Leashes to Litterboxes

Just thought I would do something fun tonite.  Watch the video to find out about guinea pigs eating their own bedding.  And watch for more adventures of GP.

Tags: guinea pig, bedding, video, youtube

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How many times have you gotten out of bed in the morning and headed to the bathroom in the dark only to step on something cold and slimey?  It has happened to me on numerous occasions and it is not a pleasant feeling at 5am.

Hairballs are a large problem for many cats and rabbits.  In fact in some instances a rabbit can get so blocked that surgery is required to remove the hairballs.

Hairballs are formed when a pet grooms itself and swallows hairs. Since hair is not easily digested, it can compact with undigested food in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract.  With rabbits, who already have a slower digestive system this poses a bigger problem.  The food and hair will stay in the stomach making the rabbit feel full.  The rabbit will eventually stop eating and then the GI system comes to a standstill.  The rabbit will then become dehydrated as water is extracted from the stomach and cecal contents.  And the vicious circle sets up. 

 Now the key to dealing with hairballs is prevention.  Grooming your pet is not only a bonding experience but can help in reducing the amount of hair your pet will swallow.  There are many otc products available as hairball rememdies, I like to use tonic lax.  There are also some things at home that you can use like canned pumpkin, mineral oil, or baby food squash.  For rabbits it is particularily important that they have a lot of fresh greens in their diet, a good quality hay, and lots of fresh water.

If you suspect that your pet has a "hairball" problem consult your veterinarian.  

Some interesting sites that talk about this problem:

Lareau Lops and Cavies

Rabbit Haven

Iams

Purina

Tags: cat, rabbits, hairballs

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As I wrote in a previous post, dogs can have epilepsy too, 1 out of approximately 5 gerbils can have it as well.  Stress is a major trigger for seizures, for instance when they are suddenly handled or are placed into a new environment.  Just like with dogs the gerbil will go into a prone position, the ears will go flat, the nostrils and legs will twitch.  The seizures will likely last less than a minute but if you notice one happening place your gerbil back into its cage to recover and turn off the lights.

Usually the seizures will become less frequent as the gerbil ages or gets used to it’s environment.  These "fits" are rarely life threatening but if you notice that your gerbil has frequent seizures something you may be doing could be the culprit.

Tags: gerbil, health, seizures

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Coprophagia, a pretty long word for what it really means.  According to Wikipedia it is "consumption of feces, from the Greek copros (feces) and phagein (eat). Many animal species have evolved to practice coprophagia; other species do not normally consume feces but may do so under unusual conditions."

Why do some animals do it?  Well some animals like rabbits and guinea pigs have a rather simple digestive system and sometimes the poop they have is not quite finished digesting so they will eat it almost immediately and have it digested again.   Other animals like dogs will eat their poop for other reasons.  Sometimes it is a learned behavior from watching their owners scoop, sometimes it is a boredom thing, sometimes it is done to get attention, sometimes it can be due to a medical condition and other times it is just their way of cleaning up.

Coprophagia is not a behavior that most humans would like their pets to have.  Often it is a behavior that will reduce once a puppy matures but sometimes it has to be dealt with by a little bit of training on the part of the owner. 

Tips to help prevent coprophagia:

1.  Clean up immediately after your pet has defecated.

2.  Make the feces unappealing.  You can try feeding your dog a teaspoon of pineapple, spinach or there is a commercial product available called forbid.  If you have more than one pet in the household it may be necessary to feed all of them one of these items as the "poop eater" may notice that his poop tastes awful but will eat the other’s feces.

3.  If the dog is still fond of feces, try teaching your dog not to touch it using the command ‘Off.’ Put your dog on leash and walk him by some feces. If he shows any interest in it, tell him, ‘No, off.’ If he continues to go for it, then loudly scold him, ‘OFF!!!’ and pull him away from it with a short, sharp tug on the leash. When he stops, praise him. Continue walking and keep returning to different piles of feces over and over, repeating the off procedure until he gets the idea that you disapprove of his dietary interests. Whenever he shows no interest in the feces, be sure to tell him how happy you are through praise and reward.

Just remember when dealing with coprophagia it can sometimes be a normal thing for animals to do and just because we don’t like it and think its disgusting your pet may just be keeping the place clean for you.  No amount of scolding will help deal with the behavior.  Try the above tricks and if they don’t work talk to your veterinarian or staff to get a little more help.

Tags: pet, dog, caged pets, behavior

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Proper nutrition is essential when raising rabbits.  Many owners think that bunnies survive on carrots and lettuce but this is not the truth.  Older practices of feeding just alfalfa pellets and treats leave a rabbit prone to a variety of ailments such as obesity, foot problems, hairballs, diarrhea, etc. Grass hay is very important to a healthy digestive tract. Alfalfa pellets have too much calcium and the fiber is not coarse enough for a rabbit’s needs, although feeding alfalfa pellets as part of a balanced diet is okay.  This post is going to deal with proper nutrition for those "wrasckly wrabbits".  This along with proper housing, neutering and tonnes of affection can lead a rabbit to live a long and healthy life (7-10 years).

What to feed your rabbit:

Good quality timothy hay

Lots of fresh water

Measured quantities of pellets (1/4 c per 5lb of rabbit)

Untreated grass from your lawn (no pesticides or fertilizers

Dandelions and their greens

Fresh greens (in small amounts) like kale, parsley, romaine lettuce (1 c per 5 lbs of rabbit)

Do Not Feed:

Any processed foods

High carbohydrates or sugars like bread, cereals, grains

Processed rabbit treats

Drinks made for human consumption

Many nutrients are made available by digestion that occurs in the cecum, which is located at the origin of the large intestine. In order to allow absorption by the small intestine, rabbits recycle these nutrients by eating their own pellets. Rabbits even make a different type of pellet, called a "cecotrope," that has more nutrients.  Most rabbits will eat their pellets at night which goes unnoticed by their owners.

Older practices of feeding just alfalfa pellets and treats leave a rabbit prone to a variety of ailments such as obesity, foot problems, hairballs, diarrhea, etc. Grass hay is very important to a healthy digestive tract. Alfalfa pellets have too much calcium and the fiber is not coarse enough for a rabbit’s needs, although feeding alfalfa pellets as part of a balanced diet is okay. Even alfalfa hay, though, is not ideal.

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