The 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 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 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
Read moreOn this day throughout history lots of powerful things have happened. In 1947, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier, by becoming the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. The sport had been segregated for more then 50 years. On a related manner, on this day in 1865 Abraham Lincoln died from his assassins attempt from the previous day. He
Read moreK9 Krunchers was co-founded in 2010 by Janelle Harris who dabbled in making treats for her own furry family. Her dabbling has now led to a business that reaches out to critter companions across the United States. Harris, along with her recently retired mom, bakes up concoctions that will make tails wag, “when they sniff the bag.” Most of the
Read moreOne of the draws of pet keeping, for me, has always been the connection to the wilderness. Pets could take me to faraway lands, without ever having to leave my living room. The environment, animals and climate and the interaction between them, has constantly piqued my interest. Watching countless hours of wildlife documentaries I was able to recognize archerfish, a
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DANTAisms 