Pet Shop Gloucester Advice Series Hamster Care Sheet

Pet shop Gloucester advice on caring for your Syrian hamster.

Hamsters generally make good family pets. However there are issues that you need to take into consideration.

They are nocturnal so being more active in the evening allows the busy family time to enjoy them. However in a child’s bedroom this can be a problem, unless you buy a silent wheel and a cage that does not have bars for the hamster to constantly chew on. They are small mammals ideal for families with limited space. Hamsters make a suitable pet for children providing they are taught the responsibilities of their pets daily cleaning, feeding, handling and care.

Syrian or Golden hamsters originally come from Syria. In the wild they live in burrows in the day to keep cool, so they love tubes and tunnels. They are active animals and travel great distances at night, hence the need for a wheel. They will carry food in pouches and hoard it, so check yours is eating what you put in for it or when you clean it out you will be wasting food by throwing away its food store. Syrian hamsters are solitary animals and best kept alone. You will see them together in the shop but this is because they are young, sexually immature animals. When they reach sexual maturity they will start to fight. Syrian hamsters have more than twenty colours and coat types such as smooth coat, satin and long haired. Syrian hamsters average life span is 2 -3 years.

Hamsters normally stay healthy throughout their lives. They can suffer from coughs and sneezes and their nose and eyes may run, so keep them warm and away from any draughts. If the signs persist seek veterinary advice. Hamsters can suffer acute diarrhoea known as wet tail . If this occurs take your pet to the vets immediately. There is normally no problem with hamsters’ teeth. However if they do not meet properly they will grow too long and eating will be impossible. If this occurs the teeth must be clipped regularly. It is therefor essential the teeth are checked BEFORE you buy. Also make sure your hamster has something to gnaw on to keep its teeth worn down.

Syrian hamsters do not need to hibernate but will appear to do so if there is a sudden drop in temperature below 5°C. They will go torpid and their breathing will be so shallow they appear dead. Sadly hamsters have been disposed of in the past because the owners thought they had died. Hamsters will also exhibit this behaviour if the temperature becomes too high (35C)

If your hamster escapes from its cage try putting a box (its nest box) or bowl in the corner of the room. He may well be in it the next morning. If you are concerned about your hamster’s health speak to your pet shop Gloucester or your vet.

 Feeding

pet shop Gloucester

Use a good proprietary brand of hamster food. This will have the correct balance of nutrients. Hamsters in the wild eat a mixture of seeds, plants and insects. Make sure you feed yours a similar balanced diet. If your mix does not contain insects (many do not) then supplement with meal worms. We use live but if you are squeamish you can used dried (both available at your pet shop Gloucester). You can also feed some fruit and millet etc. or hamster fruity treats but you will not need too many of these. Be aware that hamster store food. They will cram as much into their cheek pouches as possible and store it in a “larder” (designated part of their burrow) for later. Just because the bowl is empty does not mean it has no food. Check the cage for the store and monitor that.

Sexing

Sexing hamsters is very easy. The testes in the male are clearly visible under the base of the short tail from a very early age. Also the distance between the anus and the genitals is much greater in the male. In our pet shop Gloucester we tend to keep males as they will tolerate each other for a lot longer than the females. Females need to be separated earlier but males will eventually fight. In the wild the fights will result in one hamster losing and running away. In the confines of a cage there is nowhere to go and so the fights will result in the death of one (at least) of the hamsters.

Housing

A good sized cage is required. You can use either a wire cage with a plastic bottom, or a plastic covered cage. Both have disadvantages and advantages. Whilst hamsters love tunnels, I would avoid cages with horizontal tubes as part of the construction. Hamsters naturally use a latrine (another designated part of their burrow) and you can almost guarantee it will select the most inaccessible part of the tubing system and the wee will leak out of the tiny air holes in the plastic (this is from experience!). Buy tubes to go inside a normal cage, they are easier to clean. Due to this habit of using a latrine it is possible to litter train a hamster. Buy a hamster toilet and put some of the soiled bedding in it and soon the hamster will be using this as its latrine, saving on cleaning out the whole cage. Definitely get a hamster wheel or saucer. Hamsters love to exercise. Not having one is really unfair on the animal.

pet shop Gloucester

When cleaning cages and accessories make sure you use a small animal disinfectant not household which are toxic. A very useful piece of equipment is the hamster ball. Not only is this excellent for exercising the hamster but it is useful to use it whilst you clean out the cage.Two birds with one stone.

If you need further advice on hamsters call into our pet shop Gloucester and have a chat.

 

The Angell Pets Team

 

Pet shop Gloucester care series – Ferret

Pet shop Gloucester pet care series – ferret care.

Ferret basics

Ferrets are members of the mustelidae family (weasels, stoat, mink, otter, badger, and their wild ancestor the polecat). A ferret is basically a domesticated polecat. They have been traditionally bred to hunt rabbits and rats and generally make very good workers. Due to an imfamous TV appearance in the 1970s and ill informed owners of working ferrets, they have had a bad press with regard to biting.

Ferrets can be hand tamed from three weeks and if this is done properly, do not bite. Unfortunately some people believed they needed a big, aggressive male ferret as a worker and so stories of vicious animals that lock on and don’t let go abound. Actually it is relatively easy to get a ferret to let go if it does bite but because the idiot on the TV show didn’t know how to do it the myth grew. Actually an aggressive male ferret is the last thing you want for working. This animal would be big enough to kill a rabbit in the warren and would then stay there. The owner would have to dig down and reach in to get the ferret back. You can imagine the mess this type of animal could make of the owners arm. What you want (and this is why the polecat was originally domesticated) is a nice docile little female who will chase the rabbits out but is too small to kill one and will come out to show you what she’s done. My son’s fellow breeder has one (Chilly) like this. She is his best worker and yet we have taken her to kids parties.

In the end the ferret’s temperament is going to be decided by the breeder, handler and eventually owner. This is why we breed and tame our own ferrets for our pet shop Gloucester.

Pet shop gloucester ferret

Male ferrets (hobs) are larger than females (jills) and generally a bit lazier as well. Both make good pets. However both have their own peculiarities that need to be taken into account. The breeding cycle of the ferret throws up a couple of issues.

Firstly and most seriously, a female will come into season a couple of times a year. She must be mated to bring her out of season. If left to stay in season she will become seriously ill and could (probably would) eventually die.

Secondly the male exudes a waxy substance onto the skin during the breeding season. This gives the male a very strong odour. In both case neutering the ferret will prevent any problems. A neutered female will obviously not come into season and a neutered male will not smell. Ferrets can musk when threatened but a suitably tame and happy ferret will not. At our pet shop Gloucester we do not agree with descenting ferrets (removal of the musk glands).

Feeding

Ferrets are carnivores. They eat meat and get their energy from protein and fat. A good quality complete food will provide all their nutritional requirements. Our pet shop Gloucester workers are fed mainly raw food as they are used for pest control and have a plentiful supply. Our pet shop Gloucester pets are fed complete food. Both do equally well. Ferrets drink quite a lot. They should always have access to a plentiful supply of water, preferably via a gravity fed drinker (bunny bottle).

Housing

Ferrets can be kept indoors or outdoors. Our pet shop Gloucester breeders are kept together outdoors as they have not been neutered. If you are considering keeping a male ferret indoors we would strongly suggest you have him neutered for your own sanity! If you are keeping them out doors then obviously you need to take into account the temperature as too hot or too cold is not conducive to good health. If the temperature drops too low you will need somewhere to bring them in or insulate their enclosure.

Wherever you keep them they require a large living/play area. They are very active animals and love to play. they are also quite sociable and are best kept together. If you can only keep one then you are will need to realise you will have to be the other ferrets and will need to give yours lots of attention (in much the same way as you do a dog, another social animal). A large run/pen should be provided for them to play in, big enough for you to put in plenty of toys/equipment. Ferrets love ramps, tunnels etc. If left in an outdoor enclosure they must have refuge from the sun as they can suffer from sun stroke.

Dust free shavings are good as a floor substrate, or paper pellets etc. Ferrets can be litter trained and a corner litter tray is probably the best investment you can make. Clean the cage once a week and the litter tray daily. Make sure you use a pet disinfectant, not household. Also provide some nesting material for them to curl up in their nest box. Hammocks and shelves are a good idea for them to lounge around on.

Some ferrets like to swim in water and a cat litter tray used as a pool in their run is often appreciated but not essential.

Handling

The first thing you will notice when handling a ferret is that they are very bendy. They can completely turn around in a tunnel the same width as their own body. Holding onto one that does not want to be held can be a challenge. The most secure way to hold a ferret is to place you thumb across the shoulders so the ferret’s forelegs are between your first two fingers. You can support the rear of the body with your other hand. Holding this way prevents the ferret twisting and turning and is quite comfortable for the animal. They have been known to fall asleep in this position but then again there is probably not a position a ferret won’t fall asleep in! They like to sleep and can be quite difficult to wake up if they are in a deep slumber.

Health

Ferrets can catch canine distemper. We recommend you get your ferret vaccinated. We have already discussed the need for neutering (alternatives are jill jabs but these hormone injections can be expensive over the life of the animal). Female ferrets will get ill if consistently allowed to come into season without being mated. Diseases such as septicemia, leucemia etc. are very serious and often fatal. A healthy ferret will live on average 8 – 10 years (remember this is an average, some will be less, some more). Obviously ferrets can suffer with other diseases, some of which can be contracted by humans, so hygiene remains important.

Ferrets and other animals.

Ferrets are carnivores, so they do not mix with prey animals. They will kill and eat rabbits, rats etc. They can mix with other, bigger carnivores, such as dogs or cats. This however depends entirely on the cat or dog. I have customers who’s ferrets play with their dogs, the ferrets being in charge. However my dog would certainly kill a ferret, straight away on introduction. You have been warned, it is better not to take a chance and to keep them separate.

A few do’s an don’ts to round off.

  • Do seriously consider getting your ferret neutered.
  • Do provide plenty of space and activities.
  • Do encourage play (the ferret “war dance” is great to watch)
  • Do get your ferret vaccinated.
  • Do take it our for a walk on a harness and lead. You’ll make lots of friends and the ferret will keep it’s claws worn down.
  • Do come and ask us if you have any queries at all.

 

  • Don’t allow a female ferret to repeatedly come into season, this is cruel and ultimately fatal.
  • Don’t allow a ferret near you face. They play by nipping “gently” at each others ears, noses etc. and pulling on their loose skin. Gentle to a stiff fur covered ferret is not going to feel gentle to your nose or lip, or the tighter skin of your face.
  • Don’t allow your ferret near young children. The ferret is probably fine, it’s the child you have to worry about. Sticking a finger up the nose or in the eye of a normally docile ferret may well induce it to bite. The same is true for all animals of course.
  • Don’t feed milk to a ferret. Like other mammals, once weaned they do not drink milk ever again and can be very intolerant of lactose.
  • Don’t listen to the fools who say things like “Oh, we used to have ferrets, yeah if they bite just stub a cigarette out on their nose, that’s how you stop them”. No it isn’t you idiot, apart from being cruel it is also illegal.

Ferrets do make good pets but you do need to do your research first. Call into our pet shop Gloucester for advice.

 

The Angell Pets Team

 

 

Leopard Gecko Care Sheet

Pet Shop Gloucester advice series – Leopard Gecko care sheet

The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is one of the most popular lizards around (along with the bearded dragon). There are reasons for this. Mainly it is because they are very easy to look after, are generally quite hardy, are easy to get hold of, don’t require too big of an enclosure or too much equipment (it was believed) and now come in a vast array of colour morphs. This basic care sheet will tell you all you need to know to keep a leopard gecko healthy and active for its entire life. It will cover breeding in general but not the genetics of the various morphs available. That subject is quite complex and unless you are really into the subject (i.e. a bit of a geek) it’s a little too boring for this type of publication.

It is important to know something of an animals natural environment if you are to know how to care for it properly. If you were to try caring for a chile rose tarantula in the same way that you care for a goliath birdeater it would not last very long as they come from very different habitats to which they are adapted.

Leopard geckos originally come from arid regions of Afganistan and Pakistan. Whilst all the specimens you are likely to come across in the UK are captive bred and so a bit more tolerant of varied conditions, you still want to mimic nature as much as possible. So a dry vivarium with a suitable, mainly dry substrate is obviously best. However there are times when this will need to be varied and we will cover this later.

They are nocturnal lizards, reaching a length of between 6.5cm (hatchling) to 27.5cm (large adult). Originally they were spotted lizards (hence the name) but now come in a range of colours and patterns. Unlike a lot of other geckos, leopard geckos do not have lamellae pads on their toes so cannot climb smooth, vertical surfaces but do have small claws that enable them to grip; so they can climb some not so steep rough surfaces (rocks, wood, polystyrene backgrounds). They have a thin, translucent but very tough skin covered in lots of small bumps. The tail of a healthy leopard gecko is very thick at the base tapering gradually to a point. This is where the gecko stores its fat reserves. The tail can be shed as a defence response (the tail stays wiggling on the floor, distracting the predator – or owner – whilst the gecko runs off) and will regrow but as the animal has just shed its reserves it’s only done as a last resort; so they are not so ready do do this as some other species of gecko (like the crested gecko for instance). Like other reptiles leopards geckos shed their outer layer of skin periodically (depending on how fast they are growing). They usually eat the skin. Two theories exist as to why and probably both are true. One is that they do it to hide their presence from predators (no scent or visual signs of their presence) and the other is to recycle precious minerals. As said, both have merit, all that is important is that it is normal for them to do it. Like nearly all modern reptiles, leopard geckos are ectothermic. They rely entirely on their environment to regulate their body temperature; they are essentially the same temperature as their surroundings, moving from one area to another to warm up or cool down. It is essential they are able to replicate this natural behaviour in captivity to remain healthy.

The Enclosure.

It is often recommended that young (hatchling) geckos should be housed in small enclosures so they don’t feel stressed, can easily find food and feel safe and secure. As far as I know no scientific work has ever been done to support this assertion. It is certainly true, as a breeder that young geckos CAN safely be housed in this way but I don’t think it is necessary. As long as the gecko has somewhere to hide, it will feel secure. I don’t know if you have ever been to the area of Afganistan that leopard geckos come from but it’s pretty big and it’s not divided up into small convenient boxes. It is perfectly acceptable to house your young gecko in the enclosure you intend for it as an adult, as long as you provide plenty of places for it to hide away in different areas of the vivarium. We have been keeping and breeding leopard geckos for years and we have never lost a single hatchling or noticed any abnormal behaviour from young lizards kept in larger enclosures (not that any of ours are that large). Also, in the wild, leopard geckos are relatively communal (communal, not social) and can be found together in small groups. In captivity this is also true. So in a larger enclosure you can house several young geckos together until sexual maturity is reached and then a small group of females with the possible addition of one male (only one, add two and you will have one dead gecko) will also be OK. An 18″ x 15″ enclosure is big enough for an adult leopard gecko or a pair. However a larger enclosure will allow for a more interesting habitat and allow the addition of further individuals. I like a 30″x18″ for a pair or small group. Too small an enclosure and it will be difficult to generate the temperature gradient necessary to ensure adequate temperature regulation.

Glass or wood? The choice really is yours. Both work well but both also have their advantages and disadvantages. Glass enables you to make a fantastic display tank that can be seen from multiple angles. However it also loses heat more easily so may require larger wattage heating equipment to maintain temperature and be more susceptible to external temperature change (drafts etc.). Wood is a good insulator so will require relatively smaller wattage equipment. However you will want a thermostat to prevent overheating and they tend to be less well ventilated than mesh topped glass vivs. We have used both with equal success and actually don’t have a preference. If your house is cold I would go for wood though. There are plastic vivs available as well, I just don’t think they are very attractive myself.

Heating

You need to heat the viv. By far the easiest way is to install a heat mat. Some of the ones we sell conveniently come with double sided adhesive sheet already fitted so are easy to stick to the side or bottom of the viv. Either is OK but if you do stick it to the floor be careful not to put anything heavy or sharp on top, you may damage the heat mat and cause a hot spot that could burn the viv. or anything else in there. You don’t actually need a basking spot lamp but you may wish to put something in to light up the interior. If you do put one in make sure it is at the same end as the heat mat. You are trying to produce a hot end and a cold end to allow the gecko to thermoregulate by moving from one end to the other. The temperature you are trying to achieve is 29 to 31 C during the day (light on) to 22 to 25 C at night (light off) at the hot end with a decent drop across to the cold end. You should really have a thermostat to ensure the viv. does not overheat. I would use a mat stat and only have a small power basking lamp to achieve this. You could have a lower wattage mat and a stronger bulb and use a dimming thermostat on the bulb. it would give a finer level of control but dimming stats are twice the price of mat stats (on/off stats), so you pays your money and you takes your choice. I use a mat stat but then I’m notoriously tight and don’t have a basking spot anyway. Do use a thermometer at either end of the enclosure to check you are maintaining the correct temperature gradient (31C at the hot end 22C at the cold end during the day). Thermostat settings are a guide. The thermometers will tell you what the temperature actually is. Adjust the thermostat accordingly. If you can stretch to it, invest in a surface reading infra red thermometer. Just point at a surface in the enclosure and it will tell you what the temperature is right there. Much more accurate and removes the need to have intrusive dials or probes in your naturalistic viv. I think they are great but then I have a lot of vivs (and fish tanks) to check the temperature of.

Lighting

It has long been thought that leopard geckos, being nocturnal, do not need UV light. Diurnal lizards need UV to produce vitamin D3 in their skin. Vitamin D3 is involved with calcium assimilation and without it the lizard cannot get enough calcium from its diet (most insects are low in calcium) and get bone disease. Actually leopard geckos do need UV as well but it has been discovered that they have evolved into very efficient UV gathering devices. In the wild when they are laid up during the day in a burrow, or under a rock they actually lay in an area that is exposed to very low levels of UV or sometimes come out for just a few minutes. Their skin however is exceptionally good at absorbing this UV (11 times more efficient than a bearded dragon). They only have to come out for a few brief minutes to get enough to survive. In captivity it is best to use a low level UV source (2%) or ensure your gecko is exposed to some UV daily. That said many breeders have never used UV lighting. It may be that the animals are getting enough exposure from extraneous sources. I wouldn’t take a chance, especially if breeding. We use an 8W 2% tube. Do be careful of over exposure, especially with albinos. DO NOT use high intensity UV lighting.

Substrate

This is the “stuff” that goes on the floor of your vivarium. I have heard every horror story there is to hear about this subject. Most of what is talked about is actually just peoples’ opinions, not necessarily fact. “You should never use that” normally means “I don’t use that and I must be right because I am god’s gift, so you shouldn’t either”. We have used a variety of different substrates and have our favourites and others we wouldn’t use again (and some we have never used, either because we have had no need or personally didn’t want to take a chance). I’ll list some here, you can make your own informed decision.

Nothing at all. Who said you had to put anything down? Advantages – cheap, easy to clean (just wipe daily with viv. cleaner). Disadvantages – not natural, gecko can’t dig around, won’t be able to grip if in a glass viv. (could lead to lax muscles), not particularly attractive, nothing to soak up fluids. I’ve never tried as I like natural looking vivs.

Newspaper or paper towel. Same advantages as above except probably easier to keep clean (no need to wipe daily) but most of the disadvantages as well (except I think it’s even uglier). When I started keeping reptiles everyone used this and I can still remember the distinctive smell of the local reptile shop. Not my favourite but nothing to stop you.

Play sand. Advantages – cheap, easy to get hold of, can look attractive when new. Disadvantages – very fine so easy for the gecko to accidentally ingest. Sand is made of silica which is indigestible. Impaction (caused by eating indigestible material that then “impacts” in the lower gut) can occur and this is fatal. It can also get rather smelly if not changed regularly. I have never used it as I didn’t want to take a risk and do not recommend anyone else does either.

Calci sand. This is made from calcium not silica. Calcium does dissolve in the gut in small quantities. Advantages – comes in a range of colours, can be a calcium source. Disadvantages – leopard geckos will deliberately ingest calcium if they are not getting enough from their diet (your fault if they’re not, more on that later). If they ingest too much, it won’t all dissolve leading to impaction.

Beech chips. Advantages – cheapish, attractive in a utilitarian sort of way, well suited to an arid environment. Disadvantages – can be ingested and cause impaction (avoid this by using the largest grade), smaller crickets can hide among the pieces (they will eventually get the little monsters though), not natural (important to me but does not have to be important to you).

Orchid bark. Advantages – cheapish, attractive. Disadvantages – better suited to a more humid environment, would look natural for a crested gecko but not a leopard gecko, crickets can hide in the coarser grades.

Naturalistic substrates (normally clay based gritty, sterile dirt such as Lucky Reptile desert bedding). My favourite so I openly admit I am biased. Advantages – as natural looking as you can get, gecko can burrow if it is deep enough, can be used to construct hides (by adding water and moulding and allowing to dry into shape), I have never had a problem with impaction. Disadvantages – not as cheap as alternatives although it is not that expensive, can insulate the heat mat if too deep so you may want to mount this on the side of the viv. and like other “sand” it gets in the runners of the viv. doors and makes a nasty scratching sound, so keep the runners clear. Our geckos seem to like this the best. By that I mean they display more natural behaviour, especially during breeding. When on other substrates the female just laid her eggs in her hide or in a corner. On desert bedding she piled some into her water bowl to make is damp, dug into the pile, laid the eggs and covered them up. It makes no difference in the end, all eggs are removed and incubated but it was nice to see the behaviour. Our bearded dragons did the same. You can now also get bio active varieties of natural substrate that enable the growing of desert plants for the full “arid experience”. Create you own bit of the middle east in your living room!

Feeding

Leopard geckos are insectivores (although they will eat baby mice as well). In the wild leopard geckos get most of their minerals (for example calcium) from their food and/or particles of soil that stick to their food. However the insects themselves are generally low in calcium and high in phosphorus (it is the ratio of the difference that is important). Obviously when the gecko eats the insect it is also eating its contents (i.e. whatever is in its guts) and it is this that gives most of the minerals and vitamins. It is essential you replicate this. Fortunately it is easy to do. Just feed your live food (crickets, meal or morio worms, locusts, waxworms etc.) on a good proprietary bug grub and some fresh veg (carrot etc.) prior to feeding to your gecko. This “gut loads” the insect and significantly increases the calcium content (by up to 20 times) and the vitamins too. When young you should also “dust” the crickets with calcium dust at every feed, although you can reduce this when older (unless producing eggs). You should also dust once or twice a week with a vitamin powder. Don’t over do this, as too much of some vitamins has been shown to cause problems. Once a week is fine. Basically all you have to do is put the insects in a container with some powder and give them a shake up. This will coat them in the powder and then you can feed them to you gecko. DON’T over feed. Putting too many crickets (especially the quite carnivorous black crickets) into the viv. means that the excess that do not get eaten will run off and hide and come out when the gecko is asleep and have a little nibble. Also if the crickets are adults they will “sing” all night and you will get it in the neck from your partner – trust me.

Feed young geckos every day, adults will be fine every other day. The tail is the give away. If the tail is too thin you are under feeding. Also the gecko will constantly be on the prowl. If you have a gecko with a very fat tail that is really lazy and doesn’t seem to do much and doesn’t seem to show any interest in food then you’ve probably stuffed it to the gunnels.

Breeding.

Pet shop gloucester

Albert’s baby

To breed leopard geckos (assuming you have the correct set up) you will obviously need a male and at least one female. You can only really tell what sex they are when they are over about 8 months old. It is possible to tell as hatchlings but it is very difficult and requires some extra equipment and a lot of patience and experience. I won’t sex them until sexual dimorphism becomes apparent to the naked eye, it is too easy to make a mistake. Male, adult leopard geckos tend to be bigger with a broader head but the tell tale sign is the pre anal pores near the vent. Both males and females have them but in the males they are much more apparent, appearing as a dark v shape just above the vent (sexually mature males excrete a waxy substance from here). You will also be able to see hemipenal bulges under the vent at the base of the tail in the male. Basically if it has the right appendages (hidden in a sheath) then its a boy! If you don’t know what appendage I am talking about, you should not be breeding geckos. Leopard geckos reach sexual maturity at 8 months but shouldn’t be bred until at least 12 months old due to increased risk of problems with egg production and laying.

If you introduce a male and female sexually mature pair of geckos for the first time they will most likely breed regardless of the time of year but not necessarily. When we first introduced our male to our female he certainly tried it on but she just picked him up by the scruff of the neck (if leopard geckos can be said to have a scruff) and threw him across the viv. They didn’t breed for 6 months. Most geckos will normally breed from January to September, you may need to lower the temperature for about 8 weeks prior to the season to start the process but we never have. You will be able to see when she is gravid. She will look fat and you will be able to see the eggs developing at the base of her abdomen. If using desert bedding as a substrate you will probably just have to look out for a mound of substrate, the eggs (usually two) will be in there. If not, you will need a hide or tub with some egg laying substrate in and a restricted entrance for her to crawl through to lay. A lot of people use vermiculite as an incubating medium. I don’t like it, I prefer moss. I have used both and have lost far fewer eggs with moss. If you have to move the eggs from one container to another (I use cricket tubs) for incubation make sure you do not turn them. Place them in the same orientation as you found them.

You may want to remove the male after you find the female is gravid to give her a break after she lays, otherwise he will just mate again and she may not have recovered enough to produce viable eggs.

Place the incubation tub in your incubator. I am not going to discuss incubators here, there are too many methods. Most I have seen work well. We have gone all up market with a digitally controlled expensive incubator. It does not produce better results, our old homemade  “on bricks above a water bath” version worked just as well. It is however a damn site easier! If you are using moss in cricket tubs with the lid on you have very little to do other than check the temperature and make sure the moss isn’t drying out (ours didn’t at all this time round).

Leopard geckos do display temperature dependent sexual determination. Basically the incubation range is 24.5 C to 32.5 C. the lower end of the range produces more females the higher end more males. This temperature variation will also produce a variation in incubation period. The lower end may take up to 70 days to hatch and the upper end only 45. This is not a hard and fast rule though. Out last two batches were incubated in the same incubator at the same time and the ones that were laid first hatched second; go figure. Make sure the temperature never goes above 34 C or the eggs will die.

Depending on what temperature you are incubating at, start checking the eggs a couple of times a day about a week before you expect them to hatch. Just before hatching the egg will collapse and you will see slits along the egg caused by the egg tooth of the hatchling gecko. It will probably take a few hours to emerge and will do so in stages. Most hatch fine but some still have the egg yolk attached. These need to be left to absorb the yolk sack in peace. When hatched, remove the gecko to their hatchling home.

They will shed, eat the skin and then not actually eat small crickets for about 4 or five days. Then they get more and more voracious. Start dusting the crickets straight away. They grow rapidly and like kids, need the calcium.

Phantom pregnancy

For a start, I know it’s not pregnant, it’s gravid but it doesn’t scan as well. Reptiles can spontaneously lay infertile eggs. Our corn snake started doing this after 9 years. Leopard geckos are no exception. If you are absolutely sure she hasn’t been mated and can see eggs developing then they will not be fertile. Give her what she needs to lay the eggs and then remove them for disposal. Make sure you give her extra food and calcium whilst she is gravid as the yolk, white and shell will still all develop and take it out of her. Once she has laid she should settle back down. Make sure she does lay as geckos can become egg bound.

For further advice on leopard gecko care call us, contact us on Facebook or drop by the shop.

Richard Angell

Moving house? Then so is your pet. What you need to know.

Moving house is reckoned to be one of the most stressful things an average person has to do. It can also be quite stressful for your pets but you can reduce the sress (for them and you) with a few simple tips.

  • “Failing to plan is planning to fail” is an old cliched saying but no less true for all that. Make sure you have any equipment (suitable carriers, packing material etc.) ready before the big day. Hunting around at the last minute will raise your sress levels through the roof and your animal will suffer the consequences of you rushing, using less than ideal travel boxes or even forgetting the poor thing altogether (it does happen). So make sure you have considered what you are going to use to transport your pet and timing the move of the animal with the move of its enclosure. There’s not a lot of point  turning up at your new house with bags of tropical fish when the tank is still with the moving company and won’t be there until tommorrow!
  • Use a suitable container to move your animal. Often people think they need to get the largest container they can. This is often the wrong thing to do. During the move the animal will just rattle around in a large box and get injured. A small container with suitable packing material (a small animal carrier filled with shredded paper for a hamster for instance) is much more desirable. Remember that animals chew things so if you are moving any distance then a cardboard carrier is not enough, it won’t survive the journey.pet shop gloucester pet carriers
  • Make sure you know where in your new house or garden the animal’s enclosure is going to go. It can have a large effect on the wellbeing of your pet. Our rabbits are on a well sheltered patio with walls on three sides and a dwarf wall on the fourth. If we moved I doubt the new area would be as sheltered which would mean we would have to reconsider our housing of the animals over the coldest winter periods. Would you have somewhere to put them in your new house?
  • Don’t trust the animals to the movers. They are best transported with you, secured in place in your car. You can control the movement, security and environment to ensure they are safe and well at the end of the journey.

So you’ve moved and you need to set up your pet in their new home. My advice is do this first, before you start unpacking everything else. You want the animal in its transport box for as little time as possible. The exception to this is the dog and cat. These are best not under foot whilst you are unpacking so if you can get someone to look after them for a couple of days it would be better, or alternatively use a good boarding establishment. Then you can get on and unpack in peace and not in pieces, after you’ve tripped over the dog for the fourth time or worse, left the door open and the dog is out.

Obviously use the move as an opportuntiy to completely clean any enclosures you have and start your pet’s life in your new home in a nice clean enclosure. It is also easier to move an empty cage.

Right, so some specific advice on certain animals.

  • Dogs. Easy yes? Just put on the lead, jump in the car and go. Well if, like me, you rarely take the dogs in the car, you are probably not prepared. Dogs should be secured. A travel cage is ideal or you could use a travel harness or an adaptor for you existing harness to strap the dog to the car’s seatbelt restraints.pet shop gloucester travel harness If you have an accident on the way the dog could kill you if not restrained (the car will stop suddenly, the dog won’t). I’ll assume you have unpacked everything before the dog arrives at the new house (see above). It is all going to be very new and exiting for him/her. The more old possesions around the more quickly settled the dog will be. If you can and the garden is secure, leave the back door open and let them explore. Exitable dogs in a new environment like to pee to mark their new territory, better outside than in. Do double check your new garden for security though, it’s surprising what they can get out of. However dogs are not “free to roam” animals, cats are.
  • Cats. The biggest problem with a cat if you let it outside, is they may go missing. Cats are territorial animals. They are famous for marking their territories and defending them. If you just let your cat out into another cat’s territory the other cat is going to see it off. This may mean it trying to return to its old territory. When my sister moved a few years ago it wasn’t very far. Her cat repeatedly went back to the old house, not because it was being fed there, the new owners were not cat lovers, but because this was her territory and there were other cats in the area of the new house. Keep your cat in for a couple of weeks. Try to force other cats away from your garden and immediate area around your house. This can be done by using special products that overpower the marking scent of cats.pet shop gloucester, cat repellant They will try to battle the new smell but will eventually realise they are losing. To a cat the strongest smell wins the war so once they know they have lost to the product they move on. The territory is then free for your cat to move into.
  • Small mammals. Small mammal = small travel box. You don’t want your pet rat sliding around bashing himself against the side of a large container as your husband/wife gets used to the brakes on your car for instance (yes, that is from experience). It is best, when you have rehoused them at the other end to leave them alone for 24 hours, as you would when you first get one, to settle in to the new environment. Trailers are best avoided, the exhaust fumes from your car pumped into the trailer, well obvious really.
  • Birds. The main thing with birds is that you are quite probably going to want to decorate your new house. Fumes and birds don’t mix. Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems. I have had customers who have lost birds inexplicably then when we have gone through everything with them have realised that the landlord had contractors painting the exterior windows and they had them open because it was summer. They found the smell inconvenient at the time, the birds found it fatal. So if you are decorating, find somewhere else to house the bird (and NOT in the kitchen – teflon non stick pans give off toxic fumes). The same is true for fish by the way – most chemical products tell you they are toxic to aquatic environments, they don’t make it clear this can include the fumes.
  • Reptiles. Probably one of the easiest animals to move. They can be transported in a suitably sized plastic tub or box (polystyrene outer if you are moving far, to steady the temperature). Their vivariums are generally well insulated and will already have the correct equipment to control heat, light and humidity (I would hope!). One thing to think about however is the change in the general environment in the new house and how this is effecting the conditions in the vivarium. I have a bull snake in my bedroom. I do not have a thermostat controlling the heat source. However I have had this snake in this location and this viv. for 9 years and know that the temperature remains very stable throughought the year (because of my wifes intolerance of any variation – windows wide open all summer and heating on for the rest of the year!!) and it never gets too hot in the viv., even in the height of summer (it is nowhere near a window and is one of the coolest rooms in the house). If I were to  move the viv. to another location I could not guarantee this and would have to invest in a thermostat to prevent overheating. Keep a check on conditions when you move in and as the weather changes, it will probalby effect the conditions inside the vivarium and change them from what you are used to.
  • Invertebrates. The same is true for most invertebrates (insects, spiders etc.). On top of this they do not travel well. They can become dissicated very easily if it is particularly hot or become chilled if it is cold. You need to manage this by transorting them in a controlled environment (your car), in a container where the humidity and temperature are not going to vary too much and making sure the new location does not adversley effect them. If they do get cold they will become inactive. It is very important that you do not rewarm them too quickly. Just leave them at normal room tepmperature to warm up slowly. If you put them under a heat source the rapid change in temperature could stress and kill them quite quickly.pet shop gloucester, spiderling pot
  • Fish. One of the most difficult to move. You need to plan this carefully. pet shop gloucester, tankAt the last minute bag up the fish. Get some fish transport bags from us in our pet shop Gloucester and part fill them with water from your tank. Net the fish and place them in the bags – no more than half a dozen per bag is good. Blow into the bag (not too close, you want clean air going in, not your exhalations!) Twist the tops and secure with a ruber band. Place the fish bags in a polystyrene box with a lid. Then bag up as much of your tank water as you can so you don’t have to use too much fresh water at the other end to refill it.The less change in water quality the better. Bagging the water rather than trying to transport it in large tanks or containers does two things. It reduces the risk of a large loss of water should a container get damaged and makes the load a lot more stable. Large amounts of water in a container will move around alot. In the case of large tanks enough to destabilise a car. Bagging up baffles to water so less movement occurs going round corners. Put the water bags in a polystyrene box as well – not too many per box, a litre of water weighs at least 1kg. You can get polystyrene boxes from us, our fish and frozen reptile food is delivered in them. Leave the tank gravel wet and if possible submerge the filter to keep it wet. At the other end, get the tank located, water in the tank (top up with a little fresh but don’t worry about having the tank full yet). Get everything plugged in and running and then check the temperature. If you got it right this should still be OK. If you haven’t travelled far you may want to leave it to clear a bit before putting the fish in but if you have had the fish in bags for any length of time you want to get them in the tank. Put the fish bags in the tank water for 10 – 15 minutes to equalise the temperature (not necessary if you measure the temperature and it is the same). Then net the fish out of the bags into the tank. Do not tip the fish bag water into the tank – it will contain too much fish waste (ammonia) and you don’t want to overload your tank after the natural disposal system (bacteria) has been disturbed. When the tank has settled down you can top it up with fresh water. Remember that “tap” water is not the same at every tap. Some (like Birmingham) is naturally very soft upper river valley water, some (like Coventry) is semi hard lowland river water and some (like parts of Gloucestershire) is very hard, underground water. So you could be moving from one extreme to another and this will effect your fish, hense the need for gradual change of water conditions and saving as much of your old water as possible.

So there you go, a few things to think about when you move house with your animals. If you want any specific advice on this subject or any other give us a call or pop into the shop. We will be happy to help where we can (I’ve never kept ostritches so I can’t really help there. That said I do know someone who has, so I could probably find out).

Pet Shop Gloucester tips – how to select an animal

Pet shop Gloucester tips series – how to select an animal and more importantly, where to buy from.

Since the most important thing is to select where to buy we will deal with this first. Get this right and selecting and individual animal becomes easier.

There is a lot of rubbish out there about where is the best place to buy an animal. The one we hear the most at our pet shop Gloucester is “from a breeder”. On the face of it this seems like a good idea, we are breeders ourselves, however there are a lot of people out there that could call themselves breeders. I think, following all the press coverage and national campaigns, most people would no longer consider buying a puppy from a Welsh puppy farm. These establishments are renowned for the attrocious conditions the animals are kept in, terrible in breeding and sick puppies. They are breeders though. So clearly bold, over simplified statements are a waste of time.

To select where to buy you need to consider a few basic points and this will guide you

  • Can you view the animal. If not, do not buy it. There are a host of “private” breeders and sellers on the internet and social media. I strongly suggest you do not buy from them. Not all, but most, are chancers that “rescue” animals (i.e. get their stock for free from anyone giving stuff away – and you have to ask why is it being given away?) who then resell it onto unsuspecting customers. I get these people trying to sell their animals to me all the time but we do not buy from these sources. There is generally something wrong with it, or it is very old or the animal is not being kept in the correct conditions. Only buy an animal you have seen before you have parted with your cash and make sure you see it in the enclosure it is being kept in. We also get these people coming to us for advice on how to look after the animals they are breeding or trying to get us to cure them of a host of illnesses. They should be able to do this themselves or be speaking to a vet.
  • Is the person selling the animal qualified to give you advice (and ask to see the qualification). It is our view that no one should be selling animals unless they are formerly qualified in the care of that animal and so are able to give the correct advice. Again, this rules out most online sellers but interestingly most breeders as well. Anyone can set up as a breeder of animals without any training, qualifications, experience or specialist equipment. You have to have a licence to own a pet shop and to get a licence you have to have a minimum qualification.
  • Is the animal being kept in the right conditions. Some animals have specific requirements. For example a bearded dragon needs high heat, thermostatic heat control to prevent overheating and fairly high intensity ultraviolet light. If they do not have this they will be getting ill and could get disorders that will materialise later (such as metabolic bone disease). Do they have space and are the enclosures clean. Again a dirty cage can harbour all sorts of nasties that can cause problems later.
  • Does the seller provide a health check before handing over the animal. If not, why not? Do they know how to or have they something to hide? Can they explain what they are checking for? If they can’t then you know they didn’t properly check the animal when they got it themselves.
  • Are you given advice on how to look after the animal? If not you have to assume it is because the seller doesn’t know how to look after the animal in the first place so shouldn’t be selling it. A seller must give you all the advice you need to correctly care for the animal you have selected. That is their responsibility. Following their advice is your responsibility. If the advice is not there you cannot follow it and may be leaving yourself open to charges of neglect or abuse through ignorance.

So places to avoid are online sellers, pet shop chains (supermarkets), newspaper classifieds, unregistered breeders etc. Places to consider are independent pet shops such as our pet shop Gloucester with specialist knowledge (this is not all independents by the way) and registered breeders. There are some private sellers with a lot of knowledge and genuine reasons for needing to sell but identifying these from the charlatans is nigh on impossible for the novice and remember, commercial trading without a licence is illegal.

So you’ve decided where to buy from, now how do you select an animal? Most of the following points you will not come across if you have done your job of selecting a seller properly. A good seller would never have a sick or distressed animal on display (if they are licenced it breaches the terms of their licence and action can be taken)..

  • It seems an obvious thing to say but does the animal look healthy? If a rat is sitting hunched up on its own, maybe shivering, then there could be something wrong. Does the rabbit have a runny nose, is the fish swimming upside down. Very importantly for all animals, is their bottom clean or is there evidence of loose stools.
Pet shop Gloucester rats

Who are you?

  • Is the animal clean and well groomed. Most animals keep themselves very clean. If the animal has stopped cleaning itself there is generally a reason for this and it won’t be because it’s a lazy teenager. It indicates an unhappy animal. It is either ill or stressed.
Pet shop Gloucester rabbit

Nice and clean

  • How active is the animal. Please bear in mind that different animals are active at different times but most will become active when disturbed to allow you to view them (with the possible exception of ferrets – some ferrets, Vinny our breeding male for instance, will not wake up if they are in a dead sleep without very  vigorous attempts).
Pet shop Gloucester ferrets

It's been a busy day

  • Is it displaying normal behaviour. Hiding from you in a sleeping area or hide is normal for most animals, so don’t be surprised by that. Pacing the cage for instance is a sign of boredom (does the animal have anything to occupy it?) and is not normal.
  • Is the animal docile? All animals can bite you, some are more likely to than others. Hamsters, when young and suddenly woken up can get a little freaked out for instance and will bite if you just reach in and grab them. You need to allow them to come round and pick them up from underneath (allowing them to walk onto your hand). Others will always carry a high risk of biting you (such as a cobalt blue tarantula or baboon spider) and should not be handled. The seller should be able to advice and demonstrate handling. If the seller says it is safe to handle get them to demonstrate first!
Pet shop Gloucester camel spider

Yes, I bite!

  • We’ve dealt with this elsewhere so I assume by this stage you have already considered it and know which animal you want but it’s worth saying again. Make sure you have the time, space, budget, equipment and information necessary to care for the animal you are selecting properly. It is your responsibility. I had someone come in the shop the other day who had purchased a bearded dragon elsewhere and didn’t have any equipment whatsoever (not even an enclosure) or any idea on how to care for it. I know that animal is going to die but she bought it from one of the sellers previously mentioned who only cares that he got her money.
Pet shop Gloucester bearded dragon

This is for transport, not housing

  • Finally what guarantee do you get. This is a tricky one for reputable sellers. You should be offered a guarantee of some sort but do not expect it to be for too long. It should be able to reflect that the animal did not have any immediate health issues when you bought it but cannot guarantee that the animal will not get ill if you do not look after it properly. Our standard guarantee of health (and behaviour – that’s important) is 7 days. In this time it should become clear if the animal has an illness or behavioural problem. After this time the things you are doing to care for the animal begin to outweigh its original condition. Keep a reptile at the wrong temperature or humidity and it will start to suffer regardless of how healthy it was when you got it. However statements such as “animals must be returned within 24 hours or no refund” are ludicrous. You cannot tell within 24 hours if an animal is ill. They take at least that to settle in to their new environment.

A copy of our pet shop Gloucester animal health checklist and guarantee

Pet shop Gloucester livestock checklist

The Angell Pets team

 

Pet Shop Gloucester success video

Pet shop Gloucester marketing strategy success video.

How our pet shop Gloucester succeeded in a double dip recession.

Pet shop gloucester

Old meets new

We used a superb web marketing company to set up our on line and social media marketing. Following the launch of our strategies our pet shop Gloucester business has grown and continues to grow, month by month. Obviously this success is down to the loyalty of our pet shop Gloucester customers, who seem to like our service and come back again and again. Without them we would not have even survived the recession, let alone grown.

Our pet shop Gloucester marketing is aimed at servicing these customers, keeping them informed where they can get discounts or make savings, when we have new lines or new stock in, where we will be for fun days out etc. etc. and also attracting new customers who are frustrated with the big chain shops, online traders and specialist shops with poor service.

You can click here to see a video interview I gave on how we at our pet shop Gloucester have achieved our success and what we are doing for the future. If we haven’t met – I’m the good looking one.

 

Pet shop Gloucester tips – what’s the best pet for a child

Pet shop Gloucester tips series, top five considerations when selecting a pet for a child.

  1. Pet shop Gloucester consideration number one – budget. It seems a bit mercenary to suggest your first consideration should be your budget. What I mean is the lifetime budget for the animal. Some animals are cheaper than others. For instance a rabbit is cheaper than a western hog nose snake. The housing and equipment is cheaper as well. However, over the lifetime of the animal the rabbit is by far the more expensive option. You have to take into account the feed, the cleaning, the need for vaccination, boarding if you are lucky enough to have a holiday,  everything. It makes me smile sometimes when customers pass comment about the leopard tortoise being expensive when tied up outside the dshop is their pedigree dog. A dog is probably the most expensive pet you can own (unless you count horses as pets that is). So think about the cost upfront and if you don’t think you can afford it get something cheaper overall. It is not fair to buy an animal you can’t afford to keep for its entire life.
  2. Pet shop Gloucester consideration no.2 – space. Is you space limited? Look at spiders, insects, snails, frogs, small lizards or snakes, small mammals (up to rat size). Space not an issue? Don’t disregard the ones already mentioned but also consider chinchillas, ferrets, hedgehogs, rabbits and guinea pigs, larger lizards (beardies) larger snakes (royal pythons etc), birds, cats and dogs (small dog, its for a child). All these animals are suitable for a child but have there own space requirements. Generally the larger and more active the animal, the bigger the enclosure you will need. It seems obvious but it is surprising how often this is overlooked. Customers have been in and said something along the lines of “I bought this bearded dragon at so and so in a “starter” set up and it’s getting a bit big for it now. How big will I need to get next?” When I tell them they look at me as if I’m trying to pull a fast one and counter with “but they said it would be alright in a 2 foot viv.” Sorry but I am not responsible for the bad advice you received elsewhere, I can only tell you what you need. So be sure you know with certainty how much space you need for the lifetime of the animal.
  3. Pet shop Gloucester consideration no.3 – nocturnal or diurnal. Is it going to be awake at night or during the day. The obvious thing to think is not to get nocturnal as it will be up all night. However is your child at school? Then it may be better to not to get a diurnal animal as it will be active when the child isn’t there and asleep when he/she gets home. A lot of supposedly nocturnal species are in fact more crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) which seems ideal.
  4. Pet shop Gloucester consideration no.4 – lifespan. A mouse is going to live for around 18 months, a chinchilla up to around 20 years (15 is more usual).Pet shop Gloucester animals If you think your child’s interest in animals is a passing phase then a shorter lived species is better. Then you are not left looking after an animal no one is interested in anymore (not fair on the animal). If you want to avoid the stress of a death in the family whilst your child is still young go for something a bit longer lived. This is a very important aspect of choosing the right pet. Children grow up and leave home. Are they going to be able to take their pets with them into digs at university or rented accommodation? If not, be prepared to look after it when they are grown up and gone. In some cases (tortoises and parrots for example) your child is going to have to consider who they are going to leave the animal to when they are gone, as it will outlive them.
  5. Pet shop Gloucester consideration no.5 – ease of care. All animals have needs that you and your child are going to have to meet. They all need feeding (are you OK feeding live insects to a lizard or dead mice to a snake?). The all need cleaning out (I would suggest a daily litter tray clean for ferrets). They all need water (even tarantulas that get most of their water from their food). The all need suitable housing (see space considerations). They all have their own individual special requirements (dust bath for a chinchilla or gerbil, gnaw sticks for hamsters and rabbits, hides for a corn snake, misting for a chameleon, somewhere to hang from to moult for a mantis, etc. etc. etc….). Make sure you can meet all these requirements. Obviously to do this you need to know what they are so ONLY buy your animal from someone who knows.
  6. Pet shop Gloucester consideration no.6 – we like to give a bonus point. Too many people come into our shop having bought an animal from a dubious source (pet supermarket, online store, facebook, pre owned site, local paper, forum etc.) and were given poor advice, if any advice at all. This leads to the animal suffering and the owner feeling bad about it.  We get offered animals all the time and when we make basic enquiries into the history and previous care the “seller” (they wish!) cannot give even the most elementary of answers. Needless to say we don’t buy from these sources and neither should you. Only buy from a properly licenced establishment (a licence has to be displayed) whose staff can demonstrate a sufficient knowledge of the animal they are selling. Remember any one buying and selling animals commercially without a licence is breaking the law. Do you want to get your child’s pet from a criminal?

Seems a lot to consider? It should do. You need to think carefully before investing in a pet for your child. As a responsible and ethical supplier the last thing we want is for someone to buy an animal from us then come back a  week or two later saying they are not able to look after their pet. If you are unsure you shouldn’t buy, simple as that. If, after considering all of the above you are sure, then come and see us in our pet shop Gloucester and we will be delighted to help. We would also be delighted to help you come to a decision beforehand as well , so come and ask us for any advice you need . The advice is free and from people who know what they are talking about .

Pet shop Gloucester top 5 tips for ferrets

Pet shop Gloucester top tips for keeping ferrets straight from the breeder.

We have kept ferrets in the family for over fifty years. We have worked and bred our own ferrets all this period. Currently George breeds his own ferrets and helps look after his housemates breeding colony in Malvern. All these ferrets are from good working lines. George’s housemate Simon has also been keeping and breeding ferrets for a number of years. The accumulated knowledge between us is available to the customers of our pet shop Gloucester at any time but we thought we would put down our top five tips for keeping ferrets here for anyone thinking about taking on one of these active, inquisitive, playful and rather naughty animals.

Pet shop gloucesterOne of our pet shop Gloucester ferrets

  1. Be confident. I don’t think animals have a “sense” that picks up when you are nervous but they do seem to get nervous when you are. They are probably alerted to hesitant, jerky movement and this seems to make them feel insecure. An insecure animal is the one that is going to bite. All our pet shop Gloucester ferrets are hand tame (using traditional and humane techniques), they know not to bite so if you just pick them up and handle them in a confident manner they will feel confident as well and not get spooked. If you are unsure about picking them up they will be unsure about being picked up. To boost your confidence always ask the pet shop Gloucester staff to pick up the animal and show it to you first. If they don’t want to, don’t buy the ferret, you can’t be sure it’s tame.
  2. Keep them occupied. They are very inquisitive animals, always getting into places they shouldn’t, on the look out for food or just mischief. It is always best to have more than one ferret. That way, when you are out they can entertain each other. If for any reason you only have one then you will need to give it plenty of play time with you. They love exploring, so give them plenty of space and toys that encourage this behaviour. Tubes and tunnels are a favourite and they seem to also like anything they can grab and pull, like a rope toy. We have used pipes and flexi tunnels, ramps, cones and tyres etc at our pet shop Gloucester. It’s best to alternate the toys every few weeks to keep up the interest.
  3. Our pet shop Gloucester advice is to have your ferret neutered. A male in breeding condition is smelly, very smelly, very very smelly. They exude a waxy substance onto their skin as well as musking. Neutering stops this smell. Female ferrets will come into season every year. If they come into season and are not taken out they will become very ill and could die. They can be taken out of season by mating (obviously you then have half a dozen plus babies to deal with), with a jill jab (a hormone injection) which you will need to have twice a year or by mating with a vasectomised male. It is easier, cheaper and better for the ferret to have it neutered. Have it done early, our pet shop Gloucester vet prefers to do the operation before there is too much of a fat layer to cut through.
  4. Feed a quality food. There are a lot of complete foods on the market. We prefer to use APL. We have found the condition of the coat is far superior on this food than even on a raw meat diet. Ferrets need meat or a good complete food. Do not feed bread and milk (people used to and I still hear this vaunted as “ferret food”).
  5. Think seriously about vaccination. Ferrets can suffer from canine distemper. If you also have a dog, chances are you will be having that vaccinated. The ferret has the same vaccine. Dogs and foxes can carry the disease as can other mustelids. If your ferret is indoors and there is no chance of it coming into contact with any other animal then maybe it’s not necessary but if it is outdoors than our pet shop Gloucester advice would be to have the vaccination. If you have more than one ferret our pet shop Gloucester vet still charges the same price for up to three ferrets. This is because they use dog distemper vaccine and the vial contains enough for three ferrets. If you have only one done then the rest of the vial is thrown away.

So there you go. 5 top tips straight from the breeders on how to look after ferrets. Obviously there is a lot more to it than that. For instance ferrets can be litter trained to reduce the amount of cleaning out you have to do. If you want to know the details, come in to our pet shop Gloucester to see us and talk it through before you invest in one of these playful (it’s like having a kitten that never grows up), naughty (they like to steal things), very loving little pets.

The Angell Pets Team

Pet shop Gloucester advice – how to sex a rabbit

Pet shop Gloucester advice series – how to sex a rabbit video

We have put together another pet shop Gloucester advice video. This one is on how to sex a rabbit. It is aimed at those who have purchase a rabbit elsewhere or have bred rabbits (either on purpose or accidentally through buying incorrectly sexed rabbits) themselves.

Pet shop Gloucester

We often get asked this sort of question in our pet shop Gloucester and it is often easier to show you than to try to explain. So enjoy the video (and others on our pet shop gloucester youtube channel) and if you need more advice or want us to double check for you, pop in the shop.

 

How to treat snake mites

How to treat snake mites – one method out of  many

How to treat snake mites

There are many ideas on how to treat snake mites. Most have their own merits and most have there own drawbacks. I have used a few of these and have had success removing the mites but have also had less desirable results as well. The only method I have used where the downside is much less than the up is the one I am going to outline here.

If you have a lot of snakes (a breeder or just lucky enough to have a large collection) you may find the main drawback of this method of how to treat snake mites a little to much for you. Basically it takes a bit more time than other methods. However it’s the safest I have found.

To illustrate the method of how to treat snake mites I am going to use a real example of an extreme infestation. The snake in question was very weak and in considerable distress and had been for some time. There were other factors involved concerned with poor care but I am going to concentrate on how to treat snake mites so I will leave those to one side for now.

I will mention other methods of how to treat snake mites I have tried or where I have heard of others that have tried them. I will outline what I have found to be the downsides of these other methods of how to treat snake mites and of the method I use. Whichever method you decide to use is your choice and no doubt will be based on your own particular set of circumstances. I am not saying my method is the best for everyone but it is the best for me and you may want to try it too.

  • Firstly if your snake is badly infested (if it is – why have you let it get that bad?) you need to give it a bath in warm water to get the bulk of the little buggers off. Actually this is not first. First you need to make sure you don’t have long sleeves on or a woolly jumper. You don’t want them getting caught up in your clothing and spreading to someone else’s collection (especially mine – alright!). Once you are correctly attired give the snake a bath. Most snakes (all the ones I have come across) are OK with being bathed. I use something like a RUB or large cat litter tray and do it outside of the shop.  Let the snake have a good old soak and then run your hands down its body from head to tail over the water to get off the ones disturbed by the dunking and let the little sods drown. In my example of how to treat snake mites I had to change the water twice! My hands were black with dead mites.
  • Once you have done this, dry the snake in some paper towel. Dispose of this immediately, live mites will come off on it. Your snake is now ready for treatment.
  • If you have a spare RUB or similar, secure plastic tub I would use this. If not, it isn’t essential. I use Zoo Med Mite Off to treat the actual snake. I have heard people say that it’s not effective. However this is because it has not been used correctly. You will be very lucky to get away with only one treatment. Usually it takes two or three. The most I’ve had to use was four on a particularly stubborn case on a common boa I rescued.
  • Spray the snake from head to tail, be quite liberal. The benefit of Mite Off over other treatments is that I have not heard of a single substantiated case of it harming the snake, even with neonates. Because of this you can use it around those stubborn areas near the eyes and corners of the mouth. Run the snake through your, now wet, hands a few times. If you can see any mites pick them off and pop them or drown them in some water. I prefer to pop them, it’s quite satisfying, it’s my favourite part of this method of how to treat snake mites.
  • Once the  treatment is complete, put the snake in the RUB lined with some paper towel with just a water bowl and put to one side. Clean up the area you have been working in and throw away any soiled towels. If I were you I’d throw them in the dustbin outside, not in the kitchen bin – just to be on the safe side.
  • Now turn to the vivarium. Take out everything that isn’t fixed down. I would strongly suggest, if you can afford to, that you throw away any wooden items. Alternatively you can freeze them overnight or cook in the oven for an hour (if they will fit). This will stink out the house for a while though – you have been warned. This will also kill off any mites hiding in the crevices. Empty out the substrate and throw it away. Bleach any water bowls. The next stage is critical to this method of how to treat snake mites.
  • I have found the best thing to treat the vivarium itself is isopropyl alcohol. It can be ordered from your pharmacy. Pour some on some paper towel and wipe it over every surface in the viv. If you have fittings that you cannot remove make sure you get some into any edges and under any mountings. The effect of the alcohol is to dry out any mites and importantly, their eggs. Be thorough.
  • The benefit of using  isopropyl alcohol in this method of how to treat snake mites over other treatments is, apart from its effectiveness, it leaves no residue, evaporates very quickly and has no toxic fumes. The disadvantage is that it does require a bit more effort compared to alternatives.
  • I have also used Callington mite spray and this is effective. However I lost two young garter snakes shortly after putting them back in the viv. I left the viv. to ventilate for several hours before putting them back but two of the three snakes clearly had their nervous systems poisoned. They started fitting and died fairly quickly. I asked around and initially couldn’t find any other instances of this. However since then a well known breeder has told me that he has lost some snakes after using Callington. He was using it directly on the snakes, which he has been doing for years without incident, and has now stopped using it. The snakes he lost were also quite young so I think it prudent to only use this product with older snakes and only as a viv. treatment. Customers do use it but it’s not my favourite method of how to treat snake mites.
  • This same breeder has routinely used Ardap for his vivs. on an annual basis. However this year, following his routine treatment, which takes him all day, he lost six snakes. He certainly knows how to use the product and is aware of its potency. Again the snakes were , I believe, all young. I have never used Ardap, not because I disagree with its use, that’s up to you. Its because in my shop I have a large stock of spiders and other invertebrates. Using Ardap would wipe out this stock in a stroke. It would also take out the birds, fish and possibly the small mammals as well. Potent stuff. Probably not the best method of how to treat snake mites for the average hobbyist.
  • Once you have treated the viv. just leave it. If you are using a RUB place it, with the snake inside, in the viv. If not, use paper towel on the bottom of the viv and replace the snake and its water bowl. Either way, check the snake in 24 hours. Replace the paper towel and pop any mites you find with your thumb nail. Check again the next day. On day three, if necessary and it probably will be, retreat the snake. You should also treat the RUB with isopropyl alcohol. If not using a RUB you will need to retreat the whole viv. again. Hence why, in this method of how to treat snake mites I suggest its best to use a RUB if you can.
  • I have recently been using Bob Martin My Little Friend small animal cage disinfectant instead of isopropyl alcohol. I noticed that this product contains alcohol so I gave it a go. It appears to work just as well at a fraction of the price, is readily available (to me – I stock it in my shop) and has had no ill effects on the snakes. However I have only used this a couple of times so far. I have now incorporated it into my method of how to treat snake mites though.
  • Go through the checking process again and retreat if necessary. Keep going until there are no signs of mites. The most treatments I have had to do was four and the fourth was possibly not necessary. this method of how to treat snake mites does require you to follow through all the actions though, miss a step and you are wasting your time.
  • One other method I have used is Frontline (fipronil) flea treatment on the snake and alcohol on the viv. This worked very well but you must take out the water bowl for at least 24 hours and I wouldn’t feed the snake for a few days. Don’t use this method on neonates. I have read it is too strong for them, although because I knew this I didn’t use it in these circumstances so, I am pleased to say, I haven’t any direct experience of that.I no longer use this method of how to treat snake mites though as it is more expensive and just not necessary. Fibronil is now more widely available now though, so the price has come down. The Frontline brand is still expensive.

I have left off discussing predatory mites for two reasons. Firstly I have no direct experience of this method of how to treat snake mites (you buy another, predatory species of mite that eats the snake mites). Secondly I do not use the right sort of substrate in my snake vivs. You need a more soil type substrate for the predatory mites to thrive. Apparently you just chuck ’em in, they go to work chomping on your snake’s mites and then die off when there’s no food left. Neat huh.

When I next get a snake with mites in the shop (we sometimes rescue snake) I will make a video showing how to treat snake mites based on this method. You will be able to see it on our YouTube channel. Subscribe now and receive notification when it’s posted.

So there you go. Zoo Med mite off on the snake and isopropyl alcohol on the viv. is how to treat snake mites safely. Well, its how I do it and it’s always worked with no side effects and that’s what you want, isn’t it.?

 

Good luck

The Angell Pets Team