• Chronic Pain in Animals

    Chronic Pain in Animals

    Pain in animals is what we (humans) say it is. There is tremendous variability among both patients and observers. Pet pain is complex and scientifically intriguing, clinically challenging, and easy to overlook.

    Studies reveal that approximately 20 percent of dogs across all ages suffer from the chronic maladaptive pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA). The disease causes debilitation and interferes with the activities of daily living. Unfortunately, it is easy for dog owners to overlook OA pain, as they often misinterpret behavior changes as “just getting old,” rather than recognizing a chronic pathological condition that can and should be treated. Managing chronic maladaptive pain in dogs with OA has been a priority in veterinary medicine in recent years, resulting in rapid expansion of the evidence-based components of multimodal pain management strategies.

  • Owning a Pet Increases Chance of Happiness, Says Study

    Owning a Pet Increases Chance of Happiness, Says Study

    Pet owners are also more likely to be married, have a child, bag themselves a university degree and have found their perfect job

    Owning a pet increases your chances of being happy and successful, according to a study.

    Experts who polled 1,000 dog and cat owners over the age of 55, and 1,000 adults of the same age without a pet, found those with canine and feline companionships were twice as likely to consider themselves a success.

    In addition, pet owners are more likely to be married, have a child, bag themselves a university degree and have found their perfect job.

    Pet owners also do almost double the amount of exercise – raising their heart rate five times a week compared to just three times for non-pet owners – and nine in 10 owners believe their pet is good for their health and wellbeing.

    The study revealed owners of cats and dogs are more likely to volunteer for a charity, and go on a dream holiday.

    But those without pets are more likely to have paid off their mortgage (69 per cent compared to 60 per cent) and retire earlier (46 per cent compared to 35 per cent).

    Researchers also found pets bring laughter to six in 10 owners, and seven in 10 feel more relaxed in their company.

    While 43 per cent value their dog or cat as it means they always have someone to talk to, 16 per cent went as far as to say that if it wasn’t for their pet, they wouldn’t ever speak to anyone.

    And half of those surveyed, through OnePoll.com, admit they never feel lonely due to having a pet, while the same percentage always look forward to getting home to see them.

    For 45 per cent, their pet is the main reason they exercise and another 31 per cent claim that having a pet gives them a purpose in life.

    Psychologist and author, Corinne Sweet, said: “The psychological and emotional benefits of pet ownership are well-known among mental health professionals.

    “Having a close bond with a domestic animal can boost ‘feel good’ biochemicals such as endorphins and oxytocin; which can make owners feel more relaxed, calmer and happier at home.

  • IGUANAS KEPT AS PETS

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    With the progress made in captive breeding of many different exotic reptiles and the expansion of the product lines available to keep these animals healthy, it’s no wonder that more and more lizards for sale are available on the market every single year. Some of the more sought after species happen to be Bearded Dragons, Iguanas and South American Tegus.

    Bearded Dragon Lizards As Pets

    Bearded Dragons are one of the more heavily produced and sought after medium sized lizards in the exotic reptile pet trade. These communal and friendly lizards originated from Australia but are very different from their wild cousins. After many generations of captive breeding Bearded Dragons have come to take on many different colors from yellow and orange to red, white and black. There are even scale mutations like leatherback and silky which give the animals scales a different texture and look. Bearded dragons are kept as a beginner reptile pet by reptile lovers of different ages and have a comfortable and healthy life in most homes.

    Tegus As Pets

    South American Tegu Lizards are a larger and more robust reptile pet with some species reaching sizes in excess of four feet and weighing upwards of fifteen pounds. Captive bred Tegu Lizards can be found in many different colors including red, blue, black and white as well as albino and hybrids. The red and blue tegus both become brighter with age while the black and white tegu loses its brightly colored tones of its green head after a few weeks while getting brighter shades of black and white as it matures. Tegus can live comfortably given a large enough enclosure and can be maintained on an entirely processed diet of ground turkey, eggs, canned food and fruits.

    Iguanas As Pets

    Although Iguanas are one of the earliest lizards kept as pets by herpers, their popularity has regained some steam as of late with the introduction of many new color variations. Aside from the wild type green iguana, keepers can now enjoy the red, blue, albino and many combinations of those colors. Iguanas can grow to an adult size of over five feet and will need a large enclosure and will benefit from access to natural sunlight. They can grow and thrive on a variety of ready-made diets as well as a mixture of leafy vegetables, fruit and flowers.

    At Exotic Pet’s Home we have a healthy selection of iguanas, tegus, bearded dragons and many other pet lizards for sale. We always recommend a healthy respect for wildlife and ask our clients to spend some time getting familiar with their reptiles needs before making a purchase. Should you have any questions or concerns about lizards or other reptiles feel free to contact us at any time.

  • ARE REPTILES AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE

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    These days you can’t turn on the television or browse the net without hearing about passionate often heated arguments either for or against the existence and causes of Global Warming. It is often a political argument running rampant with facts and opinions that may or may not be real or scientifically sound. What is real is that whether or not you believe it is happening and whether or not you think it is caused by human behavior the reality is that once we start seeing changes in the environment around us it may be too late to react. Let’s look at some of the realities that our scaly friends will have to face as they are affected by Climate Change.

    Reptiles And Their Environments

    Most people know that reptiles are cold blooded and need the help of their environment to be able to achieve thermoregulation as they digest their food, fight disease, grow and reproduce. They depend on their environment even for the incubation of their eggs and the availability of their prey items. It might seem logical that as the temperatures rise the reptiles of this planet will have a much easier time coping with and even possibly thriving in a warmer climate but there is more to it than that. Reptiles are carefully tied in to the intricate web of nature that could easily be disrupted. Increased temperatures affect rainfall and humidity making it too dry in some places so that the vegetation and fruit that some reptiles depend upon for food may disappear while too much humidity and rain in other places can reduce the number of ground dwelling rodents and birds that are an important part of many reptile diets.

    The Effects Of Higher Temperatures On Reptile Reproduction

    Reptiles are one of few organisms on earth that have a direct link to their immediate climate during incubation. The effects of higher temperatures at this time can affect the hatchling sex ratio of turtles, crocodilians, geckos and even some amphibians. Sex determination in snakes is determined at conception so temperature rise does not affect the sex ratio of hatchlings but kinking and aberrant patterns seem to be a side effect of such events. Many different reptiles are spurred into breeding cycles and mating behavior by the onset of weather related events such as monsoons and rainy seasons. This seems to be tied in to seedling and grass growth that will in turn bring about an abundance of rodents that then are used as food by the hatchling reptiles and their recovering mothers. A change in weather and precipitation levels will have long term results that we may not always be in tune to or aware of.

    How Does Weather Effect Reptiles For Sale

    People might argue that since most reptiles for sale are captive bred and produced under artificial conditions including temperature then this will have no negative effect on captive reptile production. Try to imagine a scenario where shipping practices will have to be adjusted to deal with hotter days and fewer days in the year when a reptile can be safely shipped across the country. There are also situations such as water use restrictions that will effect everything from the production of feeder rodents and insect to the maintenance of water dependent reptiles like turtles and crocodilians. It might be a folly for some to think that we need to worry about reptiles and climate change but it never hurts to think about how our actions will result in a different future for other creatures that we share this planet with.

  • Baby Enchi Orange Ghost Ball Python FEEDING BABY SNAKES

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    Hatchling snake season is here and once again every breeder and snake owner has to tackle the problem of shy feeders. Like most other issues involving reptiles there is a right way and a wrong way to go about getting your baby snakes to feed. Most of the time it is a simple environmental adjustment that will do the trick but other times there can be something more troubling going on.

    Feeding Baby Ball Pythons

    One of the most common shy feeder baby snakes for sale in the industry is the ball python. This can be attributed to the fact that they are one of the most commonly kept snakes in captivity with tens of thousands produced yearly and imported from the wild. It can also be easily resolved with one or two small adjustments to their environment. A common mistake is putting a baby ball python in a large enclosure. In the wild baby ball pythons are extremely vulnerable to predation so they will seek the shelter of small animal burrows and crevices where they can safely wedge themselves out of harm’s way. Another common mistake is using basking lights in the place of a heating pad. Ball pythons are found underground where ambient temps are much cooler than you would expect and having a snake in as close to its natural setting as possible will solve a whole lot of other issues. When these factors are addressed most baby snakes will feed readily on their own.

    Feeding Baby Hognose Snakes

    Another shy feeder in the snake world is the Western Hognose snake. These small and keeled scale snakes are commonly found in a variety of colors and patterns. With their rising popularity come a larger number of people wanting to keep them as pets and this can lead to some suppliers cutting corners by selling animals that were not established as strong feeders before shipping. Once again environment can play a huge part in getting a shy baby snake to feed. With Western Hognose snakes having a dry setup with a small water dish and plenty of secure hiding spots will solve most feeding issues. Another thing that helps is having a small enclosure that the baby snake can easily access and explore at night when they are normally on the hunt for food.

    Feeding Baby Boas

    One type of baby snake for sale that almost never has any feeding issues is the common boa constrictor. Baby Boas are extremely attractive and active snakes that will take live or frozen thawed meals without a problem. The only time that owners see an issue with feeding baby boa constrictors is when a snake has dry shed or other shedding issues. Once again this is a problem that arises from the wrong setup and can easily be fixed with either a larger water bowl for increased humidity or a misting system set on a timer. Boa constrictors do grow to be rather large as adults so you should always consider that fact before purchasing one as a pet.

    At Exotic Pet’s Home our focus is on getting the best setup and husbandry for each and every baby snake for sale and helping our clients do the same. We have developed a number of highly effective and conveniently priced snake habitats to ensure that first time owners have everything they need to take care of their newly acquired pets.