There are disgracefully high numbers of neglected rabbits and guinea pigs at animal shelters worldwide. The problem is that several people believe that these little animals will be easier to take care of than the customary selections of pets, like dogs and cats. These people do not do an adequate amount of fact scrutiny and information gathering before they run out and get one. While rabbits and guinea pigs are a bit easier to take care of, they still cannot be just left to fend for themselves.

Where your rabbit or guinea pig lives is significant. Will it be an inside pet or will you keep it outside? If you are going to look after your pet rabbit or guinea pig in the house, you will require the proper cage and bedding. Cages must not have wire bottoms because the wire hurts their feet, which have no padding for protection. Usually, an inside cage must have a solid plastic bottom with a wire top. The plastic base will be a great deal easier to clean.

For outside residents, a well built hutch is essential. The appropriate hutch will protect your furry friend from dangerous predators, as well as cold and extreme heat. The floor must be solid wood. If you opt to use wire for the bottom of the cage, you should make sure that you pad it with cardboard. External hutches can be chosen in single, double, or triple levels that can suit the amount of rabbits or guinea pigs you have.

What kind of bedding will you go for? There is a common misunderstanding that wood shaving bedding, like pine or cedar, can be used for your pet rabbit or guinea pig’s cage. This is incorrect. These wood shavings are hazardous for your little critters. Rabbits and guinea pigs have to to chew, and they will chew everything that they have access to. Always make sure that the bedding you point out in non-toxic. It is always safer to choose hay or paper shavings for bedding.

In addition, the kind of bedding that you pick will depend on the type of housing that you have. Hutches are outside and will want a bedding that does not produce an bad atmosphere for your rabbit or guinea pig. They must allow air to circulate, specially when they are soggy from bathroom uses. In cages inside, you may possibly need something that regulates the unpleasant smell of the urine that rabbits and guinea pigs generate, but it should still be comfortable enough for the rabbit or guinea pig to nest and settle down in.

The sort of home that you select, regardless of whether it is a hutch or cage, ought to achieve two main goals. Firstly, it should be generous enough to permit for movement. Five times the size of your rabbit or guinea pig is sufficient. For rabbits, the cage must be big enough for jumping and your rabbit must have enough head room to stand on its hind legs. For guinea pigs, they must have enough room to run around, have tunnels and climbing toys, as well as sleeping and eating space. Second, your rabbit or guinea pig ought to feel at ease and safe. A relaxed and secure furry critter is a contented furry critter.

The American Cocker Spaniel is a medium sized breed of gun dog that developed from the same family as the English Cocker Spaniel. This breed originated from England and originally hunted woodcock and this is where the name cocker was derived. During the 1940s, the cocker was introduced and developed in the US and this new breed was named the American Cocker Spaniel.

In its native country the US, it is simply called the Cocker Spaniel. In other parts of the world such as Canada and Europe, it is called the American Cocker Spaniel. Before, this dog flourished as a gun dog but today it is more known as a lovable family pet.

Spaniels in the UK were originally brought from Spain and were later developed to become superb hunting dogs. These hunting Spaniels then bore the Cocker Spaniel and Springer Spaniel in one litter and were only separated during adulthood as different types of Spaniels. But through the use of the English Setter, the Cocker Spaniel was able to be solidified as a different breed.

To know the difference of an American Cocker Spaniel from an English Cocker Spaniel, the size of the former is relatively smaller than the latter. The American version also has a long and low set coat while the English one has a shorter coat. The head of the American Cocker Spaniel is dome-like and the ears are floppy while the English variety has a rectangular head and shorter ears.

The standard height of the American Cocker Spaniel is 15 inches and any dog taller than this is considered disqualified for shows. The weight should be 25 to 35 pounds but the males can be a bit heavier. The average life span is up to 12 years while the English Cocker Spaniel is 13 years.

The coat of the American Cocker Spaniel is particularly given special attention when it comes to competition as it needs to be well groomed every time. The coat of this breed should be silky, dense, soft, long and is double coated. The coat colors are group in to: Black, ASCOB (Any Solid Color Other than Black), Tricolor, and Parti Color.

As a gun dog, the American Cocker Spaniel is known to be brave, hard worker, and respectful of the master’s authority. As a family pet, this dog is very sociable, amiable, and sweet. It is known to be gentle, devoted, trusting and sensitive.

The American Cocker Spaniel is an energetic dog that needs daily exercise in order to maintain being healthy. Grooming this dog requires daily brushing and shampooing as its coat is long, dense and sheds averagely. Regular nail clipping, coat trimming and eyes cleaning are also necessary.

In 1896, when the Klondike Gold Rush hit the new world, settlers and prospectors hired and took in this large type of breed to carry their heavy loads and valuables to and fro a destination. This breed is the Alaskan Malamute, a quiet and calm breed that was once a dependable companion of the Mahlemuits tribe of upper western Alaska. For centuries, the tribesmen and this breed lived side by side hunting, working and surviving the cold surroundings of the north.

The Malamute is a large breed that’s originally developed to be a sled dog, carrying heavy loads across great distances. Many can attest that the pulling strength of this breed is powerful and has an incredible stamina and endurance at pulling weights heavier than itself. Because of this, the only important skill that is honed and hoped for in this breed is pulling and the rest are not as important.

Today, this dog is still widely used as a sled dog for travels and freighting. Games such as mushing, skijoring, bikejoring and canicross also widely utilize the Malamute and this is becoming popular among adventurers and Malamute fanciers alike. Moreover, the Malamute is beginning to have a popular reputation as a loving family pet and show dog today.

On the issues of speed, the Malamute does not come first as there are speedier breeds than it. It can haul heavy loads across great distances but only at a slower pace. Four Malamutes are said to be enough to carry loads as heavy as thousands of pounds at short distances.

Most times, the Alaskan Malamute is mistaken for a Siberian Husky but a closer look will identify their great differences. Also, one interesting fact about the Malamute is that it gives out a “talking” sound called the “woo woo”. This sound is the inspiration behind Chewbacca’s voice in Star Wars, thanks to George Lucas’ own Malamute named Indiana.

Unlike other dog breeds, the Malamute is a quiet dog that does not bark much unlike other large breeds. It is not as mindful though with its master’s commands but is amiable nonetheless to him, his children and other people. Take note, however, that the Malamute is not accustomed to be social to smaller canines and other animals that’s why, although they may get along very well at times, it should never be forgotten that this breed has an innate instinct to be unfriendly with lesser sized creatures.

The standard weight for this dog is 75 to 85 pounds while the standard height is 23 to 26 inches according to the American Kennel Club breed standard. Moreover, it has a dense double coat and a furry tail which at the same is used as a nose and face shield against strong blowing winds of the north. This breed generally comes in colors of gray and white, sable and white, black and white, red and white, or pure white.

Said to have lived 2,000 to 3,000 years ago with the Mahlemuits tribe, the Alaskan Malamute is considered to be one of the most ancient dog breed. Recent DNA testing proves that this dog possesses genes that are clearly unique compared to other dog breeds. Additionally, a recent discovery of 30,000 years old dog remains resemble greatly the structure of the Alaskan Malamute so scientists have a conclusion that the Malamute is probably the closest living relative of the world’s very first dog.

If you’ve taken an interest in chicken-raising, either as a hobby or a way to acquire eggs and chicken meat without having to buy them from the grocery store, how to house your new birds will be one of the first things you want to tackle. The standard for housing poultry is to build them a comfortable chicken coop to live in. Of course, how you construct it will vary depending on your specific scenario, how many chickens you plan on keeping, what kind of area you live in, and so forth.

Regardless, though, there are some aspects of chicken coop designs that are identical no matter the circumstances.

* Make sure your birds have enough living space. Inside the coop, you’ll want to give them at least 4 square feet each in total area. This means if you have 5 chickens, you need to have at least 20 square feet for them to live comfortably in the coop.

* Make sure you leave room in the plan to attach a chicken run outside the coop itself. Chickens need 10 square feet each to walk around in, otherwise they will feel cramped.

Other than these space concerns, much of what you look for in your chicken coop designs is up to you. You can design the exterior of the coop to look like anything you want, from a victorian house or a greek temple to a functional and minimalist wooden box. One thing you should make sure to keep in mind, though, is that your coop will need to be big enough for you to get inside for cleaning purposes. If you can’t get into it, your job of keeping your chickens healthy and happy will be that much more difficult.

A few other things you want to include, regardless of your chicken coop designs are adequate ventilation and predator protection. There are many animals which prey on poultry, from foxes and hawks to wolves, wild dogs, and even wild cats. With all this to worry about, your birds will feel much safer”and thus, will be much more productive and healthy”if you ensure that their home is solid and hard for wild animals to get into. Use solid wooden walls instead of a wire frame mesh. Of course, you shouldn’t use wood to frame your chicken run; for that job, wire frame mesh is just fine.

Ventilation is important because chickens do not like extremes in temperature regardless of whether it’s too hot or too cold. They prefer cool weather, but if it’s too cold they will get just as unhappy as if it’s too hot. Make sure you include some windows when planning out your chicken coop designs to account for this preference of your birds. A window towards the top is a good idea, because the hot, stale air will go out of it naturally, and you won’t have to worry about installing some kind of mechanical system to circulate air.

Other ideas include adding nesting boxes for your hens to lay eggs in, roosts for them to sleep on, and easy-to-clean bedding boxes for the chicken droppings to fall into. Roosts are especially important, because chickens do not like sleeping on the ground. Regardless of how you make your chicken coop designs, just make sure your chickens have enough room and stay comfortable. They’ll thank you for it.

Though not as venomous as other species, the copperhead snake causes the majority of snake-bites in the US. The copperhead can be recognized by its stubby shape and the clear distinction between the neck and the rest of the body although the cross bands that make up the overall pattern make classification possible too. [I:http://exporubens.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ColinJones0.jpg]

Copperhead snakes have pale bellies, similar to the ground on which they live, but they sometimes appear pretty whitish. There are visible spots or pits on the head of copperhead snakes that look like darker tiny specks, but there is also a rather discolored stripe on the head area behind the eyes; this stripe looks very diffuse on top but it gets brownish towards the edges.

Copperhead snakes live in all sorts of habitats: you can find them under rocks, in woods and on river banks or in areas around ponds. A specimen will choose its habitat depending on the predominant prey, as copperhead snakes feed on birds, frogs, mice, cicadas, caterpillars and almost any other small animal they manage to hunt.

Among the best hide-outs for copperhead snakes, wood piles, stone slabs, walls, debris and abandoned or ruined buildings are the most common, which explains the possibility of a human encounter with them in such areas. Copperhead snakes are most active in the spring and summer months and as long as the weather stays warm, after which they enter the hibernation period.

Copperhead snakes return to the same dens to hibernate year after year, and more often than not, there are large nests counting many individuals during hibernation. On very hot summer days, copperhead snakes will remain in cooler areas during the day and use the cover of the night to hunt. On balmy summer days, the copperhead will lie in the sun on rocks or wooden debris. Copperhead snakes do not hatch eggs, but give birth to their young live. The number of young ranges from one to fourteen and they are usually born from the summer untill October.

Immediate medical assistance is absolutely necessary in the case of bites by copperhead snakes since there is the risk of permanent scarring accompanied by really unbearable pain. The best advice you can get when encountering copperhead snakes is to avoid them, because many people get bitten when they threaten the snakes when roaming or hunting.

Snakes will not attack you unless they feel threatened, then, you will see how fiercely they can defend themselves. Statistics reveal that copperhead snakes have the highest incidence biting in the United States, because these snakes attack immediately without giving warning signs like other species do.

Everyone has heard of horse racing aintree because of one event, The Grand National. This race is famous all over the world and people flock to watch it and it is covered all over the world. The first grand national took place in 1839 and has increased in popularity ever since. There are not many people who have not placed a “small something” on this event.

The actual title for the grand national at liverpool aintree is “The John Smiths Grand National” and is usually held on a Saturday, at the beginning of April. The race consists of a steeplechase over four and half miles.

Liverpool aintree and the event of the year the grand national have a infectious quality about them. Even if you are not present at the acutal course there are not many people who cannot stop what they are doing and watch the event on the television, or listen on the radio. The grand national and horse racing at aintree is a national institution.

One of the memories that everyone who has ever heard of the grand national will remember is April 1997 when there was a bomb scare and liverpool aintree course had to be evacuated. The course was packed at the time and it really is a credit not only to the management of the course but also the surrounding hotels which then had to accommodate people until the race was ran on the Monday. This was won by Lord Gyllene.

The grand national at liverpool aintree will become a yearly outing for you once you’ve tried it once. It is impossible not to get overcome with all the excitement and atmosphere of the event. Its addictive and you will be back!

RETURNING FROM A RIDE: There is always the temptation on your horses part, to run back to the barn at the end of a ride. He will be tempted to trot instead of walk; canter instead of trot; or run instead of canter. Be careful or you will be allowing him to learn or to think you are teaching him to run home. If you persist in this permissiveness you may eventually have a runaway horse each time his head turns toward home.

When you do return home; come down to a walk well away from the barn and let him cool down well as you near the barn. If you are cantering in and he wants to go faster, break down the gait to a trot and if needed down to a walk even if a long way from the barn. If he won’t walk calmly but wants to jig and go sideways or tries breaking into a faster gait — you need to spend some time in the paddocks and school him to walk and trot when you tell him too. If you still have trouble; get help from an outside equestrian or a trainer.

BUYING YOUR HORSE: When buying a horse be aware that what you see during the purchasing meeting with the horse — is what you will have when you take him home. He is most likely on his best behavior at the barns and paddocks where he lives, so when you remove him to take him to your place you are likely to get worse behavior not better. Unless you are a very experience rider with some good horse sense, you should purchase an older, settled horse for a first mount and then as you improve get a younger more spirited one.

Horse Hair Analysis is a very useful tool to find the realistic needs of your horse. The hair is a long term record of the horse’s nutritional health and the analysis will tell the most accurate story as to what your particular horse needs… or what he is getting too much of — especially if he is ingesting some sort of toxic substance.

TRAILERS and TRAILERING: For most people learning to trailer your horse is mandatory. If you are fortunate to purchase a place far out in the rural un-populated areas, especially if you purchase property on a long dirt road or network of such roads — you may be able to do a lot of riding without trailering. You will still likely want to have a trailer eventually, so that you can take your horse to a trainer, pick up another horse, or take your horse to join a friend for a ride.

Watch for conformation (shape and bodily proportion) in the horse; which can be learned from books and then there is Attitude — this is the same as for humans. If the horse has a bad attitude it’s hardly worth owning at any cost. The horse should be checked perhaps even x-rayed by a Veterinarian. This is called Vetting a horse; done in a pre-purchase exam. This usually costs about $300 to $500. A lot of lameness can’t be seen with the eye and will only show up with strenuous training, or during work or competition — just when you can’t afford it.

Before you take your horse for a first trailer ride; you should ride in the back of the trailer, while someone else drives the truck, so that you can experience the cornering and braking calamities that the horse will experience. Some folks put leg wraps on their horses when trailering to help protect the horse more from accidental braking, cornering, or bumping.

Take your horse about 50 feet from the trailer and do some groundwork which keeps the horse in constant motion. Move the front, hindquarter, ask for some backing up. You can even do some lunging. Then calmly walk your horse up to the trailer. Two notes about actually getting the horse into the trailer.

In the dating world many men and women put their potential partners to a “dog test,” whereby they introduce their date to their dog and see how the dog reacts to the stranger. If the dog reacts badly towards their date then a red flag is waved, whereas if the dog accepts the stranger instantly the opposite holds true. While many people look upon this test in a tongue-in-cheek manner, many dog owners actually do take it seriously. As they probably should!

When lifting any hoof try to make sure your horse is properly squared (balanced evenly on all four legs) so that when you lift one hoof he can easily balance on his remaining three. At no time should the horse actually lean his weight on you! Even when you rest his rear leg on your thigh you’re not allowing him to use you as a crutch.

Making sure that your feet aren’t too close to the horse’s hoof, start running the hand parallel to him down his shoulder and along the length of his leg, finally stopping just above his ankle. Gently grasp the ankle portion and click (or otherwise verbally cue him) to ask him to raise his leg. If he’s well trained, that small cue will be more than enough and he’ll do just what you requested. You’re now free to begin picking his hoof.

When a horse enjoys your company, you’ll know it. When a horse trusts you, you’ll know it. And when a horse actually dislikes you, he will make sure you know it. I often state that the world would be a much better place if people were as brutally honest as horses. But I digress

Do you have trouble getting your horse in the trailer, without putting a bucket of grain at the end, pushing him from behind, or pulling on ropes through the front of the trailer? And even then, it still doesn’t work?

Once you have finished cleaning the front hoof carefully guide it back to the floor; you don’t want to allow the horse to slam it, potentially hitting your foot in the process. Praise your horse and pat him on the front shoulder a bit so he understands that you are pleased with his cooperation, then run your hand along his back to his rear leg. Place yourself in the same position as you did with his front leg and do the process over again.

So our job is to teach the animal that going into a trailer is safe, even though it looks to him like death is imminent. We can start with two tips:

Secondly, when you raise your horse’s rear leg you’ll want to step into him a bit so that your hip is underneath his leg. Rest his leg on your thigh, grab his hoof and gently flex it upwards. By doing this you lend him some support and more importantly the position of his leg and his flexed hoof will prevent him from being able to kick you.

Picture this. You take your best friend for a walk on a nice Saturday afternoon, but it turns into a fiasco. He or she is excited to begin with, but when you venture out, the dog pulls so hard, it’s actually walking on two legs instead of four. Sound familiar? If so, you might want to give this a try.

My beagle used to be this way. She’s by no means perfect, yet, but she’s a lot better. We came across the Yuppie Puppy Anti-Pull harness from Orrco, Incorporated. And we saw an improvement the first time we used it. There are a number of benefits to this particular harness.

First, it’s the only one we’ve come across that’s endorsed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. We’ve tried several, but this is the only one that worked right away. If it’s good enough for the ASPCA, it’s good enough for me. . .and my beagle.

Second, it’s quick and easy to put on and off. Some harnesses require a blueprint. Not this one.

Third, even if your dog pulls, the harness is guaranteed not to choke. If I had to pick one negative, it would be a small buckle that rests against the chest. If your dog is a puller, it may cause a little rash-like mark, but that’s about it. It certainly doesn’t hurt him. I wouldn’t let that keep me from giving it a try.

Fourth, there are padded sherpa sleeves that fit under the legs. Most other harnesses are unpadded and cause chafing, especially for a dog that pulls excessively. This one provides added comfort.

Fifth, you can choose from more than one color. If this is important to you, you can pick black or red. Not a big deal, but the option is available to you if that’s a significant factor.

We have a beagle that’s always eager for a walk. We’re still working with her on her walking techniques, but this harness has helped from day one. I recommend it highly.

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If you want to take care of fish and their aquarium, you should try to relate to those fish. You can pick between freshwater and saltwater fish. The freshwater fish are of two types: coldwater and tropical. There are a number of fish types that you can get if you want to start keeping fish.

The Pantodontidae Species: This family of fish includes a few types, like the butterfly or the flying fish. Their origin is West Africa and their maximum size is 10cm (4 inches). The body of the butterfly fish is flat and it has small patterns on it. Tropical fish have a flat shape for the body.

The family from which the butterfly fish originates from is Chaetodontidae. They have an upward turned mouth and boat shaped bodies. You will also notice a huge chest that is wing like. Some of the will be colored brown, while others will be green or gray. In some cases you will see dark spots or streaks on their bodies.

This is a species that is quite passive, but you should still keep them together with fish of the same size or species.

Feeding them They will not eat from the aquarium’s bottom. They would rather eat small fish or insects. You can also teach them to eat worms or meat based dishes. Teaching them to do that will require a long stick.

The type of water They enjoy water that is a bit soft, with a temperature around 80F. The butterfly fish should be kept in an aquarium that is only half filled, but have plenty of thick plants inside.

This is not a fish that will breed easily in captivity. If you want fish that will breed, pick a species that will do that. If you still want to go with the Pandotidae and they do breed, give their offspring minute insects to eat. It takes around three days for the eggs to hatch.

The Mormyridae Species Another fish species is the Mormyridae, which can be found in Central and South Africa. One interesting fact about this fish is that their brain weight to body weight ratio is comparable to that of a man. It’s a fish that is easy to teach and curious about their surroundings. If you want to buy this fish, you should make sure they get the proper food, or they might decline it.

The Marcusenius Schilthuisiae Species It’s also called trunkfish or in some cases elephant trunkfish. Their origin is Central Congo and their maximum size is 10cm (4 inches). Their body is a silver/brown with a dull tubercle and some dark bands. In many aspects, this fish is similar with the G. Petersi, in areas like food, sexing, water conditions and breeding.

The Gnathonemus Petersi Species Another name for this species is elephant nosed fish. Their maximum size in an aquarium is around 10cm (4 inches) and they can be found in Congo and Cameroon. However, in the wild they can get to 23cm (9 inches). Their chins are elongated and squeezed against their body. They have both a dorsal and an anal fin. Their color is either dark brown or black, with two white stripes.

It’s a passive fish that can be kept in aquariums with other species of fish. They like eating freshwater fleas and Tubifex. Their aquarium should have plenty of plants for them to hide in and the temperature of the water should be 80F. Powerful lights are not a good idea.