Update

For a while now I have had two blogs (Critter Corner and this one), and I have decided it would just be simpler if I just combined them. It is confusing trying to keep track of two blogs, so Critter Care is going to be moving to Critter Corner.


Here is the link to Critter Corner: 
http://crittercorner-emily.blogspot.com/

Introduction to Syrian Hamsters

Since I now have a syrian hamster, I am going to do some posts about how to take care of syrian hamsters. 


So here is a little bit about syrian hamsters:


Syrian hamsters, also known teddy bear hamsters, are the largest breed of hamster usually being 5 to 7 inches long.


They can be a variety of colors and coat types. Some of the colors include black and white (panda bear), black (black bear), white, golden (golden bear), and brown among others.


Syrian hamsters can be short haired or long haired. They can also have satin coats which are more shiny than most hamster's fur.


Syrian hamsters are generally friendly and easy to handle, but they may be grumpy when first woken up. 


Syrian hamsters have a lifespan of 2 to 3 years.




Next Post: What you supplies you need for a syrian hamster

Video

I am making a series of videos about rabbit care. This is the first:

Saving money on rabbit food/ hay

For nearly a year I purchased all of my bunny's food at the pet store. Eventually I grew tired of the high price and the low quality. I never found a hay that Munchkin really liked, and I found a good pellet brand, but it was very expensive.

When I began planning on getting a second rabbit, I wanted to look for cheaper alternatives, and hopefully in the process find a hay that suited Munchkin's picky tastes.

Eventually I came across to Internet-based businesses: Sweet Meadow Farm's and Kleen Mama's Hayloft. Both sold hay at a fraction of the cost of the pet store, and Sweet Meadow also sold cheaper pellets. 

I decided to try them out. The pellets from Sweet Meadow are essentially the same as the most expensive high-quality pet store pellets, but at about half the cost. 

I tried hay from both Sweet Meadow and Kleen Mama's. My picky hay eater loved them both. I preferred the Kleen Mama's hay but both were much better than the pet store hay.

I did some calculating and found out about how much I am actually saving by my switch:

I used to spend about $2.40 per pound of Oxbow pellets.

Sweet Meadow pellets are only $1.40 per pound.

I estimated that by switching to Sweet Meadow, I save about $150 ever year on pellets.

I used to spend $6.40 per pound of hay. 

With Kleen Mama's I only spend $1.92 per pound.

I estimated that by switching to Kleen Mama's I save about $340 dollars a year on hay.

(and that is even with the fact that I actually buy more hay per bunny than I used to because Munchkin actually eats a lot of hay, now that I feed them Kleen Mama's)

Note: 

My calculations include the cost of feeding both my bunnies.

My calculations for the yearly hay cost, is far from exact as I am unsure of exactly how much hay my bunnies eat in a year since they get unlimited hay every day.

The cost of shipping from Kleen Mama's and Sweet Meadow is pretty expensive, but I included the shipping in my calculations. So even with expensive shipping they are WAY cheaper than the pet store brands.

here are links to Sweet Meadow Farm and Kleen Mama's Hayloft:

http://www.kmshayloft.com/hay/

http://sweetmeadowfarm.com/

New video

Here is a video about bonding bunnies:






Hope you enjoyed! I will be getting back to doing some more posts on here soon, and I am planning on doing a "rabbit care" video series soon. And if I think up some good questions I will put up some new quizzes soon too. :)

How to Trim a Rabbit's Nails (video)

Dental Hygiene for Dogs

Lacey has had some rather unpleasant breath lately, which has made me think a little more about dental hygiene for dogs, which has prompted me to do a post on how to take care of your dog's teeth:


Taking care of a dog's teeth:


Step #1:


Make sure they toys available for chewing, such as bones and rope toys. Bones help keep a dogs teeth clean and healthy, and rope toys help clean and floss their teeth.


Step #2:


Feed a good quality food. A food with all-natural healthy ingredients will help keep your dogs mouth healthy and keep their breath smelling better than a food with bad ingredients like by-products, and dyes.


Step #3:


If you are finding that your dog's teeth needs a little more help to stay as clean you would like, and their breath is not smelling so great, it might be time to pick up a toothbrush.

Here is how to properly brush a dog's teeth:


Step #1: 


Find a toothbrush and tooth paste meant for dogs. Toothpaste meant for humans is toxic if swallowed, and you can't teach your dog to spit, so you need specialized canine toothpaste.

Step #2:


Find a toothpaste with a flavor your dog will like such as peanut butter, or beef. This will make the experience more pleasant for your dog. Lacey loves the peanut butter flavor.




Step #3:


Find a dental kit that contains a toothbrush, and a finger toothbrush. This way you can see which one is easier for you and your dog. I prefer using the finger toothbrush, and Lacey likes that better too, but I like using the actual toothbrush to get at the teeth in the back of the mouth.

This is what the dog toothbrush looks like

This is a finger brush

Step #4: 


Now you can brush your dog's teeth. First let them taste the toothpaste, then if they like it you can put some on the brush (I recommend starting with a finger brush, most dogs prefer the feel of the finger brushes) and start gently brushing your dog's teeth.


Remember, with most dog toothpastes you don't need to use water or rinse their mouths, dog toothpastes are perfectly fine for the dog to swallow. 


Step #5:


Now you can decide how often you want to brush your dog's teeth. Most people do it every one or two weeks but you can do it daily if you wish.








Recommended brand:


I recommend using the Nylabone brand dental kit. Lacey seems to like it a lot, and it gets a lot of good reviews. It was also cheaper than some of the other brands I looked at, and the more expensive brands did not get as many good reviews.