Amber and Panther are my cats. One thinks she’s queen of the world (typical cat) and the other thinks she’s a dog. Amber is the priss. She thinks the world revolves around her. If you don’t pay attention to her, she’ll walk in front of you. But if you pet her, she’ll walk away. She’s a tease. Panther, on the other hand, is like having a dog in a self sufficient cat suit. Panther plays fetch. When you throw a bottle cap, she will always bring it back to you. She eats everything. Her favorite is plastic bags. I’m not going into the details of when they come out the other end. She rolls over. She likes to have her stomach rubbed (I dare you do try that with a different cat). And her latest trick is dragging her butt on the carpet like a dog that has worms (and she doesn’t have worms — we took her to the vet). I think it has something to do with the plastic. Here is Panther and Amber around Christmas last year. Panther is black and Amber is orange.

By: Hazytalk / Ballbreeder.com

Not many people are fond of rats. They are often misunderstood. Many people think of disease infested menaces. This probably stemmed from the black plague. Contrary to common belief, rats were not spreading the plague. It was the fleas that the rats carried. Ok, so maybe the rats played a little part by carrying the fleas, but believe it or not, rats are very clean animals, spending most of their lives washing and grooming.

Another misconception is that rats bite. Just about every animal bites, but rats only tend to bite when cornered or scared. I would rate rats as an excellent beginner pet. Even above rabbits, gerbils, or hamsters. Gerbils and hamsters can be fast, frightened and hard to handle, and actually are more apt to bite.

Rats are quick learners. They can learn their names, play games, and are even ticklish. When tickled, they let out a high pitched laugh that is inaudible to the human ear. That’s right, rats giggle. If you handle them every day, they will snuggle up with you, and really enjoy your attention. So don’t shoot down the idea of getting a rat.

Two of my fancy rats are Whimsy and Mimsy. They are both females (pregnant at this time). They love to play with cat toys and are great escape artists. I find them on top of their cages frequently, and I have no idea how they get out. Since I noted that they are both pregnant, anyone interested in a great pet can respond to this blog and let me know.

Hello. Today I would like to discuss Blue. Blue is a Blue Diamond Iguana. His full name is Blue Diamond Philips. Iguanas are not a great starter pet. They are a very long commitment (they can live to be over 25 years old). A lot of people underestimate their size. After two years, they can grow to over 3 feet long and when they are fully grown, after 7 years, they can reach over 6 feet.

Now, think about how you would house a six foot long dinosaur. That’s basically what it is. It needs humidity, so you can’t keep it in something that has a lot of ventilation. It needs lots of room to move around. And it needs heat. Along with heat comes special lighting. Without special lighting that provides UVB rays, Iguanas cannot produce the vitamin D3 they need to metabolize the calcium from their food. Many Iguana owners do not know the basics and are baffled when their Iguana is in poor health, has lack of color, doesn’t get as big as it is supposed to, or even dies. A lot of research and care is particularly important for raising an iguana properly.

Blue loves to eat different vegetables. His favorite is romaine lettuce, but we like to keep a balance of different fruits and vegetables for a multitude of vitamins and minerals.

Blue is my girlfriend, Ann’s, favorite pet. She holds him every day and feeds him out of her hand. One funny thing about Blue is that he knows when it is bedtime. At around 11pm, he climbs up onto his log in the corner, shuts his eyes and goes to sleep. We then shut his lights off (except for a red heat lamp) and let him get some shuteye until morning. He’s a heavy sleeper too. He won’t wake up until we turn the lights back on. He’s slept until noon before.

Here you can see our cat, Amber mesmerized by Blue.

Thursday, March 6, 2008 7:13 pm – hazytalk

I am a pet enthusiast near Skaneateles. I have a love for business, computers, education, politics, nutrition, and many other subjects. I’ve been a substitute teacher, convenience store manager, manager of marketing and sales for a computer company, a business owner, and a postal worker. Any subject you would like to talk about, feel free and I’ll create a blog just for that. For the HazyPets blog, I’ll discuss anything and everything about pets. But feel free to interject other ideas for other blogs, and I’ll help get it started.

I love to talk about, research, and raise animals. If anyone would like to discuss their pets feel free to join in. I’ll try to post something daily about one of my animals. Currently I live with rats, cats, a rabbit, ball pythons, mice, tree frogs, an iguanna, and parakeets. Today I’ll focus on Hollop.

Hollop is a Holland Lop Ear rabbit. I got him about two months ago and he is about 3 years old. I let him run around the house a few times a week to get exercise. He’s very hard to catch.

Holland Lops are great beginner pets. You need a large cage, timothy hay, a balanced rabbit food, a water source and some sort of bedding. I would stay away from cedar as it can contain some oils that many animals are allergic to. Pine can contain these oils, but not in as high concentrations, and I have not had any problems with pine for any animals. Aspen is also a good choice. I would stay away from newsprint due to high ink content.

Rabbits need plenty of room to run and play. So take your rabbit out once in a while and let it run around. It will be much happier and healthier.

HOLLOP