of my efforts.

When I put the cage cover over the cage during the night, I would sit close by and listen. In the sweetest, lowest voice imaginable I could hear this bird mumbling to himself, over and over, mumble mutter until he went to sleep. He was practicing speech. I also didn’t recognize any formed words in the mutters. It was a while until he uttered his first words. However, as the nights went by I could hear more variations in tone and inflections in his mutters.

BIRD TALK

I had an exhausting day between my two toddlers and work. I had the kids bathed and down for the night. I tucked my parrot in for the night and told him how much I loved him. While putting the cover over the cage I asked him how his day went and told him about my day. He seemed a little huffy because we weren't able to spend as much time together as we usually did, but we made up and I went to bed.

My bird and I had a pretty set pattern beginning each morning. The first thing I would do would be to uncover his cage. During the morning routine, I voiced everything I was doing. Things like, "let’s get your cage door opened, and I will go get you some fresh food and water". I would ask him questions; do you want to go outside with me today? Or, would you like to go for a ride in the car today? I voiced everything.

The next morning I did something I rarely did. I slept in and it felt great. Something woke me out of a deep sleep. I set up and listened. My parrot repeated what he had just said, I thought I was dreaming. “Come here and open this darn door, now!” I had been late getting him up. He had never heard those words in that sentence before. I am sure with all my vocalizations he had heard every one of those words in different sentences.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Llama Guide

Having a pet llama could be complicated. Llamas need plenty of space to exercise, play, and to graze. They are also a social animal so make sure you can have more than one llama. The llama is considered livestock so be sure you are zoned for livestock.

It is said that Llamas originated in North America well over 40 million years ago. Eventually, they became extinct in North America but survived in numbers in South America. They are from the family Camelidae and the genus Lama. They are similar to the alpaca, but the alpaca is smaller in size.

The ill, young or old Llama cannot handle temperature extremes. Protect them from cold weather as well as hot weather. Provide a shaded shelter for temperature extremes. During cold weather provide a heat source. Protect the llama from the heat source or any electrical cords. Provide air circulation (and again, shade) during hot, hot, humid weather. The top half of the shelter could be built to open to let the breeze come through to cool the animals. Provide a fan if no other air circulation is available. Otherwise, adult, moderately aged and healthy llama's are very hardy, though a shelter to protect from temperature extremes should be provided for all llamas.

The llama is a wool animal. During hot weather, it is beneficial to trim the fur but not too close to allow the sun to burn the skin. The fur will keep them warmer in the cold winter.

Llamas are grazing animals and will need sufficient space to graze. They should also be supplemented with grain and hay. Don't overfeed. Always provide clean, fresh water changing it at least daily.

You will need to find a veterinarian before acquiring a llama. The llamas will need worming, toenails trimmed (two on each foot the llama does not have hooves). They may also need vaccinations and checkups.

Keep your llama healthy, and they could have a lifespan from 15 to near 30 years. A baby llama is called a cria.

The llama is an intelligent animal. They are generally gentle though, they can be a bit on the stubborn side. They can also be a nervous animal and can occasionally choke on their food especially pellets and grain. Spread out the food in their food container to make it more difficult for them to eat too fast. You can also make it more difficult to eat quickly by making it more complicated by adding large rocks. These rocks will slow down their eating forcing them to eat around the rocks. It is always a good idea to observe the animals while they are eating. Stop the choking by calming the animal while gently raising the lower jaw of the llama and messaging the throat.

Approach the llama with caution, they will spit if frightened. Take notice of their mood. If their ears are laying straight back, it is not the time to approach the llama. They also don't generally like their head messed with, caress the animal on the neck or back.

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Lorikeet Guide

The lory and lorikeet are colorful parrots that come in many different hues one example, the rainbow lorikeet. They are highly social birds that are natural clowns. They can be easily trained, can be taught to talk, and often mimic sounds. Lories and lorikeets voices are higher pitched than other parrots, so the voice quality in their speech is not as good as the Amazon or African grey.

What is the difference between a lory and lorikeet? The difference between a lorikeet and a lory is that the lorikeet has a long pointed tail and a Lory a short, blunt tail and a more substantial body.

While Lories and Lorikeets are a parrot from the Psittacidae family they have one very unique characteristic. They have brush tongues; these brushes are made of the papilla, which is used to remove nectar from flowers. In the wild, their primary diet is fruit and nectar. They have very different nutritional needs from other parrots and in fact, cannot have seeds. The ventriculus or gizzard is not capable of grinding dry seeds. If they do eat dry grains they will die of malnutrition or crop impaction.

There are many different subspecies of lories and lorikeets from many different countries like Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Philippines, and the Solomon Islands. Their lifespan varies from species to species from approximately 28-38 years.

A lory and a lorikeet can be very sweet and have delightful personalities. They are nature’s perfect little clowns, seemingly happier hanging upside down than standing on perches.

They are energetic, social, and incredible little birds. They can bond very closely with their human family but can also become very jealous. Always supervise these birds around other birds, animals, and children. They are usually sweet tempered, but some can be a bit nippy. They mimic sounds. In fact, they seem to “collect sounds” building quite a vast repertoire of different sounds. They are quick learners and can be trained to do tricks very quickly. They love to play with toys and need a variety of toys to keep mentally active and alert.

One disadvantage to the lory and lorikeet is that their droppings are messy because of the liquid, fruity diet. It’s more of a liquid dropping that can splatter and adhere to where ever it falls.

Purchasing a Lorikeet or Lory Be sure to buy a bird from a reputable lory and lorikeet breeder, or a trusted pet store. Make sure it is a domestically bred bird. Many species of lories and lorikeets are extinct or endangered. Loss of habitat and exploitation is the primary factors of their extinction and endangerment.

A healthy Lorikeet or Lory should have glossy feathers and bright shiny eyes. I recommend having any bird checked out by an avian veterinarian before purchasing for examination and laboratory tests. These tests should include a complete blood count, (CBC) Chlamydia Screen and a culture of the throat and vent.

Always quarantine a new bird away from other birds for about 8 weeks before introducing the new bird to other birds in your home.

Cages and Accessories

As mentioned before these birds are very messy. They will need to be housed a little differently than other birds.

They should have a big cage. If you do use a parrot cage fit the outside of the cage with polycarbonate or acrylic plastic sheets but allow plenty of ventilation. Other alternatives are suspended aviaries with mess floors and acrylic boxes with mesh on the back and sides for adequate ventilation.

You should outfit the inside of the cage with hardwood branches from safe, non-toxic trees. You will need feeders, food dishes, and water dishes for drinking and bathing.

Health and Nutrition

The Lory or Lorikeet loves to be bathed and you should always provide them with a clean source of bath water. They also love to be misted from a soft spray mister. Use filtered water for bathing, misting, and drinking.

The cage and accessories need to be kept clean and sanitized.

Special care should be given to removing fresh foods so that they don’t spoil. The bird can get sick and die if he eats spoiled food. Because of their fresh fruit and nectar diet, these foods can spoil very rapidly especially on a warm day. Be sure to rinse fresh fruit.

Lorries and Lorikeets cannot have much protein. Limit their protein intake to no more than 15 percent a day. Their diet needs to be high carbohydrates that contain between 12-14% proteins. There are commercially available Lory foods that can be supplemented with fruits and fresh greens.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Bearded Dragon Guide

Did you know that feeding your beard dragon a firefly could kill your dragon? When harvesting your own bugs from the great outdoors are you certain you would be able to differentiate between a firefly and another bug in the daylight hours? The firefly has no flashing light during the day. It would be easy to catch a bug and have no idea it is a firefly.

You could accidentally catch a bug to feed to your bearded dragon and end up feeding bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is the same thing that causes a firefly or jellyfish to light up. It is highly deadly to the bearded dragon. I think it is a good idea to raise your own insects. You just never know if an insect has been around poisons or other deadly chemicals.

Temperatures need to be kept warm for the bearded dragon. In nature, they would bask in the sun to increase their body temperature. Allow one side of the enclosure to be around 105 F degrees for basking. Never use a heat rock but use a light making sure the light can't be reached by the bearded dragon. The other side of the enclosure should be around 80 - 90 degrees. Don't allow temperatures to get under 60 degrees F. - ever! This way they can adjust their body temperature by simply switching from one side of the enclosure to the other or anything in-between. They can't control their own body temperature internally they must depend on an outside source such as a lamp. They cannot digest their food if they are too cool.

The bearded dragon must have a UV-B light. It is essential. The UVB synthesizes Vitamin D3 which is critical for the body to utilize calcium. The use of UVB prevents Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). The dragon would naturally get the UVB rays basking in the sun. It just isn't possible to get these much-needed rays inside the house, make sure to use a UVB light. It is also a good idea to add extra calcium. You will still need a reptile lamp to increase the temperature inside the enclosure. The UVB doesn't increase the temperature, nor does the lamp used for heat add UVB. Look for reptile lighting in your local pet store to learn the difference between lights used for reptiles.

Basic Bearded Dragon Care

The Bearded Dragon is one of my favorite reptiles. Why is the bearded dragon my personal favorite? Because the bearded dragon has a naturally gentle nature, they always seem so composed. The bearded dragon forever seems to have a look on his face signifying two things, everything is right with the world, and I know a secret you don’t know. I have heard that people have been able to walk up and pick up bearded dragons in their native habitat. Interesting little tykes aren’t they. They are fondly known as a Beardie. Beardies have captured many hearts.

Bearded Dragons are chosen as exotic pets not only for their personalities but also for many other reasons. One of the reasons is that they don’t grow as big as many other reptiles. The biggest the bearded dragon will get is 16-22 inches. The iguana can grow up to four to six feet long. The female bearded dragon normally has smaller heads than the males.

Iguanas also can be quite friendly. However, for my own personal needs, I prefer a reptile where a mortgage isn’t required to house the reptile.

Not that the Bearded Dragon isn’t already intriguing they also have a spectacular display. They got their name bearded because they have a spiky beard or pouch under their jaw. This pouch will puff up when they inhale air. They will also flatten out making themselves look bigger, push up their front legs, and bob their heads. This behavior is associated with aggression and mating. Both the female and the male dragon can turn their beards black, but this behavior is primarily associated with the male during his mating display.

The bearded dragon enjoys semi-arid to arid climates. Several breeds are found in Central Australia and Eastern Australia. Bearded dragons can range in color from mild earth tones to brilliant yellows, oranges; that looks like a sun setting, to deep red. You will also find white, green, and blue.

Bearded dragons can be found in woodlands, on the ground, or up a tree. They primarily climb to find warm basking locations or to find prey. It isn’t that they can’t fall because they can.

Bearded dragons are opportunist eaters; a synonym for omnivorous. They will eat fruit, leaves, or flowers, as well as insects, small mammals, and vertebrates. Fireflies, some arachnids, and other living organisms have bioluminescence chemicals, and this can kill the bearded dragon.

Bioluminescence causes an animal to light up, like a jellyfish. This can cause a problem if you are catching wild prey. How many people know what a firefly looks like in the daytime? Besides, you may be catching something the next door neighbor just sprayed with poison or an insect that walked over a poison line left by the Orkin man. I strongly recommend raising your own food (prey) for your bearded dragon.

Since they also eat vegetation remember to remove any possible poisonous plants or toxic plants and keep it out of a bearded dragon’s reach.

Eating vegetation made it easier for them to acclimate to dry climates. Much of the water they need to survive can come from the food they eat. Though, a pet dragon as with any pet needs their water changed daily. More often if their dish becomes dirty. They are inclined to go to the bathroom in their water dish.

Always, as with any pet make sure they have clean, fresh, filtered water.

Bearded dragons need ultraviolet light (UV) lighting as most reptiles do (pretty much other than snakes). They will need a UVB light. They will also have to have calcium supplement to their diet. The bearded dragon spends much of his time basking in the sun in his natural habitat. The UV lighting will take the place of the sun and provide the vitamin D3 he would otherwise get from the sun. He will need 12-14 hours of exposure to the light. This is true of most animals (length of time will differ). They stress and can become ill if they don’t have some resemblance of day and night. Even nocturnal reptiles need some UV lighting. Captive animals do not get the same diet they would have chosen for themselves in the wild. The added calcium and UVB light will ward off MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). The distance of the light will change as the bearded dragon grows. This, of course, depends on the output of the light bulb; depend on a thermometer. Have the heat/light variables figured out before the bearded dragon comes home? Even then, always keep a digital thermometer on each end of the cage; one being close to the basking area (warmer end of the cage).

Temperatures should range from 80F to 105F. The dragons warm basking area should be on the 95F side of the enclosure allowing the rock to warm to about 105 F. Keep a thermometer handy and check the enclosure often. Regulate the distance of his lighting to adjust the temperature. Make sure the dragon doesn't come in contact with the light. The bearded dragon should have dark at night and a temperature of around 80F. As with many reptiles, the bearded dragon will not eat or will not be able to digest his food if he is too cool.

Don’t use a heat rock the dragon will be burned. An under the tank heating pad or tape can ensure the temperature stays around 80F. Place the pad under one-third of the tank so that he can escape the heat if he needs to. It would be wise to keep the pad at the end where the basking rock is. You have a head start keeping the warmer side warm.

Bearded dragons need to be housed individually if housed together they could injure or kill each other. The enclosure should be good sized. I like glass aquariums with a screen top that is secure. If you have youngsters around make sure the top will lock. Ideally are the ready-made vivariums which you can purchase in many reptile/insect supplies, pet stores, or Amazon.

Bearded dragons have a tendency to eat substrate especially like sand, corn cob, Repti Bark, wood chips, or ground up a walnut shell. They will become impacted and die. Calcisand is especially bad because they have a tendency to like it, therefore, eating more of it, ending up becoming impacted and die. Pine shavings and cedar shavings should never be used for any pet. What has worked well for me is natural rock tiles meant for kitchen floors. Wheat bran works very well too.

Bearded dragons have gotten themselves crushed by tunneling under rocks and anything else heavy in the cage; an example would be a food dish. Make sure anything heavy is flush to the floor before adding any substrate.

Prey should be no bigger than the size of the space between their head and eye. Don’t leave the prey in the cage uneaten the prey could injure the bearded dragon. Young dragons need more animal protein than adults do. Adults should eat about 70 % vegetation. The bearded dragon can be feed dubia roaches. They have 2 times the protein as crickets, and the roach doesn't have the spines on the back legs as crickets do. The roaches are much quieter at night, and they don’t stink as crickets do. They can have mealworms. (Larvae of a beetle)

Mealworms are lacking in many minerals and vitamins. Make sure you are using vitamin/calcium powder. Mario worms (larval stage of the Zophobas beetle), or butter worms. When babies get closer to adults slowly change the animal protein proportional with vegetation eventually becoming 70% of the adult diet.

Babies should be fed 3 times a day, juveniles 2 times a day and adult dragons once a day. Experience will help you determine how much they need to eat. If they leave a lot of food, you are feeding too much. If they pounce on their food like a Velociraptor, they’re hungry.

Make sure the prey has had a good diet because what you feed your dragon is what the prey ate. Don’t use prey that you have just recently purchased. They have had little to eat if anything. When you hear the term gut loading, this simply means you have fed the prey very well. Therefore, your dragon will have nutritional prey to eat. Feed the prey vitamin and mineral rich foods. Dust the prey with calcium and multivitamins. Two days calcium then one-day multivitamins works pretty well. RepCal and Herptivite are a good choice. You can also mix the two, but only enough for one feeding as the calcium can damage the beta-carotene in the Herptivite.

Vegetation should be of high nutritional value. Stay away from lettuce. Also, stay away from spinach it will mess up calcium absorption. Dragons can have most fruits (no citrus), veggies (no carrots), and stay completely away from the cat or dog food; feeding these foods is a good way to make sure your dragon’s lifespan is short.

Bearded dragons will need to shed their skin. Never assist the dragon by pulling off the skin you will injure him. You can help by providing him with warm water, around 98 degrees, with either a shallow bath or a misting bottle.

As with any animal keep their cage and supplies clean. They do a lot of poo so you will need to clean their habitat daily. Always make sure they have filtered, fresh water supply. This you will need to change often – perhaps several times a day. They do poo in their water dish.

Above all else enjoy your bearded dragon.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Finches - Finch Care

Listening to finches makes me think of the meditation CDs for mind and spirit. Though the finch won't be able to learn to talk, this could be more of an advantage than a disadvantage. They are not raucous and piercing as many birds from the parrot family. Coming home to your own world of timbre and rainbow of colors would be a haven from the flurry of the commotion of daily living.

Advantages of the finch as your companion pet would be fitting into an environment; such as apartment living or mobile home courts. Also, you may have a busy work schedule First, the noise issue would not be a problem as it would be with a cockatoo. Finches are not normally a bird that enjoys physical contact though hand-raised babies can be an exception. If you have a rigorous work schedule, a finch will make a better companion pet than a cockatoo which needs constant love and interaction. In actuality, a finch may stress from too much handling.

Finches are an active bird requiring a flight cage. As you sit back and watch the finches in the flight cage, you will learn to tell them apart because of their unique personalities. There is also a wide range of species of finches ranging in color from golden colors, to greens, turquoises, blues, neutral colors, white, to the more complex combination of colors an example the Diamond Firetail. The Zebra finch is also an interesting color combination as is the Parrot Finch.

If you are looking for an exotic pet bird you can hold and interact with, perhaps you should consider a different bird. To get an idea of what a finch would be most like, observe the common house sparrow what in reality is a Weaver Finch. These little darlings were not native to the United States but introduced to the United States as breeding pairs in 1850.

Purchasing your Finches

Choose a finch breeder that is well-known.

Make sure the eyes are clear and bright, clean, smooth feathers, and no feces around the vent area. Also, no runny droppings, and also observe that the birds have good appetites.

Quarantine all newly purchased birds for approximately 45 days depending on veterinarian recommendations. I also recommend an avian veterinarian to check out all birds preferably before they are purchased.

Housing Needs - Aviary and Cage

Cage size must be considered since the finches are not let out for exercise like many pet birds. The flight cage should be large. Think what it would be like to spend the rest of your life in a cage. I envision a person with hands on bars and nose sticking out of the cage. Finches need an aviary, large aviaries.

The bigger the cage, the better off your finches' will be. They should be kept in pairs or more. Some species of finches can be aggressive toward other species. You can usually keep the same sexes together.

An example of a cage size of 48 inches length by 56 would be suitable for 9 birds. Some finches are more aggressive than others, and this must be taken into consideration when caging multiple finches.

Purchase a cage from a reputable company. You would want a square or rectangular cage instead of a round cage.

Use a variety of diameters and textures of perches for healthy feet.

Finches like to sleep in wicker nests. If you have several finches, you will need quite a few wicker nests. Some baskets will avoid arguments and potential harm to your pets. If territorial aggression takes place, remove the baskets, they can sleep on perches.

Basic requirements are fresh water with no chlorine and changed frequently. Also, be careful about contaminated water. Consider using a filter. The water must be changed at least daily or more often if the water becomes contaminated with droppings or food particles. Warm weather is another reason to change the water more frequently than daily. The water dish must be sterilized often. A bird can become very sick from contamination.

Finches need a wide variety of foods as well as nutritional supplements including vitamins, calcium, and minerals. Feed a seed or pellet mix along with freshly washed greens, fresh and washed fruit along with additional protein boiled crumpled eggs or egg food (recipes can be found online with keywords finch, egg food). Make sure the egg is well cooked; crumble the egg with a mixer or food processor. Mealworms increase protein intake, wax worms add additional fat but are low in nutrition. Finch food should be balanced.

Health Issues

Watching for ailing birds can be difficult; they naturally keep signs of ill health from being noticed, to keep predators from harming them. A bird that looks ill has been sick for a while; get to an avian veterinarian immediately. Signs of poor health are decreased appetite and weight loss, decrease in grooming behavior and activity, feathers fluffed out for extended periods, discharge from mouth and nose, loose droppings, feces around vent area, and sitting on the bottom of the cage. A sick finch is really sick by the time they are showing symptoms.

Find a vet that can handle finch health problems before you purchase your finch.

Sanitize cages, dishes, and miscellaneous objects such as toys frequently. It is your responsibility to keep your pet healthy. Learn what you can on finch care and bird information. Contact me for finch help.

Above all, enjoy your finches in all their glory!

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Should Young Children Have Pet Ferrets?

Ferrets do not make good pets for small children, but again, I do not believe any small child is safe with a pet or pet safe with a child unless supervised 100% of the time. Each child matures differently, there is no set age.

Some children are mature enough for a ferret at a much younger age than some older children. You must assess the situation before bringing a ferret or ferrets into the home. You must evaluate each situation honestly. You also must appraise yourself; will I really supervise 100% of the time? Or, will I watch TV or play games on Facebook and forget the ferrets and children are together?

There have been numerous dog attacks on small children, compared to a rare ferret bite. Ferrets will sometimes bite just in play like a kitten or puppy. Baby ferrets can be a bit nippy.

It happens rarely in fact, I am not sure I have seen a factual (proven to be true and accurate) article of a ferret chewing the fingers of a baby. However, if that ferret and baby are not supervised, something horrific could occur! Ferrets may have difficulty determining the difference between the texture of a baby's hand and the texture of a toy. Both seem rubbery - much like a ferret toy.

I doubt if a ferret would injure a child out of maliciousness but accidental injuries are certainly possible. I have yet to see a mean ferret.

Newspapers and television news love to sensationalize everything. If there was one event of a ferret bite and small child, a one out of a million occurrence, that one event would get a ton of coverage whereas the peaceful, loving day to day home life of a ferret, and human family with children never get any coverage.

I was checking out the ferrets in a Minnesota mall and talking to a group of people. Out of habit, I raised a little baby ferret (kit) up to give him a kiss. He bit my lip and hung on. I had been telling everyone about the joys of having a ferret when I had one hanging from my lip. Kits, as I mentioned earlier can be a bit nippy!

Check into the legality of the ferret in your area. Laws can be different from state, county or local government Ferrets are great little pets and baby ferrets are as cute as a bug's ear. They are a blast to watch and are very funny animals. Above all, enjoy your new pet!

Learn to care for a Ferret If you are serious about owning a ferret learn all you can. The article URL below will give you an idea of how to care for a pet ferret. However, if you are making the commitment to have a ferret as part of your family it is your responsibility to learn as much as possible. I have a great book on the market with current up-to-date information. It is quite popular and has five-star reviews. It is available at Amazon (paperback and Kindle).

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My Ferret Book Guides and Exotic Pet Books Guides

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