Summer is winding down. Children are going back to school, young adults are off to college and adults are winding down vacations and getting back to the grind. I relocated 1300 miles last week and I think everyone needs to relax and take a break. It’s always nice to reconnect with old friends and bond with new ones – and
Read moreThe top of my head is tingling, so I rub it. Then my lower left jaw feels numb. I scratch it just once. I then feel the back of my knees get tight and the hairs rise. I have goosebumps on my legs. I rub and I scrape a little. The inside of my nose is now supersensitive. I flick
Read moreRelating toys to what your pet does naturally is the best way to brainstorm new ideas for enrichment. Listening to a radio podcast on parrots, enrichment guru Robin Shewokis discussed the different categories toys and devices can fall into. Below I have included examples for all types of pets, in each of the categories. Enrichment is not just a buzzword;
Read moreExotic pets, especially in North America, are becoming very common. Hedgehogs which are small, spiny coated, energetic animals are gaining popularity because of their uniqueness and relatively easy care. Most hedgehogs that are kept as pets are the African pygmy hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris), weighing between 300 and 600 grams. Autumn Syracuse, a full time aquarist at the Aquarium of Niagara,
Read moreI love reinforcements, and so do you. If you didn’t, than they would not be a reinforcer. Some of my reinforcements are food, water and money. I do behaviors in hopes that I get one of those things. I get up and go to the sink to get water. I work, so I can get money to buy food and
Read moreSix years ago I was taking an Australian wildlife class in Queensland, Australia. I stayed late after a laboratory session and was walking back to my apartment alone. The sun had set and the only light was coming off the metallic buildings. I had trained myself to look down at the ground for the chance of spotting unique or dangerous
Read moreMy cats have the worst breath, but I love them unconditionally. They make me laugh every day with their inquisitive minds and obnoxious behaviors (such as jumping over my bird and sprinting through my legs tripping me as I walk.) Even though these behaviors exist, I still have to fight the urge not to walk over and wake them from
Read moreI share my home with two cats, both grey with black stripes or ‘tabby’. Julian is a long and lean skinny cat who walks seductively. The other, is a not-so-long-and-lean-skinny cat who always looks surprised. Princeton has very large eyes for his head, a short nose, tiny ears and is round as a globe. The vet refers to him as
Read moreKnowledge is power and one of my favorite forms of knowledge is vocabulary. When I took a field course in Costa Rica for three weeks, studying rainforest animals, I committed to memory three terms that I use often when talking about animals and pets. In college, I was also taught that one of the best ways to not only remember,
Read moreCrikey! I was infatuated by Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, while I was growing up. The way he could highlight an animal and change our negative perception was remarkable. During a summer vacation in elementary school, my family was lucky enough to go camping at my aunt and uncle’s camp site. It was located in the remote Arrowhead camping grounds
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DANTAisms 