Rodents

How's this for a Halloween fright? A woman in Auckland, New Zealand, was opening a package of Heinz-Watties "choice cut" frozen green beans when she came across a strange-looking foreign object. The unidentified frozen object in question was a shrunken mouse's head.

"I thought it was a little husk or something so I took it out of the microwave and pulled it out. It had eyes looking back at me," said Jacquie Lewis, the surprised recipient. If she hadn't stopped to take a closer look at the one-centimeter-wide object, she could have eaten it. She described the experience as "incredibly nauseating. I thought, 'If this is your head, where exactly is the rest of you?'"

Heinz-Watties explained that wildlife can get into its food products from time to time, but the thought of this happening to someone still makes me shudder. Have you ever found something in your store-bought products that shouldn't have been there?

Source

While there are times I wish North had more outdoor space to frolic, quite often I'm grateful for my pooch's sheltered city lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, he still takes nice long walks . . . but I'm on the other end of the leash making sure his nose (and mouth) stay out of mischief!

While we know not to have hazardous chemicals like rat poison around the house, you can't be certain that all your neighbors behave the same way. If a pet is not decontaminated immediately after ingestion, these agents are absorbed into the blood and ultimately alter the ability of blood to clot normally.

Learn what to look for when you read more

No time is better than the present to make up a special treat for your small pet! I created these treats a few years back using people food ingredients listed in a Dwarf Hamster book that would be okay for little Rocco. These nibbles increase rodents' natural desire to forage, and help their teeth, too.

To see how to mix-up a nutty treat for small rodents, read more

Extreme Pete, the hot rod dog, has some pint-sized competition on the water. They call themselves the Radical Rodents and I'll admit, they are pretty rad. Too bad my mouse traps are even radder. Joke.