Posts tagged “Water Fountain”

by Cheryl Lock No matter how much you love your pet ferret, there’s one thing ferret owners don’t love, and that’s the smell of ferret poop around the house. But with a little luck and a lot of patience, you can train your ferret to use a litter box. “It’s not always an easy task, but yes, it is very possible [to litter box train a ferret],” says Serena Fiorella, LVT, owner of Treat Worthy Pet Creations, LLC. “Usually ferrets like to relieve themselves in corners, and they don’t usually go where they eat or sleep. So, theoretically, a litter box in their favorite corner of the cage should work.” To start, Fiorella suggests training your ferret as young as possible, since babies usually take to the idea fairly easily. “It is much harder to litter train an older ferret that has gone most of his life without using a litter box,” she said. Harder, yes, but still not impossible. Here are some pointers from Fiorella to help get you started, no matter how old your ferret is. Where should I put the litter box? In the cage is always best, says Fiorella. “Training a ferret to use a litter box outside of the cage is much more challenging since there are more places to explore, and they usually end up far away from the box when they need it,” she said. “Ferrets have a very fast metabolism, so when they have to go, they have to go. If the box is too far away, they won’t use it. I definitely recommend getting them trained to use a box in their cage before even considering letting them loose in the house.” In general, your ferret will already have exhibited where in his cage he prefers to go (probably in a corner), so use that to your litter box training advantage. Be open to trying different areas though, suggests Fiorella. “They may decide they don’t like the corner you put the box in after all, and you may have to move it.” You can also try putting multiple boxes in several corners throughout the cage to get a feel for which location your ferret likes best. Cages with more than one level should have a box on each level to make it easier for your ferret to use it immediately when he has to, said Fiorella. It’s also a good idea to attach or tie down the litter box in the cage. “Ferrets are big into rearranging their surroundings,” says Fiorella, “and they will dig the box away from the wall or out of the cage corner and go next to it, right where the box should be.”

It’s been a long day. You come home from work and immediately start to fix dinner. Your daughter comes to you after checking in on the family rabbit, Hippity. “Mom, I think something is wrong with Hippity,” she says. “What do we do?” What do you do? Just like yourself, your pet rabbit may encounter some health issues along the road of life. Knowing when your rabbit is having a health issue and what to do about it will make caring for your beloved pet a lot less stressful. First of all, how do you know if your rabbit is sick? “Decreased activity, lethargy and decreased appetite,” said Angela M. Lennox, DVM, DABVP-Avian, of the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic of Indianapolis in Indiana. “These signs are not specific for any single illness,” she added, “and can be caused by a variety of problems.” Lennox noted that as prey species, rabbits hide signs of illness and that it is common for those with chronic or long-term illnesses to suddenly appear sick. Byron de la Navarre, DVM, of the Animal House of Chicago in Illinois, explained that any change in appearance could indicate a health issue. “Normal bunnies are very meticulous, just like cats,” he said. “They don’t require a lot of grooming. If you start to notice an unkempt fur coat or hair mats that they normally don’t have or that urine or fecal material is staining where they go to the bathroom or their feet or tail, those would be indications that something might not be well with the bunny. “If you do notice something,” he continued, “hopefully you have already established a relationship with a veterinarian who is familiar with treating rabbits. Some change from the normal should prompt a call. We take lots of calls all the time during the day just to put people at ease. Or, if it’s a real issue, to schedule an appointment right away or come in right away, depending on how severe it sounds.” Sometimes health issues arise at night after the veterinarian’s office has closed for the day. Don’t panic, there may be an emergency veterinary office that is open through the night. Do some research ahead of time to know where the closest one to you is located. Typically your veterinarian’s office recommends one in its after-hours recording. Thinking of waiting until Monday? Sometimes it is best not to wait. “We’ve had some people who’ve noticed something on Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening and thought they could wait until Monday morning,” de la Navarre said. “Maybe the animal luckily is still with us, but it’s a lot sicker than perhaps if it had been treated right away.”

Chronic Progressive Nephrosis   Symptoms Lethargy Weight loss Kidney and urinary problems Protein in urine (proteinuria) Fixed specific gravity of urine (isothenuria) Causes Glomerulonephrosis is hereditary in rats. Some other causes for the kidney disease include: High caloric intake Obesity An excessively high-protein diet Old age Diagnosis The veterinarian will conduct blood and urine tests on the rat to confirm the diagnosis. A rat with glomerulonephrosis will normally have an excessive amount of protein in its urine. Its urine will also have a fixed specific gravity; this measures the kidney’s ability to concentrate or dilute urine in relation to plasma.   Treatment There is no known cure for glomerulonephrosis. Your veterinarian will prescribe medication to ease its symptoms, however, the disease is fatal in rats. Living and Management The rat should be placed in a stress-free environment and given a low-protein diet, as protein can aggravate glomerulonephrosis. The diet should also be well-balanced and easily digestible. Prevention There is no surefire way of preventing this disease as it is hereditary. However, a well-balanced, low-protein, low-calorie diet should maintain the rat’s health and help prevent the onset of kidney diseases.