PetLvr.com - [The Blog]

With the current financial crisis, if you’re not cutting back on expenses already, it’s likely that you will be soon. Pet parents are feeling the crunch even more than those without pets. It can be hard to justify spending extra money for fancy pet toys, especially when some families and pets are still coping with the aftermath of Ike and Gustav. Of course, to make matters worse, prices are going up on just about everything, and show no signs of coming down any time soon.

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to save money on pet care without compromising your pets’ health or happiness. Making pet toys at home is one way to cut costs while keeping pets happy and stimulated. More →

SGR Sleeping Oberon towels dry after a bath.

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Let me begin by saying that, as a pet rat owner and fancier, I detest the mill-style breeding that Rainbow Exotics practices. As a result of these conditions, as well as the treatment of animals seen in stores, I avoid shopping at Petco or Petsmart whenever possible. In general, I prefer Petsmart if I must choose to shop at a chain pet store that sells live animals, because they keep only one gender of mammals at a time and do not sell live feeders. However, I was forced to enter Petco today due to a crisis– no cat litter left, and Petsmart was out of our brand– and was pleased to see some changes occurring.

Changes at Local Petco Stores

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If you’ve decided to add a small mammal like a rabbit, rat, or hamster to your family, the next step is to choose between adopting a rescued or rehomed pet, or purchasing from a reputable, responsible breeder.

You’ll notice that I haven’t listed purchasing from a pet store as an option. That’s entirely intentional, for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to the following three: More →

One question that I frequently hear from prospective rat owners is, "I have a cat. Will the rats be safe with a cat in the house?"

Unfortunately, there is no single right answer to that question. In fact, there are as many answers as there are cats and owners. Some cats have a very high prey drive and will attack any small mammal introduced into the home. Other cats couldn’t possibly care less that a "prey item" is sitting on the kitchen table stealing tidbits from the humans’ breakfasts. Most kitties fall somewhere between these two extremes.

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This was forwarded to my attention via Email with the following description:

This is a video of one of the homeless in Santa Barbara and his pets. They work State Street every week for donations. The animals are pretty well fed and are mellow. They are a family. The man who owns them rigged a harness up for his cat so she wouldn’t have to walk so much (like the dog and himself). At some juncture, the rat came along, and because no one wanted to eat anyone else, the rat started riding with the cat and often, on the cat. The dog will stand all day and let you talk to him and admire him for a few chin scratches. The mayor of Santa Barbara filmed this clip and sent it out as a Christmas card.

From the YouTube Description

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Pet Rat Care

By Michael Russell

Even though it might not seem like it, rats actually make great pets and companions. They are very smart animals and extremely clean. Rats absolutely love attention and form strong bonds with their owners. They are not for everyone though.

Before you get a pet rat, make sure you will have time to interact with it every day and clean out the cage at least once a week. You will also need to find a vet that treats rats.

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The WHS has many, many baby rats up for adoption, please consider one today! Low adoption fee of $6.95 includes a health exam & 14 days of vet care if needed.

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