Once you’ve made the decision to get a hedgehog as a pet, your next question will be ‘where can I find a hedgehog for sale?’ Many people, unfortunately, will first go to their local pet store, however in the world of hedgehogs, this is greatly discouraged. Instead, you need to get your hedgehog either from a breeder, or from a hedgehog rescue organization.

If you are looking for a baby hedgehog or a hoglet as they are affectionately known, you will most likely want to find a good breeder. On the other hand, if you are not set on getting a baby, and wouldn’t mind having an older hedgehog, there are many available through hedgehog rescue operations around the world. Let’s take a look at both options.

Start by checking to see if there is a hedgehog breeder in your area. You can easily find this out by checking your local newspaper, or through online resources, such as the Hedgehog Breeders Alliance, at http://hedgehogbreederalliance.org/. If there are no breeders in your area, there is the possibility that owning or breeding hedgehogs in your geographical location is illegal. You need to find this out, by contacting your local game and fish department or commission.

If hedgehogs are allowed, you can find a breeder that is not in your local area, and have a hedgehog shipped to you. If a breeder knows what he or she is doing, shipping a hedgehog is perfectly safe. Hedgehogs are shipped by air, and this doesn’t seem to bother the hedgehogs much. A hedgehog should never be shipped by ground services, such as Fed Ex or UPS.

It costs approximately $100 to $200 to have a hedgehog shipped by air, depending on the starting and ending locations. The breeder will need to obtain a veterinary health certificate, and the hedgehog must be shipped in a kennel designed for shipping.

If you decide to go with a hedgehog rescue operation to obtain your hedgehog, the chances are good that your hedgehog will be shipped to you. However, rescue operations are generally very good about ensuring that you are getting a healthy hedgehog, or that you are aware of any health problems the animal may have. While the shipping costs may be about the same, the cost of the hedgehog will generally be a great deal cheaper than that charged by breeders.

If you absolutely must purchase your hedgehog from your local pet store, there are several things that you should be aware of. Make sure that the hedgehogs have fresh water and food in the cage. Make sure that they have been provided with toys and hiding places, and that there is an exercise wheel in the cage. Make sure that people are allowed to handle the hedgehogs as well, to ensure that they are socialized.

You may have to be patient in your search for a hedgehog, but you will find one, and when you do, it will be the right hedgehog for you, and you will be glad that you had that patience.

You find yourself with a litter of young rabbits and now you will need to find home for them. You want to make sure that the rabbits go to good homes where the rabbits will be well cared. The first thing you should do is take the rabbits to the veterinarian and make sure that the young rabbits are all healthy.

After the veterinarian gives the rabbits a good bill of health, there are, several ways you can find good homes for the rabbits. Start with the newspapers place an ad in the paper that you have rabbits for sale. The reason you are selling the rabbits instead of giving the rabbits away is that if the new owners can afford to pay for the rabbits then there is a better chance of them being able to care for the rabbits. You should only ask for ten to fifteen dollars for each of the rabbits. Remember it is not about the money it is about finding good, loving homes for the rabbits.

The next thing you can do is to place ads on the internet that you have young rabbits for sale. For the same reason again if the new owners can pay for the rabbits then they should be able to care for the rabbits. This usually works well and you should begin to get emails and calls soon.

If however you do not receive the calls and find, enough home for the rabbits you can take the rabbits to a local flea market. The flea markets are, packed with people on the weekends and you will find good homes for the rabbits there. If you do end up at a flea market, do not put the rabbits down on the ground. The flea markets grounds are full of diseases from other animals that people did not take to the veterinarian before they brought their animals to the market. You do not want your rabbits to catch something.

Keep the rabbits inside a clear plastic tote or inside a wire cage in your van or truck. You can line the floor with newspapers to protect your vehicle from accidents.

Once the flea market is over then you should have no rabbits to take back home with you. If however you must you, can simply return the next weekend or find another flea market to take the rabbits too.

This will help to ease your mind that the rabbits will be in good caring home with people that will care for the rabbits just as you did while you had the rabbits.

Rabbits are growing as household pets and so there is a need for them. However, do not be, carried away and breed unwanted pets there are many unwanted pets in the world now that need loving homes already. Breeding more rabbits will only add to the over population of pets and you will begin to have trouble finding good homes in the future for the rabbits.

Time and again you have visited your closest pet shop or a zoo, did you ever see a sugar glider? Those are the little creatures smaller than the thumb and you will surely fall in love with these cute and interesting little rodents if you see one. Some jurisdictions set up laws against having these little cherubic creatures as pets, but many people still find ways to purchase them as pets; of course they need a good intention of actually caring for their pet. Actually you need to read and learn a bit about the animal before having it as your pet, finally if you are sure of buying one of this little Tom Thumbs then you must consider the pros and cons of maintaining it as well. They are cute and would be a lovely pet, but they also need some care and love.

The Sugar Glider’s Food Habit
The most important part of maintaining a sugar glider as a pet is its food chart, its eating habits and nutrition. You can visit your nearest mall or supermarket to fetch your pet cats or dog’s food, which cannot take place in case of a sugar glider. Then again, sugar gliders cannot survive with the lab made pellet foods; instead, they require a queer diet-chart with varieties of insects such as grubs, mealworms and crickets.

Keeping a Sugar Glider
When in their natural habitat, sugar gliders crawl and climb a long distance among the trees in search of its food. This means that they must have a larger cage than other animals which are near around its size, like gerbils, hamsters and ferrets. To be more precise, sugar gliders need a cage almost the size of an aviary to give it a room for free movements.

The Odor
Every beast or beauties of nature comes with a negativity, to cope with its habitat. The only negative attitude of a sugar glider being all cute and all sweet is its body odor. They in their natural habitat mark their territories with the horrid smell emitted from their special glands. However, the fact that they are small makes the smell not very strong like other animals with same glands like ferrets and skunks, but somehow it can be irritating. Along with that these little creatures mark their cage with their urine to notify others of their territory, things can get smelly ion a very short period of time if not cleaned well.

They are also very unruly with their eating and excretory habits. It is very common to see a sugar glider urinate or perform bowel movement while playing or running! They have the habit of throwing their food and wastes out of their cages and create enough mess and noise within their cage.

Dealing with the Noise
Along with being smelly they are noisy as well. As they are nocturnal animals it sometimes may be really chaotic to deal with the noises when you are trying to take a nap. They don’t restrict themselves with playing and running in the cage at, they also make certain type of hissing sound and barking sound as well.

These are very good pets but they also need a right type of temperature around them. This results in large scale handovers of sugar gliders to rescue centers from their adopted homes. So, when you think about having these as pets then make sure that you are responsible enough to handle these responsibilities.

Sugar gliders make for really cuddly and friendly pets. They are one of the friendliest pets you can get. With daily interactions with humans, baby gliders will soon become fond of human friends. In fact, to get the friendliest glider, you must handle them daily as soon as they emerge from the pouch and since before their eyes open.

These delicate creatures can also be made to bond with humans after they have been weaned and brought home. They are very sociable and with proper handling they will soon keep you constant company.

Sugar Gliders are active during the night. They will comfortably bundle up in their cages or in your pocket all day. They are also good TV buddies but will sleep through the afternoon sessions.

As evening approaches, they will become more active and will start gliding around and into your hands. A well-trained glider who has been properly adjusted to a human friend is very easy to handle and care for. They will never run away when allowed to play on an open hand or arm, even when they are active.

Any animal will bite if frightened or startled. But unlike gerbils and hamsters, even a wild glider cannot bite hard enough to produce blood. The life expectancy of a domesticated glider is about 10 to 12 years, which may even go up to 14. In wild, they usually live only up to 4-6 years.
Sugar gliders are easy to care for, but you need to take extra care of them. They have special needs which should be kept in mind. Do your research in advance before deciding to adopt gliders and make sure you have the required time and commitment for them.

Sugar Gliders are highly social animals and they live in huge families called colonies. Because of this, a pet sugar glider should never be kept alone. They need way more attention than most other caged pets. No matter how much time you spend with your pet, you will never be able to replace another sugar glider’s companionship. Sugar gliders are rarely found alone, if ever and they should never be forced to live alone.

A lone sugar glider will fall into depression, may get defensive and refuse eat and might eventually die. If you do not want to breed, you can always keep sugar gliders of the same sex together. Make sure you pick littermates for keeping together or introduce them to each other at a very early age.

A male sugar glider will reach maturity in about 9 to 10 months. Females need some more time to mature.

The cute and friendly Sugar Glider is becoming a common house pet in North America. But always remember, having a pet brings a lot of responsibilities with it. Be sure that no one in the house is allergic to animal fur. Make sure your spouse is okay with it. Think of how existing pets will react to sugar gliders. Think if you have enough time for taking proper care of them. You will also need to have a large cage for them and afford them treatment if they become ill. It is really great to have them as pets, but keep in mind that this is a long-term commitment.?

As cute and loveable as guinea pigs can be, one must remember that a guinea pig is an animal first and foremost. Therefore, when a guinea pig feels threatened, he will use any resource that he has to protect himself, including his teeth. Feeling threatened isn’t the only cause for a guinea pig biting, however.

First, most guinea pigs actually won’t bite you, unless they have a very good reason according to them for doing so. They are not inherently mean animals, and in fact, they have no desire to hurt you at all. Guinea pigs are quite gentle actually. So, if your guinea pig bites, it is important for you to discover why he is biting.

First, guinea pigs do not like to be held or carried in certain ways. Ideally, when you hold or carry a guinea pig, you will hold him in a way that makes him feel safe and secure. This includes holding him against your body, and not carrying him in a way that leaves his abdomen exposed. He simply wants to feel safe, and he may bite you if he doesn’t.

He may also bite even if you are holding or carrying him correctly, but he will do this because he needs to urinate, and he can’t because you are holding him. They may also bite if you’ve held them longer than they think you should. They simply want to be put down, and if their fidgeting doesn’t get you to do what they want, they will get more insistent, by biting.

Often, if a guinea pig has mites or skin irritations, he may nip you if you touch those spots. This is because touching irritated spots actually causes pain, and this is his only way of saying ‘ouch.’ If the irritation is really bad, he may even try to bite you if you pet him. Again, find out what the cause is, and correct it. In most cases, mites or other skin irritations needs treatment from the veterinarian. Also, note that mites cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Some parts of the guinea pig are naturally sensitive, and he may bite you if you touch them. Most guinea pigs don’t want you to touch their rear ends. Sore joints are another reason why your guinea pig may bite you. Again, have him checked by a veterinarian to find the cause of the biting.

Other things that may cause a guinea pig to bite include grooming practices, and being petted in the opposite direction that his hair grows. He may also be unhappy in general, due to housing, food, or attention that is inadequate. Young guinea pigs may bite, simply because they don’t know any better.

While most guinea pigs are not natural biters, there are some who simply have aggressive behavior for no apparent reason. If you cannot find any other cause for biting, this is the diagnosis that you must come to, and you will have to determine whether or not you can live with a guinea pig who is a biter, although you should try to correct this behavior.

Degu Nutrition, Why Pay Full Attention to It?

As with any living, breathing body, nutrition is very important to your Degus overall health and well-being. Degus, like anyone else, enjoy eating. Unfortunately, not just any type of diet is right for Degus.

The most important thing that you need to note when it comes to Degu nutrition is that their little bodies do not process sugar. This means that a Degu that is fed sweets will most likely develop diabetes. A Degu that becomes overweight can also easily develop diabetes, and this is a situation that can easily be avoided by feeding the Degu the right foods and treats.

For Degu nutrition, your Degu needs a variety of fresh vegetables, pellets designed specifically for Degus or chinchillas, wood, grass, and hay. Treats usually come in the form of nuts and seeds. Rodent blocks may also be used.

How much you’re Degu eats depends on the Degu in question. Some need more food than others, while some need less?just like humans. You should feed your Degus twice each day in the morning, and again in the evening. Treats should not be given daily, as nuts and seeds are very high in fat content. Giving these types of treats daily can cause your Degu to quickly become overweight.

You should not feed your Degu fruits, as fruits are too high in sugar content. If you feed him peanuts for treats, make sure that you feed him shelled peanuts. When providing wood, make sure that you are not using any wood that is toxic to Degus. The list of toxic woods is long, and the list of acceptable woods includes hawthorn, apple, hazelnut, and kiln-dried pine.

These woods can be provided in the form of sticks and blocks, but don’t forgo the sticks and branches! The sticks are extremely important for your Degus, especially if you have more than one, as the Degu with the highest pile of sticks gets to be boss in the cage. This is more important than you may realize to their way of life.

Hay should always be available. Timothy Hay is preferred by most Degus, and their owners. You can purchase hay in stacks from most pet stores. Your Degus will not only eat hay, they will also use it to build nests, to make tunnels, and for a variety of other things.

The grass that you grow in your yard is fine for Degus. It is just important that the grass not be treated with any chemicals, including pesticides or products that promote growth. These chemicals can be toxic to your Degu, and washing the grass will not wash away the chemicals.

Hay, grass, and wood can simply be placed in the cage. Food should be put in a crock dish that is too heavy for the Degus to turn over. Of course, along with food, plenty of clean drinking water is also essential for your Degu nutrition.

Hopefully, before you bring your new hedgehog home, you will have adequate housing for him. Housing for hedgehogs doesn’t necessarily have to take up a great deal of space. It does, however, need to be good enough to contain him. Most hedgehogs are known as escape artists.

Plastic or glass containers should be your first choices. Wire cages are seldom suitable for hedgehogs, even if they have solid floors. Small hedgehogs are known for getting their heads caught between the bars. If you are using plastic or glass enclosures make sure that you keep them out of the sun as they can get too hot and injure or kill your hedgehog. Large aquariums with mesh tops are ideal for hedgehogs.

Of course, housing your hedgehog entails more than a suitable enclosure. You must also consider what is required inside of the enclosure. One of the first things you will need is a source of heat, unless you keep the room where your hedgehog is housed between 75 and 85 degrees. You can provide your hedgehog with a heating pad, placed under his bedding.

The bottom of the enclosure should be covered with bedding materials. Avoid using cedar wood chips, as these chips cause respiratory problems. Suitable materials include aspen shavings, newspaper, and pelleted paper. All types of bedding can be purchased from your local pet store, or from online sources. Price will be a concern, because bedding has to be replaced often.

If your hedgehog is litter trained, or being litter trained, he will require a litter box, which should have appropriate litter material for hedgehogs, such as non-clumping cat litter, wood shavings, or shredded newspaper.

Your hedgehog will need at least one place inside his cage that is designated for sleeping. It should be soft, and it should allow him to hide while sleeping. Many hedgehog owners like to use Hedgie Bags, which can be purchased in pet stores, or online. You can also provide your hedgehog with igloos, which are essentially small, plastic bowls turned upside down, with a doorway cut out.

Of course, he needs toys and his exercise wheel, but he also needs plenty of room to move around. He will enjoy pushing and pulling his toys, and he will also enjoy a bit of climbing. Just make sure that he cannot get out of his cage through the top, but don’t close it off in a way that cuts down his ventilation.

Finally, your hedgehog will need food and water dishes. Instead of a water dish, however, you may opt for a water bottle, if your hedgehog will use a water bottle. Crock bowls are ideal for food and water, and they should be cleaned and refilled daily.

The hedgehogs cage should be cleaned out at least once a week, although you will have fewer problems with odor if you make it a point to clean out the hedgehogs housing twice a week, and if you scoop the litter box, or remove feces and wet paper daily.

A mother rabbit will carry her young for about thirty-three days more or less. Then just before the babies are born the mother, rabbit will build a nest out of hay, bedding, and she will pull her own fur from her chest to line the nest. The fur serves two purposes one is that the nest will be soft for the babies and the other reason is to keep the babies warm. The baby rabbits must stay warm to survive.

It is difficult the majority of the time to even tell that the mother rabbit is in fact pregnant. The mother rabbit will not usually gain much if any extra weight and the mother rabbit will not usually consume any more food or require any more food than she normally does each day. You may only be able to tell when the mother actually does give birth to the babies and you awake one morning to find the babies in a nest that the mother rabbit has built and lined with her own fur.

The baby rabbits will be, born with no hair or fur, and will look like little pink rats when they are born. Mother rabbits  will only feed the babies one or maybe two times per day. This is instinct and normal for a mother rabbits. She is protecting her babies from any predators that might follow her to the babies or find the nest.

You may check on the babies to make sure they are all warm and in a group, and to see that they are all getting milk from the mother. Once the babies have been born, then they will begin to grow fur and in a few days, you will be able to see the fur. About ten days after they are born they will begin to open their eyes. In a few weeks, they will begin to hop out of the nest and begin to sample some of the mother’s food. The babies will still need mother’s milk for the first six to seven weeks then you may put the babies in a cage or hutch of their own.

At this time, you may place the male rabbit back into the cage with the mother rabbits. However, please keep in mind you will have more babies if you do as the mother rabbits can become pregnant again. You may not want more baby bunnies and the mother will need to rest up before having more babies. Even though she can reproduce soon after the babies are born.

It is important to try to sex the rabbits and keep the males and females separate. Female rabbits can begin to reproduce and three to four months of age. You do not want the males and females of the same litter to begin to reproduce this will and does cause birth defects in any species even rabbits. The babies can also be stillborn or severely disfigured. No one wants to have to terminate a batch of newborn baby bunnies because of this. In addition, they must not be, allowed to live, suffer, and eventually die on their own.

Hamsters are an ideal pet for teaching and learning about a variety of subjects. They are suited for both the traditional classroom and for the homeschooling family. Because of their small size, clean habits, quiet natures and minimal care needs, they are perfect for almost any educational situation.

First you must choose what type of hamster you want to have. Syrian hamsters (also known as golden or teddy bear hamsters) must be kept alone in a housing unit. If you want to keep more than one, you must have more than one cage or aquarium. This can cause issue with space and monetary investment, especially with a traditional classroom.

Dwarf hamsters can be housed together if they have been raised together or are properly introduced to each other slowly. Keep in mind that having a male/female pair will cause a population explosion. It is best to have same-sex hamster groups for the classroom unless you are specifically breeding the hamsters for a project.

Note: if you have a traditional classroom, make sure you obtain permission before purchasing and bringing your hamsters into the classroom.

Here are some curriculum ideas for homeschooling families or the traditional classroom:

Have students calculate things such as the cost per feeding, the amount of time bags of bedding, boxes of food, boxes of treats will last, etc. Have them measure the amount used each day and then figure an estimate of how long supplies last.

Have them budget a certain amount of money for each month. Have students keep track of how much money has been used and how much more is needed. Have them think of ways to raise money for supplies and equipment, and then have them keep track of what is raised.

Use the hamsters to estimate populations if hamsters have x number of pups per females per month or 6 weeks. Have them do population projections based on different factors: number of pups, number of litters per year, different survival rates, etc.

Have students use different color variations and figure the probability of certain color combinations, etc. Introduce either variables into the equations, such as color, fur type, fur length, etc.

You can also use math to calculate the amount of profit realized if you sell the offspring and determine if it is profitable enough to do over and over. Discuss how chain pet stores and smaller pet stores must compensate in order to turn a profit. If you can make a profit, this might be used for classroom supplies or a class party.

Hamsters can add a lively part to any curriculum. Having students care for the pets can also teach things such as responsibility and compassion. If in a traditional classroom, you can have students take turns caring for the hamster (feeding, cleaning the cage, etc.) and also take the hamster home over long holidays (but only with the parent’s permission having parents sign a permission slip is the best method for this).

Realizing that hamsters have different range of senses than humans is a large part of treating your hamster well. Some of the limitations or amplitude of your hamster’s senses will affect his behavior, and if you understand this, you will not be puzzled or frustrated by your pet’s behavior. It can also keep your hamster safe.

Eyesight: The hamster has very poor eyesight. Hamsters are born blind and as adults a hamster is only able to see a few inches in front of his nose. This makes them unable to tell when they are in danger of falling, because they cannot see that far. For this reason, cages with many levels are not encouraged. Hamsters cannot tell when the floor drops off and they can fall from an upper level. This can cause broken bones, internal injuries and even death. It also means that you should not let your pet perch on your shoulder or hold him while you are standing again, they can fall or leap to a tragic injury or death. The best thing to do is to be careful and help prevent these types of injuries and spare your pet the pain and suffering.

Hearing: In order to make up for their poor eyesight, hamsters have an extraordinary sense of hearing. They can hear and communicate with each other using frequencies that humans cannot hear. Hamsters will often freeze when they hear an unusual sound, then sometimes sniff the air for more information. Because a hamster has such keen hearing, you must speak softly to your pet and make sure your hamster is not kept in a noisy area of the house. Do not allow other pets to make loud noises around your pet. Barking dogs, in particular, can cause extreme stress for your hamster. Children should be taught not to be loud or squeal around your hamster, as well.

Hamsters have delicate ears that can easily tear. Be sure to be gentle with your pet’s ears, and make sure they are not injured in fights with other hamsters.

Smell: Your hamster uses his sense of smell to recognize other hamsters, tell whether a hamster is male or female, find food, and also detect pheromones in hamster social situations. Hamsters actually communicate with each other with pheromones (chemicals that are secreted from the body). Male and female Syrian hamsters mark their territory with scent glands that are located on their hips. Sometimes the fur around these glands are a slightly different color.

Because their sense of smell is so keen, make sure your hands are clean when handling your pet. Scents on your hands can either make your pet agitated or want to nibble you. (Hand washing before and after handling your hamster also helps prevent the spread of disease, as well.)

Do not allow cats to lounge upon the housing area of your hamster, either. The scent of the cat can cause stress for your hamster.

As a general rule to remember, the eyesight of your hamster is poor, and his other senses are more enhanced in order to compensate.

Your ferret is highly active, and wants to interact with you. He won’t be interested in watching television or playing video games, and he of course cannot be let out into the backyard to burn off his energy. He needs you to provide some measure of entertainment for him.

You will always know when your ferret is ready to play. He will do everything but say the words! He will most likely get in front of you, bounce a bit, run back and forth, and possibly even ‘dance’ a bit. He may even tug on your pants leg to get your attention. There won’t be any doubt in your mind that he wants to play, and he has selected you as his playmate.

Ferrets like games that involve chasing, hiding and seeking, and tug-of-war the best. Naturally, there are many variations of these games that you can play with your ferret, and it won’t take long before you know which ones he enjoys the most. He will chatter, dance, and be very interested in the games that he loves.

Entertaining a ferret is not expensive. He doesn’t need fancy toys. He likes the simple things in life. An old dishtowel for tug-of-war, a ball, a paper sack with crumpled up newspaper or wrapping paper inside these are the things that bring joy to your ferrets life.

Get down on your hands and knees and chase him allow him to chase you back, but stay on your hands and knees. Make sure that you have lots of energy! Ferrets are a cuddly ball full of energy and he will be able to play the game a great deal longer than you will.

Ferrets love companions. Two ferrets are always happier than just one, because they have each other for constant entertainment. A dog or cat also makes a good playmate for your ferret.

You should also purchase some toys that will allow your ferret to entertain himself when you can’t play. Toys that hang from strings are very interesting to ferrets. They don’t just want to ‘bat’ the toys like cats do they want to figure out how to get it to their nest, and will spend hours trying to figure that out.

Your ferret may want to nip. This is a natural part of his play until he understands that you do not want him to nip you. Do not hit your ferret. Instead, tap him on the nose and sternly say ‘no.’ Once you’ve done this, do not remain mad at the ferret. Go back to playing with him, and when he nips you again, tap him on the nose again and say ‘no.’ Make sure that you are consistent with this, and it won’t take long for your ferret to associate nipping with you being angry at him. He doesn’t want you to be angry he wants to please you.

You can purchase Ferretone in just about any pet store, or through online pet stores. This substance can be applied to anything that you want the ferret to be interested in. Ferretone is like cat nip but for ferrets.