christine

Hi everyone,

So, I used to have parakeets when I was young, and now I'm getting back into birdkeeping with a hand-raised scaley-breasted lorikeet.

I've been reading furiously about all things lorikeet for the past few weeks, and I'm pretty confident in feeding, housing and socialising with the bird.

However- there's a few things I'm not 100% sure about.

1. I know that parrots need a good nights sleep. I have two cages- a smaller cage for inside, and a large cage that sits on my verandah. My family tends to stay up until 9:30pm every night, sometimes later. Is this too late for a bird to stay up? If so, do I put the bird outside to sleep with a cover, or put the bird in the spare room/my room with a cover??? Do I need to cover at all if the bird is in a dark room??

It also makes me worry- will the bird get lonely sleeping by itself? I don't plan on getting a second bird unless my company turns out to be insufficient for the lorikeet.

How much noise is TOO much noise at night for a bird??

I was planning to keep the smaller cage in my office during the day (where I spend most of my time), but I also play music on my computer until 9:30pm. Would this disrupt the bird's sleep?

2. Clipped wings or not?

At first the wings will be clipped (easier to train when a bird can't fly away too far) but I'm unsure if I should let them grow back or not. The big outside cage is made for BIG parrots, and lorikeets aren't huge. If the wings were unclipped the bird could have a nice fly around in the big cage, as well as in my office while I'm around.

3. And just out of curiosity- at what age are Lorikeets usually sent to a new home?

ANY other tips are great! Thanks!

Hi everyone.

I rescued a 35yr old pony mare from a some people who did not know how to care for a pony of her age. She has Cushings, and pretty bad arthritis in one knee.

But anyway, I have NO idea what breed she is. I was given some old photos from her owner, but I still can't figure it out. She's about 14hh.

She's also a strange colour- chestnut with flaxen mane ... and dark legs?? Is there a name for that colour??

Keep in mind that I live in Australia- so we don't have mustangs. We have Brumbies!

Pics:

When she was young:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62025496@N08/83786544...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62025496@N08/83797848...

Picture from today (at 35yrs of age)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62025496@N08/83854569...

Hey everyone.

I've kept a betta for a good many years. I've pretty much always had a fish for my whole life. Unfortunately, I went on holiday and my friend murdered my last betta (accidental murder, of course)

I purchased a new betta yesterday. He's very young and very small.

I have him in a cycled 5 gallon tank (18L) with a waterfall filter and a heater

He was in a TINY jar when I bought him. Hardly a cup of water in it.

He is not moving much, breathing very hard and moving his front fins rapidly. He IS eating, though.

Do you think this stress is caused by the move to a (much) bigger tank? Or does he sound sick?

Should I perhaps put some more plants/hiding places in there?

Hey everyone!

So my boss just bought an OTTB for me to train (and then we split the sale price).

He failed pretty bad as a racehorse. Didn't have the will to gallop. But he is incredibly well conformed (best conformed TB I've seen!) with lovely movement, temperament. Everything. He's a total package.

However, he has a funny shaped head. Just below his eyes in the middle (upper nasal bone) it is asymmetrical. One side is normal, and the other is kind of.... squished. He doesn't have any scars or anything. COuld be a birth defect, or perhaps he ran head first into a fence when his skull was still soft as a foal.

Anyway, we kept it in the back of our minds that he may have something wrong with him.

His paddock is pretty much in my backyard, so I can look out and see him all the time. A couple days ago I saw him standing with his head down and tilted to the side. There WERE lots of flies around, and he was tossing his head every once and a while... so it could have been just that. But still worth a mention.

He also has a bit of trouble going down hills- but again, his feet are still recovering from the racetrack, so he's a bit footsore.

I've ridden him once at the walk- and he was perfectly fine. Green, but responded well. Nothing seems to be wrong with his behaviour while I'm handling him. He's a total sweety.

Is this worth further investigation, or should I wait for more signs? I've never had a neurologically challenged horse before. New grounds for me!

While watching the Olympic Equestrian, I noticed that most (like... 90%) of the horses in dressage swish their tails while doing the harder movements. I.e. piaffe,passage, tempi changes.

I have ALWAYS been taught that a 'swishing tail' was a sign of an unhappy, sore or angry horse.

Skip back a bit, I went to a competition with my boss's stallion who I exercise/train. We were asked to do a 'freestyle' workout pattern, in which I included flying changes, 10m canter circles, and lateral movements.

When the time came for placings, the judge told me I lost points because the stallion was swishing his tail.

To be honest, he felt incredibly fluid and relaxed to me. I know this horse, I've been riding him for about a year 3-6x a week.

I checked his saddle fit (fine) got the chiropractor out (fine) and took him on trails for a week for a change of scenery from the dressage arena. I also massaged him frequently (no knots or sore spots)

Upon returning to dressgae work, I started noticing that he swished his tail pretty much only when we were doing the more difficult movements that took a LOT of concentration and muscle power from him.

So my question is:

Do you think a swishing tail ONLY happens when a horse is uncomfortable? Or can I say that he swishes his tail when he's trying/working hard....like the olympic horses?

Food for thought!

Hi everyone!

So, I've just rescued a pony. She's 34 years old, and I'm about 99% sure she has cushings. (Long curly, matted coat, swayed back, pot belly)

I don't expect her to live long (poor thing!) but I want to make her last months/years as comfortable as possible.

Do any of you have experience with Cushings? How did you make the pony/horse more comfortable???

We're coming into Summer, and it's already starting to get humid. She's started sweating. I've given her a bath today, and plan to clip some (if not all) of that hair off. I doubt she's ever been clipped, but she's so old that she doesn't put up a fight with anything.

Any dietry advice??

Almost all her teeth are gone. She can eat grass fine, and seems to manage okay with very high quality hay. She also gets chaff, a basic pelleted feed, minerals, salt and a soyabean mash (maxi-soy)

What do you think?

Hi guys.

So, I turn my betta's filter system off every night (so that I can sleep without the noise) and turn it back on in the morning. When the filter kicks in, a bunch of tiny, white oval shaped things swim around the tank and then dive into the safety of the gravel.

They kind of look like recently hatched brine shrimp (sea monkeys). I DO feed my betta freeze dried brine shrimp...any chance there could have been some eggs in there?

Is this some kind of visible parasite??

What the heck are they???

Obviously cannot get a picture.,... they're too small for the camera to pick up. Betta is very healthy, active and eating well. PH levels are all good. Water is cleaned regularly.

Any ideas?

Hey guys! So, my bf is moving out into a strictly 'no pets' building, and has asked me to take his axylotl. (Which I'm more than happy to do)

Thing is, I know next to nothing about caring for them.

I've always had fish- and they've lived long and healthy lives, but I assume axylotls are rather different from your run of the mill tropical freshwater fish!

Can you guys give me some tips/hints/care instructions?

I've already searched google, but didn't come up with anything particularly detailed.

Thanks!

So, I'm 20. Young, yes. But my body feels that of a 60 yr old.

I work as a stable hand/stud assistant, and currently have two horses in training. My work is physically hard (and mentally.. but that's a whole 'nother story!) and it seems to have taken quite a large toll on my joints and muscles.

My right knee and ankle click with every step, and both knees get sore before large rain (a good weather forecaster, though). My lower back is pretty much constantly sore, and I pull muscles in my shoulders often.

Don't even get me started on my hips!

So my question: Is this normal for a horse-themed life? Or am I lifting/riding wrong? I have gone to the doctors, and they said it was 'normal wear and tear' for my line of work, but really- I'm 20. Shouldn't my body be vibrant and young and bouncy?

I ride dressage, and I am much more sore after a taxing dressage session. Then again, give me a full day of working on the farm, and I'm equally as sore.

What do you think?? Go back to the doctors??

I've made the decision to sell my horse so I can focus on my career (I work on studs and do basic training).

I'm incredibly heart-broken.

So I figured I'd ask something of a poll to cheer me up.

Have you ever had to give up a horse?? Why?? Do you regret it??

I know we've all had those days when we 'almost' fall but never quite do- what one was the most thrilling and scary for you?

For me: I had just taken my hyper WBX out of a two month spell and was riding him bareback. As soon as I asked for a canter he literally leapt into the air (l swear he was a couple feet in the air) and bolted. I managed to stay on, and pulled him up.

He then proceeded to do some MASSIVE rears, all the while I'm hanging on fearfully bareback.

God knows how I did it. I thank my thigh muscles!!!

(No, she takes the bit fine- I don't need help training my horse to have a bit in her mouth)

Anyway! I've just started training a green-as-grass mare. And the problem is this- she has no room in her mouth.

She has a big thick tongue, and a very low palate. A normal every-day snaffle is too wide.

I went to my tack store today and bought an extremely thin snaffle- but it's still to thick (I mean.. she has NO room in her mouth)

Usually I would just put her in a bitless bridle, or a Pee Wee bit (look it up, it's awesome)

But I intend to do dressage with this horse- SO I need a dressage approved bit.

Which means- one tone (no sweet iron or copper mixes) snaffle.

My tack owner suggested I look up Hippof bits- anyone every heard of those???

Does anyone have any links to some VERY VERY thin snaffles?? Preferably a straight bar?? (The nut-cracker action hits her palette)

Thanks!

So I just bought my first leather saddle (goodbye savings) and have had it for a couple weeks. It's due for a cleaning and an oil.

But I'm a little worried that the oil will make the saddle seat slippery- is this true? Or am I speaking nonsense?

Thanks!

I just bought a new Betta last week- and I found that he won't eat the pelleted food you buy from the pet store. He either ignores it completely, or eats it and spits it out later.

I've heard that Bettas like brine shrimp and mosquito larvae- so I tried giving him a sea monkey (which he loved) and am now giving him mosquito larvae (which is adores).

I'm now going hunting around my property every day looking for larvae.

So here are my questions:

Are mosquito larvae a complete nutritional meal for a betta??

How many larvae should I feed him per day??

What are some alternatives to larvae that don't cost much?

Will he EVER eat the pelleted food??

Thanks for your help!

So, I'm riding and competing a stud stallion this year. We train at Elementary level- which involves a lot of lateral movements (leg yields and shoulder-in). I have a bit of trouble keeping his hindquarters from trailing in the leg yields, so a whip would be the usual fix to that problem.

However, he's terrified of the whip. On the ground, he couldn't care less- I can touch him all over and he won't bat an eyelid.

Once I'm in the saddle and holding a whip (not touching him with is- just holding it)- he's a completely different horse. He'll be jigging, holding his head above the bit, shying... etc. Obviously he's been mis-treated by the whip at some point (according to the owner- a LONG time ago.)

As soon as I toss the whip aside, he'll be back to being his compliant and willing self.

So my question: How do I make the jump between a whip in the ground- and whip in the saddle??

Would a small crop be the way to start before moving onto the long dressage whip??

Hey guys!

So I'm selling my big 16.2hh Warmblood for many reasons- but mostly because I'm moving out of home and he is a high maintenance (expensive) horse.

Once I get myself established at my new work/house, I would love to downsize and get a horse that doesn't need so much feeding. It would probably be a Lipizzaner (generally easy keepers)- around the 15.2hh mark at the most.

So my question to you guys with mid-sized horses (and I know this varies a lot) :

How much do you pay for feed per week?

(P.s. I'm well aware of the extra cost of horses including emergency vet costs, farriery etc. I have owned horses most of my life- I'm just looking to downsize to something that costs slightly less on the feed bill)

Thanks!

Hi guys!

So, I have a mare at my work who looks like she probably has cushings or something similar. She has kept her long winter coat throughout summer- and yes, she is over-weight.

Her hormones are completely out of wack- I think she's been spring heating for about two months now.

She's very obviously not healthy.

YES we will be getting the vet out to give a proper diagnoses- but I'd love to hear your experiences with Cushings and how you dealt with it.

Thanks!

Hey guys!

I'm thinking pretty seriously of selling my horse. I'm moving out of home soon- and I know that I will struggle to keep his high-maintenance (and VERY expensive) lifestyle when I also have bills and rent to deal with.

Obviously, if he doesn't sell I'll find a way to keep him in good health. He's my baby.

ANYWAY.

Here's some facts:

12 years old, registered part-bred Lipizzaner X Warmblood 16.1+hh bay. Has trained dressage his whole life, and is currently competing at 2nd level, and doing some 3rd level movements. Can jump up to 1.20m, has done pony club, sporting, trail rides alone or with others. Easy to catch, shoe, handle and self-loads on the trailer. Has been competed extensively over the past two years and has never come home without a ribbon.

He's won Champion ridden Baroque, Res. Champion open hack, and his dressage scores are consistently in the 60s-low 70's.

Absolutely not a beginners horse.

And here are some pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62025496@N08/68327904...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62025496@N08/68327919...

So what do you think? I've put up an add listing him as $5000. When I bought him as a 10yr old his price was $8000 (but I got a $6000 discount because I trained him). Is $5000 too much for this horse??

... If not- what are some species of fresh-water fish that can live without a pump?

I've had my fighter for a little over a year- and this is the first time I've ever seen him look sickly. He doesn't have any signs of sickness (white spot/ fin rot etc) but he's not eating and seems pretty lethargic.

I went and asked the fish people at my local pet store- and they gave me some 'anti-stress' drops that will improve his slime coating and hopefully alleviate any stress.

His water is rain water- but I still have the anti-chlorine/ammonia drops so I doubt his PH levels are unbalanced.

He has a heater, so the temperature can't be the cause...I've tried changing his fish bowl to something more shallow and wide with lots of hiding places.....But it hasn't made a difference.

Any advice or ideas???