Pet station

Hamsters are omnivores and can eat almost anything, but due to their ability to store food in their pouches, it is not recommended to feed them too much human daily food. So what is the correct way to feed hamsters?

Due to the small size of hamsters, daily feeding of vegetables and fruits can provide them with the necessary water. You can choose to feed hamsters with apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, etc., without the need for additional water supply. If you want to provide hamsters with additional water supply, remember to boil and disinfect the water before feeding.

When feeding hamsters on a daily basis, you can choose from a variety of foods; For example, fruits and vegetables such as apples, bananas, carrots, cucumbers, pumpkins, as well as grains such as wheat, oats, and corn can be chosen; You can even provide hamsters with some boiled chicken breast or egg white to supplement protein.

In terms of snack selection, hamsters particularly love sunflower seeds, but due to their high fat content, excessive consumption can lead to obesity, picky eating, and even malnutrition. Therefore, sunflower seeds can only be used as snacks or non essential items to enhance relationships, and should not be fed too much. A maximum of one or two sunflower seeds per meal is sufficient. At that time, winter had arrived, so you could feed more sunflower seeds to hamsters to store fat and get through the cold winter.

Although hamsters are omnivorous animals, there are also foods that hamsters cannot eat, such as spicy peppers, onions, ginger, garlic, chives, as well as peach, plum, apple kernels, etc. It is said to cause an increase in the heartbeat of hamsters, which may lead to symptoms such as shock. The potassium ion content of these things is relatively high, and if hamsters consume them excessively, it can easily cause tachycardia and death. However, for hamsters, their daily food contains excessive amounts of oil and salt, and consuming human food can impose a great burden on their internal organs.

Generally speaking, even obese hamsters have a longer lifespan than thin hamsters. Because when hamsters get old, various diseases come; At this time, it will consume the calories in the hamster's body. Thin hamsters have little body fat to burn and are prone to rapid death, while strong hamsters can rely on their body fat to support them for longer periods of time and have a longer lifespan.Therefore, it is recommended to keep hamsters strong and robust, but not too obese, as it can easily breed various diseases.

Compared to cats and dogs, the lifespan of hamsters is relatively short, so the time they can accompany you is also very short. Don't choose to keep hamsters just because of a momentary impulse; Due to the size limitation of hamsters, even if there are physical abnormalities, they are not easily detected, so taking care of hamsters requires extra care; Finally, hamsters also require regular cleaning and daily companionship from their owners.Raising a hamster initially requires a significant expense to purchase various items to welcome its arrival, but once you are fully prepared, raising a healthy hamster will not incur significant costs. You only need to regularly purchase feed and some daily consumables.

If you are determined to raise a hamster, then start by choosing the hamster you like. The main pet hamsters are divided into two types: golden bears and dwarf mice. It is recommended that you personally choose from the corresponding stores. Generally, choose hamsters that are over one month old, emotionally stable, and have a personality closer to humans.Due to their different breeds, dwarf mice have a smaller body size but a gentle personality, and can interact freely with their owners after becoming familiar with them; The golden bear has a larger body size, and the feeling of caressing and interacting with it is more obvious. However, it should be noted that its large size brings a irritable temperament and stronger destructive power. You need a more sturdy cage to keep it and pay attention to the scale of interaction, otherwise it is easy to be bitten.

Once you have selected your desired hamster, the next step is to choose the appropriate size of cage, sand, feed, and kettle based on the hamster breed; Don't forget to set up toilets and bathrooms for hamsters in the cage, as well as some items that can entertain them (such as running wheels, tunnels, etc.)

Chinchilla is a cute and special animal. Before becoming a pet chinchilla, reading this article may give you a better understanding of them and help you better care for them.

Adult chinchillas are generally 40-50 centimeters long, with their tail occupying one-third of their body length and a lifespan of 10-20 years; Chinchillas has a gentle and non aggressive personality, and can be raised alone or in groups; They prefer clean and quiet environments without body odor, making them ideal family pets; It should be noted that chinchillas is a nocturnal animal that is particularly sensitive to sound and odor. When raising chinchillas, it is important to set up the breeding environment.

Chinchillas teeth grow for life, so they need to grind their teeth. Safe and non-toxic grinding products (such as volcanic rock, apple wood, corn cob, etc.) can be provided to Chinchilla, which can clean their mouth and kill two birds with one stone. It should be noted that plastic and paper products should be avoided from being within the reach of the Chinchilla. If the Chinchilla accidentally ingests these items, it can cause serious digestive diseases.

The main food of Chinchilla is natural hay rich in fiber, and it is generally recommended to purchase specialized feed made from Phleum pratense and alfalfa as the main materials; If you feed your Chinchilla with fresh grass, a small amount of alfalfa grass is sufficient. Excessive intake of alfalfa grass can cause diarrhea in the Chinchilla. Please avoid feeding vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other foods that can easily cause digestive system abnormalities or even death in chinchillas ; Please do not feed Chinchilla with high-fat, high sugar, or high water content foods.

It is recommended to use boiled and disinfected water, distilled water, or mineral water purchased from supermarkets for Chinchilla drinking water

In terms of environment, the suitable living environment for chinchillas is around 26 degrees Celsius, and environments above 26 degrees Celsius can easily lead to heat stroke in chinchillas; Pay attention to keeping warm during winter or when the weather turns cold; At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a humidity of around 50% to reduce the risk of skin diseases in chinchillas.

Due to the extreme timidity and sensitivity of chinchillas, it takes a long time to cultivate a familiar relationship with its owner; You can establish trust through feeding, caressing, grooming, and other methods, but be careful not to be too aggressive in your movements. After becoming familiar with their owner, Chinchillas will have a high level of interaction, actively approaching their owner for touch; Sometimes there may be sounds that catch the owner's attention. Compared to being held in the palm of the owner's hand and caressed, many chinchillas also climb on the owner's body. This is to pay more attention to the movements of the chinchillas and not to fall and injure it.

Constipation

Constipation is a common disease when raising a chinchilla; Usually caused by irregular feeding, changing of food or excessive intake of snacks, as well as weather changesConstipated chinchilla cats generally have poor mental health and are unwilling to move around. Long term and severe constipation can cause bloating, seriously affecting the health of chinchilla cats and potentially leading to death.can purchase dimethyl silicone oil tablets from a pharmacy, use one tablet per day, grind half a tablet each time, soak in water and feed, or follow the doctor's advice at a pet hospital. Heat stroke

chinchilla heatstroke is usually caused by the temperature inside the cage reaching 26 ° C or above and the lack of air circulation, which makes it impossible to dissipate heat through cold and heat exchange, resulting in an increase in body temperature. Or if the exercise time is too long and the body heats up. The main symptoms are lack of energy, general weakness, loss of appetite, significant increase in body temperature, fever and redness in the ears, increased and accelerated heartbeat, frequent and shallow breathing difficulties, and a burning sensation in exhaled breath. The initial manifestation is a short-term excitement. Running wildly everywhere. After returning to the cage soon, it will enter a coma state. Severe cases may result in white foam on the mouth, usually when lying down with legs extended or sideways. If not rescued in a timely manner, death may occur due to suffocation or heart failure. The rescue measures for heatstroke should be timely, the faster the detection, the better, and the faster the treatment, the better. Firstly, transfer the cat that has already fallen into limb paralysis and weakness to an environment with a temperature below 26 °C as soon as possible. Then apply wind oil essence to the ear tips of chinchilla to cool down. After suffering from heatstroke, it is generally difficult to eat independently, so every four hours, 10 milliliters of water should be fed to chinchilla with a syringe; Remember to ensure the diet of the chinchilla and ensure that it has sufficient physical recovery.

Long teeth

Long teeth in a chinchilla can only be solved through surgery, but considering its body's tolerance, it is very difficult to control the dosage of anesthesia. After surgery, the chinchilla may never wake up, so the surgical risk is extremely high. Many pet hospitals do not treat chinchilla, and this surgery is not something we can do on our own. Watching a cat slowly weaken and eventually die due to excessive posterior teeth is undoubtedly a very painful thing. Although the treatment of this disease is difficult, prevention is very simple: chinchilla relies on alfalfa grass poles and Timothy grass to help it grind its teeth, which can effectively prevent it.

Laryngeal obstruction

A chinchilla may swallow too quickly while eating, or bite other foreign objects while grinding its teeth, which can lead to this problem.

After experiencing laryngeal obstruction, Chinchilla will continuously make neck stretching and swallowing movements, and there will also be coughing sounds. Severe cases may result in eye congestion, hypoxia, and inability to stand due to suffocation, leading to death.

For mild laryngeal obstruction, the method of lubricating the esophagus with vegetable oil can be adopted. Use a syringe to take 1 milliliter of edible oil and inject it into the mouth, keeping the head up to facilitate the entry of oil into the esophagus. Artificial respiration can also be used to assist breathing. At the same time, gently pushing the neck with your hand can help with esophageal peristalsis.

Try to avoid feeding peanuts, melon seeds, and other snacks to chinchilla, and avoid placing plastic products or other items within chinchillas range of activity to prevent throat obstruction.

According to body size, there are small, medium, and large parrots, and their lifespans vary depending on the species. Generally, small parrots have a lifespan of 7-20 years, while medium and large parrots have an average lifespan of 30-60 years. Some medium parrots can live up to around 80 years old.So, if you choose to keep a parrot, please take good care of it and don't abandon it for any reason.

Here are some parrots suitable for beginners to keep：

Budgerigar Advantages: Small size, bright colors, easy to raise, and a wide range of choices. Disadvantages: Loud and prolonged vocalizations, lack of interactivity, low intelligence.

Lovebird Advantages: Rich variety, with many beautiful color schemes to choose from. High intelligence, strong interactivity, and the ability to learn skills.

Disadvantages: Likes to chirp and is relatively noisy; But it is very quiet in a dark environment, you can prepare a black cloth to cover the birdcage and make it quiet.

Nymphicus hollandicus

Advantages: Moderate body size, gentle and timid personality, pleasant female voice, males can learn to whistle.

Disadvantages: Too much feather powder is not recommended for families with respiratory diseases or allergies, and there are fewer colors to choose from.

Prepare feeding tools

Cage

Bird cages are divided into two types: home use and outdoor use, depending on the size of the parrot's body; If you are not planning to take your parrot outdoors, it is recommended to choose a larger birdcage to give the parrot ample space for activities.As parrots may use their beaks to open doors, it is recommended to purchase a small door lock to prevent parrots from flying away when opening the door. You can buy a smaller bird cage when going out, and you also need a release rope that can be tied directly to the parrot's leg. As for whether the parrot likes the release rope, it depends on the personality of each parrot.

Tripod

There are two types of Tripods, one with the same thickness and the other with different thicknesses. It is recommended that chicks choose Tripods with the same thickness, as those with different thicknesses are more suitable for adult birds.If installed in a birdcage, a Tripod can be installed on each side of the front and back to visually create a sense of staggered height, making it convenient for parrots to play.

Thermal insulation products

Parrots are birds that are sensitive to temperature changes. Excessive changes in temperature, whether too cold or too hot, can cause parrots to become sick. Therefore, we need to prepare some insulation products.If conditions permit, you can purchase a constant temperature box to keep parrots. Generally, you can buy a ceramic warm lamp to hang in the cage. If it is a ventilated environment, a cover is also needed to ensure that the temperature inside the cage is comfortable for the parrots.

Other supplies

Small brooms for cleaning bird cages, parrot specific cleaning and disinfection tools, kitchen scales for measuring feed weight, and so on.

I hope the above things can provide some help to you during your new breeding period.

Food and drink

Food is mainly divided into staple food and snacks; The main staple food is grains and cereals, while snacks include vegetables and fruits, all of which are easily available items. Feeding parrots is mainly done by combining regular and quantitative staple foods with irregular snacks, but do not only feed parrots millet. If you are unsure if a food parrot can be consumed, please do not feed the parrot; Most human processed foods, especially milk and chocolate, cannot be fed to parrots.

In terms of drinking water, using tap water for feeding is sufficient, but it is recommended to boil water, disinfect and cool it before feeding; Regularly check whether there is parrot feces in the parrot's water cup. Once feces appear, immediately clean the water cup and replace it with new water; Regularly clean the parrot's water cup to keep it clean and tidy, and avoid any sticky or slippery inside the cup.

Feeding environment

The breeding location should be chosen as close to the wall as possible, while avoiding exposure to sunlight and prolonged exposure to wind vents to prevent parrots from getting sick or even dying due to exposure to sunlight or prolonged exposure to wind; Keeping parrots in open spaces can easily cause them to feel nervous and scared.

It is recommended to choose rectangular metal bird cages for breeding. Due to the destructive power of parrot beaks, it is best not to use bird cages made of wood or bamboo; In terms of selecting the size of the birdcage, it is recommended to use a birdcage with a minimum size of 40cm * 30cm * 30cm for small parrots; For varieties with large body size or long tail feathers; It is recommended to choose a birdcage with a minimum size of 50cm * 35cm * 35cm. If conditions permit, the larger the size of the birdcage, the better; Remember to regularly clean and maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the birdcage to reduce the risk of parrot diseases. Parrots are highly intelligent birds, and some parrots use their beaks to open the birdcage and escape, so remember to buy a lock to lock the birdcage when no one is watching over the parrot.

Habit

Parrots like to chirp in the morning and evening. If the chirping affects your or your neighbor's daily life, you can cover the birdcage with a blackout cloth. When the light becomes dim, the parrot will stop chirping.

Parrots are a type of bird that loves to fly. If a parrot is raised in a birdcage since childhood, it will not get too close to its owner; Taking the parrot out of the cage recklessly can also easily startle the parrot, causing it to fly away and be lost. Even parrots that have been personally raised by their owners since childhood can be lost due to the birds' flying habits. Therefore, before taking parrots out for play, remember to trim their feathers to prevent them from flying too high or too far and losing them. If you don't want to trim your feathers, you can purchase a release rope to prevent the parrot from getting lost. Remember to close doors and windows when interacting with the parrot at home.

How to choose a fish tank

For beginners who have just started raising fish, there are two main types of fish tanks they come into contact with: bare tanks and finished tanks; It is not recommended for beginners to choose expensive large cabinet style fish tanks, as maintaining a large fish tank can be a difficult task for beginners.

The advantage of a bare tank is its great degree of freedom, allowing for the free selection of fish tank accessories, convenient landscaping, and strong adaptability. Therefore, one can customize the scenery according to their own ideas. But its drawback is that it requires beginners to have a certain understanding of fish tank equipment, and after matching it with fish tank accessories, the overall expenses are higher compared to purchasing a finished fish tank.

The advantages of finished fish tanks are: complete basic equipment, easy and convenient to use, and overall relatively cheap price; For beginners, purchasing a finished fish tank directly can save a lot of trouble. But its disadvantage is that small finished fish tanks basically use a three in one filtration, which has poor filtration effect. Moreover, because they are finished tanks, they often choose basic equipment of average quality to save costs, and their own modifiability is poor.

Regardless of which type of fish tank you choose, you need to clean, disinfect, and dry the tank before using it.

Selection of filtering equipment

What filtering method should beginners choose? Here, it is recommended that beginners can choose between external filter barrels and external filters; The advantage of using an external filter bucket for filtration is that it does not take up much space inside the fish tank, has good biochemical filtration effect, does not require regular cleaning of the filter material, and has low noise; The disadvantage lies in; Because the filter material is in a sealed filter cartridge, cleaning the filter material is more complicated. The advantage of external filtering is that it is cheap, easy to use, and does not require any installation skills. It can be directly hung and used; The disadvantage is that it is suitable for small-sized fish tanks with average filtration effect, and the filter cotton or filter material needs to be cleaned regularly.

Over water and over temperature

Unlike humans, which have strong adaptability, fish are very sensitive to temperature and water quality. Therefore, it is important not to pour newly purchased fish directly into the fish tank. New fish should not suddenly enter a new water temperature and water quality environment; It may cause fish to get sick, or it may cause death. So in order to gradually adapt to the water quality environment of the fish tank and improve the survival rate of new fish, we need to carry out a step of "over water and over temperature".

Firstly, "over temperature" by placing the container containing the purchased fish and the water inside the container into a plastic bag, then placing it in the fish tank and letting it sit for 45-60 minutes until the water temperature inside the plastic bag gradually matches the water temperature inside the fish tank; When the water temperature reaches the same level, it is necessary to perform "water passing". First, prepare a regular water cup, take out 1/3 cup of old water from the fish tank, pour it into a new fish bag, and let it stand for 5 minutes. Then, after 5 minutes, pour out 1/3 cup of water from the bag, and then pour in 1/3 cup of old water from the fish tank. Continue to let it stand for 5 minutes. Repeat this process about 10 times, and observe the status of the new fish. If there is any abnormality in the fish, stop water passing immediately. Then isolate the abnormal fish and let it stand for a period of time until it returns to normal before water passing. If the fish are not abnormal, you can use a fishing net to put the fish into the fish tank. Do not pour the water in the bag into the fish tank together to prevent water from entering the bag. The water is contaminated with cross infection of bacteria into the fish tank.

The above are a few steps that beginners should prepare for when starting to fish farming.

The biggest concern for beginners in fish farming is what kind of fish are suitable for themselves and what kind of fish are easy to raise; If you don't choose the right fish at the beginning and frequently cause the fish to die, which undermines your confidence, you may not be able to keep fish in the future. So what entry-level ornamental fish is suitable for novice fish enthusiasts to keep?

1.Goldfish：The first choice for beginners is naturally goldfish, because not only is it cheap, but it is also very easy to raise. You only need to provide a tank of clean water to feed it, and it is almost not picky about feed. It can eat any common food in daily life. If you really don't know what to feed, it will also eat when the fallen leaves on the lawn outside the house are torn apart and put into the water. It belongs to a breed that is very beginner friendly.

2.Trichogaster trichopterus：It is a very easy to raise fish with a beautiful appearance and relatively low price; Strong adaptability to water quality, it will actively float to the surface to breathe when there is a lack of oxygen in the water; Mild temperament, but able to attack smaller fish than oneself. It is recommended to mix with fish of similar size, have low food requirements, and enjoy eating floating feed on the water surface; Recommended for beginners to raise.

3.Corydoras melanotaenia：Corydoras melanotaenia belongs to benthic fish species, which have strong disease resistance, strong feeding desire, and are not picky about food but have strong competition for food. Usually, Corydoras melanotaenia hides and rests in a hiding place. They only become lively and active when eating, and at the same time, they also like to rummage through the sand at the bottom of the fish tank to find food residues, which is a good helper to help you clean the bottom of the fish tank.

4.Gold ancistrus：Golden Beard is a good choice for beginners to raise fish. It belongs to the tropical fish category, with bright colors and strong ornamental value. At the same time, it has a strong vitality, a gentle and timid personality, and will not attack other fish, making it suitable for mixed breeding with other fish. I like hidden places. Gold ancistrus is a nocturnal fish that is generally active at night and feeds on algae and sediment at the bottom of the fish tank. It has strong algae removal ability and helps maintain the cleanliness of the fish tank. It can be kept as 2-3 tool fish

5.Mini parrot：If you want to observe the process of fish reproduction; You can choose mini parrots, which have strong physique, low requirements for water quality and food, and can be consumed as long as the food particles are of appropriate size. They are considered as beginner breeds of breeding fish; It is worth noting that mini parrots reproduce quickly and have strong aggression. It is recommended to keep them separately and pay attention to supplementing food. Mini parrots have a habit of swallowing their young when hungry.

Well, the above are some fish recommendations for novices. I hope they can help you in your fish farming career.