Budgie & Parakeet Guide

Health

Birds have a tendency to mask illnesses. To ensure your bird’s good health provide plenty of good nutrition. Keep his cage and accessories clean and sanitized. Keep the budgie bird out of drafts and sudden temperature changes.

Clean the cages daily sanitize the cage weekly. Food and water dishes should be sanitized daily. Most harsh disinfectants are dangerous to birds. Never use piney oily smelling stuff like Pinsol. The safest disinfectant is Chlorhexidine.

If you observe your bird displaying symptoms such as hunched over, droopy, wet droppings, or uninterested in his environment he is sick. Take your bird to an avian veterinarian.

Your house has many dangers to the bird. He may get hurt on a ceiling fan. He may drop into a pot of boiling water or an open toilet. He could ingest poisonous plants. The fumes from overheated non-stick cookware are poisonous to your birds. Aerosol can be harmful; an example air freshener. Use extreme caution when letting your bird fly in your home.

With proper care and safety measures the parakeet lifespan - lifespan (people spell it both ways) should be up to fifteen years.

Parakeets need 10-12 hours of sleep a day. He should have darkness and quiet. Cover his cage.

Birds can suffer from Coccidiosis. The symptoms of Coccidiosis are blood in the droppings, a soiled vent and the bird will look huddled up. This must be diagnosed with the use of a microscope. Take the bird to a veterinarian for diagnoses and treatment.

Parakeets should be kept in temperatures of no lower than 68-70F to no higher than 90F. During the day if they can’t get some direct sunlight (make sure part of the cage is shaded and watch that the bird doesn’t overheat) it wouldn’t hurt to expose the bird to a full spectrum light for a part of the day. Any animal with a skeleton structure needs vitamin D3.

Ornithosis: Psittacosis is a disease in birds that can be passed on to humans. The symptoms are runny eyes and blinking. Take the bird to a veterinarian for diagnoses and treatment.

Birds can suffer from mites and lice. Birds will act lethargic and become anemic.

Play and Training

The first thing you should train your parakeet is how to perch on a finger. Remain calm and speak in a calming voice. Gently press your finger into his chest until he learns to step up on your finger. Offer him praise and a treat. Parakeets can learn to mimic words. Repeat the word or phrase repeatedly. Male birds are much easier to train than female birds.

Birds enjoy sounds and music in the background. Keep the volume low. Birds suffer from boredom too! They love for you to talk to them. Even while doing your daily chores the budgies will enjoy the interaction. Parakeet or budgerigars can learn to talk.

Provide your pet with toys and treats. Pet stores have a great variety of toys available for parakeets. Put some of the toys away for a couple weeks and bring out new ones. Rotating his toys will provide him with new mental stimulation.

There are much healthy fun treats available for the parakeet. They will enjoy millet sprays, egg biscuits, seed sticks, fruit sticks, and seed bells.

You might consider purchasing a bird playpen. The playpen has perches, swings, and ladders. Your parakeet will have a great deal of fun with a bird playpen.

Parakeet actions can be a bit strange to a first-time parakeet owner. The ultimate of a show of affection toward you would be for the parakeet to regurgitate, and if you’re not quick you will end up with a mouth full of goo. Don’t pull back in revulsion while your bird is showing love you would be turning down that love. Just do your best to keep your mouth closed, and then shower your baby with affection. This goo is what the mother parakeet feeds their young. It is only partially digested food.

Parakeets make a noise when content much like a cat purrs. It is a cute noise like a warble. Parakeets are not loud like many parrots and you can easily keep them in an apartment or mobile home park.

Summary

The parakeet is a brilliantly colored small parrot that makes a delightful companion pet. Their antics are fun to watch. They can be trained to talk and mimic your words. Keep his cage and accessories clean and disinfected. Spend time playing and talking with your bird. Provide him with plenty of mental stimulation with toys. You will have a good friend for many years to come. Above all else enjoy your pet budgie.

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How to make Halloween Costumes for Pets

Making costumes for your pets can be simple, and inexpensive, if not free. Everyone has old clothing or clothing we don’t wear or need, taking up space, that could be used for other things. That size six wardrobe put away 15-years ago in all likelihood will never see the light of day again. We also have a whole lot of stuff in our junk drawers that could easily be used to decorate costumes. With a little imagination and improvising skills, this could result in some mighty cute costumes.

Homemade Halloween Costumes for Pets

First, no matter how cute your pet is dressed for Halloween, safety comes first. Many dangers, even hidden dangers, come along with the territory of Halloween and Halloween costumes. Strings that strangulate or materials that are flammable, poisonous substances, cool glittery things that could cause an animal to choke or a material that could be toxic. Noises that could scare your pet into a flight, and I do mean both definitions of the word flight. Children and adults, people that your pets would normally recognize will look and possibly smell entirely different.

How to make easy Halloween Costumes for Pets Homemade Halloween costumes do not have to be complex. Use construction paper or old material just use your imagination and be creative! It is more fun if you make it easy and simple.

Think about what type of costume you want for your exotic pet. Do you have a theme in mind? Second look at your pet’s proportions. Measure the neck, space between legs both from side to side and back to front. That is if the animal has four legs. Also measure the circumference of the legs, so on and so forth. Usually simply eye-balling the measurements will do the trick. Some pets just won’t hold still long enough to use a tape measure.

Now think about what you have on hand. You may have to purchase a couple of things but improvise using what you already have is a lot of fun. After all, a simple hat made from construction paper is cute in itself.

Perhaps you’re not so crafty, or just don’t enjoy or have time for homemade pet costumes. There is a bunch of costumes for your pet to look like an exotic pet, your exotic pet to look like a pet, a pet that looks like a child or a child that looks like an exotic pet. Sounds fun, doesn’t it!

If a child can be a lamb why can’t a ferret become a bumble bee for Halloween! The new rage, Halloween costumes for our pets from Halloween costumes for dogs, Halloween costumes for cats, and Halloween costumes for exotic pets.

I have found that many Halloween costumes for dogs and Halloween costumes for cats will work, (most are available in small, medium, and large) for many exotic pets including the skunk, raccoon, coatimundi, iguana, and many other animals. See there really are Halloween costumes for exotic pets!

I have found that many costumes designed for small dogs or cats will work on the skunk, raccoon, coatimundi, iguana, and many other animals. Ferret costumes work great with smaller exotic pets. I have even rigged a costume or two for iguanas. Use your imagination; think about your pet, how the pet is shaped, where the leg positions are, the sky is the limit with converting costumes meant for children and pets to fit other animals. I have seen some pretty cool snake costumes as well. There are literally thousands of costumes for animals at Amazon!

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Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach - Pet

Insect exotic pets such as the pet Madagascar Hissing Cockroach are particularly popular. They are fascinating animals. A lot of people enjoy these amazing creatures as pets. They are not like the more common cockroaches found in dwellings, they spend their time naturally on the forest floors, not in homes! Unless of course, a person should decide to have an hisser as a pet but keep in mind they are excellent climbers, however, do not fly.

Hissers do make good beginner insects because of their durable outer shell; they are hardy insects. They are also quite docile, don't move very fast, and are easy to handle. If you want to start a responsible child out with an insect pet, this would be a good starting point. Making sure you supervise because all critters deserve the best of care. Hissers would rather hide when frightened, they do not bite.

Gently pick them up. They will be holding on to whatever they are sitting on. Scoop them up from underneath making sure their claws are unattached from whatever they are standing on so that you don't hurt their little legs!

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa), just one of the many species of an unusual life, found only on the island of Madagascar, which is a country off the coast of Africa. They reach an impressive size of 2-3 inches; about one inch wide at full growth. The male is more portentous with their horns (pronotum). They are a wingless roach. Bearing live young after the young hatch from an egg sac inside of the mother, meaning they give birth to live young (more accurately living young) after the eggs hatch.

Madagascar hissing cockroaches bugs gromphadorhina portentosa by Walton LaVonda, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

They get their name from the grand hissing noise they make. This hissing noise is mostly made during mating rituals and fights between male hissers the victorious often making the most hissing noises making a person wonder if it isn't the noise of the conqueror after many display hisses during the fight. Males are territorial. They may also hiss when they are startled. It is not unheard of to hear many members of a colony of hissers making this hissing noise at the same time. So perhaps, this is one of the many mysteries humans just don't entirely understand.

They make the hissing sound when they squeeze air through the body part spiracles (breathing tubes) found in front of the abdomen. The hissing noise can be quite loud; audible up to 12 feet away.

The hissing cockroach is found primarily in the rich vegetation of forest living between rotting logs and other debris eating rotting fruits, vegetation, rotting animals and insects. They are said to be a herbivore but this isn't true they are nature's perfect composters.

Hissing cockroaches are an invertebrate and go through growth cycles counted through each molting of their exoskeleton. They usually are capable of hissing when they reach maturity after their fourth molt.

They should have a large tank of at least 15 gallons (this will support a small colony) with a very secure (remember they climb) mesh top. Provide a much larger tank if you have more than a small colony. They should be kept at temperatures of 75-90 degrees F. Keep them warmer than 68 degrees F. Remember if you want an exotic pet you must keep them safe, happy, and secure keeping them as close to their natural environment. They live in warm tropical and must be kept warm.

I am going to presume they are a social critter since they live in colonies. I would expect it would be unhealthy to have just one hissing cockroach.

Provide a substrate making sure to stay away from the pine and cedar which will kill insects and small mammals, they have a toxic oily substance that is quite poisonous to critters. The best substrates or beddings are aspen. Supply plenty of safe hiding places to make them feel secure as they would on the forest floor. You can use cut up cardboard (without ink or paint) empty toilet paper rolls, or anything else along that line. Small pieces of wood (not treated). If you get wood near the bank of a lake make sure it isn't contaminated with chemicals from farm run-off.

Feed your hissers leafy veggies (not iceberg because it is as close to a non-nutrient food as you can get., other fruits and vegetables, dry dog foods. Remove fresh fruits and veggies quite often so that they do not spoil. Spoiling in a tank and natural forest floor rotting are quite different. Besides the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach naturally knows when forest floor vegetation is safe.

Change the food daily and clean the cage at least once a month. Remove the cockroaches and cage accessories and toss everything else. Sanitize the cage making sure it is well rinsed and dried. Make sure there are no odors from whatever sanitizer you used such as bleach.

Provide a shallow water dish very shallow to keep the hisser from drowning. Make sure they can safely get in and out. Put some safe material in the dish to help the hisser get in and out without drowning. If you use cotton, freshen it up frequently. Change the water frequently. Don't forget to use filtered water; filter the water for impurities and chlorine.

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Capybara Guide

A Capybara is very much like a guinea pig but only around 100 (45 kilograms) or so pounds heavier and substantially bigger. They are approximately four feet (1.2 meters) long. That is one big rodent! The size of a pet may matter if you are considering an in-house pet. They are very social animals as are guinea pigs. Do they make good exotic pets? Many of the people that have the capybara as a pet seem to think so. However, with all exotic pets, the individual species must be right for the right person. Let's examine the pet capybara.

Many people have guinea pigs. It is sad because the majority of them are not well taken care of; often considered a throwaway pet. Or kids tire of them and the guinea pig will sit in a dirty cage until they die. Maybe worst, they are a social animal, and they will die of loneliness. Or, because they're rodents their teeth continually grow. Without proper care, providing adequate objects to chew on, the teeth will overgrow, and the guinea pig will starve to death.

I am off my soapbox for now. If you want a pet capybara to make sure you know everything there is about them, their care, their social needs, and their dispositions/personalities.

Some people find the word rodent repulsive. I find rodents lovely pets some of the sweetest and friendliest animals I have had the privilege of having in my family.

To bond with your capybara make sure you acquire/purchase him or her young. Or, perhaps someone has raised a capybara and could no longer keep them. Try locating a rescue or small animal rescue and adopt an already human bonded capybara.

It may be difficult to obtain licensing for the pet capybara check federal, state and local laws. Be sure to learn all you can about proper legal requirements. Don't forget to check local requirements as well.

Find an exotic pet veterinarian that is familiar with these beautiful animals.

The Capybara is a semi-aquatic animal, and you need to provide a pool. It would be cruel to not provide for such an important and basic need. Keep it clean! If you cage a capybara they must have a minimum of 100 square feet for a single animal, double that for each additional animal.

Capybaras can be raised in a home. In fact, since it is hard for the young capybara to maintain body temperature, a safe heated area will be necessary.

They are a herbivore (both land and water plants) with some seriously strange habits. They chew a cud much like a cow, will regurgitate it and eat it again. Also, they will eat their own feces. Trying to get protein and other nutrients from a plant are no easy matter, so the process is repeated with eating the cud and feces. The bacterial gut flora in the feces helps with obtaining the nutrients they need from plant matter.

They can be leash trained, trained to potty in a certain area but you should use cat litter because of the fact they may eat their own feces.

Learn all you can about the pet capybara before acquiring your new pet. Perhaps volunteer and gain some experience with capybaras and other exotic animals before considering the purchase.

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Herp Owners - Exotic Pets - Take a Stand!

Just in the United States, this figure does not include the rest of the world; 1.6 billion dollars is spent on exotic pets each year. I did not mistype that, that was a billion plus a whole lot more. One huge representation of the exotic pet industry is lizards, snakes, amphibians, frogs, and turtles. I don't spend a great deal of time discussing this very important part of the exotic pet industry because BellaOnline should have a reptile and amphibian editor. I am both the exotic pets editor and bird editor and I know how many thousands of people that come to me each month for advice. We need someone that cares enough for these beautiful creatures to do for reptiles and amphibians that I do for exotic pets and birds. Help educate and inform the public. Especially, before someone decides to acquire an animal they know little about. Read of the rest of the article Herp Owners - Exotic Pets - Take a Stand!My Ferret Book Guides and Exotic Pet Books Guides

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Guide to Cockatiels

Cockatiel Care

The endearing little cockatiel, the little heckler, which can tug at each and every one of your heartstrings! Once the cockatiel bird learns to wolf whistle, you will hear it all day.

A serious concern I have of cockatiel owners is if a cockatiel is capable of living for 30 years, why is the average lifespan of this companion pet so short? It seems like we all need to learn a great deal about nutrition and safety issues when it comes to the cockatiel. Breeders, as well as pet owners, need to become far more responsible in the care management of the cockatiel.

The coloration of wild cockatiels is the normal gray. There are many color mutations bred into the cockatiel, to name a few, Lutino, Fallow, Whiteface, Pastelface, Cinnamon, Pearl, Pied, Olive, and Silver.

Your New Cockatiel

If you are purchasing your first bird, have the equipment ready first. Make sure you have located an avian veterinarian before making a purchase. If you already own a bird, make sure you quarantine the new arrival for at least 8 weeks before you introduce the new bird to the existing birds. Birds have a strong tendency to hide illness since it makes them appear weak in the wild. Have your vet that deals with avian health look your pet over before introducing him to the other birds.

Find and locate several sources of cockatiel breeders. Check them all out. Make sure you are purchasing from healthy stock.

Look over your selection carefully as well as the surrounding birds. Are they chipper and responsive? Do they have bright clear eyes? Look at the vent area, is it clean? Are they all fluffed up and unhealthy looking? Look at the droppings at the bottom of the cage; do the feces look normal?

When you get your bird to its new house put it in the new cage and let it alone just softly speak and coo to the cockatiel, it will adjust to you and your voice helping the taming process. Use a calm voice. If you run out of things to say, you can always read stories or poetry to the cockatiel! Do not try to handle it for the first few days. Limit the initial play periods to 15 minutes with long intervals of rest in-between play periods. Obtain a book on taming and training. You will need to finger tame it and teach it the up command. Cockatiels are not great talkers but can learn a few words and phrases. Some cockatiels are better talkers than other cockatiels.

The pet cockatiel will live an average of 11-18 years with many cockatiels living to their 20's and 30'. Why the big difference for cockatiel age? How they are raised, genetics plays a small part, diet, and safety. Many cockatiels die from accidents that could have been avoided. The dangers we didn't see!

Cockatiel Food - Cockatiel Requirements

Cockatiel Housing: Cockatiel Cages and Cockatiel Accessories

The cage wires should be a thick wire and run horizontally. Cockatiels enjoy climbing up their cage. The wire should be spaced from 5/8th to 3/4 inch. Any bigger poses a safety risk. Their little heads can get stuck. Make sure the color coating is non-toxic.

The cockatiel will enjoy a playpen on top of its cage or a separate playpen.

Make sure the cage is not in a drafty area. Cockatiels need light but do not put the cage in direct sunlight, if no light is available from natural sunlight, supply a full-spectrum artificial light. They do need 12 hours of darkness so that their internal clock isn’t confused. They will stress, get sick, and possibly die. The cockatiel is in an area with the rest of the family, however, use a cage cover at night. (Cockatiels have a very advanced social structure and should be among their human family in the room they frequent the most.)

Make sure the cage is in a well-ventilated area. Fumes are especially hazardous to all birds. Teflon coated pans emit a deadly vapor when the pan gets too hot. Since it is not possible to know precisely where the overheating point is. I never have, nor would I ever use Teflon coated pans around my parrots. Many products are Teflon coated including, some varieties of heat lamps. Don't use sprays such as air fresheners or other contaminants in the air the bird can getting into their lungs. This includes scented candles.

There should be perches with varying diameters. The different sizes offered are beneficial to the health of the cockatiels feet. Natural tree branches work very well too. Be careful not to use any trees or plants that are toxic or poisonous. Branches that make safe perches are apple, ash, almond, apricot, peach, maple, and elm. If you live in a colder area as I do you may want to consider a Thermo Perch, at least for small birds.

Avian water bottles are significant in that the bird’s excrement does not contaminate the water. Make sure the bird has learned to use the bottle before removing the water dish. He or she will also need food dishes. One dish is for seed and one for fresh foods. Be sure to remove the fresh food after a short period so that the food doesn’t spoil. Keep the cage cleaned. It must be cleaned every day. The cage should be disinfected regularly (weekly). Make sure the cage it is dried and aired out before returning the bird to the cage. A drop through wire cage is the best. Make sure the food and water are changed daily (filtered water).

Dietary Requirements

Cockatiels need calcium. Provide the cockatiel with a cuttlefish bone (cuttlebone). At one time it was thought that just seed was good enough for birds. This is not true at all. Protein is important. Provide a good avian vitamin/mineral supplement. Please remember to follow the instructions. More is not better.

Some pet manufacturers have formulated well-balanced pellets. Many manufacturers have begun offering fortified seed mixes that include the other foods that they need. Dried fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and concentrated food supplements. You should supplement other foods for nutrition and variety after all the same old diet every day is boring for birds too. Supplement healthy people’s food. Serve your birds bean mixes and ready-made bird bread. A good diet helps the bird resist infection and they are stronger and healthier.

Health Management

You must take care of a bird’s wings and feet. Keep the toenails cut. If you cut too close use Clotisol - blood clotting agent.

Cockatiels are very strong flyers. You should trim their wings. Even trimming their wings only slows them down. When clipping the wings be careful to watch for new growth or blood feathers. If you do cut one, the remaining part of the feather will act as a straw and siphon blood. This can cause them to bleed to death. Grab a pair of pliers and pull the entire feather out quickly. If you are unconformable, clipping wings for the first time have your avian vet do so, showing you how to do the clipping. If you do decide against clipping wings make sure you cockatiel is in a safe location. Somewhere where he can't get outside, fly into a boiling pan of water, get a hold of a poisonous plant, get mutilated by a ceiling fan, and dozens of other possible dangers, the worst being, the ones we haven't thought of!

Birds will hide their illness. Birds that are ill in the wild become easy prey to predators. It is difficult without watching your bird very carefully, every day for any signs that something could be wrong.

Safety issues are a great concern for your pet. There are many hazards in your home you might not recognize as a hazard. Watch your pet's access to ceiling fans, hot boiling water, or oil on the stove, toxic houseplants, chocolate, and cedar. I have just mentioned a short sampling of the dangers in a common house.

Summary

Cockatiels are wonderful, entertaining, delightful animals. They are a wonderful choice for most families. People that do not have a great deal of space, a bird could be a perfect pet. Please research before purchasing. After all, we want these little birds to survive as much of the thirty years that they are capable of living. Learn all you can about the cockatiel before you venture into this friendship. Above all else enjoy your pet cockatiel.

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Fainting Goats

The television show MythBusters, from the Discovery Channel, were evidently skeptical that fainting goats were in fact real. Yes, the Tennessee Fainting Goats did prove to be real. Fainting goats aren't just from Tennessee. They are a smaller breed of goat that many people have as exotic pets or raise to harvest cashmere hair or raise as dairy or meat goats.

Believe me, plenty of people adore fainting goats or plain old run of the mill goats as exotic pets. I know that I have enjoyed goats as pets for many years. They are fun and have a delightful personality. I have found goats to be intelligent and friendly. Though, you can find a male or buck to be rather smelly and maybe not so friendly.

MythBusters took on to prove or disprove the myth when YouTube videos of the goat's fainting went viral. Just why are people so fascinated when goat legs (leg muscles) goes stiff, and the poor thing falls over? They don't, in fact, faint but they do have a disease called myotonia congenita. This disease affects the muscles. Myotonia congenita is a disease that can be passed down to other generations, or an inherited disease. If Myth Busters proved it to be true, it's got to be true! Truly, the condition has been studied a great deal, it is real, but there is much to be learned. Humans and many other animals can get myotonia congenita.

The goat can become startled, the muscle stiffens, and the goat falls over on its side. The effects are short-lived, and the little guy is up and moving around again. You'll get the general idea by watching this short YouTube video by National Geographic Fainting Goats Fainting Goat

Fainting Goat Video

Tennessee Fainting Goats are also known as Stiff-leg Goats, Myotonic Goats, Wooden-leg Goats, faint goats, or Nervous Goats. I am sure these critters have known a few other names.

I know for a fact, if you have enough space, knowledge, (money) goats can make great pets for the right people. Goats need to be protected from predators, fainting goats even more so. If you have a comment, I would love to hear from you.

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