Happy Halloween

I thought this shot of the Rose Haired Tarantula was particularly fitting for this creepy holiday!

Happy Halloween

Doggy Halloween Contest

We had a doggy Halloween contest in the store on Saturday. There were some very cute dogs there. Including Dorthy and the Yin Man a cowgirl and a hot dog. The winners gave me permission to post their pictures so here they are. Three Birthday clowns complete with cake.

Sad News

Poor Rosco died yesterday.

Our little frog that too so long to become a frog passed away. We don't know why. I found him floating belly up when I went to clean the tank and after making sure he wasn't playing dead I told the kids. Its funny that even a non-cuddle pet such as a frog can make you cry when they leave us but it does and we did. Here are all of Roscos photos to remember him by

Sorry there aren't any better pictures. It's funny how you go around thinking you have all the time in the world so you can get a better shot later and then it's too late.

Girl Scouts Rain Forest Project

Here is a little project I did for a friend of mine. She is a girl scout troop leader and her troop is setting up a display in the local mall. She asked me to build a home for some fire belly toads for their display and this is the outcome.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

How To Help a New Pet Adjust To Their New Home

Lets face it moving to a new home is a stressful experience for anyone. If you are getting ready to bring a new pet home the move is just as stressful for them. But I know a few tips that will help you introduce your new family member that will help them feel more at home sooner with less stress.

Some of these tips will be easier to use then others and they can be applied to most pets with the exception of the exotics such as snakes, frogs, spiders and lizards.

The first thing you want to do is make sure their is a spot in your home that is just for your pet. Someplace they can retreat to when they need to be alone. It should be someplace where every family member understands is just for the pet. Whether it is a crate for your new puppy or a bed in a corner for your new kitten, or a plastic igloo for your new hamster or guinea pig they need someplace to escape too.

When you go to pick up your new family member get some of the bedding that is in the cage with your small animal. If you are getting your dog or cat from a reputable breeder see if you can drop off your puppies new bed a couple days early so it gets the scent of home on it. To help close down puppy mills make sure you know where your puppy or kitty comes from. Avoid pet stores because the only way to make sure of where your pet comes from is to get it from the breeder yourself. Now if your like me and get your pet from a shelter then check with the shelter to see if you can drop off the bed before pick-up.

Now to help get the pet use to you faster, before you bring them home take an old worn out shirt (one you don't want any more) and where it to bed (don't wash it). When you bring your pet home add it to their sleep area or cut it into pieces and add it to the small animal bedding. This will help them get use to you faster.

Last but not least and especially important if you have small children. Give your new pet some room to explore their new home with out being mobbed with attention. You should give small animals at least a week before you try handling them. (this of course depends on where you get them since some pet stores do an excellent job of handling their small animals) By giving your new family member some room to explore you will help prevent agressive behavior based on fear.

Did You Know ???

Ok first things first here is an updated picture of Rosco and Kermit.

As you can see Rosco is now a full fledged frog. He is the smaller of the two. Both are doing well but I have since learned something about my little hoppers. They play DEAD!! When I first saw it I thought Rosco had injured himself. He was swimming around in a panic when I opened the tank to clean it next thing I knew he was floating belly up. It scared the crud out of me! I picked him up out of the water and laid him on the land part of the habitat. I watched him for a few minutes and first saw he was still breathing (WHEW). Then I saw him blink and his leg twitch. After a few minutes he got up and hopped behind one of the little plants. He has done it a couple times since and today when I was catching the frogs to clean their tank, Kermit did it too. I did a little research and found that they play dead to escape enemies. I don't know how well it works for that but it certainly makes them easier to catch when I need to clean out their home.

NOW! Did you know that the stench from Stagnant pond water will stick to you no matter how many times you wash your hands??

I found this out today. You see I seem to have created my very own stagnant pond here in my own home. In hindsight I should have realized this would happen but I really didn't think it out. How did I make my own stagnant pond. Well let me tell you it might make a good science fair project for someones kid (though I suggest you do it outside because once you disturb the water your whole house will smell.

I orders some duck weed for the frogs home. It gives them someplace in the water to hide and helps keep the crickets from drowning since they can walk right across the top of it. Now the smallest size I could order was a quarter pound of duck week. This is way too much for my little frog house and I put the rest into a little aquarium we had sitting around. You can see a picture below.

Now if you look in the upper left corner you will see a little filter. It wasn't there before I just put it in. Before the duck week covered the entire surface of the water to about an inch thick. The problem with this is no oxygen could get to the water and caused a build up of bacteria that thrives in an Anaerobic condition (a condition with no oxygen). This is of course what happens in stagnant ponds. Algae clogs the surface of the water letting now oxygen through. Now the smell doesn't escape till you disturb the plants on the water. I did that this morning when I went to get some for my nice clean frog habitat. My hands are still stinky and I've washed them 4 times already. It's going to be a long day!

I won an award

It was given to me by Tina over at Mummy Diaries

It was for the answer I gave for The question:

How can i stop my child from coming out of their bedroom and into mine every night? I hope my answer helped Lyndsey from the UK. Here is what I said:

Start by developing a bed time routine. Make it the same everynight this will help them mentally ready for bed. Then when they get up at night you have to take the back to their own bed immediately. Talk to them there about why they are up. Don't turn on any lights as this will wake them up more. Once they have settled back into their own bed the go back to your. This may take several times before they stop doing it but you must be consistant.

If you want to participate in the question of the week stop over to Mummy Diaries she has a new question each week .

Thanks for the award Tina