Victoria

Hi folks! I have some longhaired guinea pigs which free roam the house. The boys prefer the kitchen and the ladies prefer the bedroom. I have little plexiglass panels across the doorways and open them up during the day so the boys and girls can play separately in the hallway and livingroom at different times.

About a month ago, I brought home a 4-month old male lionhead bunny. He is the sweetest thing! He has no problem hopping over the plexiglass panels and he loves to sit next to me on the sofa or sleep under my husband's desk. At night, he likes to be in his bunny cage, which is on a chest by a window so he can see out. He eats his bunny chips and hay, then goes to sleep.

Every morning, I let take him into the kitchen, where I cut up leaf lettuce and cucumbers for the guinea pigs. The bunny eats a small amount of lettuce. I put a few carrot slices out for him and he doesn't think much of that. He might nibble one, but then he lies down under the kitchen table and watches the guinea pigs stuff their furry faces. I've tried putting his lettuce and carrots on a placemat under the table and he still doesn't eat much. I also give him some lettuce and carrot or green pepper at night when he goes in his cage. He seems to eat most of it.

Now, I know what guinea pigs love - JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING!!! The bunny seems to like it when the guinea pigs get a fresh basil snack. He ate a few blueberries the other day. The guinea pigs get their hay free choice and the bunny occassionally joins them. But what else do rabbits like to munch? Any favorites?

Hi Everyone!

Please give me your input and I will choose the best answer at the end of this week.

Here's my dilemna:

I have had parrots all my life - from tiny parakeets to conjures to a macaw. The macaw was housed in a beautiful lage parrot cage and he was originally my grandmothers. He lived to the ripe old age of 84 years and it was a sad day when he finally died one afternoon in his sleep. Recently, I moved to a condominium and dispersed the conjures to loving relatives because one conjure liked to whistle loudly and the other had the mischevious habit of saying "Smack my ***** up!" whenever people came to visit. My only birds now are two pairs of parakeets. These are American parakeets. They live in my livingroom in a deluxe cockatoo cage. The cage is 4 feet wide on each side and 5 feet high. At the top is a round dome, so the actual height is 7 feet. Because it is an antique, the bars are very close together, making it ideal for parakeets. I have made a little ladder, which criss-crosses up the back of the cage because both males love to play on it and they spend many happy hours entertaining each other. There are 2 swings in the cage - parakeet size, which a local metal shop made. The swings have wooden perches, which I cover with Hagen sandpaper. There are 2 nesting boxes, which are handcarved from birch. There is also a little bell, which one of the females faithfully rings each day about noon. The birds have 2 water dishes, which are changed daily, and 2 feed dishes for their seeds. They are not too fond of cooked crushed vegetables or fruit, but I deliver them some several times a week, hoping they will expand their menu. There are 2 cuttlefish bones for then to gnaw on and a couple apple sticks, which they seem to love. The birds are healthy and happy. Occassionally, I take my docile male, who is fully trained, out of the cage to play with and he loves to sit on my shoulder. The other three prefer the cage and they only get out when I examine them twice a week. They have plenty of toys in the cage.

Yesterday, a new neighbor came to visit with her brother. After serving them refreshments, we retired to the livingroom to chat. The brother seemed very interested in the birds and appeared to enjoy having the male parakeet do his usual antics of laying upside down on the coffee table and having his tummy rubbed. All the parakeets have a partial wing clip, which still allows them to fly, but it does limit their ability to take off suddenly and also limits the speed at which they attain altitude. This is a safety measure because the condo has large picture windows. Since I only clip 3 primary feathers, most people don't realize they have been clipped at all. I do not clip baby birds until they are fully mature and have mastered the art of flying. But right now, I have no babies.

This morning, I received a summons from Animal Control, complaining that my cage is inadequate. It cites: POOR BOTTOM COVERING (I use newspaper and cover it with a mat, which is replaced every 2 days with clean newspaper and a freshly washed mat), CROWDED CONDITIONS FOR 4 ADULT PARAKEETS, FOOD SPARSE, INADEQUATE LIGHTING. CHARGE: ANIMAL CRUELTY

I was dumbfounded. The cage is in the corner next to the picture window and the sun streams every morning from sunrise until about noon, which it no longer comes through the window. There is PLENTY of bird food, including fresh millet sprays, which are replaced when the birds have eaten most of the seeds. I feed "Prestige Parakeet Fruit Seed Blend", which is a premium parakeet mix with seeds and dried fruit. As stated before, my birds do not seem to like other food, but I offer them a bowl of homemade cooked crushed vegetables a few times a week.

In my opinon, as an experienced parrot owner, the cage is HUGE for 4 parakeets. It is airy, clean, and the birds love it.

I called the Sheriff Department and found out that my neighbor's brother - the one who came to visit - is an Animal Control Officer. Why would he issue me a summons for arrest and claim "Animal Cruelty"? Is he crazy? I have thought about taking a photograph to the Prosecuting Attorney with an affidavit from my avian veterinarian, but now I'm wondering if I should simply turn this over to a lawyer and sue this jerk for harrassment. Seeing that his sister is my new neighbor, what is your advice? I hate to be on bad terms with a new neighbor, but obviously her brother doesn't care about good relations. Do you think he is trying to put me in jail so he can buy my condo? He did mention a few times in the conversation that he would like to move here, but there is nothing for sale in this building right now.

Animal Cruelty in the state where I live is punishable by a $1500 fine and 90 days in jail.

All answers are welcome, so please tell me what you think.

Hey! I live in one of the Nordic countries in Europe. My favorite pastime is sitting all spring and summer looking at the extensive coastline and identifying consistent and "fairly safe" waves breaks. There are not a lot of sandy beaches :( but there are good surf spots where the sea bottom isn't one sharp reef. The problem I have is that NONE of my friends surf (they have never even SEEN a surfboard) and so I go alone. This fall, I want to consider some bigger wave breaks (4 m)which come after severe storms. The waves are consistent and last for a few days. There are also some 5m+ breaks, but I don't have the skill to surf them. Maybe someday.... At any rate, I'd appreciate knowing if any of you surf alone, Apart from leaving a note with the local police and family where I'm headed, often I see absolutely no-one. I plan to talk to the marina about a waterproof alarm device in case I should ever wash up really hurt and need to call for help. I guess if I don't wash up, well, that's the end. But seriously, what do people do when they have good waves, but no one else to go with?

My clock shows enough time left for me to win. I have the opponent pinned and can checkmate in one move. All of a sudden, my clock jumps directly to zero and the opponent wins because I have run out of time. This is total crap because I have time left on the clock. Is there a new hacking program or what? It seems there's some cheating going on.