PETS ARE US RESCUE











Welcome to our page of edible plants and flowers for your pets.


We all need variety and here are some of their natural foods that they would eat in the wild. Please make sure there are no pesticides used around the plants. You can also purchase fresh frozen mixed vegetables, thaw to room temperature. ALL SHOULD BE EITHER FRESH, FRESH FROZEN, OR IN THE SPECIALTY ISLE OF YOUR LOCAL GROCERY STORE. NEVER FEED CANNED VEGTABLES, WASH ALL OF THE FOLLOWING IN FRESH CLEAN WATER BEFORE SERVING. BE SURE TO CHOP PER THE NEED OF YOUR ANIMAL. USUALLY 1/2 THE SIZE OF THE ANIMALS HEAD, ROUND OBJECTS SHOULD BE CUT IN QUARTERS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL US ATREPTILESRU@AOL.COM

Iguanas really like Hibiscus flowers especially the red ones it is a natural staple of their diet in the wild.

VEGETABLES


BEANSBEANS

BEET GREENS

BROCCOLI (NOT FOR IGUANAS)

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

CARROTS (LIMITED)

MUSTARD GREENS

COLLARDS (GREENS)

CORN (KERNAL) LIMITED

ESCAROLE

KALE

PEAS

FRESH PUMPKIN (CHOPPED)

ROMAINE LETTUCE(WATER CONTENT ONLY)

SPINACH ( VERY LIMITED)

SWISS CHARD

TOMATO FRUIT ONLY (LIMITED)

ZUCCHINI (LIMITED)

FRESH SNOW PEAS

FRESH GREEN BEANS (LIMITED)


BEET GREENS

BROCCOLI (NOT FOR IGUANAS)

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

CARROTS (LIMITED)

MUSTARD GREENS

COLLARDS (GREENS)

CORN (KERNAL) LIMITED

ESCAROLE

KALE

PEAS

FRESH PUMPKIN (CHOPPED)

ROMAINE LETTUCE(WATER CONTENT ONLY)

SPINACH ( VERY LIMITED)

SWISS CHARD

TOMATO FRUIT ONLY (LIMITED)

ZUCCHINI (LIMITED)

FRESH SNOW PEAS

FRESH GREEN BEANS (LIMITED)


VEGETABLES


BEANS
BEET GREENS
BROCCOLI (NOT FOR IGUANAS)
BRUSSEL SPROUTS
CARROTS (LIMITED)
MUSTARD GREENS
COLLARDS (GREENS)
CORN (KERNAL) LIMITED
ESCAROLE
KALE
PEAS
FRESH PUMPKIN (CHOPPED)
ROMAINE LETTUCE(WATER CONTENT ONLY)
SPINACH ( VERY LIMITED)
SWISS CHARD
TOMATO FRUIT ONLY (LIMITED)
ZUCCHINI (LIMITED)
FRESH SNOW PEAS
FRESH GREEN BEANS (LIMITED)


FLOWERS


ALFALFA
CHICKWEED
CLOVER
DANDELION FLOWER & GREENS
DAY LILIES
GERANIUMS
HIBISCUS FLOWERS AND LEAVES
JOHNNY-JUMP-UPS
NASTURTIUMS
PANSIES
POTHOS
PUMPKIN
ROSES
VIOLET
ZUCCHINI


FRUITS, GRAINS, MISC


APPLES (NO SEEDS)
APRICOTS (NO PITS)
BANANAS PEELED (LIMITED LIKE CANDY)
BLACKBERRIES
BLUEBERRIES
CANTALOPE NO SKIN
GRAPES (SEEDLESS)
MELONS
PAPAYA
PLUMS (REMOVE PIT)
RASPBERRIES
PEACHES (NO PITS)
PEARS (NO SEEDS, PIT)
STAWBERRIES
ALFALFA (GRASSES AND GRAINS
BARLEY (GRASSES & GRAINS)
CLOVES (GRASSES)
GRASS
MILLET
TIMOTHY (GRASS OR GRAINS)
WHEAT (GRASS OR GRAIN)
CACTUS NO SPINES FRESH IN PRODUCE DEPT
SUNFLOWERS (MISC)
FLUKERS OATS CONTAIN MUCH OF THE GRAINS



Iguanas really like Hibiscus flowers especially the red ones it is a natural staple of their diet in the wild.






IGUANAS ARE HIGH MAINTAINCE PETS
Iguanas are not for the new person entering into the reptile world.


These animals require a lot of time and proper cages, lighting and foods.
Baby iguanas need lots of humidity and proper foods with supplements to ensure their bones grow strong and healthy. They need proper light with uvb strip bulbs and basking lights to assist in the digestion of their foods and process the vitamin D-3 in their bodies. The cage should be at least twice their length, the uvb light 12 inches from their bodies anymore and the lights do not process the foods, and supplements, too close and they will be burned and overheated.
Bulbs need to be replaced every 3-4 months to ensure maximum uvb rays.
Do not use heat rocks with your iguana many are excessively hot and cause serious burns.
A semi flat rock can be placed on the floor of the enclosure where the basking light is, this rock will warm up and the iguana may use it to aid in digestion. An iguana’s body temperature is usually around 103 then they will be ready to eat. They start the morning by basking and when the temperature of their body is high enough usually after several hours under the heat light they will be hungry and ready to eat.

It is essential to have a warm side, cool side in the enclosure, the basking light provides the warm side, and the uvb strip bulb goes all the way across.
You may want to put in a black light or red light at night especially with young iguanas and turn of the basking light, these should be on the warm side only.
The basking light should be on for 12 hours and off 12 hours, when the basking light is off you can put the night-lights on (black or red).
The substrate is an issue no one can agree on but here are our recommendations: Baby’s we keep on bark since it holds more moisture but you want to ensure they do not ingest it. As the iguana gets older, we use shredded aspen this also holds moisture and is easy to clean. Newspaper is sometimes used but you must be sure it is printed with non-toxic ink, some are oil based and some are water based, if you choose to use newspapers please make sure it is a water-based ink. How to test the newspaper is to see if the print or black comes off on your hands, if it does do not use it iguanas absorb through their skins also. If no black on your hands, it may be safe if in doubt call the newspaper provider and they will tell you what is in the ink.
The tank along with being twice the length of the iguana should have glass sides, the bigger the iguana the thicker the glass, eventually will outgrow a glass tank and require a much larger habitat. (You can find instructions on homemade cages on the web). If an indoor habitat you can have, a screen top if outside it should be solid so they can get out of the direct sunlight and do not overheat. There should be branches for the iguana to climb on and bask on. With big iguanas and a large cage, you can put in a swimming pool so they can absorb the water through their skin.
They will need a food bowl, pellet bowl and water bowl no matter what size they are from baby to adults.
Baby iguanas require baths in tepid water several times a week and yes they can swim. A tepid bath is a bath of water that is slightly warm to the touch, too hot, they will burn them too cold, and their bodies begin to shut down.

You should handle your iguana for at least 20 minutes a day this helps with them being tame.
Never let an iguana sit above your head on a branch or anything they may assume dominance that way.
Iguanas do jump off surfaces no matter how high and can injured easily so never leave your iguana loose to ensure it doesn't jump down from a high surface.
MIST IGUANAS MORNING AND EVENING
FOOD MUST BE CHOPPED TO 1/3 THE SIZE OF THE HEAD
75% GREENS, 10% FRUITS, 10% VARIETY OF LIMITED 5% GRAINS


THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS GET THE PROPER INFORMATION ON THE ANIMAL BEFORE PURCHASING IT.
GO TO YOUR PET STORE AND PICK OUT A HEALTHY ANIMAL.
IF THE ANIMAL IS NOT IN THE PROPER HABITAT THEN THAT WOULD BE A GOOD SIGN TO GO ELSEWHERE. THE STORE HAS PLENTY OF MONEY TO GIVE THEIR ANIMALS PROPER SETUPS AND CARE SHEETS.
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?=humane id=297 DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!

*All snakes should be kept on aspen or snake turf.

*All small animals should be on pine bedding, except for dwarf hamsters who require shredded aspen bedding to prevent wet tail.
* Iguana's require full UVB spectrum backing lights along with strip lights, A temperature controlled heat rock to aid in digestion.

* NEVER FEED MEAT OR CRICKETS TO YOUR GREEN IGUANA THIS WILL DESTROY THEIR LIVER CAUSING THEM TO EXPIRE BEFORE THEIR TIME.

Vitamins are required for all reptiles!
* VITAMINS ARE ESSENTIAL TO PREVENT METABOLIC BONE DISEASE Vitamins are required for all reptiles! ALONG WITH THE FULL SPECTRUM UV LIGHT.
* SMALL ANIMALS SHOULD BE KEPT IN GLASS TANKS OR METAL CAGES, HABITRAILS DESOCIALIZE THEM.
* SNAKES SHOULD BE FEED EITHER PRE-KILLED OR FROZEN PREY AND NOT FED IN THEIR CAGES. A SPECIAL FEED BOX SHOULD BE PUT ASIDE FOR FEEDING ALONE.


Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 0:24:22 AM



MALNOURISHED IGUANA

Hamsters


Hamster's have been bred in captivity and kept as pets in the U.S. since the 1930's. The Golden or Syrian Hamster is the most commonly kept Hamster and was originally imported for use as a laboratory research animal. Selective breeding has produced a broad range of color and coat variations of the Syrian Hamster such as the Teddy Bear Hamster. More recently Dwarf Hamsters have been imported from China, Russia, and Siberia. These Dwarf Hamsters are quite different in size, shape, coloration, and temperament than the Syrians.




Diet



Hamsters are seed and grain eaters who like chipmunks stuff cheek pouches with seeds to store in their nest. A typical Hamster mix contains Sunflower seed, milo, millet, peanuts and pelleted and extruded grain products. Special corn cobs and mineral blocks are needed to keep their teeth shaved down and healthy. Do not use the soft wooden blocks in the pet section they are not hard enough to clean and shave the teeth to the proper length. Food should be available at all times.



Occasionally small quantities of fresh vegetables and greens like romaine lettuce should be offered.


We also recommend 1 piece of hard dog food for crude protein and fat once to twice a week. Rolled oats should be offered to babies and nursing mothers for the empty protein they need.



Fresh water should always be available in a drinking tube or water bottle.




Housing



Hamsters are kept in cages, aquariums with wire screen tops, and plastic molded habitat modules. Cages are not commonly used any more because the hamsters scatter their bedding through the wires and out of the cage. Cages with a deep tray and narrowly spaced wires are still useful.



Aquariums with wire screen tops are much more commonly used. These are difficult for the hamster to escape from, keep the bedding in place, and are easy to clean. Many the new critter cages will de socialize the hamsters. They cannot smell you and it can be extremely difficult to get them out. Provide hiding places and other toys to keep them from getting bored and fat from lack of exercise. Closed exercise wheels are great for hamsters.


Dwarf hamsters require closed wheels as not to break their legs on the open wheels. Shredded aspen makes a great bedding and must be used with dwarf hamsters to prevent wet tail or a rash on their butts. It is not necessary to add prevent wet tail to their water when using the proper bedding and keeping it clean. With a proper diet vitamins are not needed.




Handling & Care



Golden Hamsters are not particularly social animals and do better when kept as individual pets. It is a good idea to purchase 2 young ones and ensure they are the same sex and they can be housed together. Putting two hamsters together in one cage invariably leads to fights that can be very fierce. Adult females in particular seem prone to aggressive behavior towards other hamsters when they have already marked their domain. When adding a new hamster to the habitat change all bedding wash all items in cage and rearrange the cage so it seems new to all hamsters.



The dwarf species of hamsters tend to be more social and get along in multiples if they are raised together.



Hamsters that receive regular gentle handling when young generally will continue to manageable. Ones that are not acclimated to regular handling tends to bite. The hamsters have a natural reflex to protect themselves. They are prey for many animals and it is inbred to protect themselves. This can be broken by handling.



Hamsters are primarily nocturnal, so handling them during the day can be a bit of a challenge since you are actually disrupting their natural sleep pattern. Don't try to pick up a sleeping hamster as they are liable to be startled by this and bite in self defense. It's better to wake the hamster first, and then try to pick them up by scooping them up in the palm of the hand.



Teddy Bear Hamsters tend to tolerate handling better than their shorter haired counter parts. Chinese Dwarves on the other hand tend to resist handling. We have found Russian dwarf hamsters to be friendlier than any other hamster. They are more fragile than the larger hamsters and have very tiny legs. They reproduce at a quick turn over and when stressed as with all rodents will eat their young. It is always recommended to purchase 2 or more of the same sex, same size and preferably same time.



Traditionally pine shavings have been used as bedding material for this animal, but recent studies indicate that the phenols in pine that causes their aroma, also can lead to health problems in animals that have direct exposure over an extended period of time. Aspen bedding is a much better and safer choice. Never use cedar shavings for hamsters, as the phenols are very strong and cause serious respiratory and liver problems.



CEDAR SHAVINGS CAN KILL YOUR PET NEVER USE THIS WITH ANY SMALL ANIMAL.


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