Small Animal Community / Forum Announcements and Introductions / Off Topic Discussion

Critter Chat

urofan — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:41:29 GMT

How is everyone doing?

Do you have a bird for a pet

urofan — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:25:42 GMT

How old are your birds? How many birds do you have?

SHE'S IN LABOR! XO

Miles_Zaebos — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:07:07 GMT

So, Obviously, you all read my title...(: and yes i did also state she is a German Shepard..So, I have this pretty dog named Irene but we call her Rose. Well, since she isnt a very polite girl, she had gotten herself pregnant again...yes, again...She had puppies with this boy dog we had in the spring, well, this time a dog jumped into our fence, had sexual intercourse with our dog and now she is in LABOR! So, this morning at well a little around 4am, she ran in my room, jumped on my bed, and was panting and whinning...So, I realized she was having contractions....It's almost exactly like people...weird lol...but, i stayed up with her then I ended up going to school at 7....argh..But, when I got home it wasn't like her last litter...She was still in labor...no puppies yet. could take up to 78 hours for the puppies to come. But, the nastiest part it, before i show pictures of her all comfy 'nd cozy, she has picked her "nesting" spot on my bed. But, last time it was in the same spot but my bed wasn't in the way, so she is gong to -ewwww- have her puppies on my bed. I stripped my bed and there is a bunch of old blankets on my bed so it doesnt get on my mattress! *phew* Well, here is your pictures...I will post pictures when all the little pups are born!(:

^^^ she kind of turned lol sorry about the blurriness!! Dx

RANDOM JACKRUSSELL NAMED CAMILLE!!!

My profile

TigerLily12 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:19:27 GMT

How do u edit ur profile? Putting a picture and the information on. Im a new member and would like to further my profile. Thank you.

The death of George the tortoise.

urofan — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:49:38 GMT

Lonesome George, a giant tortoise, was believed to be the last of his subspecies
Continue reading the main story.

Meet the world's rarest tortoise.

Staff at the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador say Lonesome George, a giant tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies, has died.

Scientists estimate he was about 100 years old.

Park officials said they would carry out a post-mortem to determine the cause of his death.

With no offspring and no known individuals from his subspecies left, Lonesome George became known as the rarest creature in the world.

For decades, environmentalists unsuccessfully tried to get the Pinta Island tortoise to reproduce with females from a similar subspecies on the Galapagos Islands.

Park officials said the tortoise was found dead in his corral by his keeper of 40 years, Fausto Llerena.
Continue reading the main story
Tortoises in trouble:
Radiated tortoise

Ploughshare tortoises have their shells defaced to make them worthless on the black market. There are only a few hundred left in the wild and they are critically endangered.
Vulnerable Galapagos Giant tortoises mate in a way which means that the female is not crushed by the male, who can weigh about 400kg.
Poachers known as "the tortoise mafia" and locals who eat tortoise meat threaten Madagascar's rare tortoises, which include the Ploughshare, Spider, Radiated and Flat-tailed species.
Radiated tortoises are "one of the world's most beautiful species", according to David Attenborough. They are only found in southern scrublands in Madagascar.
Burmese starred tortoises are also listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. They get their name from the striking yellow and dark brown star pattern on their shells.
Kleinmann's tortoise, also known as the Egyptian tortoise, is the smallest of the Mediterranean species.

While his exact age was not known, Lonesome George was estimated to be about 100, which made him a young adult as the subspecies can live up to an age of 200.

Lonesome George was first seen by a Hungarian scientist on the Galapagos island of Pinta in 1972.

Environmentalists had believed his subspecies (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni) had become extinct.

Lonesome George became part of the Galapagos National Park breeding programme.

After 15 years of living with a female tortoise from the nearby Wolf volcano, Lonesome George did mate, but the eggs were infertile.

He also shared his corral with female tortoises from Espanola island, which are genetically closer to him than those from Wolf volcano, but Lonesome George failed to mate with them.

He became a symbol of the Galapagos Islands, which attract some 180,000 visitors a year.

Galapagos National Park officials said that with George's death, the Pinta tortoise subspecies has become extinct.

They said his body would probably be embalmed to conserve him for future generations.

Tortoises were plentiful on the Galapagos islands until the late 19th century, but were later hunted for their meat by sailors and fishermen to the point of extinction.

Their habitat furthermore suffered when goats were introduced from the mainland.

The differences in appearance between tortoises from different Galapagos islands were among the features which helped the British naturalist Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution.

Some 20,000 giant tortoises of other subspecies still live on the Galapagos.

Fun Critter Word Game

feathersnfuz — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:46:59 GMT

The members on the CatChannel.com and DogChannel.com Forums are playing a fun word game and I thought that it would be fun to bring a version of it over here.

Point of the Game: To list as many critter related words as possible without repeating any.

How to play: I'll post a critter-related word. You take the last letter of that word and post a word that starts with it. And continue the pattern using words that relate to critter species/breeds or critter-related items.

Example using cat breeds:
Me: Rag Doll
You: Litter box
Someone else: X-ray

OK, let's start!

I will start the game with:

Sugar Glider

good movies seen

katlady — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:26:20 GMT

action

batman the dark knight rises

men in black 3

Oregon Zoo Baby Elephant Needs a Name

urofan — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:51:54 GMT

Keepers ask community to vote for favorite name

Rose-Tu's baby needs a name. Oregon Zoo elephant keepers are asking the community to help them choose a name for the week-old female elephant calf. Keepers have come up with five names and are asking people to vote for their favorite on the zoo's homepage.

"The outpouring support for the zoo and its newest resident has been incredible," said Kim Smith, zoo director. "Rose-Tu and her calf are doing well. They're bonding and comfortable with each other. Now it's time to give the calf a name that suits her."

Keepers are considering the following five names:

Jaidee (Thai for "good-hearted")
Sirikit (name for Thai royalty, literal meaning is "glorious")
Rakhi (Sanskrit for "love/bond between siblings")
Lily (following the flower theme of mom's name, Rose-Tu, or Rose for short)
Siddhi (Sanskrit for "perfection"; wife of Ganesha)

Votes will be accepted through Sunday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m. The zoo will announce the winning name on Monday, Dec. 10.

The Asian elephant calf, born Nov. 30 at 2:17 a.m., weighed a hefty 300 pounds at birth and has been described by zoo animal-care staff as a "spitfire."

"The calf is beautiful, healthy, tall and very vigorous," said Kim Smith, Oregon Zoo director. "As soon as she hit the ground — before she was even out of the amniotic sac — she was wiggling. And she's vocalizing loudly. The first time we heard her, the sound was so deep and loud that we thought it was Shine. She's definitely got a great set of pipes, and it looks like she's going to be a real pistol."

Smith said the calf is nursing well, and that Rose-Tu has been very attentive to her — great signs that their bond will be a strong one.

"Our keepers and veterinary staff have put an extraordinary amount of work and care into helping Rose-Tu bring her baby into the world," Smith added. "The time spent training and preparing has paid off, and the outcome is exactly the one we'd hoped for: Rose is safe and healthy, and she has a beautiful newborn calf. Now that the baby's here, we're all excited to watch her bond with Rose-Tu and take her place in the herd."

It might still take a little time before the new baby is ready for visitors though.

"The main thing determining that will be the strength of the bond between Rose-Tu and the calf," said Bob Lee, the zoo's elephant curator. "Rose should allow the calf to nurse regularly, sleep, play and generally act like a calf without trying to stop it and control its movements. Then we'll determine whether she's calm and comfortable with staff around. And finally, we want to make sure the calf has had a chance to bond with the rest of the herd."

The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its successful breeding program for Asian elephants, which has now spanned 50 years. Rose-Tu's mother, Me-Tu, was the second elephant born at the zoo (just months after Packy in 1962), and her grandmother, Rosy, was the first elephant ever to live in Oregon.

Asian elephants are considered highly endangered in their range countries, threatened by habitat loss and conflict with humans. Perhaps fewer than 40,000 elephants remain in fragmented populations from India to Borneo.

The Killing of Rabbits and Guinea pigs

urofan — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:35:27 GMT

Haifa Educational Zoo employees are suspected of slowly killing guinea pigs and rabbits by freezing them to death in a refrigeration cell.

An investigation into the suspected abuse by the Agriculture Ministry last summer found that caregivers admitted to culling the furry creatures by putting them in the deep freeze rather than through euthanasia.

Due to their quick reproductive rate, the zoo must kill some of the creatures every so often to control their population. According to the Animal Welfare Act, however, zookeepers may only euthanize an animal in a manner that minimizes suffering.

The Haifa municipal Society for Culture, Art, and Sports, which funds the zoo, reported that the facility’s chief veterinarian and her two assistants were fired.

The zoo’s director expressed disapproval of the incident and said all measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence.

Have you ever had a Bug for a pet before

urofan — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:18:19 GMT

I have never had bugs for pets. I might get Millipedes at some point in the future.

Have you ever had a Reptile for a pet before

urofan — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 03:59:27 GMT

Do you plan to get a reptile some time in the future?

Aquarium fish international ceases publication.

urofan — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:25:25 GMT

Aquarium Fish International Ceases Publication
October 2012 will be last issue.
By Clay Jackson
July 20, 2012

Dear subscribers,

Perhaps you’ve heard the sad news that Aquarium Fish International is ceasing publication. The October 2012 issue will be your last issue. This comes as a blow to all of us who dedicated our work lives to put out the best, most informative and most entertaining fishkeeping magazine possible. AFI has been catering to everyone who loves fish and corals just shy of 25 years, and it has always been our goal to pack every issue to the gills (a little levity never hurts) with the best written and accurate aquariumkeeping articles in the hobby while making the underwater world jump off the pages with arresting photography from some of the best fish and coral photographers alive today.

If you have questions about your subscription, subscribers will be receiving letters soon with additional information about the closure. As always, you can also use the customer service link or call (800) 833-7000.

On behalf of myself, Managing Editor Patricia Knight and Associate Editor Cassandra Radcliff, we’d like to thank all of our readers for their devotion. Aquarium Fish International will continue to reach out to all levels of fresh- and saltwater fishkeepers through FishChannel.com. With more than 100,000 unique fishkeeping visitors every month, FishChannel continues to offer the latest in aquarium product information, product reviews, and the best articles from your favorite aquarium magazines, including Aquarium Fish International and Freshwater And Marine Aquarium (FAMA). FishChannel continues to offer new content on a daily basis, including top-notch videos as well as informative new downloadable infographic posters on different aspects of this amazing hobby. Don’t forget to “Like” the FishChannel Facebook page too!

Fans of Aquarium Fish International will still be able to receive entertaining and informative fishkeeping information in AFI’s sister magazines, the annuals Marine Fish & Reef USA, Coral & Reef USA and Aquarium USA. Look for all three annual publications on newsstands in pet and book stores near you.

Marine Fish & Reef USA offers expert articles about all aspects of saltwater fishkeeping for the more advanced hobbyist, including information about difficult fish to keep, fish that are compatible with corals and those that are not, reef fish nutrition, breeding articles and much more.

Coral & Reef USA is the go-to source for advanced articles on the latest reefkeeping techniques and innovations, new corals and reef invertebrates, how to feed picky reef animals, tips for keeping fish and corals together – if you have a reef tank, you must have Coral & Reef USA.

For those new to fishkeeping, Aquarium USA is for you. Its articles, charts, infographics and beautiful photos capture the essence of aquariumkeeping for the beginner to intermediate hobbyist. Basic lighting, water chemistry, nutrition and aquarium set up and maintenance – and, of course, articles about all the world’s favorite pet fish species – are some of the topics covered in Aquarium USA.
Thank you again for your dedication to AFI in particular and aquariumkeeping in general. We will miss connecting with our readers every month through the pages of Aquarium Fish International. It has been a pleasure and an honor working on AFI while serving fine readers like you.

Sincerely,

Clay Jackson
Editor, Aquarium Fish International, Marine Fish & Reef USA, Coral & Reef USA

What are your favorite spiders

urofan — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:03:56 GMT

My favorite spider is the cobalt blue tarantula.

Summer 2012

urofan — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 07:31:11 GMT

What kind of weather have you all had, and what affect has it had on your pets? What kind of weather are you expecting to have in the area where you live for the rest of the summer?

It's been a mixture of different weather where I live. These past couple of days have been really hot, and I have had to use a fan for my guinea pig. That isn't something that I usually need to do.

Bird talk magazine

urofan — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:25:33 GMT

Official Announcement from the editor of BIRD TALK Magazine
By Laura Doering
Posted: July 18, 2012, 1:45 p.m. PST

September 2012 BIRD TALK Magazine

Dear friends of BIRD TALK,
I am sorry to confirm the news that BIRD TALK Magazine has ceased publication, effective immediately.

The September 2012 issue was the last issue. We were waiting to issue an official announcement after we had the opportunity to personally contact BIRD TALK's longtime contributing authors and photographers and to send a letter to our loyal readers.

If you have questions about your subscription, subscriber letters will be arriving in the next couple of weeks. As always, you can go to the customer service link here.

The BIRD TALK staff is deeply saddened to see the magazine fold after 30 years of publication as the world’s largest pet bird magazine, and we are truly thankful for all of our loyal readers. I am happy to report that BIRD TALK's online website BirdChannel.com will continue to serve the avian community with expert-written pet bird information, as well as exclusive interviews and news, product reviews, bird events and more.

BirdChannel.com continues to grow with an enthusiastic and active online community, and we hope you will join us online. Birds USA magazine, our annual publication, will continue to be published. Our mission always is to provide the best care for pet birds so that they not only survive, but thrive as valued members of the family.

Sincerely,
Laura Doering
Editor, Bird Talk magazine

Do you have a flower garden?

urofan — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:44:59 GMT

Do you have Cactus in your flower garden?

San Francisco Pet Cemetery

Veronica101 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:20:39 GMT

Ever since I saw some pictures of the Presidio Pet Cemetery in San Francisco I wondered what it was like to be there. SInce I live far away, don't have my driver's licence yet and have a SERIOUS fear of flying, I would love it if you could share any stories or pictures? I know this is random... But I wanted to know more. I really want to go, but until then if anyone has been I would appreciate your sharing. Also, I saw a gravestone with a painted on inscription that said: To have, to love, and then to part, is the greatest sorrow of the heart. I cried when I read it, and am going to get a tattoo of it to honor my deceased pets. V

Deer mouse LOL!

Veronica101 — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:38:00 GMT

So last night I was hearing tapping sounds from the drawer below my oven. I figured it was another Deer mouse, so to find out I covered a plate with flour so I could see if I needed to bait my live trap. (I hate snap traps and poison, they are wrong.) For bait I always used peanut butter, however I remembered the disgusting bean muffins (yes BEAN muffins) and icky banana muffins. My father's friend's mother in law had baked them. He took one bite and put it back. So I decide to use up the muffins. I pull a piece of the banana muffin off and put it on the plate. Then I put a piece of the bean muffin on the plate and put a dab of peanut butter on it. Then I put it in the drawer and go to bed. When I wake up, I check the mouse bait. There has been a mouse. Pawprints and some of the food is missing. The banana muffin and the peanut butter were gone, but every crumb of the bean muffin was there. I can't blame the Deer mouse. I mean BEAN muffins? YUCK! I had to share this. I hope it makes you laugh.

Funny you tube videos

urofan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:03:13 GMT

this video is funny to me. The video is called Hopsy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg5tcU4uj7s

Which do you prefer?

Tayy34 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:47:40 GMT

Wondering which store is the most popular with small pet owners

The Critter blogs

urofan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:16:22 GMT

What do you think of the Critter blogs?

Me at petting zoo.

urofan — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:59:07 GMT

Picture of me from a long time ago.

Easter Holiday

urofan — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:24:44 GMT

What are your plans for Easter? Easter presents an opportunity to talk about our small animals to people and to talk about adoption.

How Many is too Many?

Lisa Rose — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:23:52 GMT

New Animal Planet series

We are producing a new series for Animal Planet about people who own a lot of animals.

Some brand them as “animal hoarders.” We want to get to know them as people. We want to experience the special relation they have with their pets and understand why they do what they do. We also recognize that trying to care for too many animals can sometimes be overwhelming. There can be financial burdens, health issues, family conflicts, even the run-ins with authorities. We want to see how animal lovers - and their families - deal with these challenges.

We also want to offer help. We have the resources to provide free veterinary care, therapy, spaying and neutering, even food if required. We will not force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do. We will not report anyone to any authorities. If help is needed, we want to find solutions that work for everybody.

Our goal as TV producers is to tell true stories about people who are often misunderstood – and if we can, to address issues that are too often ignored. To learn more, contact us at realstories@petfamily.org – or call us at our toll free number: 1-877-MY8-PETS.

Favorite pet brands?

urofan — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:03:33 GMT

What is your favorite brand of pet supplies?

Silly Hamster

lauren252 — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:51:44 GMT

My hamster bella is so funny! When I go to her cage and open the door, I don't see her until her little pink nose pokes out from under her igloo. It's the sweetest thing i ever saw. Anybody have something funny their hamster does? Please share.

My other pets

animalgirl — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:44:49 GMT

A photo I took 2 years ago of Rocky sitting on my mom's new bed. She was horrified. You should've seen her face at the time! It turned red and I thought her head was about to blow up! Memories... lol

Animal Blog Help!

jeriberry — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:43:16 GMT

Please help! I was on my looking at how to get points on smallanimalchannel.com and it said one thing was by posting on your blog. How do I make a blog on Small Animal Channel?

Thanks!

~Jeriberry

Changing pet's main picture?

TwiliteOni — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:06:10 GMT

I will be adopting 2 rats in a few weeks but I don't have them yet so I used a stock rat photo in place for the time being. I just snapped a few pics of the boys and their littermates today so I wnt to change their pics on their pages but I can't figure out how...I uploaded the pictures to their pages, but there's nowhere to delete the stock photo and/or change their "default" pic...help?

Others Caring For Your Pets

urofan — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:06:19 GMT

When you're sick and unable to care for your pets, or if you go out of town, does your family or friends take as good care of your animals as you do?

Best People (Regarding Small Animals) To Follow on Twitter

derek.blaszak — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:11:18 GMT

I was wondering who people thought were the best people to follow for small animal information on Twitter. I am following www.twitter.com/KAYTEEproducts and www.twitter.com/Superpetusa so far. I also found www.twitter.com/petfundango but I wanted to see what other people thought.

Bunnicula Books Bolster Rabbit Character's Fame

feathersnfuz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:00:05 GMT

Bunnicula Books Bolster Rabbit Character's Fame
Author James Howe's Bunnicula book series attracts more than just small animal fans.
By Angela Pham

When author James Howe needed a vampire character for the new book he was writing, he imagined a character not clothed in a black cape, but covered in white and black fur.

Not a strapping, pale human with a voracious taste for blood, but a tiny, fluffy bunny with an appetite for the juice of vegetables. A bunny found not in a coffin, but rather in a shoebox.

The name of this ironic vampire rabbit? Bunnicula.

Read the rest of the article, click here.

Did you read Bunnicula when you were younger? Did you enjoy the book?
What are some of your favorite books that have critters in the leading role?

About the Account

Jeffrey — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:50 GMT

On my profile, I have two different guinea pigs, but accidentally put one picture on both profiles! I tried adding another picture but it only disappears. HELP!!!!!

Video Uploading Probloem

Jeffrey — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:51:29 GMT

Everytime I go to upload a video, I can put everything on but when I press "Upload", it does this cloak like thing. I keep pressing it and it doesn't do anything. Plese answer!

2 week old mouse pups..and their eyes r still not opened!!!

samtheratandmouselover — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:14:54 GMT

my 2 week old mouse pups havent opend their eyes and i have read that their supposed to have opend them already im real worried ....i need advice.......

Bunny Breed Groups

Twilight_Blue — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:31:33 GMT

Does anyone know if rabbits are divided into classification groups

Example: Dog are divided into, Working, Gundogs, Hounds, Sporting, Toy etc

Cat are divided into: Short hair, long hair and hairless

Does anyone know a good website that has helpful information about this sort of thing????? I have been googling all day

Thanks

Contest For Frog Enthusiasts

Ferrets Moderator — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:14:57 GMT

Kissing frogs could win you a Princess & The Frog game or soundtrack at ReptileChannel! Deadline: Jan. 21 http://bit.ly/81ZkBA

Critter Talk July 08 - Tell us how you first discovered your critter's species

critters-moderator — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:48:22 GMT

Hello Critters Community members!

The July 2008 Critter Talk Discussion Topic

This month we want to know how you first became interested in your critter’s species?

Did you have one growing up?
Did your friend or a relative have one?
Did you fall in love with one at a store/rescue?
Did someone convince you that this critter was the critter to have?

Tell us your story of how you becamse interested in your critters!

We're look forward to hearing more!

- Critters Moderator

Rabbit Cage

MermaidSamantha — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:04:16 GMT

Does anyone know if the "Marchioro Small Animals Cage" from PETCO is big enough for big rabbits?

Here's the link: http://www.petco.com/product/13394/Marchioro-Small-Animal-Cage.aspx

2008 Holiday Scavenger Hunt Limerick

critters-moderator — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:22:01 GMT

Two piggies hidden on the site

They like familiar places right?

Although they’ve escaped from their pens

They interact as friends.

And neither will be lonely on this night.

Specific sections of the site are not an active part of the scavenger hunt and may be disregarded in your search. These sections include:

The Forums
User uploaded video pages
Club Critter Profiles
The Photo Gallery

Click here for the complete rules and information on how to enter.