Show rabbit pinched hindquarters?
I should probably add that I got Oreo from my neighbors who breed rabbits for meat. They slaughter their rabbits at a young age, and so they breed them for quantity, not quality. I got Oreo from them because I wanted to save one of the rabbits from being slaughtered, and because my parents wanted me to start out with a $5 rabbit to make sure that I was serious (which I am!) Cinnamon was rescued from Tractor Supply one day because we were going in to but rabbit pellets for Oreo, and we saw this adorable little bunny in a cage. The salesman said that someone brought him in from a rabbitry because they didn't want him. So, I fell in love with him and took him home with me. Neither Oreo or Cinnamon are meant to be show rabbits, but now my parents see that I am serious in showing rabbits, so I am getting a show rabbit (and I'm making sure that it's formed right!) Really? A Californian buck can't be bigger than 10 pounds? My 4-H book says 11 pounds. (Actually, Oreo's 10 1/2 pounds, or some
My chinchillas won't get along...?
I have had a female standard chinchilla for around 2-3 years (Pogo or Poe for short). She seemed to be getting lonely, so a couple weeks ago I bought a female mosaic chinchilla (Marshmellow, or Mellie for short). She is well-socialized with other chinchillas, but she is much bigger than Pogo. I know that before I bought Poe, she lived with another chinchilla, but she has only had me since I bought her. I bought a second cage for Mellie, so they aren't in a cage together right now, and I'm already in the process of buying a giant cage for them to both live in together. I bought Mellie only so Poe could have a friend. So here is what i've done to try to introduce them to each other: Their cages are 4 inches apart, so they can meet each other, but not hurt each other. Every 2 or 3 days, I let them loose down the hall (its shaped like a U and I can close the doors on all sides) and I put the sand bath stuff on a giant pan in the middle. Since Pogo is more agressive, I always put Marshmellow out there first, then Pogo. I let them run around together around 15-30 minutes (I think, hard to tell). Still, they always chase each other, chatter teeth, pull fur, etc. When this behavior starts getting too agressive, I throw a towel on them and put then away. After nearly 2 weeks, they still don't get along at all. Any help/suggestions? Also previously I put up something about the squish method, but I didn't get any good answers, so if you have any good, solid info on that, it would be great. Thanks in advance!
My chinchilla had 2 babies. One has clubbed feet and the other is very tiny. Are these deformities concerning?
Deformities sometimes occur in kits during the birthing process. Mom can bite off a hind leg or a foot, half a tail. Kits can lose ears, eyes, front paws. Most seem to adjust well. If he is running around and playing he's not worrying about it, so neither should you. He's already adjusting to his "handicap." To him, he's normal! As far as the little one, small doesn't mean dwarf. There are distinct characteristics that define a dwarf chinchilla. What it could mean is that she's the runt of the litter. It could also mean that mom was impregnated twice and the smaller one is the product of the second pregnancy. There's really no way of knowing. As long as she is gaining weight and developing normally - playing, eating, pooping, peeing - as she should, then just sit back and enjoy. I like to see a weight gain of 2 gm a day or more in my kits. It helps if you have a gram scale handy that you can keep track of their weights. You want to make sure that she is continuing to grow. If you'd like to ask more questions about your new chin and her offspring, post pictures to be oohed and aahed over, and have experienced breeders and pet owners to communicate with, please join http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com. We'd love to have you.
Is there anything else I should do before I get my gerbils?
Gerbils will not die without a wheel! They will be fine without one, but gerbils do need exercise and you will find gerbils very much enjoy running on a wheel. The wheel you get is important. Do not buy a wire wheel as they can get their feet caught or tails caught and can break them off while running. A solid plastic "noiseless" wheel will hold up well for a while (not the flimsy plastic ones!). As for your question, as long as they have food, water, some things to chew and absolutely NO plastic anything in their cage, you should be set. Do make sure they are left alone for at least a day to de-stress. Once they become acclimated to their surroundings, you can start with letting them get to know you with your hand laying in their cage. Otherwise, if the cage is set up and you have the right bedding and items, you're all set to get your two little ones! (Just make sure it's only two and they are the same sex of course). =)
What is the difference between mammals and reptiles?
There are many differences between mammals and reptiles.So for the understanding the points given below more clearly take example of humans and Lizards (because they are most common one around us as a reptile).MAMMALS: . They have skins usually covered with hairs.. They have oil and sweat glands on their body.. They give births to young ones and feed them with their own milk(only females do so).They can maintain their own body temperatures (they are warm blooded).. They require energy more than reptiles.. This point is not an important one but should be noted:they usually have navels or bellybutton (in other words).REPTILES:. They have scaly skin (the skin have a large number of plate like structures).. Most of them do not have oil and sweat glands.. They do not give birth to their young ones instead of that they lay eggs.(except few like yellow anacondas but they are still reptiles because the egg hatches in their stomach ).. They do not have mammary glands means that do not feed their babies with milk.. They can't maintain their own body temperature. They have to do so by using outer resources like heat of sun (they are cold blooded). They require less energy as compared to mammals (as they do not use energy for maintaining body temperature).. As the loss of energy is less as compared to mammals they can live more without having food . For example certain species of snakes can live without eating anything for almost a year. Hence the rate of excretion is also less.These are some basic differences.Hope the answer has helped YOU.