Humane Issues Associated With Breeding Of Teacup Pigs

The highly selective breeding practices responsible for maintaining the teacup pig’s diminutive stature have critical implications on the animal’s well-being and health.  Breeders use methods considered inhumane to be able to maintain the small size of the animal.  A couple of these ways are:

●Inbreeding

○Since pot-bellied pigs are capable of birthing smaller progeny, breeders will inbreed them to maintain the small size.  It is unfortunate because this inbreeding brings about a nonexistent genetic diversity for the teacup pig population, leading to major health problems.  Most teacup pigs are afflicted with acute respiratory issues due to the shape of their squished snouts.

●Starvation

○Pot-bellied pigs are being underfed purposely so that their growth becomes stunted.  This is the reason breeders advise teacup pig pet owners to significantly restrict their pet’s feeding.  Starving these animals will stunt their growth, making their skeletal system underdeveloped.  This, however, does not have the same effect on their internal organs, which grow to full size, eventually causing deformed bones and various other critical health issues.

Abrupt changes observed in your pet teacup pic’s behavior and/or health must be brought to the attention of your veterinarian Michigan City IN at the soonest time possible.

Expert-Approved Tips For Feeding Your Cat

 

Feeding your cat should be a breeze. Provide your cat with premium quality and brand-name kitten or cat food. You should also consider the age, activity level, and health status of your pet when choosing and giving food.

Here are some reminders about feeding pet cats:

●       Taurine is essential for cats; it promotes a healthy eye and heart. Choose the appropriate food for your kitty’s life stage. A properly balanced meal should contain taurine which your cat needs.

●       Provide clean and fresh water all the time, refill her bowl regularly. You should also wash the water bowl daily.

●       Limit cat treats to 5-10% of their diet.

●       Be careful in giving cat baby food if your kitty refuses to eat her cat food. Some baby food contains onion or garlic powder, which is toxic for cats.

Bring your cat to your animal hospital Goodyear, AZ if she has anorexia, diarrhea, vomiting, or being lethargic for two days or more.

How Pocket Pets Display Submissive Behaviors

 

Social hierarchy structures are present in animals, too.  Dogs, cats, and even pocket pets instinctively observe a social ladder. Less dominant members will display specific signs of being submissive to dominant individuals in the group. Below are a few of the usual submissive behaviors that can be observed in certain species:

Degus

Much like dogs, a pet degu will expose his belly while lying on its back to signify that it is submissive.  If the pet degu you own tends to bite or nip, show your dominance by laying it on its back and hold the degu down until the struggling stops.

Ferrets

Dominant ferrets will force a submissive member down with its back to the ground.  If your ferret is trying to display aggression or any dominant behavior, show your pet you are the boss by holding it by the back of its neck and pinning it on its back.

Bearded Dragons

A bearded dragon that assumes the submissive role will puff up or perform a circular wave motion using an arm if a dominant dragon is encountered.

If you encounter any issues with the behaviors exhibited by your pet, see your vet clinic Cy-Fair.

Exotic Pets Ideal For Apartment Living

 

Apartment living means that space is limited for pets. This, however, should not hold you back from acquiring exotic pets because some of them can prosper even in cramped and small spaces.  Exotics are great because you do not have to take them out for walks in who knows what weather just to meet exercise requirements.  If you do want to share your home and your life with exotic pets, first check with the building manager or main homeowner for permission.  Check the contract as well if there are any clauses against having pets in the apartment building. There are quite the popular exotics that might prosper in apartments.  A couple of them are listed below:

Ferrets

Ferrets can be very lively. They like to play with others of their own kind and their human caretakers.  As they are active at night, ferrets tend to sleep in the daytime with the peak of their activity at dawn and dusk.  Ferrets are intelligent enough to learn how to use a litter box.  They can make do with an enclosure spacious enough so that they can behave naturally. If let outside the enclosure, be sure that the apartment or the room has been made ferret-proof so your pet is protected from the possible house dangers and from escape.

Hamsters

If you want to keep a hamster, expose it to being handled while still very young. This will allow the hamster to be docile enough as they mature into adulthood.  Dwarf hamsters and Syrian hamsters are two of the most common kinds to keep as pets.  Syrian hamsters are solitary creatures and must be kept as individuals per cage, while the dwarf hamster is a social animal.

Take your pet to an animal hospital Cherry Hill, NJ for perioding wellness checks from the vet.  You can click this link for more information.

How To Manage Your Pet’s Phobias

 

The end goal of pet phobia management is to train your pet dog or cat that fear triggers can be linked with positive experiences too, like positive reinforcement forms or pet treats.  Mostly, cases like these tend to be tricky to implement, and owners must be prepared to manage the issue with heaps of patience and determination.

When managing fearful behaviors, you, as the pet owner, must keep in mind to avoid rewarding or reinforcing any anxiety or fear displays by comforting your pet, or petting them, or giving them a treat.

The initial step in managing your pet’s fearful behavior is looking out for the factors that trigger or stimulate the fear response each time you notice it.  When that trigger is identified, do your best to not encounter that stimulus.  Next, take the necessary steps in desensitizing your pet, teaching the animal to be more calm and relaxed when the trigger is encountered.  This is a protracted learning process and it needs to be systematic and slow until the preferred results are attained.

Work with your vet Tampa, FL in helping your pet overcome any phobias that he may have. Click here to learn more.

Can Ferrets Be Housed With Other Pets?

 

Yes, a pet ferret is able to coexist with an additional ferret, or even perhaps two, in one cage, but if you have another kind of pet, try to think and consider things first.  As they are naturally predatory animals in their wild habitats, ferrets kept as pets will still keep their predatory instincts strongly coursing through their veins.

If a pet ferret is kept with a smaller animal, your ferret may think of the other animal as fair game.  Instances of young kittens and various other smaller pets getting killed by the pet ferrets do exist.

Risks are always involved if you decide to keep another pet species with a pet ferret in one enclosure.  If the ferret and the other pet are sized around the same, the threat could be somewhat reduced.  Introducing a pet ferret to a different pet species is quite the challenge and very close supervision is a must.

Your vet Tampa, FL can provide you with more information regarding ferret pet care.

Hair Coat Health In Cats Is Influenced By Diet

 

There are a lot of aspects that can have an effect on the appearance and the health of your cat’s fur.  Among them are the cat’s immediate environment, her genes, and her diet.  In the wintertime, a cat will grow their coats thick in order to shield them from the low temperatures.  Then as the weather gets warmer over spring and over summer, your cat will begin to shed off that thick coat, resulting in a lot of cat hair getting on your furniture, carpets, and other items in the house.

As opposed to losing hair, shedding is more on the physiological side of body processes.  It is the cat’s body that dictates how thick to grow their hair during winter and shedding to keep her body cool in the warmer summer months.

A fat-rich diet will benefit your cat in growing a healthy coat of hair.  Fats, as opposed to carbohydrates, provides a higher concentration of energy sources for use of the body.  Fats will also enhance the utilization and the absorption of vitamins K, E, D, and A which are soluble in fat.  This in turn enhances the production of the essential fatty acids essential to maintaining hair and skin health.

Before offering supplements to your pet, or changing the nutritional fat content in her food, be sure to talk to your veterinarian Anderson, IN regarding the matter.