Today is your Last Chance

If you want the chance to win some prizes for your pet then enter the name the tadpole contest today is the last day. Just scroll on down or click the tadpoles on the right and put your name choices in the comments box.

HEY WHAT'S THAT??

It's a Wild REX...... LOTS of them!

We went to the local Botanical Gardens this weekend and there were tons of red eared sliders in the ponds there. Check it out.

Look Up on that Log...

ITS SUPER TURTLE

Awww Look at the Babies

We also found this Cute Guy and some Ducks

About Leapord Frogs

The tadpoles that we have are Leopard Frog Tadpoles. There are things you should know if you get one of these kits.

The information I'm going to share with you here is from the first tadpole we received with it. He passed away before we moved to New York.

Eventually the tadpoles are going to become frogs that is the whole point of this product. I have found that while the planet frog habitat is fine when they are tadpoles... it is too small for the frogs when they get full grown. You are going to need something bigger. It's going to need land and water since leopard frogs are not fully aquatic frogs. You will also need to start feeding them live food such as crickets, wingless fruit flies, and wax or mealy worms. If you are not prepared to do this then a leopard frog is not the pet for you.

They will grow to be approximately 3 inches (7-8 cm). Their expected life span is approximately 5-8 years, perhaps longer. If you want to start owning frogs they are a great started pet.

The easiest way to create a suitable habitat for them is to take a 10 gallon tank with a locking lid and set up a divider with Plexiglas. Seal it with aquarium sealant.... do not use anything else as it may be toxic to the frogs which are extremely vulnerable to environmental toxins. Let it set for at least 24 hours before continuing. Then you add substrate on the land side such as a combination of soil and peat moss, covered with a commercial reptile bark substrate and sphagnum moss can be used on the terrestrial side. The depth should be at least 2-3 inches to allow burrowing.

On the water side you can add gravel and other decorations such as drift wood. It is extremely important to use smooth gravel only (to prevent skin abrasions and injuries), and ideally the gravel should be large enough not to be swallowed. You can also decorate your tank with plants live or aquarium fake plants to give the frog someplace to hide. Leopard frogs are not great climbers so they don't need vertical decorations. though you can add some for ascetics if you wish.

The water you use is extremely important. I'm actually using distilled water while they are tadpoles. When I move them over to the big tank I will be uses tap water treated with a dechlorinator that you can get at your local pet store.

They don't require special lighting which is one of the reasons they make excellent starter pets. Their lid should have good ventilation though and be secure against escape attempts.

These frogs are genetically programmed to hibernate, and will naturally slow down and may stop eating in the winter months (usually for about 3 months). If possible, the tank can be cooled to 37-39F (3-4C) for three months to mimic the natural environment of the frogs.

They're Here so Lets have a Little Contests

Woo Hoo the Tadpoles have arrived.

No that ripoff site Living Aquatics didn't finally come through we ordered again through Uncle Milton....

No No not my Uncle Milton, I don't think I have one though I guess its possible my dad side of the family is hugh.

Uncle Milton is the company that made our little frog habitat and its who we received our first tadpole from. They were very quick when the e-mail came out saying they were shipping it, they arrived the next day. I tried to get a couple good pics here they are...

Now lets have a little fun. Lets Have a naming contest. The rules are simple... Post one or two good froggy names (no more then two) at the end of the month I'll let my kiddies pick from the list of names. That simple.

There will be two prizes. They will be pet specific... Not my pets but the winners pets. When kids have picked the names I will contact the winners to see what kind of pet(s) they have and will build the prize around them. I will post pics of the prizes before they are sent out.

Don't feed your Dogs raisin, grapes

A friend of mine sent me this important warning andI think its important enough to pass it on to you. Here ya go this is a direct copy of the e-mail story:

This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM. I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but ... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 & 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours. The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care. He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220 ... He continued to vomit and the owners elected to Euthanize. This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern. Onions, chocolate, cocoa and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too. Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is worth passing on to them. Confirmation from Snopes about the above ...Click Here

Here is another website that has human foods that poison dogs Click Here

Free Pets

This is something I've wanted to talk about for a while now (ever since we got Rex) and never seems to get around to it. So here it is..... Free Pets are not ever free!

This may seem to be common sense but when we are faced with that cute little puppy, cuddly kitten, or adorable turtle I think its something we forget.

We adopted Rex the Turtle who when his owner couldn't keep him and he was going to be disposed of. Now this same owner had two other turtles that was adopted by someone else and they took the tank that they were in. Well in the face of this handsome little fellow we lost our common sense and said well he's free we'll take him and give him a good home. And we did he has a great tank fit for a growing turtle, two lights one for heat and one for sunlight (they need it to keep their shells strong) a log which he loves to sun himself on and a super filter to keep his home clean. (we bought this separate as the one the kit came with wasn't very good) This lovely turtle home cost us about $170..... That isn't including the super filter that we got on sale at 50% off for $100. Now when we when shopping we decided we wanted to make sure we didn't have to get another home because he out grew his first house and I know some people who will shell out $30 - $50 for a small tank then get the lights and other stuff and later have to buy a larger tank. We didn't want to do that. So we opted for the kit with the large tank. Now this isn't even talking about the extra water and electric added to our bills.

Now don't think we regret it he is a wonderful pet who is fun to watch and he even enjoys being petted once he decides you picking him up doesn't mean he is going to be eaten LOL.

Of course this lack of common sense goes for any "Free pet" you might think of. That box of puppies out in front of the local super market just waiting to go home with you is going to cost you. There is not just the food but vet bill, food and water bowls, a bed, leash, and collar, name tag and depending on where you live registration fees. Cats need those things too (well except the registration fees ).

Please don't think I'm trying to dissuade you from getting one of these lovable friends.... I can't imagine life without pets to keep me company. But make sure you remember what your are getting into.

Pets Help with the Chores

Our pets are wonderful additions to our family they even help out with our chores

You've seen Boots and Fitz help answer E-mails but have you seen

Fitz helping with the laundry? Or...

Cricket Helping with the Vacuuming?

Ok Rex can't help with the chores but these are cute

This is Rex taking a nap he is sleeping on his log with his head in the water resting on the fake plant in his tank.

And finally a decent shot of DA TA TA TA................SUPER TURTLE!

and just in case you can't see his legs in the first pic here is a close up LOL