Animal Questions

[Cori]

Also try a shelled pea once in a while. :3

Yes. When I had comets, they loved peas. I just gave them a couple frozen peas each without the outer shell bits. And peas are good for them, too.

 

Of course my fish were big--about six inches from head to tail--so your little fish should probably only get one pea.

Edited January 6, 2012 by Jackal

[StarSea]

Have no fear, for the animal master is here! I don't know if I'm the master, but I love animal and can tell you almost anything and everything about any animal you can name. (as long as it is a real animal).

 

A: For the crab, sounds much like it became sick. It also depends on how old the crab was. If the crab was young, then it was more likely to be sick, but don't worry, the sickness mostly can't be spread.

 

A: For the kitty, I say it most likely has tapeworm. If your vet didn't say anything about worms, I don't know what to tell you about that. I also could have heart worms, but they don't exactly do what you described... Try giving your cat treats, soft and hard. Also check it's teeth and tounge. If they are black or dark gray in color, your cat could have mouth cancer, but usually they stop eating all together.. It could be possible that your cat does have mouth cancer, but became so hungry that it'll eat anyways. Just give it treats (and if you want, you can make it do tricks as well... I make mine clap, sit, or spin for his treats.) and as much food it can eat. You also might want to check the label for the food and soft food. Most of the time, if the first ingredient isn't meat, fish, or chicken, it isn't completly doing the best for your cat.

 

A: For the gold fish, it depends on the size of the flakes. If on the side of the container of the flackes shows gold fish and guppies, and possibly betas, then give your fish about one to two pinches. If the flakes are large, take one or two and crush them up over the fish tank. You can give it peas as well if you would like. Pretty much just what'll make the size of half a penny when you put it in your hand.

 

If you are wondering why or how I know all this, I have read almost any and every book you could ever find on animals, I have had almost 500 pets now. 'Course not all at once, but most have passed away now. And most of it just seems to be common sence to me for me... Not sure about everyone else, but for me it does. Yes, even I have a question of my own.

 

Q: I have had a pet budgie and she passed away only three days ago. She was only five months old, so it couldn't have been from age. I have found nothing wrong with her and she was given everything a budgie needs. Fresh food and water every day and a clean house every other day. She had a cuddle bone and millet spray. I believe that she died because she fell off a perch and hit her head. I saw her fall off once, but I thought nothing of it because it was only once that I saw it happen and that was the second day I had her. I have not had the chance to feel her body for broken bones, and I can't check any more (some one burried her without asking me if I wanted to help or if I was even ready to burry her just like when my hamster died!), but even if she didn't have any broken bones, if she did hit her head, her brain could have hit against her skull and began bleeding or just been harmed in general. I would like to know what you think might have been the reason for her death.

Edited January 12, 2012 by StarSea

[7Deadly$ins]

A: For the kitty, I say it most likely has tapeworm. If your vet didn't say anything about worms, I don't know what to tell you about that. I also could have heart worms, but they don't exactly do what you described... Try giving your cat treats, soft and hard. Also check it's teeth and tounge. If they are black or dark gray in color, your cat could have mouth cancer, but usually they stop eating all together.. It could be possible that your cat does have mouth cancer, but became so hungry that it'll eat anyways. Just give it treats (and if you want, you can make it do tricks as well... I make mine clap, sit, or spin for his treats.) and as much food it can eat. You also might want to check the label for the food and soft food. Most of the time, if the first ingredient isn't meat, fish, or chicken, it isn't completly doing the best for your cat.

 

To touch up this, avoiding grains and byproduct meal is also a great step for a cat's diet.

 

I think worms are likely, however.

[isstiautng]

Q: I have had a pet budgie and she passed away only three days ago. She was only five months old, so it couldn't have been from age. I have found nothing wrong with her and she was given everything a budgie needs. Fresh food and water every day and a clean house every other day. She had a cuddle bone and millet spray. I believe that she died because she fell off a perch and hit her head. I saw her fall off once, but I thought nothing of it because it was only once that I saw it happen and that was the second day I had her. I have not had the chance to feel her body for broken bones, and I can't check any more (some one burried her without asking me if I wanted to help or if I was even ready to burry her just like when my hamster died!), but even if she didn't have any broken bones, if she did hit her head, her brain could have hit against her skull and began bleeding or just been harmed in general. I would like to know what you think might have been the reason for her death.

 

What type of perches did she have?

 

The plastic ones that you get with the cage should be thrown out and should be replaced with natural sticks collected from a park or forest. It sounds like she couldn't get enough grip on the perch if she was falling off them. Which usually is a sign of illness.

 

Young budgies falling off perches is very uncommon so she might have already been ill before you got her. Falling off perches usually indicates some kind of respiratory disease or neurological problem.

 

-issy

Edited January 12, 2012 by isstiautng

[grimace]

Today, after waiting a while to see if she was molting, my mom lifted our fiddler crab's favorite rock to find her dead.... I was very sad when I saw this and I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out why she died. My mom said that there were some white spots on the remains. Could this be a disease? Should I worry about the other fish in the tank?

 

Tried googling this but had no help, so anything would be appreciated.

Thanks

Was she in freshwater?

Did she have a way to get onto dry land?

[albinosilver]

Q: I have had a pet budgie and she passed away only three days ago. She was only five months old, so it couldn't have been from age. I have found nothing wrong with her and she was given everything a budgie needs. Fresh food and water every day and a clean house every other day. She had a cuddle bone and millet spray. I believe that she died because she fell off a perch and hit her head. I saw her fall off once, but I thought nothing of it because it was only once that I saw it happen and that was the second day I had her. I have not had the chance to feel her body for broken bones, and I can't check any more (some one burried her without asking me if I wanted to help or if I was even ready to burry her just like when my hamster died!), but even if she didn't have any broken bones, if she did hit her head, her brain could have hit against her skull and began bleeding or just been harmed in general. I would like to know what you think might have been the reason for her death.

I've only ever witnessed baby birds fall off of perches, like newly fledged babies. Never would a healthy self sustained bird not be able to perch properly.

 

Usually, when birds are sick, they won't show symptoms until the last possible moment. It's just in their instinct, as in the wild, sick-looking animals are always picked off by predators first. A bird that could be literally dying of an illness will still try to act normal, like playing with their toys, etc.

 

Another possiblity is she could've gotten a night fright. Like something spooked her during night time. Like a loud sound or fast movement which would've caused her to panic and crash against the cage bars, that could result in death.

 

Though since you've seen her fall off of perches, the first possibility is more likely.

[Nightmelody]

Hi guys. My name is Kat, and I am a board eligible Veterinary Technician. I am NOT a Veterinarian, and I cannot Diagnose, but I have a very large amount of knowledge about many species of animals and specifically quite a bit of medical knowledge. Once I pass my board in about 90 days, I will be the veterinary equivalent of an RN for humans.

 

A: For the crab, sounds much like it became sick. It also depends on how old the crab was. If the crab was young, then it was more likely to be sick, but don't worry, the sickness mostly can't be spread.

 

Actually- In a tank situation, I would be worried about the other fish getting sick, especially if it actually is white spot disease. I would keep an eye on them and consult a veterinarian who sees exotics if you see any signs of disease in the other tank inhabitants.

 

A: For the kitty, I say it most likely has tapeworm. If your vet didn't say anything about worms, I don't know what to tell you about that. I also could have heart worms, but they don't exactly do what you described... Try giving your cat treats, soft and hard. Also check it's teeth and tounge. If they are black or dark gray in color, your cat could have mouth cancer, but usually they stop eating all together.. It could be possible that your cat does have mouth cancer, but became so hungry that it'll eat anyways. Just give it treats (and if you want, you can make it do tricks as well... I make mine clap, sit, or spin for his treats.) and as much food it can eat. You also might want to check the label for the food and soft food. Most of the time, if the first ingredient isn't meat, fish, or chicken, it isn't completly doing the best for your cat.

 

I am sure your veterinarian checked things pretty well, but be sure they checked the urine as well, weight loss despite a healthy appetite is also one of the cardinal signs of feline diabetes mellitus, though I agree that Hyperthyroidism would be my first concern. I highly doubt that a vet would have missed cancer of the mouth. Cats are obligate carnivores, so definitely make sure you are feeding a high quality food with a high protein content.

 

Q: I have had a pet budgie and she passed away only three days ago. She was only five months old, so it couldn't have been from age. I have found nothing wrong with her and she was given everything a budgie needs. Fresh food and water every day and a clean house every other day. She had a cuddle bone and millet spray. I believe that she died because she fell off a perch and hit her head. I saw her fall off once, but I thought nothing of it because it was only once that I saw it happen and that was the second day I had her. I have not had the chance to feel her body for broken bones, and I can't check any more (some one burried her without asking me if I wanted to help or if I was even ready to burry her just like when my hamster died!), but even if she didn't have any broken bones, if she did hit her head, her brain could have hit against her skull and began bleeding or just been harmed in general. I would like to know what you think might have been the reason for her death.

 

Typically birds do not just fall off of a perch for no reason. One major thing to remember(that has been mentioned, but I will reiterate anyway because I really think that this is the case with this bird) with birds is that the vast majority of our pet birds are prey species. This means that if they were in the wild, showing any sign of weakness or sickness means that they will quickly become someone's lunch. Because of this basic instinct of survival, they will hide all signs of illness until they are so sick that they cannot continue to do so. There are any number of things that could have happened to cause sickness.

A few questions so that I can get a better idea of what may have happened. Where in the house was the cage situated? Near the kitchen? Near any windows or doors or in the path of a draft? Are/were there other birds in the house? if so, what kinds, and how close were they housed? Are/were any of them showing any signs of illness? Often the first signs of illness in a bird include the 'fluffing' of feathers, sleeping a lot, listlessness, and/or a dull appearance to their eyes. If they were housed near the kitchen, do you use teflon coated cooking pans? If they were housed near a bathroom, do you have a new(ish) hair dryer that may have a teflon heating coil? Were there any bare metal places on the cage or rust spots she/he might have chewed on? Were all toys in good shape? What types of toys were offered? Was any human food offered? Specifically, was anything that could have contained onions or avocado ever offered to the bird? Did the bird have any access to houseplants?

Hope I am able to help a bit at least.

[7Deadly$ins]

I am sure your veterinarian checked things pretty well, but be sure they checked the urine as well, weight loss despite a healthy appetite is also one of the cardinal signs of feline diabetes mellitus, though I agree that Hyperthyroidism would be my first concern. I highly doubt that a vet would have missed cancer of the mouth. Cats are obligate carnivores, so definitely make sure you are feeding a high quality food with a high protein content.

 

I think I love you. My whole vet's office uses a uniform policy that feeds absolutely terrible food...

 

[linkx7]

can cats learn tricks like dogs if you train them right and start training early or is it an impossible dream

[JaziandCo]

Yes they can :3 My Saffron meows and comes when she's called, and she'll "beg" like a dog for a treat.

[Stripey]

can cats learn tricks like dogs if you train them right and start training early or is it an impossible dream

We bot our cat at 2.5 years old, and have already trained him to sit on command, and to stand on his hind legs on command. We're working on getting him to turn circles , but it'll be a bit, and one trick at a time works best for me.

[Nightmelody]

I think I love you. My whole vet's office uses a uniform policy that feeds absolutely terrible food...

Seven, That's pretty unusual as well. can I ask what food they recommend/feed? Purely for my own curiosity. If you would rather discuss it off list, please feel free to PM me.

[7Deadly$ins]

Seven, That's pretty unusual as well. can I ask what food they recommend/feed? Purely for my own curiosity. If you would rather discuss it off list, please feel free to PM me.

It's terrible by my standards, but it might not be terrible by theirs. They recommend all the big-name foods like Science Diet that in my experience have rather bad ingredients.

[StarSea]

A few questions so that I can get a better idea of what may have happened. Where in the house was the cage situated? Near the kitchen? Near any windows or doors or in the path of a draft? Are/were there other birds in the house? if so, what kinds, and how close were they housed? Are/were any of them showing any signs of illness? Often the first signs of illness in a bird include the 'fluffing' of feathers, sleeping a lot, listlessness, and/or a dull appearance to their eyes.  If they were housed near the kitchen, do you use teflon coated cooking pans? If they were housed near a bathroom, do you have a new(ish) hair dryer that may have a teflon heating coil? Were there any bare metal places on the cage or rust spots she/he might have chewed on? Were all toys in good shape? What types of toys were offered? Was any human food offered? Specifically, was anything that could have contained onions or avocado ever offered to the bird? Did the bird have any access to houseplants?

Hope I am able to help a bit at least.

Her cage was a little close to a door, but nothing close to a door leading out of the house. She was in a well heated room, not hot enough to hurt her or anything and not cold enough to hurt her either... It was about five degrees warmer than the pet shop... Sorry, I don't know what the exact temp. was. The kitchen was about 10 feet away down a hallway... In her room there was an extreamly small window. I'd say about 3 x 1? It was mostly covered by a curtain because for some reason my brother doesn't like the light. The window was up high and on the other wall across from her. No other birds. She was the first bird we got at my mom's house. She did fluff up her feathers once, but that was right when my mom's kitchen timer went off (it is quite loud so we don't use it very often). She almost never slept. Only when we covered her house with her blanket would she go on her swing and stop talking (she doesn't talk like you and I do, but it seems off for me to say "chirping" because the out door birds "chirp"...). Her eyes weren't dull. Whenever I come into her room, she'd look at me and talk a little. We never use anything with teflon because our house person... dude supplyer... whatever you want to call him is allergic to almost everything (perfumes, nail polish, candles, you name it and he'll most likely be allergic). No metal in the house (yes, he is even allergic to metal on random days so we didn't take the risk anyways). Perfectly new toys like a bell and chew chain (my dad has one of those for his birds so we thought we'd buy one for her) and there was another toy... I can't exactly remember what it was called. It was a little fluffy... No human food. Would never feed her onions or avocado. No house plants. We have some by our doors that lead outside, but none anywhere near her house.

 

Sorry, it seems like I answered no to everything! I hope there was at least something that could help you there.

 

can cats learn tricks like dogs if you train them right and start training early or is it an impossible dream

 

Absolutly! I just got a cat from my evil great g-ma (she isn't evil, but when she wanted to show us the kitty, Wally, she grabbed his tail and yainked it and he looked really upset and affraid of her... She had to get rid of him because she was moving and it was either her dogs or Wally and she chose to rid of Wally. I put his carring crate infront of him and asked him to go in and he did! I think it was of curiousity, but I can dream can't I?). Anyways, he was three when we got him and he knows clap (he stands up and "claps" his front paws in the air), stand (he stands up on his back feet), sit (like it says, he sits), spin (he spins in a circle), and what I like to call dance (he stands on his back legs and does a little spin like thing.). There is another trick, but I wouldn't exactly say I taught it to him. Whenever he wants to go out to go to the br he will stand on the railing by one of our outside doors and mew and then we just open the wood door and then he'll open up the plastic one and let himself out. No kitty doors or anything! xP Also when he is looking for someone (most often me because I'm the only one that pets him) he'll walk around and mew "wady?" x3 My name's maddy, but wady is close enough. He is the best!

 

The odd thing is... my mom didn't want Wallie, a baby hamster that was born to two of my others (when I put my hand in his house, he'll come over and lick my hand and then sit on my hand and stare at me waiting for me to pick him up), and she didn't want our pup Pudgie, but I convinced her to let us get both of them, and keep the baby hamster, and she can't believe she was ever going to say no. She isn't exactly happy with the animals that everyone else has picked out though. The dog my brother picked out has seizures at least once a year and keeps knocking his knee out of place and he's been to the vet five times already this year! The dog my mom picked out keeps making messes everywhere with her food. Her tounge is so long and she won't pick it up, she licks it up and then ends up sending it flying everywhere! x)

Edited January 24, 2012 by StarSea

[satyr76]

Anyone have experience with snakes? I need a bit of help. Currently, I have a young ball python. She's about two and a half feet long now. We're expecting her to get to four or five feet. I'm considering getting a Honduran milk snake, which grow to about six feet. Would it be possible to introduce the two? I know some king snakes feed on other snakes, and it may depend on the individual snakes, but I was wondering if either snake would be in danger. I haven't done that much research on milk snakes yet, so it will be at least a month until I get one, but it would be good to know.

[lulubelle00]

Q= I own two male bunnies. Ones a 5 month Velveteen and the other is a year old Jersey Wooly. The wooly(Bean) has been going at my female over a year old Lionhead, Jelly. He wooed her and we'll be getting kits in a month(at least I think)

But I was talking to my mum and we couldn't find our velveteen(Wobble) We find him on a stuffed animal.

Then mum left and Wobble started running around my legs. I bent over to pet him, he stands onto his hind legs and, yeah.

I run to the garage door to get mom and he gets onto my foot. After getting him off, I return to mom watching them (the boys) try to mount each other.

It looked like Wobble was dominate, until Bean managed to get on top. I try to separate them and Bean rolled off. According to the books, that meant he was done mating.

 

Now both the boys are interested in my other female lionhead (not expecting)

 

And Wobble keeping trying to get on my feet and I have to run away.

 

Normal behavior?

[sparkle10184]

Lulu, are your rabbits spayed?

Edited July 9, 2012 by sparkle10184

[lulubelle00]

Nope.

[Victini]

I have a kitten who's around 2 months old named Luna. I have recently discovered that she enjoys stealing anything I happen to leave out and burying it in her litterbox. She's already stolen cotton swabs, makeup, scissors, headphones, and one of my stuffed animals. :/ How do I keep her from doing this?

[Lalasa]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some help on my pet male betta fish Kirby. You see he has some bad habits...

 

Q: How do I gently stop a betta from tail biting?

 

Kirby lives in a well filtered, very sparkly clean 1 gallon tank. he has a smooth cave, a soft-leafed plastic plant, a betta leaf hammock, and a pipecleaner hoop which I use to teach him tricks. But Kirby's fins are shrinking drastically. Kirby the veil tail betta is hyper-aggressive! Now now, I know that bettas, especially boys are violent little creatures that if placed together may even kill each other. Kirby is one of those bettas. If he sees his reflection in the tank walls (This happens a lot because when the room darkens and his tank light stays on, he sees himself without the aid of a mirror) he will flare, possibly even for hours. He will also bash his face against the wall in an attempt to kill his supposed intruder. Obviously this has led to a very unhealthy behavior- taking out his berserk mode on his delicate finnage. I have caught him several times attempting to violently shove his fins down his throat, and the shortened tail is even more evidence against his masochism. This obviously bad for him, and most likely very painful. I know his fins aren't ripped by his decorations because I take great care in ensuring they are not sharp ANYWHERE. I know it couldn't be fin rot because I never let his tank get even slightly dirty. I don't think it's boredom because I play with him everyday. After all, I've taught him to swim through a hoop. He's been pretty busy! No, I think it's simply because he's angry all the time. Are there any preventative measures I can take to stop his rage? Any calming tonics easy to buy? Will I simply have to watch my beloved pet eat himself? Someone please help, I don't want Kirby to be in pain.

[Nine]

Been a while since I've had bettas of my own, but there are "stress-ease" solutions you can add to the water in your tank. Dosages and effectiveness obviously vary from brand to brand, but most are actually types of dechlorinators to remove harmful chemicals from tap water. Do you use any sort of chlorine-removal solution in your betta's water? If the nitrogen or ammonia levels in your tank are off (can depend on type of fish) that could be contributing to his stress levels. The temperature of the water could also be causing him some stress if it's too low or high for a betta. Stress could be a contributing factor in his tail biting.

 

The best advice I can give you is to google some sites that specifically detail betta care and see if your tank's levels are A-okay =)

Edited July 10, 2012 by Nine

[sparkle10184]

Nope.

Why? What will you do if they have kits?

[Lalasa]

Been a while since I've had bettas of my own, but there are "stress-ease" solutions you can add to the water in your tank. Dosages and effectiveness obviously vary from brand to brand, but most are actually types of dechlorinators to remove harmful chemicals from tap water. Do you use any sort of chlorine-removal solution in your betta's water? If the nitrogen or ammonia levels in your tank are off (can depend on type of fish) that could be contributing to his stress levels. The temperature of the water could also be causing him some stress if it's too low or high for a betta. Stress could be a contributing factor in his tail biting.

 

The best advice I can give you is to google some sites that specifically detail betta care and see if your tank's levels are A-okay =)

Yes, I do use a dechlorinator in my betta's water. It's called "Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus" I'm too small to clean the tank myself so my mom does it (Lalasa is a weakling). We put tap water in two large bowl, add the solution mentioned above, and let the water sit as I've read it should for many hours. Does that mean I should get a different dechlorinator? I know bettas are sensitive to changes in how their water is prepared.

 

EDIT: And just to clarify, we definitely follow the directions on the bottle.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Lalasa

[Nine]

I definitely wouldn't recommend changing the solution you're using then-- it doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with what you guys are doing. I'm not sure what else to suggest unfortunately, but I did pull up this site that has some info and suggestions. Maybe something there could help you out =o

 

http://www.bettabits.com/2011/06/tail-biting.html

[dr.bieber229]

Q: I had a question about my new cat. She has an extra toe on her front legs. And, I was wondering if it was the genes or the actual breed of cat which usually has that. I believe she is a Jungle Lynx. And, I was also wondering, are there any cat experts who might be able to identify if she really is a Jungle Lynx or not?

Here she is. Her paws are shown.