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Guinea pigs are prey animals. In the wild, their relatives spend a lot of time hiding from predators. Domestic animals don’t have that worry, but they still retain the desire to hide and feel safe. Here are some ideas for guinea pig hideouts. A hiding place is an essential item for your guinea pig’s cage. If you have more than one piggy (and that’s always a good idea, since they’re herd animals by nature), you should have one hideout for each pig....

History Temperament Speech and Vocalizations Colors and Markings Care Health Problems Diet and Nutrition Exercise Where to Adopt or Buy Further Research The Half-moon conure is a medium-sized dwarf parrots species that is known for its excitable personality and for being a little quieter than some other conures. Like most birds, half-moon conures need a lot of social interaction, exercise, and mental stimulation, but they can make a great pet for the right person....

Cats need fresh drinking water every day for optimum health. Water is essential for helping the kidneys flush out toxins from the blood. Whether from illness or lack of fluids, dehydration in cats is dangerous, and if not treated, can lead to death. Cats in kidney failure, either acute or chronic renal failure, often require extra fluids given either intravenously or by subcutaneous drip. The latter therapy is often carried out at home and is relatively easy to learn and perform....

If you’re the kind of home dweller who likes everything to be just so, with the perfect color scheme, accessories, paint techniques, cozy blankets, and all the best amenities, you might not love the idea of a dog crashing your chic abode. You don’t, however, have to choose between your beloved dog and your ideal home style. Tiffany Leigh Piotrowski of Tiffany Leigh Design says that being a dog owner means you need to okay with some level of mess, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the pet and the home you love....

Preparation Choose a Command Lure Your Dog Add the Down Increase the Time Try Other Rooms Problems and Proofing Behavior Training your dog to go to its place can be helpful when you need it to settle down or get out from under your feet. You can pick one place in your home or a different place in each room to send your dog when you tell it to go to its place....

What Is Demodectic Mange? Symptoms Causes Diagnosing Treatment and Prevention Prognosis Demodectic mange, also called red mange, demodex, or demodicosis, is a skin disease caused by Demodex canis, a cigar-shaped microscopic mite that is a normal inhabitant of canine skin and found on most healthy dogs. The mite infests hair follicles and occasionally the sebaceous glands of the skin. In dogs with healthy immune systems, the body can naturally manage the number of mites on the skin....

You have likely heard people say that a dog is acting submissive, but do you know what it means? There are several submissive behaviors seen in dogs. These behaviors are forms of canine communication. Many times, submissive behavior is a dog’s way of showing he is friendly and approachable. Why Some Dogs Display Submissive Behaviors Many people misunderstand the meaning of submissive and dominant behaviors in dogs. The terms “submissive” and “dominant” are very general and should not be overanalyzed....

From the playful and affectionate little Bichon Frise to the large and gentle Samoyed, there are lots of pure and mixed-breed mutts that come with white coats. On rare occasions, your dog may look like they have a white coat, when they actually have albinism. This is when there’s a lack of pigmentation in the skin and fur, and it gives your dog’s coat a white appearance. Albino dogs will have pink hues around their eyes, nose and skin....

Male sugar gliders have a distinct bald spot on the top of their head that appears as they reach sexual maturity (the age of this is variable, but often around 12-15 months of age for males). This area, which is a diamond-shaped patch right on the forehead, is a scent gland. The male glider uses this scent gland to mark his female mate, his offspring, and his territory. Sugar Glider Anatomy The male sugar glider actually has three scent glands: the one on his head, a second on his chest (which may appear as a small bald spot or may cause the fur to be slightly discolored in the area over the scent gland), and a third in the genital area (next to the cloaca)....

All dogs from Wales have one thing in common—a laborious past—each had a job to do as herders, vermin catchers, otterhounds, hunters, or game retrievers. Most of the Welsh breeds have strong working drives and tend to be energetic. A majority will be best suited to homes that enjoy leading an active lifestyle. Several breeds have gone extinct over the past century, but seven from Wales in the western part of the United Kingdom continue to thrive....

Black dog syndrome, also known as BDS, is a phenomenon in pet adoption in which black dogs are ignored in favor of light-colored ones. Observed by shelters and rescue groups across the world, BDS is an issue negatively affecting the adoption rates of black pets. The reason behind the phenomenon is unclear. Adopters might pass by black dogs because of a fear stigma against certain breed types—like pit bulls, for instance....

Beautiful, live soft corals can be easy to take care in reef aquariums. The soft coral species listed below are good choices for any reef keeper and are ideal for beginning reef keepers to start with. These are hardy varieties that typically adapt well to aquarium life and don’t require intense light; most do best with low to moderate lighting and water movement or similar reef tank conditions. And since many corals derive a substantial portion of their nutrition through absorption of nutrients from the water, they actually survive in less-than-perfect water conditions....

Choosing a food for your cat can seem daunting. There are more brands and styles of cat food on the market than ever before. With so many brands out there, it can seem near impossible to pick the best one for your cat. What are things to look for in a cat food? How can you know you’re picking a healthy option? Some healthy ingredients to look for: A protein source other than meat Ingredients that are low on starch Ingredients recommended by the Association of American Feed Control Officers (AAFCO) Basic Nutritional Needs for Cats Cats are considered to be obligate carnivores....

Things to Consider Healthy Snakes Beginner Snakes Snakes to Avoid General Information Snakes are fascinating animals, and with regular handling, most of them can be quite tame as pets. However, snakes are obviously not the right pets for everyone. They have unique requirements and should only be cared for by those with the commitment and understanding to meet their needs. If you are new to pet snakes, find out what you should consider before deciding to get one and what species are the best snakes for beginners....

We know that birds are susceptible to many of the same health problems that can affect people, including viruses and bacterial infections. Did you know, however, that birds can also get lice? Not only that—there are specific types of lice that have developed to affect parrots exclusively. Learn all about these creepy crawly parasites, how to identify them, and how to get rid of them in this article on parrot lice....

African pygmy hedgehogs have long been considered solitary, but some owners have found they can get along under some circumstances. This leads to the question of whether hedgehogs should have the company of other hedgehogs. Hedgehogs Are Solitary by Nature African pygmy hedgehogs do not seem to crave the companionship of other hedgehogs, so it is fine to keep a single hedgehog. If hedgehogs do not get along, they will fight, sometimes inflicting serious damage to one another....

Horses that balk usually refuse to move forward. Many school horses and kid’s ponies seem to have this frustrating behavior down to a fine art. The usual response by an inexperienced rider is to drum their heels on their horse’s sides while pulling back and forth on the reins, frantically trying to get the pony to move forward. Many horses learn to completely ignore this. It only takes some assertive seat and leg aids to send a horse down the trail, over a jump or past an object they think they are afraid of....

Small cat breeds make popular pets because of their compact size and cute features. Larger cat breeds tip the scales at 15 pounds (or more), while the smallest members of the feline family often weigh 5 to 10 pounds. Their height may vary, since some small cat breeds have lanky legs and others, like the munchkin, stand less than 10 inches tall at the shoulder. They come in a wide range of coats, colors, and unique features to distinguish one small cat breed from the next....

What Is Anhidrosis? Symptoms Causes Diagnosing Treatment Prognosis Prevention Anhidrosis can be a debilitating condition, especially for performance horses. During hot weather or hard exercise, horses with anhidrosis do not sweat. Since sweating is essential for cooling muscles and internal organs, a dry horse will quickly overheat and be in danger of heatstroke. Any horse may be affected, but this condition is much more common in humid southern climates....

Many of us continue to ride through the winter months. Some will train or ride in an arena, or others will enjoy a wintery trail ride, perhaps through freshly fallen snow. Exercise, especially with a thick winter hair coat, can make horses sweat, even in the cold weather. Traveling through snow can be hard work for a horse, so your horse may sweat, even if you are going slow. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you take care to cool your horse out properly and make sure you dry its sweat-dampened coat out before leaving your horse out in the cold....