PetSugar

Ever Had a Pet Rabbit?

PetSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:00:34 -0700

Pet Peeves: My Hamster Hates Her Wheel!

PetSugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:00:34 -0800

Q: My hamster, Nibbles, doesn't ever seem to want to go on her wheel. I never hear it squeaking at night and I'm constantly watching her during the day, and she hates it. When I try to coax her on, she hops right off – my mice were always on their wheel, what's wrong with this hamster of mine?

A: My first tip would be to test out some new wheels. If you own the plastic or wire version with rungs (or this grid pattern), it could be turning off your hamster – these can be painful for small pets because tiny feet can get stuck between the rungs or in the gaps so some animals will hesitate to hop on. I'd recommend testing out a solid plastic type (such as this one) to see if you have any more success.

If you're not into buying a new wheel, though, create a quick fix by removing the existing wheel and weaving a sheet of paper in and out of the rungs or securely attaching it around the outside, making the surface flat and creating a solid wheel instead.

Lastly, some pets prefer different forms of exercise, just like people – you couldn't catch me on a treadmill! If you feel your furry friend isn't getting enough exercise, try giving her more space to roam or even a Run-About Ball instead.

Have You Spayed or Neutered Exotic Pets?

PetSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:00:14 -0700

It's no surprise that I love baby animals, but I wouldn't want to just wake up one morning to a slew of new pets! Especially since I recall a childhood pal who went from having Roxy and Foxy to having five Guinea Pigs – quite a mysterious result when her mom (thought she) had purchased two girl pets – and how sad we were when her parents told her she could only keep one baby.
Now, I never gave "fixing" much thought in the scenario but a recent article brought this practice to my attention. Most of you spay or neuter your dogs and cats, but what about the exotic pets or small mammals you've owned?

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Street Team: Ferret Fun Tube

PetSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:00:25 -0700

Now I know ferrets love crawling through tight places and burrowing in hollow spaces so I'm not surprised that a Ferret Fun Tube is a popular concept for these furry critters.

Learn more about a tunnel like this one that DeJaVuE bought for her ferret, Deja when you read more.

These flexible tubes are clear enough that you can watch your speed racers zip and spin through them . . . and so can their other household pals. Each vinyl tube ($17) is 20-feet long and can be cut into smaller pieces or bent into a long and winding maze. Looks fun, doncha think?

PetMarking Mission Completed: Home Makeovers

PetSugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:00:13 -0800

Last week I asked all you savvy shoppers and Internet researchers out there to come PetMarking with me and help me locate hideaways to makeover the homes of hamsters, ferrets, and other wee furries. With all the cute gear out there for our doggies and kitties, sometimes it's tough to give a little love to our smallest fuzzy friends! We did a super sweet job with this mission, bookmarking some super sweet stuff. Maybe I'm a sucker for shoes, but I can't help to adore the Grassy Boot that gruaig_rua found at That Pet Place.

Check out all the results from our mission in a widget when you read more.

Come PetMarking With Me: Home Makeovers

PetSugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:30:49 -0800

No, you haven't stumbled upon CasaSugar here – I want you to consider a makeover for the home of a small furry friend! Whether a gerbil, guinea pig, rabbit, or rat, small pets need fun, functional places to hide and sleep. Most also like to chew and scratch on these items so they can easily look rather too lived in. I already spotted this adorable hideaway petmarked by amh678 so let's use it as our inspiration!

All you savvy shoppers and internet researchers out there, can you locate the best hideaways and beds for small mammals? Come PetMarking with me, by bookmarking your finds on Teamsugar. Don't forget to tag your finds as "Hideaways". I'll do a recap next week of our finds.

Geeksugar has written a helpful explanation of how to bookmark... or, in our case, PetMark! Happy hunting!

Don't know where to start? To check out some stores with great gear for little furry guys and girls, read more.

Amazon.com

Doctors Foster and Smith

Pet Present Extravaganza: For Small Furries

PetSugar — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:00:54 -0800

Treat small pets this holiday season with a variety of special gifts meant just for them! From the 100 percent edible alfalfa and honey huts to a 12-sq.-ft. playpen with mat and cover to allow pets to roam safely outside of their cage (or even outside of your house), these gifts are great for small-mammal owners whose lil' creatures already have a little of everything else. To see my top present picks, read more

Do Tell: Have You Assigned an Animal a Gender?

PetSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:05:03 -0800

Hi, Mary . . . umm, I mean Terry. This Aldabra tortoise living at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo arrived in 1955 and, since then, keepers assumed he was a she. Since these reptiles' reproductive organs are not usually visible, it took more than 50 years 'til they've got her gender lined up right, so she's now known as Terry instead.

This confusing situation got me thinking: with pets like fish, lizards, small mammals, or even stray cats, sometimes people assume a pet is one gender only to find out later she's something else entirely - that is if they ever find out for sure. I know I'm not the only one with a salamander named Sam (that could have properly been a Samuel or a Samantha) - so share your stories of pets with gender-specific names and unknown (or noncorresponding) genders in the comments below.

Source: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Double the Baby Coatis, Double the Fun!

PetSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:00:12 -0700

Can't resist the Coati cuteness! These two kits reside in Hanover, Germany where their lil hog noses already sniff out the available goodies. The raccoon-related mammals love fruit (as evidenced) and also enjoy insects and small mammals.
They feed by using their long noses, poking them under rocks and into crevices, and using their long claws to dig for buried treasures.

See more pictures of Rosalie and Jasper when you read more.

View 8 Photos ›

Source

The Scoop: Hamsters Generate Electricity by Running a Wheel

PetSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:15:16 -0700

While some hamsters show no interest in their wheels in the first place, others use a love of running to fuel something totally cool. Scientists at Georgia Tech harnessed hamster power by outfitting the small mammals with yellow jackets with electricity-generating threads sewn in. The size of these zinc oxide nanowire threads? One-fiftieth (yes, 5-0) of the width of a human hair!
According to Zhong Lin 'ZL' Wang, the co-author of the paper describing this research:

This can totally be scaled up. This is just the first step. The idea is that we would harvest energy from any body movement, from walking, breathing, from any kind of vibration.

Turns out that a thousand hamsters equipped with the current jacket could charge a cell phone but, eventually, they want to make this technology on a human scale. Imagine running to fuel your own iPod – that's some exercise even I could get behind!

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