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Weekly Creature Tip 12/31/11
This week’s creature tip on rodents is titled, “Rodents as Pets”
Weekly Bible Verse: James 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
Read the next verses that follow.
James 3:8-10 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
We must be carful what we say to one another and should not call each other insulting names. I need to work on this and I hope you will too.
Weekly Creature Tip
Rodents make great pets but their smell can be unpleasant if the cage is not cleaned at least two times a week. Rodents require a little more care to keep their cages smelling fresh compared to some other pets. Mice and rats produce the most odors. Guinea Pigs are a little better and hamsters are one of the least smelly. As long as you clean your fury guy’s cage regularly rodents make great pets! You can even teach them to do little tricks!
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Weekly Creature Tip 11/5/11
This week’s creature tip is on rodents and is titled, “Guinea Pigs and Vitamin C”
Weekly Bible Verse: Genesis 2:19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
Guinea Pigs can not synthesize Vitamin C. Because of this the Guinea Pig must have a constant supply of Vitamin C in its diet to prevent scurvy. Guinea Pigs are herbivores so they can get vitamin C from fresh fruits and veggies. Some Guinea Pig foods have Vitamin C in them.
You can buy vitamin drops to add in your Guinea Pig’s water to ensure he or she is getting enough Vitamin C.
Vitamin C is relatively an unstable compound. Because of this Vitamin C in prepared Guinea Pig diets are only stable for a short time. After about 1-2 months the food will lose its Vitamin C. Keeping the food in a sealed container or in a refrigerator a will help it last longer and stay fresher. If you are adding Vitamin drops to your Guinea Pig’s it will need to be changed daily.
Signs of scurvy may include poor appetite, swollen painful joints and chest, reluctant to move and bleeding from the gums. If you suspect your Guinea Pig has scurvy take him/her to the vet ASAP. Scurry if left untreated can be fatal.
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Weekly Creature Tip 10-29-11
This week’s creature tip is on rodents and is titled, “Bedding for Rodents”
Weekly Bible Verse: Hebrews 4:13 “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
From this verse we know that God sees everything, even hamsters or a tiny mouse. Because He sees everything He sees both the good things you do and also the bad things. The next time you want to do something bad when no one is looking, know that God is watching and turn away from evil.
Now for this week’s creature tip.
Often cedar and pine shavings can cause respiratory problems with rodents; especially in rats. My favorite bedding for my little fury guys is paper shreds from my shredder, but caution must be used because of the ink. It is best to use paper that is ink free so there will be no worries about poisoning your pet. I also like to use paper towels sometimes as a bedding.
Changing your pets bedding is very important. It is best to change your pet’s bedding every other day or but every day is best is that is possible. Never let your pets bedding stay in the cage past 6 days! A healthy pet can not stay healthy and live on dirty bedding.
