Friday Fun: The Intricacies Of A Hamster Wheel

April 26, 2013

Friday Fun: The Intricacies Of A Hamster Wheel

Either this little dude is a complete goober or he’s brilliant!

February 13, 2013June 5, 2013

How To Be A Good Vet Client

xoJane has practical advice on how to How Not To Be A Dick At The Vet Hospital. Both of Claire Lower’s parents are vets and she’s heard lots of stories about difficult owners. Her father says, “Not all pet owners are crazy, but all crazy people have pets.” Your pets will be better off if you’re not one of those crazy people!

Claire’s mom has also written a piece on her own blog on being a good vet client. I was really struck by this piece of advice:

Be upfront with the doctor. If you only have $250 to spend let them know. The worst feeling is running blood tests and X-rays then finding out there is no more money to treat the pet. I have a saying.. “X-rays are not therapeutic”

Don’t let your embarrassment hurt your pet. Speak up and tell your vet what’s going on. Your pets are counting on you!

October 24, 2012June 5, 2013

DIY: Rat Condos From Ikea Furniture

People are so clever! Today I bring you 4 easy DIY rat condos,cages or hutches from modified Ikea furniture. You can, of course, use other furniture too and these homes will also work for other small pets with some possible adjustments.

If you don’t already own something that would work for these condos, you still may not have to pay full price. Ikea furniture is often found at thrift stores and garage sales. I bet there’s also a lot of Ikea furniture thrown out by collee students at the of the school year. Don’t forget to check the Returns section at Ikea before paying full price.

First up is a rat cage made from Billy shelves. They left it divided into 3 sections—storage, younger rats, and adult rats. You could also cut holes in the shelves if you wanted to connect the different levels. They add a lip to each shelf which will help keep anything falling out of the cage like bedding or food.

^{_____________________________________________________________________}

The rat condo made from Gorm shelving looks good and has room for some storage. I like that they added wheels to make it easier to move and clean around. It looks like they made the doors themselves, but that’s pretty easy. Home Depot and Lowes will cut your wood for you for free if you don’t have too many cuts to make. The “L” brackets at the corners are a good idea for strength and durability. You don’t want your condo doors to fall apart!

^{_____________________________________________________________________}

This elaborate rat condo made from an Ikea Kullen wardrobe uses other Ikea products as components for the interior, like the tunnels, litter boxes, and houses. This condo has lots of connected level and is flexible, so you can move things around as needed.

^{_____________________________________________________________________}

Another rat condo from a different Ikea wardrobe, the Aneboda. The shelves aren’t permanently fixed so you can change things around for different configurations. I love the flexibility, so you can keep things interesting for your animals.

^{_____________________________________________________________________}

Finally, check out these ideas for repurposing other inexpensive Ikea products for your rats or other small animals. This post gives numerous product suggestions for bedding, litter boxes, play, and infrastructure. The ubiquitous plastic bag holder also works as a bed or lounging platform. Great ideas! I’m going to look at Ikea a little differently next time I’m there.

Don’t miss these other nifty Ikea based DIY pet projects:

(Please note: I am in no way connected to Ikea. Other than I shop there and like all their pretty paper napkins.)

May 2, 2012

Pet Food Recall: Dog, Bird, Mouse, Rat, Hamster, & Poultry

We’ve got a bunch of pet food recalls going on—several due to possible salmonella contamination, two because of dangerously high levels of Vitamin D, and another due to incorrect packaging.

First up we have an expanded recall of Diamond dog foods due to potential Salmonella contamination. (If you have questions or want replacement product or a refund, contact Diamond Pet Foods at 800-442-0402, 8 am – 6 pm EST, Monday through Friday or check out their site www.diamondpetrecall.com.)

1. Diamond Puppy Food (dry dog food)

Size	Product Code	Best-By Date
40lb	DPP0401B22XJW	6-Apr-2013
40lb	DPP0401A21XAW	6-Apr-2013
40lb	DPP0101C31XME	11-Jan-2013
40lb	DPP0401B21XDJ	7-Apr-2013
20lb	DPP0401B22XJW	6-Apr-2013
20lb	DPP0101C31XME	11-Jan-2013
20lb	DPP0101C31XRB	11-Jan-2013
8lb	DPP0401B2XALW	7-Apr-2013
6oz (sample)	DPP0401

2. Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice

Size	Product Code	Best-By Date
6lb	DLR0101D3XALW	04 Jan 2013
20lb	DLR0101C31XAG	03 Jan 2013
40lb	DLR0101C31XMF	03 Jan 2013
40lb	DLR0101C31XAG	03 Jan 2013
40lb	DLR0101D32XMS	04 Jan 2013

3. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula (dry dog food)

Size	Product Code	Best-By Day
35lb	CLF0102B31XCW	27/JAN/2013
35lb	CLF0102B31XCW	28/JAN/2013
35lb	CLF0102B32XWR	28/JAN/2013
6lb	CLF0102B3XALW	28/JAN/2013

______________________________________________

Kaytee is recalling 2 types of baby bird food due to dangerously high levels of Vitamin D which can cause kidney failure. Signs of hypervitamintosis D in birds include:

Lethargy
Anorexia
Crop stasis
Vomiting
Dehydration
Polyuria
Polydipsia
Stunting or delayed development

For important information on tests and treatment read Kaytee’s hypervitamintosis D information page for you and your veterinarian. (Call Kaytee at 1-800 Kaytee-1 (800 529-8331) or email kayteehandfeedingbabybirdrecall@central.com for information on a refund.)

1. Kaytee exact Hand Feeding Formula Baby Bird

Size	Product Code	Lot/Serial #	UPC Code	Best-By Date
6/7.5 oz	100032326	A1	07185947510	21 Mar 2013 20 Apr 2013
6/18 oz	100032328	A2	07185947511	9 Mar 2013 19 Apr 2013
4/5 lb	100032330	A3	07185947512	14 Mar 2013 30 Mar 2013 16 May 2013
4/5 lb	100034332	A3 (Petco)	07185947512	30 March 2013
1/22 lb	100032336	A4	07185947518	21 Mar 2013 13 Apr 2013 16 May 2013

2. Kaytee exact Hand Feeding Formula Baby Macaw

Size	Product Code	Lot/Serial #	UPC Code	Best-By Date
4/5 lb	100032337	B1	07185947515	1 Mar 2013 14 Mar 2013 19 Apr 2013

______________________________________________

Kaytee is also recalling a mouse, rat, & hamster food due to potential salmonella contamination. This food was widely distributed around the world—states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin; and, into the countries of Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Dutch Antilles, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guam, Honduras, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, and Trinidad. (Call 1-800-Kaytee1 (800 529-8331) phone number or Kaytee.com for questions regarding pets that have been fed the product. For a refund, fill out this form on the Kaytee site.)

1. Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Mouse, Rat and Hamster

Size	Material #	UPC Code	Best Before Code
6/5 lb	100502315	71859 00001	03-Apr-2013 K61
25 lb	100502086	71859 99995	31-Mar-2013
6/3 lb	100502085	71859 99994	31-Mar-2013 K63
25 lb	100502275 (Petco only)	71859 00000	30-Mar-2013

______________________________________________

And finally, DuMOR produced for the Tractor Supply Company is recalling a poultry feed due to incorrect packaging. This one can be confusing if you look at the FDA site, so here it is in a nutshell. Some packages of DuMOR Poultry Grower/Finisher (which is for chicks) actually contain DuMOR Poultry Layer 16% Crumbles (which is for egg layers). The adult food can be harmful to chicks. (For more information contact your Tractor Supply Company location, or Feed Solutions Customer Service at 615-315-4092 or 615-315-4090 (Monday-Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM CDT).

1. DuMOR Poultry Grower/Finisher