How to Find Classy Tube Bird Feeders

Too often, designers of products seem to forget the simple adage that form should follow function. If something looks incredibly attractive but does not serve its intended purpose effectively, then what good is that product? We see this happening all the time in the design world with clothing, furniture and other flashy products looking absolutely amazing but upon closer examination, they do not serve their intended function well. Take bird feeders as an example. We usually see all different types of bird feeders that are designed to look like miniature works of art, modeled after buildings designed by Greene and Greene or Frank Lloyd Wright – but usually these fine, rich looking bird feeders do not actually do that great of a job of actually feeding the birds. So, if you are looking for bird feeders that are lacking couture style but are able to feed birds better than any other products out there, then perhaps tube bird feeders are for you.

Tube bird feeders really come in all shapes and sizes, so chances are that there is a perfect product out there for you somewhere. The most common types of tube feeders are long in length and created mostly from plastic and metal. You can find tube feeders in either standard styles or with designs that are useful for keeping the squirrels in your neighborhood from getting to the food before the birds to. All in all, if you want to feed the largest variety of birds in your neck of the woods, then tube feeders are the way to go.

A spinoff product from the classic tube bird feeders are known as thistle tube bird feeders. These are specific feeders for finches in your neighborhood, as they are carefully crafted for storage and distribution of the favorite black seeds that finches enjoy eating so much. As with traditional tube feeders, thistle tube bird feeders can be squirrel proofed as well.

Make Fish Your Favourite Pet

Keeping pets can help your children to have respect for other living creatures, as well as teach children responsibility and the importance of taking care of what belongs to them. However, it is not always a good idea to simply run out and purchase a dog or a cat.A fish, on the other hand, is an excellent choice for a first pet, as its specific qualities make it ideal for helping kids learn about taking care of a pet.

Shopping for the fish can actually be a fun experience. The kids get to look at different kinds of fish, and they get to look at aquariums. Picking out what goes in the aquarium, to "decorate" the fish's "home" is also part of the fun. Starting out with a simple aquarium, or an even simpler fish bowl, is a good bet. Let the child choose out colorful rocks for the bottom of the fish tank or bowl, and let him or her choose a plant or some ceramic decoration. It need not be fancy.

Points that are important while having fishes as your pet :

* Location of your aquarium - It is advisable to keep your fish tank away from direct, or even indirect, sunlight. Long hours of sunlight will induce algae, something you do not want if you wish to keep your aquarium beautiful.

*Preparing your water - Water is the single most important element of an aquarium. It is important to prepare your water before adding any fishes, as most tap water contains chemicals like chlorine and chloramine, which are harmful to fishes. So be sure to get a bottle of water conditioner from your favourite pet shop that neutralizes both chlorine and chloramine.

*Setting up your filter - Your filter provides water circulation, and also oxygenates the water, if your type of filter causes water surface disturbance. If your aquarium is heavily loaded with fishes, and your filter fails for even a few hours, it could be fatal.

*Observing your fishes - If your fishes refuse to eat, do not put in more food. Try feeding again the next day. This is normal and you do not need to worry, as the fishes most likely already eaten when in the pet shop, and they can survive for as long as a week without food.

Soon, your fishes will get used to their environment. They will start becoming more active. Their vibrant colors will start showing. And they may even recognize you whenever you come close to feed them. That is the reward of fish-keeping! But of course, you have to be a responsible owner. Performing the regular water changes, medicating them when they get sick, and feeding them quality food everyday.

Hiking With Your Dog

With Spring just a couple of days away, thoughts of Hiking in our local parks certainly comes to mind. It has been a long cold winter for most of the upper US States and Canada. We all feel the need to get back to nature and enjoy the sunshine.

Hiking can be a wonderful preventative for any number of physical and behavioral disorders. One in every three dogs is overweight and running up trails and leaping through streams is great exercise to help keep pounds off. Hiking can also relieve boredom in a dog's routine and calm dogs prone to destructive habits. Hiking with our dogs help strengthen the overall bond between K-9 and owner. The health benefits our whole family as well as our pets.

Dogs enjoy the new scents and sights of spring along the trail. Remember that some dogs are better suited to hiking than others. Do you look forward to an entire afternoon of hiking? Is a half-hour enough walking for you? It may not be for an energetic dog like a border collie, golden or german shepherd. Remember to tailor your hiking distance and pace to your dogs abilities and size.

Getting Ready to Hike - Conditioning

Just like us our dogs need to be prepared for the task at hand. An inactive dog cannot be expected to bounce from the easy chair in the den to a hike of 3-hours the first time out. Start with small short hikes around your neighborhood and gradually increase your distance and speed. You must also be physically able to restrain your dog if confronted with distractions on the trail (like a scampering squirrel or a pack of joggers).

Weather—Temperature Conditions

While the spring temperatures are not that hot, some days could certainly make us feel like it is summer and our body will begin to sweat in order to maintain body temperatures. This isn't the case for our dogs as they do not have sweat glands and the only way possible for them to disperse body heat is through panting. Our dogs are much more susceptible to heat exhaustion and stroke than we are. Unusually rapid panting and/or a bright red tongue are signs of heat exhaustion in your pet. Always carry enough water for your hike. Even days that don't seem too warm can cause discomfort in dark-coated dogs if the sun is shining brightly. In cold weather, short-coated breeds may require additional attention.

DRINKING WATER on your Hike

Surface water, including fast-flowing streams, is likely to be infested with a microscopic protozoa called Giardia, waiting to wreak havoc on a dog's intestinal system. The most common symptom is crippling diarrhea. Algae, pollutants and contaminants can all be in streams, ponds and puddles. A must addition to your hiking gear is efficient drinking water for both you and your pet. I'm certain that you take along a water bottle for yourself, but what about your pet. They need to replenish their body fluids as well. We have found a wonderful addition to our hiking gear that accommodates both bowl and bottle in one container just for our dogs. It works great in the car, trailer, hiking trail and just about any travel conditions we encounter

The Essentials of Proper Betta Fish Care

Betta Fish, also known as Betta Splendens, Beta Fish and Siamese Fighting Fish, are inexpensive pets and can be quite lovely. Technically, the Betta name refers to about fifty species, but is commonly used as if only Betta splendens is meant. The biggest are normally only around three inches long. Even though there are many stories of the fish surviving in very small containers, experts do recommend a three-gallon tank for best results and there is some controversy about how small a tank is really still acceptable. Betta Fish are native to low oxygen waters, and don't normally need any aeration. They are tropical fish, and are best kept warm, however. Some owners do claim that their Bettas act happier with an air filtration system even if the fish don't need it to survive. Bettas normally live two to three years, but in well cared for conditions, some have lived as long as ten.

Betta Fish are native to Thailand and Cambodia. The common name comes from the name of Siam, which is now Thailand, and the territorial battles the males conduct. Like many members of the animal kingdom, the males are the gaudier looking, to better attract females. The females tend to appear rather dull, and almost all Betta Fish sold are males for that reason. In the wild, they are dull greens and browns, but breeders have produced far more stunning color schemes.

Some believe that Bettas cannot be kept with other fish. This is not true. Multiple male Bettas is a precondition for battle. Bettas with other fish around will still display and flare their fins, but won't see this as a mortal insult. They should not be kept in a tank with fish that are aggressive or that nip fins, and only one male should be present. Female Bettas can usually play well with others, and there are cages to be used to separate male Bettas if they are kept in the same tank. These should prevent the fish from seeing each other.

Betta Fish can handle a surprising range of water conditions, but the water should be changed once a week or so, more often if the fish is kept in a small container. They can be fed once a day, or twice if you desire, and aren't especially fussy about their food. There is specially formulated Betta food on the market. In the wild, Bettas eat live food, insects and their larvae, and like it in fish tanks, but they will eat flakes and frozen food as well. Do not overfeed as this will require cleaning the tank more often. When changing the water, remember to let the water sit for a day before using it in the tank with the fish to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Good choices for Betta food are brine shrimp, Daphnia, plankton, tubifex, glassworms, and beef heart, and may be used frozen or freeze dried. Flakes should be supplemented with other foods from the list.

Many note the odd bubble structures that male Betta Fish build in the water tank. This is perfectly normal. The male is building a nest in which to place eggs, once he successfully impresses a female.

Bettas prefer a pH between 6.8 and 7.4 and a hardness less than 20 dGH. The temperature should be between 75 and 86 degrees, or twenty-four to thirty for those who prefer Celsius. In the wild, they live in rice paddies, ponds and slow moving streams, and are most comfortable near the surface. One of the main arguments about the minimum size for the fish's tank is heat. Below 75 degrees, the fish are increasingly listless and it is much easier to keep a larger tank at a stable temperature. Bettas also require access to the surface, and will drown without it. There is a special organ, the labyrinth organ, allowing and requiring them to take oxygen from the air. Because they live in still waters, power filters and power heads are not suitable.

Betta Fish are known for their lovely colors and fins, with a wide range of colors available. Blue to red with white are normal, and more spectacular colors like yellow and orange exist.

Metal poisoning easily kills betta fish, and exposed metal should not be used in decorations within the tank. Decorations are important as they allow the fish places to hide, and a layer of gravel helps to provide surface area to grow nitrifying bacteria. Decorations must be smooth and lack sharp points that can tear fins. Silk is preferred to plastic for artificial plants for this reason.

Keeping A Canary

It is said while creating the canary, God had taken the same utmost care as he did when creating the earth so as to make it one of its finest creations.

The brightest semblance that a canary exerts is that it is both a wonderful pet to view and wonderful to hear sing. It is always in motion, cheering on its own and seems to have a keen interest in things that it comes across.

Truly speaking, canaries form that breed of bird that has been with men for centuries and its selective breeding has led to various shades and colors. The original wild canaries are mostly a drab greenish-brown color whereas it is well-known that canaries tend to be yellow. But yellowness has been developed by selective breeding. Generally people want canaries mainly for their singing ability. Male canaries are the best singers.

It is nice to see, but to keep a canary there are several steps that should be taken essential for its safe and secure livelihood. As is applicable in cases of other pets, certain conditions are also required so as to make the canary's life more comfortable.

To begin with care must be taken over of all its basic needs like food dishes and water that ought to be provided in a good state. Dishes tend to absorb moisture and that in turn can promote bacterial growth and cause all kinds of health problems and thus endanger the life of these tiny species. They should also be provided with canary seed mixture and cuttlebone for calcium.

The canary's cage needs a couple of good perches. Therefore due concern should be paid to style, size, and materials to keep the birds healthy and content.

Generally these birds remain happy in those cages that are large enough so as to enable them to fly at ease from one perch to another. Simply hopping from place to place fails to provide sufficient exercise. To enrich their lifestyle the cages should be at least 24" long by 15" deep by 18" tall. This is the benchmark that is expected and should be maintained before proceeding in any venture to keep canaries. Moreover, some people to let them loose at least once a day.

There are also limitations that should be stringently observed. Since these canaries are one of the most delicate species, care should be taken with windows and mirrors irrespective of their sizes – ensure there is no chance of injury.

There are also chances of harm from other pets. Since nowadays we are accustomed to have multiple pets, care should be taken that other animals are kept at bay. There is a possibility of losing the little creatures if they are allowed to fly free out of their cages without taking precautions. Try to make it a habit to clean the bird's cage thoroughly once a week including the seed (or pellet) cups, the water container, and the perches.

Birds Cages - How To Choose The Right One

So you're faced with the hard decision of choosing a bird cage for your bird? Well, there are multiple things to think about, but this article will discuss the 3 most important issues involved in that decision. If you abide by the guidelines discussed below, you'll find a great cage at a great price that you're truly happy with. There's a lot to think about - not just the dimensions of the cage and the spacing between the bars. However, that is a great place to start, so let us cover that first in this article.

Choosing the right size cage & also making sure the bar spacing is safe

This is the very first issue you need to consider when shopping for bird cages. You can't even look at the other details or features of a cage until you've determined it's the right size of cage and has the right bar spacing. As a general rule of thumb; the bigger the the cage is the better, as long as the bar spacing's not too wide. At our web store, we separate birds into 3 categories; small birds, medium birds, & large birds. These categories slightly overlap because some birds fit into the high end & the low end of 2 different categories. For example, Lovebirds fit into the small birds category, but they also fit into the medium birds category.

For your education, let us quickly give you the minimum dimensions & maximum bar spacing measurements for most species of birds:

Small birds (i.e. Finches, Canaries, and Parakeets) should be in a cage that is no smaller than 18"(W) x 18"(D) x 22"(H) and they should not have bar spacing that's wider than 1/2".

Slightly larger small birds (i.e. Cockatiels, Lovebirds, and smaller types of Conures) shouldn't be in a cage smaller than 20"(W) x 18"(D) x 24"(H) and they're bar spacing shouldn't be wider than 3/4".

Medium birds (i.e. most Conures, Timnehs, and smaller Amazons) should have a cage that's at least these dimensions; 22"(W) x 20"(D) x 28"(H) and should have bar spacing no wider than 1".

Large birds (i.e. Congo African Greys, most Amazons, smaller Cockatoos) should have a parrot cage that is at least 32" x 24"(D) x 30"(H) & the bar spacing should be no wider than 1".

The biggest of the big birds (i.e. large Macaws, large Cockatoos, Toucans, and Hyacinth) should be in a cage no littler than 38"(W) x 30"(D) x 48"(H) & they can get away with spacing that's up to 1-1/2" wide. Most large parrot cages feature 1" bar spacing & that is just fine.

If your species of bird isn't named above, just find a species above that's similar in size to your bird & follow the dimension & bar spacing guidelines shown.

Choosing a good quality cage & not spending more than you have to

This is another hard aspect to face. If you have owned a generic bird cage before, you know you do not want to go through that again. The majority of first time cage buyers get a very cheap, generic cage, but they usually don't make that mistake twice. Some of the top brand names around are Kings, Avian Adventures, Invision Cages, Animal Environments, California Cages, Cages By Design, Liberty Cages, Visionary Acrylic Cages, & HQ Cages. At our web store we offer what we consider to be the very best 3 brand names available, but we have heard good and bad about all of them. The reason we offer the cages we offer is for the following 3 solid reasons;

1. The manufacturer's stand behind their cages & warranties,

2. The materials used are truly tested safe for birds (most manufacturers do not do this), and

3. We've offered or seen every brand name listed & have decided what ones we think are the most solid. Most cages offered by the brand names listed above are within approximately the same price range, so you just have to look around & see what fits you budget & your bird's specific needs. A great place to do research is within online bird forums & bird discussion boards. You can talk with other bird owners who've tried the brand name you're considering & they will gladly offer feedback on the cage that you are looking at. We do offer a bird lover's forum & the website address is listed in my biography at the bottom of this article. I urge you to visit our forum and others on the web as well, they provide great insight into what cages would work best for you & your bird.

How to choose the best retailer to buy from

This is the third and final part of this article, but it's only listed last because of how important the 2 factors listed before it are. This too is a very important part f your decision making process. If you can find a reputable store front in your region that offers top brand name cages at decent prices then that may be a good place to start. However, you will probably find that most pet supply store fronts that are offline are either extremely high priced, or they do not have any true parrot cages at all - they strictly offer small economy boxed cages that aren't large enough for the smallest of birds. This is because local store fronts have a very tough time competing with the internet retailers. Local store fronts have multiple overhead costs that need be buried into their product prices, and online stores do not have much overhead at all. So once you look locally, you'll most likely be on the web cage shopping. Now that you are online, how do you decide who you can trust? That's a great question, and not an easy one to answer. There are a few really good indicators that you can use to make a good judgment on who the trustworthy web stores are; One of the ways is something we previously discussed; head to the bird forums - if other people had a pleasant experience with an online store, you're likely to as well. I also recommend checking the sites you visit for positive customer testimonials. Web sites that do not post positive customer feedback they've received, probably haven't received any positive feedback. If you had one single customer contact you to tell you how great of an experience they had, wouldn't you place that testimonial on your web store? The last way to help determine whether a business is solid or not is to make sure they take all major credit cards, and not strictly PayPal. A site that takes all major credit cards strictly through PayPal is a red flag in my opinion. You may be wondering why on earth that's a red flag, well consider this; if a web store takes all major credit cards and the credit card companies receive too many complaints from their customers, they can actually lose their credit card processing account. That's right, the credit card processing company will actually pull their account & not let them take credit cards anymore. This then forces that online retailer to strictly offer PayPal or Google Checkout as their payment method. All internet retailers should take all major credit cards, and if they do not, it may be because they have lost their credit card processing account because of excessive customer complaints. I'm not saying that a web store shouldn't accept PayPal as a payment method, they should, but they should also be taking credit cards directly through the store's shopping cart as well.

Well, we have now covered what I consider the big 3 issues to consider when choosing a cage for your new bird. Again, there are many other factors, but these are the most important in my opinion, and if you follow these guidelines you will be very pleased with the decision you make. Plus, your bird will be proud of the decision you make on his behalf!

Until next time, this is Dave Hermansen signing off. If you'd like to read more great articles or visit the web store I am a part of see my bio below. I'm providing the web addresses for our forum, and the bird cage store I am a partial owner of. Best of luck to you on your personal venture to find the perfect cage for your feathered friend!

NOTE: This article is free to copy and use on other web sites as long as it's copied in it's entirety and any links are left in place and active.

Tips for Finding the Best Cat Breeder

So you have made a preliminary list of cat breeders to start with. How do you decide which is the best cat breeder for your requirements?
If you are set on a particular breed, then a quick phone call to each will eliminate those that offer other breeds.
Ask other cat owners for their recommendations and experiences, both positive and negative.
Once you have your shortlist, you need to visit each cat breeder and ask questions. Reputable cat breeders should be happy to answer your questions and show you around their premises. If not, you have to ask yourself if they are hiding something. Most, however are passionate about cats, will love talking about them and will want their kittens to go to a good suitable home.

Recommended Questions;

Does the breed have any congenital defects to watch for? If so, how do they avoid breeding them into their stock. If the answer is that the breed is perfect, with no congenital defects, be wary! No breed is perfect and a reputable breeder should tell you about any possible faults.

Do they offer a health guarantee if the kitten turns out to be in bad health?

Does the breeder give adequate care and attention to the kittens? Ask for a tour to see the kittens' living conditions. Are they handled so they are used to humans?

How long have they been breeding cats? How many breeds do they have? Do they show their cats? The answers to these questions should give some indication of their expertise. Concentrating on a couple of breeds, along with showing the cats, means that they are more likely to be careful about the bloodlines than those breeding lots of different breeds.

How large is their breeding business. Try to avoid someone who is overwhelmed and stressed by trying to breed too many cats at one time, or who is just in it for the money and so uses mass-production.

Have the cats been tested for infectious diseases? A reputable breeder should have records to support his answers. Any cat can become ill but it is how the breeder deals with it that is important. Sick cats should be separated from the healthy ones.

Asking these questions should give you an idea of the honesty and integrity of the cat breeders and help you with your choice.
When you have made your choice of breeder and kitten, it is a good idea to ask an independent vet to give the kitten a health check before buying. A breeder with nothing to hide should not object - especially if you are paying!