Practicing proper hygiene when dealing with your bird can help protect your family and pet from potential health hazards. Here are some hygiene tips to keep in mind:

• Wash your hands thoroughly both before and after handling your bird. While people can catch diseases from pet birds, incidents of pet birds catching diseases from their owners are much more common.
• A regular thorough cleaning of your bird’s cage will help keep bacterial growth and parasites in check, reducing the risk of illness to your pet as well as people that come into contact with your bird.
• While many bird owners find sharing food with their pet bird as a great way to bond with each other, this is an important avenue of transmitting bacteria and parasites between you and your bird. If you really want to share your food with your pet, place a small amount of fo ... Read more »

Some pet owners choose to get angry at their pet and discipline them when they discover accidents around the house, even without actually catching their pet in the act.

If you did not see your pooch performing the act, and you only saw the “evidence” afterwards,  it is best to ignore your dog’ behavior. There are dog owners who call their pet and rub the dog’s nose into his urine or poop without realizing the implications of his actions. This can only create confusion in your dog and he will never realize you are punishing him because of the potty accident committed a few minutes or hours ago.

If you discovered the “evidence” and you look for your puppy to punish him and find him playing with his toys, scolding him for the accident will make him think you are reprimanding him for playing. This will certainly convey a very different message f ... Read more »

Between a reptile caught in the wild and one that is captive bred, choosing the latter is a wise decision for a number of reasons:

• Reptiles bred in captivity are generally healthier. Reptiles captured and transported have been subjected to stress, leaving them highly susceptible to health problems. These wild-caught reptiles also tend to have a very heavy parasitic load.
• Captive bred reptiles are generally less nervous and are easier to handle.
• Some species of snakes, such as ball pythons, readily accept pre-killed prey when captive bred than when caught in the wild.
• When you buy a captive bred reptile, you help maintain the wild population of these groups of animals. For each wild caught reptile that arrives at a pet store or into a home, many more die from injury, illness, and or stress due to ... Read more »

A puppy’s chewing behavior is never cute and adorable when he takes fancy on your shoes and electric cables. Here are some tried and tested solutions you can use to put a stop to your puppy’s undesirable habit:

• A puppy that has been crate-trained can easily be kept for a considerable time in his crate to keep him away from his much loved “chewables”.
• If you don’t like the idea of keeping your pooch confined in a crate for long periods of time, you can supervise your pet’s movements at all times, provided you have the luxury of time.
• If you don’t want your puppy chewing anything that is valuable, keep it out of your pet’s reach. Instead, give him lots of chew toys to satisfy his need to chew.  
• A bored puppy can easily get into mischief. With regular play and exercise, your pooch will be too tired to even think of chewing your shoes or socks.

If you are dealing with any un ... Read more »