hannahcharnley

Homes for Birds Week

-Taken from Arkwildlife.co.uk

This week, the 2nd week of February, is National Nest Box Week, according to awarenessdays.com which aims to encourage everyone to put up nest boxes in their local area in order to promote and enhance biodiversity and conservation of our breeding birds and wildlife. Even if this isn’t a National Week where you are, it’s still worth helping to support your wildlife.

-Taken from notonthehighstreet.com

Check out the British Trust for Ornithology where they give you tonnes of information for Nest Box Week, including:
Who can take part?
When?
Why take part?
How to take part?

-Taken from lovethegarden.com

Other places to find information and videos on How to Make and Where to Put Bird Boxes:
The RSPB
Gardener’s World
BBC
YouTube

For more Animal Events and News, take a peek here

Responsible Animal Owner

February is Responsible Animal Owner Month, according to AVMA.org, and as it’s Valentine’s day today we need to show our creatures some love too, so below are some clips taken from the Web to help you make sure you are looking after your pet responsibly.

!!!Remember, if you can NOT look after your pet, please do NOT just dump it or leave it tied up somewhere – please take it to your nearest Rescue and Rehome Centre, RSPCA or ASPCA or equivalent where they will be able to offer it a loving home!!!

Responsible Ownership of Guinea Pigs.
Much of the information here is also relevant for Rabbits. Take a look at Little Adventures YouTube Channel – loads of great videos and information on looking after Piggies

-Taken from YouTube, published by Little Adventures

Responsible Ownership of Dogs
In this video Dogumentary TV give their Top 10 Tips for Responsible Dog Ownership. They also reference Pets Add Life which I strongly recommend you take a look at – they put human voices to animals and it’s hilarious.

-Taken from YouTube, published by Dogumentary Tv

Responsible Ownership of Cats
Take a look at WeAreMishMish’s other Cat Manual Videos for more information

– Taken fromYouTube, published by WeAreMishMish

Let’s all take a moment to remember this woman from Coventry, England, who is NOT a responsible Cat Owner

-Taken from YouTube, published by Bob Fletcher

For more Animals Online, look here

The Musk Ox

– Taken from Buzzfeed.com

The Musk Ox is actually not an Ox but a Goat. They are stunning creatures living in the Arctic Tundra.

-Taken from BBC.co.uk

David Attenborough’s ‘Frozen Planet‘ (season 1, episode 3) shows Musk Ox looking for food in the Tundra after the frozen Winter, only to be seen as food themselves, as the Wolves also come out on the hunt after Winter.

The Arctic Tundra during Winter. Not a habitable environment for warm bloodied creatures and chance of catching a meal is restricted.

– Taken from sciencing.com

The Arctic Tundra after Winter. Much more chance of catching a meal – but you will also be a meal to other prey.

– Taken from nationalgeographic.com

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-Video taken from YouTube, made by Love Nature

For more Animal Facts, take a look here

A List of Monarch Butterflies

Today, February 5th, is Western Monarch Day according to whatisyourspiritanimal.com, so I’ve put together a List of Monarch Butterflies to help you identify them, especially if you’re helping in the American National Monarch Count (see SouthWest Monarch website for more info, and visit the Pacific Northwest’s Facebook Page).

Danaus Plexippus, the Northern and Western Monarch, mostly found in North America

Female Monarch Butterflies — Female Monarch

Danaus Erippus, the Southern Monarch, mainly found in South America

Southern Monarch Butterflies — Southern Monarch

Danaus Cleophile, the Jamaican Monarch, mainly found in Jamaica and Hispaniola

Jamaican Monarch Butterflies — Jamaican Monarch

Monarch Nivosus, the White Monarch, commonly found in Hawaii

Danaus Genutis, the Indian Monarch, is found in India

Indian Monarch Butterflies — Indian Monarch

Danaus Chrysippus, the African Monarch, is common to Asia and Africa

African Monarch Butterflies — African Monarch

Visit the National Wildlife Federation page for more information.

For more Lovely Lists, have a look here

Information and images courtesy of Wikipedia where you can find credits for the photos

26 Books with Animal Titles

Everyone loves lists, and here’s one with 26 Books with Animal Titles – one for each letter of the alphabet. Satisfying 🙂

For more Lovely Lists, look here

Getting Started With Guinea Pigs or Rabbits

Getting Started with Guinea Pigs or Rabbits – A short, helpful guide to make sure you have everything you need for their new home.
Before you buy or adopt a new Guinea Pig or Rabbit, you need to have their home ready for their arrival. You need a House – one level or more – see my post on Housing for Small Animals for suggestions of good home bases.

You also need their bed to be made using sawdust, hay and possibly straw depending on the weather. For more information see my post on Bedding for Small Animals.

In addition, you need food bowls, water bottles and a hay distributor. Fill the bowl with some muesli or pellets and you might also want to get them some treats as a little welcome such as an alfalfa ring or willow sticks – see my posts on Food for Small Animals and Play Time for Small Animals for more ideas.

Good luck! I hope you enjoy looking after some of the world’s cutest animals.

Winter Is Coming

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Courtesy of my friend David Hodrien

Guinea Pig Diet Food

For Rabbit and Guinea Pig Diet Food, I have offered a few selections below.

Guinea Pigs can be rather picky when it comes to their food, leaving yellow bits one week and green bits the next, and it can be worrying whether or not they are getting all the nutrients in their diet.

Supreme Science make a range of guinea pig, rabbit, and other small animal pet foods, to suit all their dietary needs.

Supreme Science Selective is a pellet based food that stops them leaving certain colours out of their diet and my pets prefer it to Pets At Home pellets. This particular make:

“is high is fibre to help promote healthy teeth and tummies and has added vitamin C to help keep your guinea pigs in the very best of health. Selective also contains linseed, a particularly good source of omega 3, which helps to regulate coat shine, thickness and colour intensity, as well as supporting a healthy skin.”

Supreme Science Recovery is sachets of food mix and a syringe for ill or recuperating animals. This, I would assume, is cheaper than going to the vets and getting one sachet of food plus a syringe each time a pet is ill – handy to have in for Pet First Aid.

They also make food for different ages, such as Supreme Science Selective Mature 4+ Years Rabbit Food.

Have a look at their other stuff here

For more Pet Advice, take a peek here

Dogs On A Diet

For Dogs on a Diet their meal times can become boring and tasteless but with a choice of Chappie available it doesn’t have to be that bad.

It’s hard to find diet food for your pets in the supermarket and when you do, it can be expensive. Chappie is a dog food for all occasions, from dieting to stomach upsets. They do wet and dry options, as well as foods for different ages. Amazon describes it as:

“Healthy Skin & Coat CHAPPIE contains essential fatty acids, such as Omega 3 & 6, known to help support skin & coat health Vitality CHAPPIE contains everything your dog needs to keep him full of vitality Healthy Digestion CHAPPIE contains chicken which is gentle on your dog’s sensitive stomach, whilst natural fibres actively contribute to healthy intestinal function Healthy Bones CHAPPIE contains calcium and phosphorus to help support healthy bones CHAPPIE Complete Wet Dog Food is a 100% complete and balanced dog food developed with vets. As well as containing no artificial colours, flavours, added sugar, eggs, dairy, red meat or soya, CHAPPIE contains all of the essential nutrients that your dog requires to keep him in top condition every single day”

For more Pet Advice, have a look here

Puppies

We had 9 puppies in our Utility Room and the mess was phenomenal!!

But these Puppy Training Pads were fantastic. They are super absorbent, odour catching and non-rip. Puppy Training Pads are a great way to help your puppy learn where to go the bathroom. You get through an awful lot so if you can buy in bulk that will help.

Having 9 puppies in one place can be daunting in terms of safety for them. Unfortunately, whatever room they are in it will get chewed! There’s not a lot out there that you can buy to protect your wires or the edges of your cupboards or your carpets, but the one thing you can buy is a Safety Gate. These Safety Gates are super. They are made of metal and coated in plastic so not only can the puppies not chew through them, there is no chance of them hurting themselves. Safety Gates fit snugly into your door frame without the need for any tools – a simple twist and click. If your puppy is particularly adventurous and tries to climb up them, they will inevitably slide down so there is no fear of them escaping – meaning you can go and have that well deserved cup of tea and 5 minutes break!!!

For more Pet Advice, have a look here