Other Pets & Livestock Database

[Kevin565]

Great Profile WildRoseBeef

 

[StarLover21]

Name: Bearded Dragon
Experience Needed: Need to be familiar with reptiles and their heat requirements. Not much different than keeping a brooder going for thier entire life.
Temperament: Extreemly friendly and love to be handled.
Colors: Brown, Golden, Green & blue/reds
Diet: Kale, fruits, super worms & crickets
Life Span: up to 20 years, so it's a lifetime committment.
Environment: They need 100 degrees in the hot end and 70 in the cold end. They also must have UVB light to simulate real sunlight for Vitamin D production.
Family: The make great family pets.

This is Syd. He's 3 years old and just got out of a brumation (3 month hibernation). You have to give him a bath at least once a week because they do not drink out of a water dish, instead soak up water through their vent for hydration.

Good profile! Just a note to all bearded dragon owners: Don't Feed them Fireflies!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Great Profile WildRoseBeef

Thanks!

 

[Terri O]

I would like to comment on the Russian tortoise information given here. They are tortoises that remain smallish so you can find them very easily in the pet trade. The store will tell you they are an excellent "beginner tortoise" This is true and not true! The things they east are very specific weeds and plants. Do NOT feed them fruit. An occasional carrot or some cucumber is OK but only a little bit if they are off their food. The commercial pellets should not be used as the protein is too high and will cause the shell to get pyramid like bumps.
THeir enclosure should be large as they are roamers and should have short solid sides. No glass--it is very confusing for them. They love to be outside and the favorite treat is dandelions! Flowers and leaves. You must be very careful with their outside enclosure as they are escape artists! (learned that one the hard way) They can and do climb brick walls and fencing wire. They also dig very well.
This type of tortoise will hibernate in winter and estavate in summer. They have to be in very good condition if you want to hibernate them when weeds are scarce.
There is very god information on this site: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/

 

[Kevin565]

Thanks for the note Terri!

I would like to comment on the Russian tortoise information given here. They are tortoises that remain smallish so you can find them very easily in the pet trade. The store will tell you they are an excellent "beginner tortoise" This is true and not true! The things they east are very specific weeds and plants. Do NOT feed them fruit. An occasional carrot or some cucumber is OK but only a little bit if they are off their food. The commercial pellets should not be used as the protein is too high and will cause the shell to get pyramid like bumps.
THeir enclosure should be large as they are roamers and should have short solid sides. No glass--it is very confusing for them. They love to be outside and the favorite treat is dandelions! Flowers and leaves. You must be very careful with their outside enclosure as they are escape artists! (learned that one the hard way) They can and do climb brick walls and fencing wire. They also dig very well.
This type of tortoise will hibernate in winter and estavate in summer. They have to be in very good condition if you want to hibernate them when weeds are scarce.
There is very god information on this site: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/

 

[MimiB]

I love Danes! I have a Fawnequin great Dane that will be 6 on the 25th of this month! She is the biggest sweetie! The one thing I did not expect was how much she sheds and also how corse her coat is...it can actually pierce the skin.

 

[Kevin565]

She's gorgeous! Also yes shedding is pretty bad with my Cookie. Strangely her sister rarely ever sheds.

I love Danes! I have a Fawnequin great Dane that will be 6 on the 25th of this month! She is the biggest sweetie! The one thing I did not expect was how much she sheds and also how corse her coat is...it can actually pierce the skin.

 

[GrandmaChickie]

Name: Goffin Cockatoo
Experience Needed: Okay, a disclaimer here--we had had small birds like parakeets and cockatiels in the past and thought we were prepared. We were NOT! So, it would be hypocritical of me to say you have to have a LOT of experience, but I would REALLY recommend that you think LONG and HARD before getting involved with any of the parrot family. They are extremely rewarding, if you put in the time and effort. If you don't, you will have a living, finger-biter taking up a lot of space in one of your rooms. I think there are few things sadder than seeing a bird ruined by lack of socialization, confined to their cage because no one can handle them. Further disclaimer: We have had one female Goffin Cockatoo, and we picked her out at a pet store when she was only a few days old. After that, my husband went in at least three times a week and hand-fed her. By the time she was ready to come home with us, she recognized us when we walked in the door. However, she has bonded with my husband--he is Daddy, the Provider! If she hadn't been so attached to him, I'm not sure we would have made it through her first "female cycle" which comes once a year. Ozzy goes through her season in about February. Her first season, she was aggressive towards everyone but my husband, and whiney and clinging with him. She was still doing her "baby-whine" for food, which is about the most annoying noise I have ever heard and is not stopped by food, though that's what it's supposed to be used for--as in "Hey, Ma! I need food the most! Listen to how loud I am! I must be starving! WaWWWWWWWW!" I don't think she grew out of that until she was almost 3 years old.

Temperment: Cockatoos need LOVE and ATTENTION! Another poster has written very well and extensively about conures and Hahn's and the same is true of Goffins. At least 2 hours a day of just being with you. Ozzy also will not eat supper in her cage. She knows that this is when Daddy comes home, and Daddy is supposed to share his food with her. This is somewhat the bonding and somewhat the "flock mentality." You are now this bird's flock, and you do things with your flock. If your family locked you in a separate room and fed you out of little metal bowls without any other interaction, you'd go crazy (and your family would be arrested--but I digress), and so do parrots/cockatoos. They will begin picking at themselves and become anti-social. You cannot expect to ignore any parrot most of the time, and then have it lavish you with love when you choose to spend some time with it. THEY ARE NOT DOGS! Since this is a chicken site, I imagine most people reading this know and understand that the bird mind and nature is different from your other pets. They can and are loving, but they are different. Aforementioned "other poster" (wish I could remember who it was--I was most impressed with your knowledge) covered the size of the cage and the need for out-of-cage play areas. I will also mention that Goffins are escape artists. We tried every kind of lock we could, and if Ozzy couldn't figure it out, she just took the door off the hinges. We finally super-glued the door-screws and have confounded her for 3 years now with a little springy circle of wire that originally held pony-tail holders--who knew?!. She is figuring out, though. She's not reading this, is she?

Diet: Our pet-store guy (yes, I know, NEVER buy from pet stores, but this guy was actually something of a bird expert), really pushed the pellet diet. The parrot rescue groups really push the pellet diet. Ozzy loves the pellets! She loves to throw them on the floor and at people. She loves to drop them into the bottom of the cage! They make a cute pinging sound as they hit the bars. She loves to soak them in her water bowl. She doesn't eat them. She eats people-food, and I'm sorry to say, she prefers unhealthy people-food. Green veggies? She won't touch them. Fresh fruit? Strawberries and bananas are okay, even better with peanut butter on them. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes? YUMMMM!!! I had no idea cockatoos could eat mash potatoes with their feet--they can!.

Life-Span: No one really knows, though we've been told 70-80 years is not unreasonable. Unfortunately, most parrots lose their lives in tragic accidents or through disease. We all know how fast birds can go downhill. And there is a distinct lack of good avian vet care in many areas. Our closest avian vet is 45 minutes away. We are training our granddaughter to be Ozzy's successor-owner, however, as we optimistically hope to have her until the day we die!

Family: This is a HUGE commitment. I would not recommend any large bird for small children (probably not any bird at all, actually). However, Ozzy does seem to understand that our grandbaby is...well...a baby. She is very gentle and calm around the baby. However, Ozzy trusts us that we aren't going to put her in danger, and if we put this little hand on her head, then it must be okay.

In Conclusion: I've listed a lot of "cons" about owning a cockatoo, but they are soooo worth it, if you put in the time and effort. Ozzy has brought us more joy, pleasure, and entertainment than any of other pets. Goffin's are onery, mischievous, smart, and loving. Ozzy will cuddle right up under my husband's chin, and if he starts spending too much attention to his computer, she will work her way around until she's between him and the screen! She loves to chase us around the front room and have us chase her (Goffins like to run around on the ground) (don't play this game with more than one person or a child or it is too likely that you will end up with a crushed cockatoo). Look at me still throwing out advice in my "in conclusion" paragraph! I'm going to shut up now! LOL!

 

[Kevin565]

Great Profile GrandmaChickie. Very detailed!

 

[zooweemama]

Name: Bearded Dragon
Experience Needed: Moderate basic knowledge of lighting and food requirements a must.
Origin: Australia
Diet: Mainstay: crickets or cockroaches or repti/phoenix worms + chopped dark leafy greens. Mealworms a big no no. Can impact them. Superworms after a certain ok. Require calcium powder and vitamin powder on food. Amount varies on age.
Temperament: Extremely docile and meek. When handled kindly as a baby it will not bite or show aggression.
Environment: Needs a very large vivarium, special UVB lighting, warm temps (90-105, the high end of the for babies), baths (they seldom drink water so they absorb it through their vent) several times a week in warmish clean water for about 15-20 minutes, a basking rock or washable stuffed animal located under the UVB to bask. Tile cut to fit in their tank is the most inexpensive, resuable, easy to clean and safe substrate to put in their tank. Sand can impact them.
Family: Excellent family pet. Does not mind being handled, very docile and meek, are actually well known for the docility.

Additional Notes: A truly exotic pet that lives for up to 10 years. The lighting and heating required are 100% crucial to their health. So is their diet. Basic care knowledge a must. Don't be roped in by the cute babies you see in the pet store. They get up to 2 feet long in less than a year. They need space. The first 6 months they eat A LOT and it can get downright pricey- feeding them less to save money is cruel and people do it all the time. Once you 'get' what they need they are a piece of cake to care for. Mine even snuggles with me almost nightly. They do not urinate which is awesome (the poop and one end of the poop is white and that is the 'pee' and it's usually fairly easy to clean up) and they usually only do it once a day to a couple times a week so it's not a big deal.