BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Exotic Pets Helpful pet tips

Share your wealth of knowledge. Many of us have a huge variety of pets. Maybe you have solved the messy bird problem? My solution so far is plastic carpet runners, but contains the leftover seed mess. There has got to be a better solution out there, because it is still hard to clean the poo off the runners. Share your pet tips, please:)
Diana

Can you recognize a sick fish?

A fish is sick if he swims sideways.
If he refuses food for a couple of days.
Fins clamped close to his body.
It sinks or swirls.
Scratching up against plants and tank decorations
It becomes very active when it normally isn't
If formally active and he becomes lethargic or still, It's belly is distended.
It gasps at the water surface.
It's gills look purple.
Lesions or white patches appear on his skin.
If he has been floating at the top of the tank, I'm afraid it's to late to treat this fish, give him a proper burial and treat the other fish in the tank pronto!
Using medications is difficult. Many medications are combined by the manufacturer to treat illness. The labels have what type of illness the medication treats. This will help you wade through the confusing process of find what medication for what fish.

Formalin - external parasites like skin flukes
Antibiotics - bacterial infections, fungus gill disease, ulcers
Malachite Green - Ichthyophthivrius multifilius or ich
Paragon - open sores, hemorrhaging, inflamed gills, anchor worms, copepods.

Some medications will claim to cure everything, Don't believe it, check it out.

You know how awfully uncomfortable a plugged up nose is and we can blow our nose! Think about a cat, dog or any mammal that can't breathe do to a plugged up nose. Put the animal in a cage or crate laying comfortably on a soft blanket. Get a blanket large enough to cover the cage with some left over. Now place a pot of hot water near the cage but not so close that the animal can get scalded. Place the blanket over the cage and water and let him breath in the steam. Keep a close watch on him!

Your cat is very ill or has been injured. You've had him to the vet and they have given you medications, Now it's up to you to monitor him.

At least once a day do a complete physical examination. Look for unexpected or abnormal features. Dull, sunken or staring eyes, appearance on his coat or bedding of blood or other discharges, abnormal or foul smell associated with a wound, bandage or cast with his body as a whole or his environment in general. Also look for swelling associated with a would. Weigh the cat at least once of day and the same time of day. Your looking for decreases in weight due to dehydration or inadequate feeding. Watch his behavior like constant purring, sudden lethargy, general dullness, reluctance to move, mood changes, aggression when handled, restlessness. Make sure he is putting out food and water and taking in food and water. Watch his body temperature. A normal cat's temperature is 101.3F by rectum. A cat's pulse is taken on his inner thigh, close to the groin. It might be easier to get it right from the chest wall. A normal cat pulse at rest is 110 and 140 beats per minute, breathing rate is between 24 and 42 breathes per minute An increase or decrease could be a sign of trouble. Keep a record and contact the vet during the first sign of problems.Keep him warm and calm.

What is a bird emergency and do you know what to do?
*First and foremost if you have a bird be ready for a bird emergency before it happens! Have a carrier ready to transport the bird. Have a towel on hand to restrain the bird. Keep a bird first aid kit handy.

Kit- scissors, cloth + towels, paper towels, styptic powder, needle nose pliers and a electrolyte solution.

*Know what is a life-threatening situation and what is not

Life threatening is bites, deep cuts, bleeding that can't be stopped, burns, poisoning, difficulty breathing, collapse, blood in droppings, straining to defecate or strain in passing an egg. Get help now, this very second!

Urgent care is get to the vet in the next few hours.
lack of interest in eating especially if he has that puffed up look. eye injury, swellings, broken bones, diarrhea, direct contact with dog or cat saliva regardless if the skin is broken, even saliva on the feathers can kill the bird.

Remember that birds are very deceptive when they are sick. Birds hide illness. If he appears sick he could have been sick for a long time and you don't know it.

*Practice restraining your bird with the towel before you need to in a real emergency.
Know how to stabilize your bird.

If someone else is with you have them call the vet as you stabilize the bird.
Bleeding find the source of the blood. Apply direct pressure with a towel or a finger. Toenail bleeding apply styptic powder or cornstarch. Blood feather with needle-nose pliers pull the feather by gripping as close to the base of the feather as possible, pull it out smoothly. Then apply direct pressure.

Breathing get him away from the source it is probably inhaling deadly fumes, get him to a vet.

Burns, boil calm the burn in cold water, grease, cornstarch or flour will absorb the still dangerous grease. Chemical burns like a acid (drain cleaner) lots of cool water to dilute the chemical and them baking soda and water paste to neutralize the chemical. Treat a alkali burn such as ammonia by diluting with cool water and neutralizing with vinegar.

NEVER use topical cortisone on any injury or burn of a bird.

Heatstroke cool down with a cool and cold mist of water. Offer a electrolyte solution or water and get it to a vet.

Rear end protrusion, this is a serious problem get to a vet as soon as possible!

Poisoning, seizures, swallowing or breathing in dangerous objects - get to a vet immediately!

Keep the bird as calm as possible and keep it warm

Birds can starve to death in 24-48 hours

Tragedy Strikes!! Your Bird escapes! How to get him back!
Few things are more heart breaking than a bird escaping. You feel so helpless. But there are things you can do. Especially if you think now, right this very minute and use prevention and be ready for when the bird does escape.

Clip the birds wings. Keep them trimmed often. You'd really be surprised on how fast a bird can get through a open door.

Make sure the bird has identification. Both record the number of the leg band AND have a micro chip inserted . Many times someone will find your bird and want to keep them...nasty little people! but now you can prove it is your bird.

When your bird does escape put the bird's cage outside with a big bowl of his favorite food. If you can rig up a door closer to slam the door shut behind him. He will get tired of the thrill of being free, (in a day or two) and return to the cage. Do keep an eye out so when the bird does come back you can close the door. Have several people take turns watching for the return!

Have a lost bird kit before he gets lost. Have a picture ready. Put flyers up all over the neighbor hood and at all the vet clinics. Put the flyers up at all the pet stores and stores that carry pet products. Check in a post at shelters. Post on www.birdhotline.com Your world wide lost and found! This is a great site to get to know. Product safety warnings too! You too can be a bird hotline guardian angle! Take ads out in the classifieds.

Bird Hotline

Usually it may take only a day or two to find your bird. But never give up, keep at it many birds have been found MONTHS after they have escaped!

Pets and Disasters

Our country stands united for the first time since the end of world war II The world is showing the greatest display of unity in the history of mankind. The spirit of America rings all over the world. The sweet sounds of Amazing Grace from Berlin Germany resonate across the lands. The rescue workers in Manhatten chant USA USA to Prsident Bush television stations broadcasting the scene to all the free nations. Every where I look I see the American flag being displayed proudly sending a powerful message of our pride, our strength and our unity to the world.

We have seen how quickly disaster can happen. We live in a very unsure world. Now is the time more than ever to make sure you are ready for emergency situations. When we all made the decisions to share our lives with pets we took the responsibility to insure their safety.

If your pet is missing or was separated from you during the terrorist attacks on the East Coast call
1-888-957-8123

FEMA's website, is the gathering of the best advice and resources available to help you prepare and respond to the emergency needs of your animals.

Animals and Emergencies - Federal Emergency management Agency http://www.fema.gov/fema/anemer.htm

Pets will most likely survive a disaster but all to many times families and pets are separated forever. There is a way to determine which pet belongs to what family. Make sure your pet has a microchip. This includes birds also. The bird's leg band should be recorded, along with a picture and stored in a safe place. It doesn't hurt to make a complete file on all your pets, medical information, pictures, identification numbers and a written description of unique markings. Have two copies of this, keep one in a safe place and give another to a family member in another city or state.

Always be ready for a fire or any other disaster that can occur. Have crates ready to use. Not stuffed three feet under the junk in the garage. Ready to go NOW! Each mature member of the family should have a pre-assigned chore incase of fire. REHEARSE this plan time and time again. When the young children are safe the people in charge of the pets should crate them and get them out. If you can't get them out, crate them and put wet blankets over the crates. Get a sign to hang outside of your house (Now, not during fire <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> . Small animals inside. Or CAGED animals inside. Those caged animals stand little chance of survival. ABOVE all else have a smoke alarm with fresh batteries. Make sure you plug those batteries back in after you burn your toast in the morning!

You might want to consider a harness and a light leash for the bird. When you travel have him in a proper carrier. Use one of the high-impact crates and secure a perch toward the bottom of it. The instructions for creating this crate in next paragraph. Not all airlines allow birds, but many will let them travel in a carrier right under your seat. Keep the carrier darkened to prevent LOUD screeches! These birds love to show off to strangers!

Buy yourself a regular dog/cat pet carrier. The carrier to use is the hard impact plastic with vents on the side and the metal grid door in the front. Fasten a perch near the base of the carrier. Place two screws through the carrier wall into the perch to firmly attach the perch. A perch isn't needed if you�re just going to a vet. But if you have an emergency like fire, earthquake, tornado, floods, or hurricane you will need a perched carrier. Prepare this carrier before an emergency arise and keep it in a handy and easy to get at location.

Exotic pet owners have a vast amount of experience. Please share the experiences you have had with your pets, problem solving, getting them to eat ect. I look forward to learning from you all!
Diana

We've had to feed our cat antibiotics for the past few days. Instead of trying to force feed it to him (which we did try once, not very successfully) we simply swirled the antibiotic into some tuna fish oil. He eagerly lapped it up and the oil was strong enough flavored that he didn't even notice. Then I got to have the healthy tuna fish for my meal <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Excellent suggestion. However it brought quite a chuckle. Have you heard the story of giving a cat a pill? I read that once, I seriously doubt if I stop laughing half the day. Why, I suppose because their is truth in it!!
Diana