Molly

I have had the kittens less than a week. They are really sweet now for the most part. At first they wouldn't come out from behind my bed and hissed at me but now whenever I am in my bedroom they come out and purr and I pet them. But they are afraid of my five year old Aussie. For the most part they hide from my Aussie but tonight there was a bit of an altercation. I moved their kitty litter into the bathroom because I didn't want in my bedroom and I wanted to encourage them to come out into the rest of the house they started venturing out to the kitchen so I shut the door and followed them. Then one started peeing on the floor instead of the litter and I picked it up and said no bad kitty, well worst timing ever my dog comes in to see what's up and kitty flips the lid and scratches me and runs in the bathroom and hides. Eventually I got the kitties back in the bedroom and moved the kitty litter back in there. Just now I was in there and Delilah (aussie) comes to lay down by me, eventually kitties come out and they are purring and I pet them while I'm petting Delilah and everything seems fine until Socs starts kitty-growling at Delilah at that point I am like nope nope nope not getting scratched again so I am out in the living room with Delilah and kitties are in the bedroom. The kitties are about ten weeks old. Once they got used to their new environment they turned out to be really friendly, but they don't like my dog much. To be clear, I don't think Delilah is the problem, she always looks genuinely curious about the kitties and wags her tail most of the time. I'm not worried about her hurting them, I'm more worried about the kitties scratching Delilah/me when she's around.

I don't know anything about rat genetics or breeding but about two weeks after I bought my rat I realized she was pregnant. The full realization of how stressful it must have been for her to live in a cage with all those males just hit me and actually makes me mad at the pet store for being irresponsible and not sorting out their males and females. I almost never buy anything from that pet store but I fell in love with Selena that day and had to take her home. Now she is so young and just had a litter of at least 15 by my count. Anyway I was wondering if all her babies will be albino since the father(s) were albino too like Selena is? There was the one with the grey on him and he was big. She is feeder rat stock, but has a great personality. Aside from being hormonal the last week. I'm just doing my best to do as much research as I can right now but genetics is confusing. No bashing. I bought her pregnant unknowingly, I thought she was too young to get preggo. She's a great pet and I'm going to make sure her babies go to homes as pets. Also I know it's hard to tell much with out knowing her full pedigree. All I know is there were albino males and one large male with grey markings in the cage. it's been maybe 12 hours since they were born (they were born sometime last night) and they do seem to be darkening up a little already. hard to tell tho.

I bought a rat from a pet store a few weeks ago and just this past week I realized she was pregnant. LAST NIGHT while I was out she had the babies. I came home this morning and went to feed her and heard the tell-tale squeaking and saw a few little pinkies. I'm really scared I'm going to do something wrong and the babies will die. I haven't done anything yet just put a little food in her cage and made sure there was still water in her bottle. I peeked in a couple times to get an idea of how many babies there were....There are A LOT more than I expected and it makes me think this might not have been her first litter like I thought. I did not put my hand in the cage at all except to put some food in the corner. I couldn't put it in her dish because she had moved her dish into her nesting area and I didn't want to disturb that. I intend on keeping one of the daughters because I was planning on buying her companion anyway. I have a few small tanks I can put the boys in when they turn 4wks I think I have 2-3 ten gallons and 1 fifteen gallon tall...which really has the same floor space as a ten about. TO BE CLEAR I UNKNOWINGLY BOUGHT HER PREGNANT. I had very little time to prepare for the babies, as soon as I realized she was preggo I started upping her protein and calcium. I fed her scrambled eggs with just a small spoonful of yogurt occasionally and some greens everyday and removed the left overs promptly. I know yogurt isn't THE BEST source of calcium but I didn't have any spinach on hand. I thought it would supply her with good fats and proteins and give her some calcium and not be too bad on her digestive system if I just gave her a little. it was PLAIN sugar-free yogurt. I'm trying to do research but I'm SO STRESSED OUT. I only had a few days to prepare for this essentially. I am sorry I am going on and on but I am just REALLY scared I'm going to do something wrong and that all the babies will die! I need some assurance here and I was really hoping maybe someone could possibly do e-mail correspondence with me while the babies are growing up. I have raised rodents for several combined years. But this is my FIRST rat and my FIRST time raising pups. Someone PLEASE help guide me through this. If you want to e-mail me do so at PA_horsie_girl@yahoo.com Also, I gave her bits of fleece as nesting material and she used it but the babies are in a pile off to the side of the nest not on the soft fleece. After how many days should I make an attempt to move them on the softer material if at all? I just know to definitely not handle them the first 24 hours. What are signs of stress in the mother? I only opened the cage a total of three times. When I first found out and fed her and checked her water. Then to peek in and get an idea of how many there were and what they looked like and then to peek in again out of sheer excitement. Two out of three times she was standing over her babies so I'm assuming she was nursing some of them then. the one other time she climbed up on top of her make shift hidey house and poked her head up at me. She did not SEEM stressed by me peeking at her. And what is this "milk belt/band" I read about on the babies? How do I tell where that is?? I know its for telling if they're nursing but I don't know what it looks like. There are A LOT of them. I haven't been able to count but I know rats can have 20+ pups. If I had to guess from the size of the pile of pinkies I'd say she had 10-15. I really don't know what to do. I don't know if I should keep an eye on them or just leave her be. PLEASE HELP!!!

First of all. NO flamers telling me I'm a terrible pet owner.

Secondly, I bought a female rat from a pet store about two weeks ago. She WAS in a cage with males (they were meant to be feeder rats) and I knew that but she was small so I figured she was too young to get pregnant. However the last couple days I noticed that it seemed like her tummy was growing faster than the rest of her (will try to post pic) not only is her tummy rather big it seems rounded AND I noticed her nipples were showing more than before. Does it sound like she is pregnant?

She is currently in a small tank and I was shopping for roomier wire cages but now I don't know if I should get some of the multilevel wire cages if she is preggo and about to have babies because I don't want her or the babies to fall and get hurt. I was looking at Martin's cages because those seemed to have some of the best reviews from other rat aficionados, however, I did not like what I saw because the balconies and upper levels are wire mesh which is bad for their feet. This is my first rat, however I have owned dwarf hamsters and guinea pigs and mice before so I am familiar with the rodent world. I was attracted to this cage: http://www.amazon.com/Superpet-Pets-International-... because it has a deep pan and I thought if she had babies they wouldn't be able to crawl out of it and the balconies are not wire mesh unlike most other cages I've seen. But some of the reviews have said it falls apart, rats can chew out of it, and that one rat even died because a balcony fell and she broke her rib. Please if you think it sounds like my little Selena is preggo, can you help me choose a cage/suggest a good food brand/etc.?

We think our golden comet is sick. She is staying away from the rest of the flock, not laying anymore, she's clucking funny, she won't eat her egg layer food. When she clucks it is kind of like she is whining...if chickens were to whine. It is low and tired sounding, not bright and energetic. Any ideas about what's wrong with her? She was just molting and stopped laying for that but the other chicken that was molting at the same time as her has already started laying again. please help! We love this chicken! Our vet is closed until the 25th so we are trying to figure out what to do in the mean time.

Hey I was wondering what the sounds that guinea pigs make mean? Particularly what does that kind of purring sound mean? One person said it means they're happy and another said it means they're mad. I notice my two males sometimes seem to make that noise at each other in their cage. I notice they always wheek when I am feeding them hay so is that happy/excited? Thanks!

Hi there, I have two male guinea pigs Aristotle and Socrates. I love watching them play and I was wondering what are some good toys to give them? Right now they have a couple of those dangly bird toys with wood and bells hanging off of them and they love chewing on it and ringing the bell. Any ideas for home made toys? Or link me to site that sells good piggy toys. Also what are some good veggies piggies like? I've been feeding them cucumber slices and chopped bell peppers a few times a week and they gobble them up. I have some squash in the fridge but I don't know if they eat that. Also what is the ideal serving of veggies for them and how often should they get it? They always eat all the veggies I give them within a 24 hr period. Is it possible to give them too much? Thanks!

I'm having a lot of trouble training my Aussie, Delilah, not to bark, jump on people, and bite. The biting is playful, not malicious, but now that she's bigger it is really not acceptable. The barking is my biggest problem right now. I just moved in to my own apartment, before the move I didn't have much trouble with her barking at night, but since we moved in she's been really restless all night long and I have to stay up with her all night trying to keep her from barking. What is really frustrating is that she is quiet during the day! I walk her every day, sometimes twice. I've had no trouble teaching her the basics (sit, stay, lay down, come) with positive stimuli, but I cannot for the life of me get her to respond to a negative stimuli when she's doing something bad (like jumping) I've tried everything, making loud noises, spraying her with water, bopping her on the nose. I know that Aussie's are an aggressive dog that want to be dominant so when I feel she's over stepping her boundaries (just about everyday) I pin her down and hold her to show her I'm still the dominant one. After awhile she responds to this treatment and settles down however it is difficult and too tiresome to do every time she barks. Can anyone help me out? Do you know of any support groups? I love her so much, I just want her to behave!

I know it sounds like the dumbest most obvious question but hear the whole story first, please. I have four hamsters (3males, 1 female) and two mice (two males) I have the cages set up as follows: two ten gallons on bottom, the two mice in the right side and one male hamster on the left, a fifteen gallon on top with two more male hamsters and a wire cage on top containing one female hamster. Somehow my female hamster got into my male mouse cage. It has yet to be determined if she got out of her cage and got in there herself or if one of my younger siblings did it. Both are possible, but we're going to assume the former for now. After freaking out and checking to see if my mice were OK (they were, and so was the hamster) and no one was hurt I put her back in her own cage. Now I was just at the pet store picking up crickets for my sister's tarantula and I mentioned the story to the cashier and she told me that they had a case where someone brought in a hamster/mouse crossbreed. Is it total bullshit or is it remotely possible?

I have three male dwarf hamsters, Presho, Timothy, and Zim. For a few weeks Presho was living with my friend (long story). I thought I could just put him back in their cage and they would remember him but, Timothy, my more aggressive hamster, started fighting with Presho right away. They always used to fight a little before but things seemed to be going a little too far so I separated them and kept Presho in a carrying cage for the night. Now I've taken Timothy out the mix. Presho and Zim aren't fighting, really but it doesn't look like they are getting along either. Will they ever be able to be cage mates again? I need advice.

I'm planning on getting a painted turtle from petco, I think. What all do I need? I'm thinking I want a fairly small turtle. Can I get by with fifteen gallon tank? what kind of filter do I need? I'm in the process of researching but suggestions and such are nice.

There is an option to answer it in speaker phone so I know I have speaker phone but I have yet to figure out how to put someone on speaker phone while I am talking to them. I've had the phone for six months. I feel so dumb I haven't figured it out yet. =P

I noticed my new tree frog, Dylan, is really fat all of a sudden.

When I first got him he could have quite possibly been under weight. The petstore I bought him from had tree frogs and anoles mixed together and he was the smallest frog so he may not have gotten as much food as the others. I've been feeding him a cricket or two every other day. Is this healthy weight gain or bloating, a sign of edema? What could have caused this? What are other signs? I read to cure frogs of this you have to soak them in spring water, can I use the bottled spring water? Is there anyone with personal experience? Helpp. I haven't had him long but I'm already really attatched to the little guy. As soon as I noticed the difference I got on the web and did research and came here because I always get such positive feedback from answers.

I have three dwarf hamsters. One had been handled before I bought it and two of them had not. One of the two wild ones is now very tame and lets me pick him right up out of his cage however I still have one that just does not like my hand in his cage. I use a tube or a hamster ball to scoop him up with to handle him. He doesn't bite once I'm holding him, only when my hand is in his cage. I've been picking him like that and gently handling him almost everyday since I got him but still if I put my hand in his cage he punches me with his little paws and if I try to grab him he turns around and bites. The act of coaxing him into the tube is getting very tedious but I know I have to do it or he'll just go wild completely. Is there anything I can do to expedite this process? I've been handling him gently for a month now and the other day he bit my finger and drew blood. =[ I love the little guy, but he's making me so mad.

I have a very small green tree frog. He's so small that some of the crickets I bought for him are about as big as he is! The only livefood I have easy access to are mealworms and such from walmart and what's in my back yard. If I want crickets I have to drive almost an hour away. I want him to have more variety than just mealworms and I was going to catch flies/wild crickets/etc. to feed him but I don't want to give him anything that's poisonus. Are there insects that I should absolutely avoid giving my frog? I was going to breed crickets like I used to for my tokay geckos..but like I said they're about as big as he is! What other options do I have?

I just bought a green tree frog. He's a little guy so I'm keeping him in a small aquarium I used to use for fish. I'm using smooth rocks and those decorative colored glass stones and a bunch of fake plants I got from the crafts section in his tank right now. I rinsed everything in hot water and misted the tank with de chlorinated water. My main concern is that I'm not sure I have appropriate heating. I used to have a heat rock for reptiles that I planned on using but I couldn't find it. Right now I am just using the light that came with the aquarium but I am afraid it's not efficient. I live a good hour away from the pet store I got him from. What are some alternatives I can use for a heat source? Is there something that walmart carries? Is the aquarium light ok for now?

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These three baby birds were in a nest at the top of my unused chimney and seem to have fallen down to the bottom. What kind are they and if the mother doesn't come what can I do to keep them from dying? I don't want my cat to get them!

I have a small un-used fishtank because I just upgraded to a larger aquarium. I've been keeping a pretty successful tropical aquarium for awhile now and I also have three dwarf hamsters, I was thinking a small tree frog or a small lizard would be a nice addition to my little menagerie. Are there any suggestions as to what to get? My reptile keeping experience extends to two pet tokay geckos, and an iguana I cared for for awhile. I also hatched ring neck snake eggs I found in the backyard but didn't keep the babies for long. I want something low maintenance and small. I would rather not have to provide live prey because I'm too far from a pet store that sells crickets and walmart only has meal worms but I can manage it if need be.

I posted on here last week asking whether it would be alright to get more dwarf hamsters to be cage mates with my first dwarf, Zim. After receiving positive answers on here and doing plenty of my own research I went to the pet store and bought two more male Russian dwarfs, Presho and Timothy. I had a fresh clean cage that none of the hamsters had been in before to introduce them to each other in. I started out by putting in Presho, the more mellow of the two and then putting in Zim after Presho had explored. Zim and Presho became acquainted with out much incident and when they seemed to be getting along I introduced Timothy to the enclosure. Everything seemed alright at first. There were a few minor play fights but they seemed to be getting on alright. Then there was a fight involving all three hamsters in which there was desparate sounding squeaks. At my friend's advice I separated them for the night. Should I continue to try and introduce them to each other under supervision?

I just got a male dwarf hamster a couple weeks ago. He is about six weeks old now and I'd like to get a second male dwarf hamster.

I have had hamsters before but they were syrian hamsters so I haven't had the opprotunity to have more than one at a time.

Currently I have a Hartz hamster cage than can be connected to or disconnected from other cages so if things really don't work out with the second hamster I can always keep two separate cages.

I don't want to breed..I just like this hamster so much I want more! I have researched about hamsters and I have read techniques for introducing a new hamster. I just thought it would be good to get more opinions.