Pros Of Raising A Rabbit: An Exotic Pet

It is a known fact that many people consider raising pets of different kinds because of their own personal reasons. Dogs are just among the most common kind of animal that people consider as pets; after all they are known to be man's best friend. 

You can also see people with cats and birds as a part of their household. But aside from these animals, there are people who find raising a rabbit as the best option to take a look into. Instead of raising dogs and cats which are two of the most common and popular pets, such people chose to raise rabbits. So what's with raising a rabbit? Are there any benefits that a person can enjoy in raising one?

Just like taking care of other kinds of pets, raising a rabbit is also associated with a number of pros/benefits. If you are planning to get yourself a rabbit instead of a dog or a cat, that wouldn't be a big surprise because rabbits are normally irresistible. They are very cute and cuddly animals that will surely make you happy for quite some time even if they are among those that are called as exotic pets. 

The major benefit of raising a rabbit has something to do with your health and your diet. Because rabbits mostly eat fresh vegetables, then you have to buy fresh vegetables even if you are not really into this kind of food. Somehow, you will be encouraged by your pet to change your diet into a healthy one and eat fresh vegetables. This does not mean that you have to eat the foods that your pet rabbit eats, this simply means that if your pet eats healthy foods then why won't you?

Another thing that can be considered as a pro in raising a rabbit is the fact that it can take away your depression and somehow control your blood pressure. This benefit actually does not only apply if you have a pet rabbit, you can also enjoy this benefit if your have a pet dog or cat. 

However, unlike owning a dog or cat, there is no need for you to take your rabbit for a walk or brush its hair. You just have to get a rabbit hutch where it can comfortably stay and play. Also, you do not have to worry about your pet disturbing other people because of the loud sound it can create. Normally, rabbits do not cause too much noise, they do not meow like cats or bark like dogs.

These are just some of the pros associated with raising a rabbit. No doubt, rabbits can be considered as ideal pets regardless of your location and age. As long as you provide your pet with everything that it needs and you have a complete understanding on how to take care of it, then you will not experience any major issues. Just do not assume that rabbits are perfect pets, there will be times where in you will encounter nibbling issues, health problems and other issues/problems with your pet rabbit.

Finding A Herbivore Pet for A Herbivore Person

As a vegan I welcome my home to a herbivore pet of any kind. While I have problem with the natural order of the circle of life, I find myself unable to feed one animal to another so all of my little companions are happy little herbivores like me. This article is meant to help any other vegan that feels the same way in finding a herbivore companion of their own. If you own larger land, you may want larger herbivores that need more room to frolic and that's cool too! The best part of having an animal around is the feeling you get knowing they feel comfort in your presence.

Indoor Pets

So far when it comes to a herbivore pet to play with at the house you'll have a choice of a few furry little mammals, a couple of birds, and a reptile. The mammals are rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas. All of them are vegan rodents and can be kept in cages. Whenever you take them out to play with make sure any children near the pet are careful when they are handling the little guy. 

Macaws and Toucans are iconic birds and are both vegan! Macaws aka parrots love to bond with their human friend if treated right. Toucan's may try to take a bite out of a bug but if you supply it with enough fruit it will stick as a herbivore. Iguanas, like Toucans will eat bugs, but only if they're starving so feed it the right kind of leaves and it will stay a true vegan pet.

Outdoor pets

Having little indoor pets may be too limited for you and you may be willing to share quite a bit of land for a herbivore friend. The best kind of vegan pets to suit your standards would be horses, emus, goats, cattle, and capybaras. Most people see horses, goats, and cattle in many different ranches and farms but I bet most people don't think twice that those animals are vegans. Emus are a close relative to ostriches and can get up to 6 ft tall. 

These guys have legs strong enough to tear down wire fences so it's good to keep the properly contained for their safety and your properties safety as well. Capybaras are giant rodents, it sounds terrifying but they're lovable oafs. They are a cousin to guinea pigs and you may notice they bark like dogs. They will always keep a smile on you're face.

Green Love

A herbivore for a pet as a vegan has you appreciating nature more knowing that you are connected with your companion in more than just diet but also as a friend. Understanding the animal before making it a lovable pet should be the most important part of the decision process. Always consider adopting an animal from animal shelters like the humane society. The best part in any animal relationship should be how comfortable and loved the animal feels towards you, the guardian.

4 Important Things You Should Know About Having Hermit Crabs For Pets

Hermit crabs are spider related crustaceans living inside sea-snail shells, so they're obviously not your regular household pets. In fact, caring for these exotic pets is quite unique experience, as any hermit breeding enthusiast will tell you! That being said, in order to take care of these one-of-a-kind creatures, there are certain things you should know about them:

1) Social Life 

In wilderness, hermits live in large packs, ranging from dozens to hundreds. This fact implies that they are were social in nature. So if you already own or are planning to take on hermit crabs for pets, it's a good idea for you to go for at least 3 of them.

2) Personality 

Similarly to humans, hermits posses their own behavioral patterns. Some are shy and rarely come out of their shells, whilst others are very inquisitive by nature and do not hesitate to explore their surroundings. When dealing with shy hermits, especially when they're young, it's important to give them time to develop trust in human beings and slowly get used to their living environment.

3) Molting 

Every once in a while, every Hermit crab goes through a natural process called molting - shedding of its old skin (exoskeleton) and growing a new one. This process occurs every year to year and a half and can last for weeks at a time. Hermits go through a lot of stress during this period, and thus require peaceful and quiet surroundings. Due to increased hormonal activity during this period, other crabs tend to become aggressive to molting hermits. So it's really important for you to move molting crabs to an isolated tank where they will be isolated from danger.

Some signs that indicate your crab is about to molt:

a) Hermit crabs molt when dug under sand, so if you notice your crab digging a lot he may well be preparing to molt. 

b) They eat a lot more than usual and stock food in their own 'hiding places'. 

c) They start regenerating their lost limbs.

4) Living Space 

As I stated above, Hermit crabs in wild live in large groups meaning that they also require lots of personal space. So when it comes to captivity, size of your tank matters! As Hermit crabs grow in size and population, stress of being cramped in small living space will drive your hermits to constantly battle each other which, in fact, may lead to unnecessary fatalities. To avoid this problem, simply get a bigger tank.

There are quite a few more behavioral patterns these exotic creatures exhibit in their everyday life. But just following these four guidelines to a tee can make a world of difference in creating a long-lasting bond between you and your pets.

Should I Bathe My Pet Rats

The question whether or not we should bathe are pet rats is debatable. Some people are of the opinion that rats are dirty and that they need to give rats bath on a regular basis. Is it necessary? Well, I give my rats bath semi-occasionally. I do not have a set schedule on when to bath, it's more when I see the necessity to. There are reasons on when you should bath your pet rats.

Reasons for bathing rats: 

• Dominance urination.
• Because they're sick.
• Overwieght, injured, ill, or elderly.
• Odor Control.

Wrong reasons to bath a rat: 

• Showing. Everyone wants their rat to look good in a rat show but also understand that bathing is stressful for most rats. Most rats do NOT enjoy baths. It's a stressful thing for them even if the bath is for their own good. The main issue I have with bathing rats is that it feels like it's more for the owner's pride in showing their rats and the desire to win. Winning a rat show has no benefit to your pet. My main priority is health.
• Regular cleaning. Your pet really do clean themselves meticulously. Bathing pet rats to often will result in drying out the natural oils in their fur. For the majority, rat baths are not necessary. If you're doing it more than once every several months without any reason (such as the ones listed above), you should probably cut back.

Ways to maintain healthy fur

My two male boys rats have very coarse fur. They're always little puff balls after a bath but as days go by, their fur becomes coarse again. Here are some suggestions to get your pet rat looking his best. 

• Feed them olive oil with some bread. I have heard this does wonders from helping your rat's fur to be smooth and soft to helping with dandruff.
• Biotin is a supplement that helps with fur and skin health.
• Condition them in olive oil. I've done this once and it really does do wonders. If you bathe your rats for rat show purposes, try this first as an alternative to bathing. You don't need to drown your rats in olive oil. Just a little amount if your hand will do. You can use a wet towel to wipe the oil out (or your rats will lick out whatever you don't get). It will lose all purpose if you wash your rats.

Pet Rat Supplies

Here's a list of pet rat supplies to start out with. I've given this list much consideration after going through my own rat supplies. Not everything is absolute necessary, especially when you get towards the bottom of the list. However, you should give everything on this list some amount of consideration when buying supplies for your pet rat.

Water Bottles

• Fill-top water bottles are easier to fill if you don't want to constantly detach it from your rat cage.
• Glass water bottles can prevent a rat that loves to chew from destroying it.
• Plastic water bottles will work for most rat. I commonly use water bottles from Lixit.
• Get the biggest water bottle you can find. Rats drink an amazing amount of water for their tiny little bodies.

Food Dish

• Rats will often hide their food so having a food dish can often seem pointless.

Rat Food

• Grain mixes can help supplement your rats diet. Despite popular beliefs, a grain mix is not necessary to have a balanced rat diet.
• Harlan Teklad (can also be named "Native Earth") is my rat food of choice. Most pet store brands are not very high quality. The only other brand that is acceptable is Oxbox Regal Rat.

Rat Cage

• Remember to always adopt your rats in pairs and to get an appropriate sized cages.
• If you choose a Critter Nation or Ferret Nation, you may also want to consider buying pans from Bass Equipment.

Bedding

• Fleece cloth can be laid out as bedding though this would require much more frequent cleaning (including laundry) to keep odors down.
• CareFresh is also a suitable bedding but rather pricey and dusty. Be sure to freeze for 24 hour before use as it can contain bugs.
• Yesterday's News can be used in their litter box. Make sure you get the fragrance free package.

Litterbox

• Corner litter boxes is more space saving but the regular rectangular ones work fine as well.
• To successfully litter train, it helps to use different material in your litter box than you use as regular bedding. Example: don't use carefresh in the litter box AND as bedding but you can use Yesterday's News as litter box material and Carefresh as bedding. Read more about litter box training here.

Hammocks

• Fleece hammocks are the most comfortable especially during cold nights.
• Nylon hammocks are suitable for summer nights because nylon is much thinner and lowers the risk of the rat getting too warm.
• All hammocks are at risk of being chewed and will need frequent replacing.
• Nesting Box/Storage box
• Avoid wooden nesting boxes as mites and their eggs can hide in the pores of the wood
• Plastic housing (such as the igloos from Super Pet) can be easily cleaned. I usually run mine through the dishwasher when it gets dirty.

Rat Cage Cleaning Supplies

• Spray bottles: useful for diluting cleaning products with water.
• Pooper scooper
• Vinegar - soak the litter box or cage pan in vinegar to remove urine smells.
• Scrubber - a sponge or scour pad would do just fine.

Pet Shampoo

• Oatmeal shampoo is what I personally recommend. There are all natural formulas out there.
• Herbal shampoos sometimes contains products to assist in killing mites. I generally try to avoid these as the smell can be too strong.
• Make sure that whatever product you decide to get, it has a mild smell (like Oatmeal) or is fragrance free.