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Helpful Hints & Training Tips |
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To get the most out of your training sessions with your dog…
- Establish a relationship that is gentle, calm and non-threatening.
Follow this rule of thumb: if you can’t laugh, don’t train. Do
something else that is relaxing like throwing a ball or taking a long
walk together.
- Decide on the beahvior you want to work on ahead of time. Know what
you want the finished product to look like so you can work steadily
towards that goal.
- Plan your building blocks to the behavior. Break it down into
small, achievable steps and gradually build it up. Remember to be
flexible.
- Prompt the behavior whenever possible. Use a lure, target or find a
time of the day when the behavior is most likely to occur when youa re
first teaching it.
- Keep your session short, positive, fun, easy and end on a high note if possible.
Plan
to incorporate training sessions throughout the day and in all
interactions with your dog. Remember, every time you do something with
your dog, he’s learning, whether you intended it or not, so use that to
your advantage.
- Train a minimum of fifteen minutes per day, 4-5 days per week. Your
training sessions do not have to be in fifteen minute blocks, although
they can be if that works for you. The most effective training is
spread out throughout the course of the day.
Fun, Fun, Fun ...
Exercise is a critical component in making life with our canine
companions pleasant to be around. Without it, we would all be very
boring, and they would be very … difficult to live with. It’s been
estimated that if dogs were getting enough exercise, their behavior
problems would decrease by half! The average dog is BORED! We do
everything for them, because we love them. The average dog, barring any
health problems, should have a minimum of a half hour per day or
aerobic exercise. Doing just that could help your dog be calmer and
more attentive. Bored dogs, like bored kids, find things to occupy
their time, and it’s not ususally a behavior we would pick out for
them. They enjoy things like digging holes, barking at the sky or
redecorating the house.
Making sure that your dog gets enough exercise is mostly a matter of
planning it into your day. Dogs are crepuscular, meaning they are most
active early in the morning and again in the evening. At one of those
times of day, plan a meaningful exercise activity with the dog, like a
romp outdoors, a retrieving game, or a jog. Make sure the dog is moving
most of the time. (Caution: before beginning any intense exercise
regimen with your pet, please consult your veterinarian).
Remember this – most of our companion dogs, whether mixed breed or
purebred, were designed to be very busy and active during the course of
a day. For example, the average border collie can average 30 or more
miles PER DAY in the course of it’s work as a sheep herder and still
have energy left over at the end of the day to play with the family.
Are you meeting that exercise need in your buddy? Plan on some exercise
every day – it will be good for both of you and you will enhance your
bond and relationship with your companion.
Training Secrets
Good trainers:
- are quick
- are generous
- are unpredictable, but dependable
- are variable in when, where, how much and what kind of reinforcement they offer
- concentrate on and reinforce what the dog does right
- offer the dog a reinforcement it really likes
keep their training sessions short and interesting
- use a bridge or conditioned reinforcer to mark the behavior they like
- find a gentle, non-threatening way to show the dog what to do
- phase out the ‘help’ as soon as possible
do not use commands until they have the desired behavior
Dogs do What Works
Dogs (and humans, for that matter) do what works. Another way of
saying this is that a behavior is under the control of its
consequences, or a behavior is reward driven. Say, for example, that
when you come to class I give you a $50 bill. The chances of you coming
to class again are very good, and you may keep coming to class often in
the hopes of getting another $50 bill! Dogs do the same thing. If they
jump on the counter and get a sandwich, no matter how much you punish
jumping on the counter, they keep trying for a while in case they get
another sandwich.
This has a direct bearing on training our dogs. If being around us
and responding to the cues we give has a direct positive effect on the
lives of our dogs, they will continue to do what we ask of them. If
not, the behavior will end. If you can control the consequences of your
dog’s actions, you can, in effect, control their behavior. There are
two ways to control consequences – reinforcement and punishment.
Reinforcement means that a behavior will increase, and punishment means
that a behavior will decrease.
Positive reinforcement is the optimal method for shaping behavior
because the consequences that effect a behavior are associated with the
environment in which those consequences are delivered. Think of
punishment here. For punishment to be truly effective it must be
immediate, on a large scale, only be associated with the behavior you
wish to decrease, and must happen each and every time the behavior
occurs to be truly effective. It is often impossible to meet these four
criteria. Punishment can also lead to finer discrimination (teaching
your dog to be sneaky, for example), and that is definitely not what we
want in our dogs.
Using positive reinforcement strengthens and enhance the
animal-human bond. To be truly effective it must be used less and less
when a behavior is learned, it never leads to avoidance problems, and
when poorly times does not harm your relationship and can only slow
down the learning.
In using positive reinforcement we are giving the dogs an
opportunity to do what works for them, and each time they receive their
paycheck and their pat on the back, they are learning what works. If
each cue or signal causes the best things in life to rain down on their
heads, they will continue to do what you ask, and in fact seek to
become better at it! HAPPY TRAINING!
Suggested Reinforcers
If you’re having trouble finding something your dog loves to work for, try some of the suggested reinforcers below.
Food:
Hot dog bits, Cheerios and other cereals, Freeze dried liver,
Crumbled ground beef or turkey, Pounce cat treats, Pedigree Tandem,
Alpo beef bites, Alpo beef burgers, Rollover, Natural Balance, Red
Barn, Pupperoni, Snausages, Kibbled dog food, String cheese, Left over
bits of meat from dinner, Hard boiled egg bits, Atta Boy treat sticks,
Trout pellets, Rabbit pellets, Corn Nuts, Popcorn, Wheat thins, Cheese
Whiz, Ice Cubes, Bread Crust, Croutons, Rice Cakes, Peanut Butter (on a
spoon), Canned cat food (spoon), Pureed liver, Cooked pasta, Rice
balls, Jerky treats, Charlee Bears, Obey, and Old Mother Hubbard
Objects/Toys:
Tennis balls, Kongs, Buster Cubes, Activity Balls, Rope tugs,
Frisbees, Sticks, Firewood, Cressite balls, Boat bumpers, Buoys,
Bicycle tires, Burlap sacks, Leash, Collar, Fire hose pieces, Soap
bubbles, Hockey pucks, Cardboard tubes, Basket balls, Soccer balls,
Boomer balls, and Carpet squares
Activities:
Fetch, Eat dinner (workfare), Hose/sprinkler, Belly rub, Back
scratch, Play with other dogs, Play with cats, Play with kids, Play
with you, Down, Go for walk, Chase flashlight beam, Swim (for some
dogs!), Target , Cuddling, and Praise from you
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Why Positive Reinforcement is More Effective Than Punishment |
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It Positively Works!
Positive
reinforcement is the best way to train your companion. We all know
that, but the definition of positive reinforcement is a little more
vague.
- Positive reinforcement is the presentation of something pleasant and rewarding IMMEDIATELY following a desired behavior.
Why should we use positive reinforcement in a training class? Because it:
- Strengthens and enhances the human animal relationship
- Is used less and less as a behavior is learned to be most effective
- Never leads to avoidance or avoidance related aggression
- Never causes damage to your relationship if you make a mistake with your timing.
- Produces enthusiastic, happy people who love to train animals
- Keeps dogs coming back for more and more training – they love it!
Punishment is Much Less Effective
Punishment
is what we think of when we want to correct a problem behavior, or
we’re not sure of how to handle something we find troubling to us. But
it’s definition also remains fuzzy.
- Punishment is the presentation of something unpleasant and unwanted IMMEDIATELY followed an undesired behavior
Why do we avoid using punishment in a training class? Because it:
- Is confusing when learning is very new – how would you like to be punished for something you don’t know well?
- Is only effective when done IMMEDIATELY at the time of or following an undesired behavior.
- When administered weakly can cause a dog to need higher and higher levels of punishment
- When administered harshly can seriously damage the human – pet relationship
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Positive Reinforcement: Training Your Dog with Treats and Praise |
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Training Your Dog (or Cat or Bird!) with Treats and Praise
We
all like to be praised rather than punished. The same is true for your
pet, and that’s the theory behind positive reinforcement. Positive
reinforcement means giving your pet something pleasant or rewarding
immediately after she does something you want her to do. Because your
praise or reward makes her more likely to repeat that behavior in the
future, it is one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing
your pet’s behavior. Correct timing is essential when using positive
reinforcement. The reward must occur immediately— within seconds—or
your pet may not associate it with the proper action. For example, if
you have your dog "sit" but reward her after she’s already stood back
up, she’ll think she’s being rewarded for standing up. Consistency is
also essential. Everyone in the family should use the same commands. It
might help to post these where everyone can become familiar with them.
The most commonly used commands for dogs are: "Sit," "Stay," "Down"
(which means "lie down"), "Off " (which means "get off of me" or "get
off the furniture"), "Stand," "Come," "Heel" (or "let’s go" or "with
me"), "Leave it," "Settle," and "Watch me." Consistency means always
rewarding the desired behavior and never rewarding undesired behavior.
Using Positive Reinforcement
For
your pet, positive reinforcement may include food treats, praise,
petting, or a favorite toy or game. Food treats work especially well
for training your dog. A treat should be enticing and irresistible to
your pet. It should be a very small, soft piece of food, so that she
will immediately gulp it down and look to you for more. If you give her
something she has to chew or that breaks into bits and falls on the
floor, she’ll be looking around the floor, not at you. Small pieces of
soft commercial treats, hot dogs, cheese, or cooked chicken or beef
have all proven successful.
Experiment to see what works
best for your pet. You can carry the treats in a pocket or fanny pack.
Each time you use a food reward, you should couple it with a verbal
reward (praise). Say something like, "Good dog," in a positive, happy
tone of voice. Some pets may not be interested in food treats. For
those pets, the reward could be in the form of a toy or brief play.
When your pet is learning a new behavior, she should be rewarded every
time she does the behavior, which means continuous reinforcement.
It
may be necessary to use a technique called "shaping" with your pet,
which means reinforcing something close to the desired response and
then gradually requiring more from your dog before she gets the treat.
For example, if you’re teaching your dog to "shake hands," you may
initially reward her for lifting her paw off the ground, then for
lifting it higher, then for touching your hand, then for letting you
hold her paw, and finally, for actually "shaking hands" with you.
Intermittent reinforcement can be used once your pet has reliably
learned the behavior. At first, reward her with the treat three out of
every four times she does the behavior. Then, over time, reward her
about half the time, then about a third of the time, and so on, until
you’re only rewarding her occasionally with the treat. Continue to
praise her every time—although once your dog has learned the behavior,
your praise can be less effusive, such as a quiet, but positive, "Good
dog."
Use a variable schedule of reinforcement so that
she doesn’t catch on that she only has to respond every other time.
Your pet will soon learn that if she keeps responding, eventually
she’ll get what she wants—your praise and an occasional treat. By
understanding reinforcement, you’ll see that you’re not forever bound
to carry a pocketful of goodies. Your dog will soon be working for your
verbal praise, because she knows that, occasionally, she’ll get a
treat, too. There are many small opportunities to reinforce her
behavior. You may have her "sit" before letting her out the door (which
helps prevent door-darting), before petting her (which helps prevent
jumping up on people), or before feeding her. Give her a pat or a "Good
dog" for lying quietly by your feet, or slip a treat into a Kong ®
-type toy when she’s chewing it instead of your shoe.
Why Punishment is Ineffective and Potentially Harmful
Punishment
can be verbal, postural, or physical, and it means giving your pet
something unpleasant immediately after she does something you don’t
want her to do. The punishment makes it less likely that the behavior
will occur again. To be effective, punishment must be delivered while
your pet is engaged in the undesirable behavior—in other words, "caught
in the act." If the punishment is delivered too late, even seconds
later, your pet will not associate the punishment with the undesired
behavior.
Punishment delivered by you will erode your
dog’s trust. That’s why punishment is most effective when it does not
come directly from you. For example, after your dog acts in an
undesirable way, use a shake can, an air horn, or keys— but don’t draw
attention to the fact that the noise comes from you. If your dog
perceives her "environment," instead of you, to be delivering the
punishment, she’ll be more likely to avoid the behavior even when
you’re not around. In addition, if you’re too late in administering it,
punishment will seem unpredictable to your dog. She’s likely to become
fearful, distrustful, or aggressive, which will only lead to more
behavior problems.
What we humans often interpret as
"guilty" looks are actually submissive postures by our pets. Animals
don’t have a moral sense of right and wrong, but they are adept at
associating your presence, and the presence of a mess, with punishment.
If you’ve tried punishment and it hasn’t worked, you should stop using
punishment and use only positive reinforcement. And never use physical
punishment that involves some level of discomfort or pain, which may
cause your pet to bite to defend herself. Holding the neck skin and
shaking your dog or performing "alpha rolls" (forcing your dog onto her
back and pinning her on the floor) are both likely to result in bites.
And punishment might be associated with other stimuli, including
people, that are present at the time the punishment occurs. For
example, a pet who is punished for getting too close to a small child
may become fearful of, or aggressive toward, that child—or toward other
children. That’s why physical punishment is not only bad for your pet,
it’s also bad for you and others.
Most fearful behaviors
elicited by pets in response to having been punished are almost always
reversible with the appropriate behavior modification techniques.
Adapted
from material originally developed by applied animal behaviorists at
the Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado. ©2000 Dumb Friends League
and ©2003 The HSUS. All rights reserved.
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Caring for Your New Ferret |
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Ferrets
make great companions. They're friendly, smart, inquisitive and
playful. They do require a lot of care, but it is well worth the effort.
Home Sweet Home
Your
ferret should live indoors with you. When you're unable to supervise
your ferret's activities, it should be confined in a cage.
Wire mesh cages made specifically for ferrets have one-inch by two-inch
mesh on the top and sides and one-half-inch by one-inch mesh on the
bottom. The cage should be at least two feet wide by three feet long by
two feet high. It should have two to three levels so your ferret can
have a sleeping area away from the litter box and food area. Although
wire cages are good for ventilation, the wire mesh is hard on a
ferret's feet, so you'll need to cover the floor with towels, sheets,
blankets or carpet.
There should be a removable pan
beneath the cage that's lined with newspaper. Inside the cage, secure a
litter box with a bungee cord, string or binder clips so that your
ferret can't overturn it. The litter box should have sides at least
three inches high all the way around. Small cat litter boxes and
Rubbermaid shoe boxes work well. The best litter to use for ferrets is
wood pellets because there's no dust or oils and it's excellent at
absorbing odors. You can also use newspaper pellets, sheets of
newspaper or corncob litter. Avoid using cedar chips, wood shavings and
clumping clay litter as they can cause major respiratory problems and
even respiratory arrest.
Provide your ferret with a
hammock to sleep in, blankets to burrow in and a cardboard box or
plastic house for privacy. Ferrets are very susceptible to heat stroke,
so make sure your ferret's cage is in a well-ventilated area of your
home, and not directly in the sun's rays. Ferrets are extremely
sensitive to warm environments, so please be sure to keep your ferret
in an air-conditioned room if the temperature gets much above 70
degrees. Place a thermometer in your ferret’s room to monitor the
temperature.
Ferrets also need at least two to three hours of exercise outside their cages each day.
Chow Time
Commercial
ferret food is available at pet supply stores. Make sure that it has 30
to 38 percent protein, 15 to 22 percent fat and no more than three
percent fiber because ferrets have difficulty digesting fiber. The
first ingredient should be meat, preferably chicken. If you keep your
ferret on a high-protein, high-fat diet it will have less waste, more
energy, softer fur and be healthier in general. Consult with your
veterinarian about the quantity of food to feed your ferret. Use a
heavy crockery bowl that can't be tipped over and is easy to clean.
Keep fresh water available in a suspended "licker" water bottle at all
times.
Your ferret may enjoy the same type of treats
that are made for cats. Don't give your ferret any "people food,"
however, as it can be harmful to your ferret's digestive system.
Health Matters
Most
ferrets live six to ten years. Ferrets are full-grown at four months.
Ferrets can only see reasonably well, but they have excellent senses of
hearing and smell.
Take your ferret to the veterinarian
annually for a general examination and vaccinations against canine
distemper and rabies. The examination should include a check for
internal parasites.
Ferrets frequently have ear mites,
which can be treated topically using Tresaderm (topical) or Ivermectin
(oral). Ask your veterinarian to show you how to safely keep your
ferret's ears clean.
Ferrets adopted from the Larimer
Humane Society are spayed or neutered before going home with their new
families. Spaying and neutering not only helps control pet
overpopulation, but also helps your ferret live a healthier, happier
life.
Ferrets nails grow quickly and need to be trimmed
every other week. Either small cat clippers or regular nail clippers
work fine. To keep your ferret from squirming, put some Linatone or
Ferretone on its belly or scruff the ferret (most scruffed ferrets will
hang limply while you trim their nails; always observe your ferret to
make sure it is comfortable in this position). When clipping, be
careful not to cut the red line in the nail (the blood vessel) as it
will bleed profusely. You may want to ask your veterinarian to show you
how to trim your ferret's nails before you try it at home.
Ferrets,
like cats, groom themselves and don't need to be bathed regularly. They
have a distinct scent, which comes from oil glands throughout their
skin. This scent is normal and is not a result of being dirty. Having
your ferret descented won't change this smell, because only the scent
glands near the tail are removed, which prevents it from releasing a
strong scent if it's frightened.
If you keep your
ferret's bedding clean and don't bathe it very often, this will help
keep the scent to a minimum. After a bath, your ferret's skin glands go
into "overdrive" to replenish the oils you just washed away, so your
ferret may smell worse for a few days after it's been bathed. If you do
give your ferret a bath, be sure to use a conditioner afterwards. Your
veterinarian can recommend the best conditioners to use for ferrets.
Handle With Care
Your
ferret will indicate when it wants to be picked up by holding on to
your leg or by grabbing your wrist when you extend your hand. Pick up
your ferret from behind using two hands, one supporting its chest and
the other cradling its hips. Don't ever grab at your ferret or pick it
up by its tail, as it may become nervous and nip at you.
Most ferrets like to go places with their people, so your ferret might enjoy riding on your shoulder or in a bag or pouch.
Behavior Bits
Ferrets
are naturally curious animals and will tunnel under rugs, pillows and
other things. They can squeeze through small spaces, so check for holes
and window and screen openings. You may want to have your ferret wear a
harness with a bell on it so you can easily track its whereabouts.
Ferrets
usually sleep 15 to 20 hours a day and tend to be very sound sleepers.
If you find your ferret napping, don't be surprised if it doesn't
respond quickly to your touch or to any sounds you make.
Ferrets
are "nippers" by nature. They will nip for fun, attention or simply to
say, "I'm the boss." They enjoy rough-and-tumble play with each other,
which includes nipping. You may need to teach your ferret that it
cannot be as rough with you. If your ferret nips, calmly place your
ferret back into its cage and give it a short “time out”. Do not grab
or shake your ferret to punish it; this will likely result in the
ferret getting more upset and biting again.
Ferrets
love to chew, so you'll want to provide your ferret with toys made of
hard plastic or hard rubber (like "Kongs"). Plastic balls with bells,
plastic golf balls, squeaky stuffed animals made for dogs and cardboard
tubing are also good toys for your ferret. Ferrets get bored easily and
like variety, so it's best to alternate their toys so they always have
something "new" to play with.
You can train your ferret
to use a litter box. Ferrets generally go to the bathroom within a few
minutes of waking up or after eating. When you first wake your ferret
up, place it in the litter box. Don't let it out of the box until it
has gone to the bathroom then immediately give it a treat. If you catch
your ferret going somewhere it shouldn't, immediately place it in the
litter box and give it a treat. Never physically punish your ferret for
any reason, as it will only learn to be afraid of you.
Most ferrets get along well with each other and they usually get along with cats and dogs.
Resources
The American Ferret Association
PMB 255, 626-C Admiral Dr., Annapolis, MD 21401; 1-888-FERRET-1;
www.ferret.org
STAR* Ferrets
P.O. Box 1832, Springfield, VA 22151-0832;
www.ferretcentral.org
The World Ferret Union c/o Pat Wright
P.O. Box3395, San Diego, CA 92163
Bell, Judith A., DVM
The Pet Ferret Owner's Manual. Miracle Workers 1995.
Field, Jay and Mary.
A step by Step Book About Ferrets.
Jeans, Deborah.
A Practical Guide to Ferret Care. 2nd Edition 1996.
Morton, C. and E. Lynn. Ferrets: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual.
Mahwah, Barron's Educational Series, New York 1995.
Schilling, Kim.
Ferrets for Dummies (A Reference for the Rest of Us!). IDG Books Worldwide 2000.
Shefferman, Mary R.
The Ferret: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet. New York: Howell book House 1996.
For more information on ferrets or other companion animals, please contact the Larimer Humane Society at 970-226-3647.
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Guinea Pig Behavior & Nutrition |
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General Notes on Behavior
Remember
that guinea pigs are prey animals and although they are very cute, not
all guinea pigs want to be handled and cuddled. They can sometimes view
us as potentially dangerous predators, even though we do not usually
see it this way. Guinea pigs can however be trained to accept (and even
enjoy) human handling. By using some treats and patience, you can have
a great relationship with your guinea pig! If your guinea pigs seem a
bit frightened or struggle during handling, you can give your him or
her treats while you slowly increase the amount of time you handle your
new friend. Be sure not to over-stimulate your guinea pig, as stress
can do both physical and emotional harm. If your guinea pig begins to
stress, go ahead and cease any handling and wait until the guinea pig
is calm, then try handling him or her again. With enough patience and
time, your guinea pig will hopefully begin to accept handling and
cuddling.
General Notes on Nutrition
A
healthy guinea pig will most likely be a better behaved guinea pig!
Guinea pigs are strict herbivores, or vegetarians, that don’t tolerate
high carbohydrate or fatty diets. In the wild, they live on the hills
and mountains of the Andes in Peru and graze all day, mostly on grasses
and some foliage and other plant materials.
The
nutritional needs of adult nonbreeding, nonlactating, and inactive pet
guinea pigs have not been as well established as some of the other
plant-eating small mammals. The nutritional requirements for guinea
pigs used for breeding and scientific research is very different than
the needs for our house pet guinea pig.
The recommended
diet for pet guinea pigs consists of fresh guinea pig pellets (18 to 20
percent crude protein and 10 to 16 percent fiber), an unlimited supply
of high quality grass hay (timothy hay), fresh vegetables, plenty of
vitamin C, and a steady supply of clean water.
Vitamin C
Guinea
pigs MUST have vitamin C (ascorbic acid) added to their diet. Similar
to humans, their body cannot make the vitamin and must rely on a
vitamin C supplement. Although commercial guinea pig pellets contain
extra vitamin C, it is active for only 90 days under the most ideal
(dark, cool) storage conditions.
Realistically, the
potency is most likely lost in 5 to 6 weeks from the date that is on
the package. It is best to assume that not enough vitamin C is being
supplied and to supplement adequate levels in the form of vegetables,
fruit and putting vitamin C in the food. Please be sure to discuss
supplementing "straight" vitamin C with your veterinarian. Because
vitamin C is light sensitive and loses 50 percent of its potency in 24
hours, you should cover the food or keep excess food in cool, dark
place such as a freezer or fridge.
Vegetables and fruits
that have 20 mg of vitamin C or more per ounce include: guava, orange
and lemon with peel, parsley, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, collard,
mustard greens and kale. Moreover, many guinea pigs like the taste of
chewable vitamin C tablets and can be trained to eat them.
The
optimum vitamin C required is 1 to 2 mg/100 grams of body weight daily.
A male’s average adult weight is 900 to 1,200 grams and female’s is 700
to 900 grams. Because vitamin C is water-soluble and the kidneys
excrete excess amounts, overdosing is rarely a problem, however care
should be taken to not over-supplement.
Grass Hay
One
of the most important items in the guinea pig diet is grass hay, which
should be fed in unlimited quantities to both adults and baby guinea
pigs. It is important to provide an unlimited source of hay because
pellets do not provide enough long fiber to keep their intestines in
good working order. The long fibers stimulate muscle contraction of the
intestines to improve and maintain gut motility (to prevent
gastrointestinal obstruction).
Chewing hay is also
important. Like rabbits, the molars in guinea pigs are constantly
growing and must be ground down by chewing. Constant chewing on hay
promotes healthy and normal wear on their molars. Treats and chew
sticks are not efficient at wearing the teeth.
Alfalfa
hay is rich in protein and calcium, but when combined with pellets it
doesn’t have the proper ratio of calcium and phosphorus. This can lead
to improper gastrointestinal motility, such as diarrhea. It also may
predispose certain guinea pigs to calcium oxalate bladder or kidney
stones. Timothy hay is a better choice and is becoming more readily
available. It’s important to keep your guinea pig sleek, so cut down on
the amount of protein and calorie-rich pellets while feeding timothy
hay.
Pellets
It
is important to feed pellets that are made specifically for guinea
pigs. These pellets have vitamin C added to them, so buy fresh pellets
and store them in a cool place.
Guinea pigs don’t
tolerate high carbohydrate or fatty foods so don’t feed them "fiesta"
or "gourmet" pellet mixtures that have seeds, nuts or dried fruits.
Because pellets tend to be higher in protein and calories, you need to
restrict the amount you give him once he is an adult to prevent obesity.
Vegetables
Fresh
vegetables - kale, escarole, endive, spring mixes, carrot tops,
parsley, cilantro and spinach - can help maintain a healthy intestinal
tract, while providing plenty of vitamins and minerals. When you start
to add vegetables to your pet’s diet, offer only one type at a time, so
if there are digestive upsets you’ll know what’s causing them.
Provide Clean Water at All Times!
Make
sure your pet has plenty of fresh, clean water. Water should be changed
daily, and containers cleaned every other day to prevent build-up of
algae and bacteria.
Offer New Foods Gradually
Generally,
guinea pigs are afraid of new things and any diet changes should be
made slowly. They have a specialized digestive tract comparable to that
of a rabbit or a horse, which enables them to extract nutrients from
plant material. There is a diverticulum (like our appendix except
proportionately larger) called the cecum, which stores and mixes the
ingested material providing a perfect environment for bacteria to
ferment and break down plant fibers. Periodically, the cecum is emptied
and the intestinal tract then absorbs the essential nutrients.
Changes
to the bacteria can hinder the ability to digest their food and cause
harmful bacteria (like Clostridium) to overgrow and cause illness. This
is why giving antibiotics and changing the diet should be done with
caution.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Larimer Humane Society at 226-3647.
Source for this information: PetPlace.com
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Managing Your Kitten's Rough Play |
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If
playing with your kitten evolves from peek-a-boo to professional
wrestling in a matter of seconds, follow these tips to keep playtime
interesting and reduce the number of trips to the first-aid kit. Cats
incorporate a variety of behaviors into their play, such as
exploratory, investigative, and predatory behaviors—skills they would
normally need for survival. As you’ve probably already learned, kittens
like to explore new areas and investigate anything that moves, and may
bat at, pounce on, and bite objects that resemble prey. It’s not always
easy for cats to draw the line between acceptable play and overly
aggressive behavior, so play-motivated, aggressive behaviors are common
in young, active cats less than two years of age and in cats who live
in one-cat households.
Kittens learn how to inhibit their
bite from their littermates and their mother. A kitten who is separated
from her family too early may play more roughly than a kitten who has
had more valuable family time. In addition, if humans play with a young
kitten using their hands or feet instead of toys, the kitten is liable
to learn that rough play with people is okay. In most cases, it’s not
too difficult to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play
isn’t acceptable. Here are some tips.
Encouraging Acceptable Behavior
Redirect
your kitten’s aggressive behavior onto acceptable objects like toys.
Drag a toy along the floor to encourage your kitten to pounce on it, or
throw a toy away from your kitten to give her even more exercise
chasing the toy down. Some kittens will even bring the toy back to be
thrown again. You can also try toys that your kitten can wrestle with,
like a soft stuffed animal that’s about her size, so she can grab it
with both front feet, bite it, and kick it with her back feet. This is
one of the ways kittens play with each other, especially when they’re
young. It’s also one of the ways they try to play with human feet and
hands, so it’s important to provide this type of alternative play
target. Encourage play with a "wrestling toy" by rubbing it against
your kitten’s belly when she wants to play roughly—and be sure to get
your hand out of the way as soon as she accepts the toy. Since kittens
need a lot of playtime, try to set up three or four consistent times
during the day to initiate play with your kitten. This will help her
understand that she doesn’t have to be the one to initiate play by
pouncing on you.
Discourage Unacceptable Behavior
You
need to set the rules for your kitten’s behavior, and every person your
cat comes in contact with should reinforce these rules. Your kitten
can’t be expected to learn that it’s okay to play rough with Dad, but
not with the baby. Use aversives to discourage your kitten from
nipping. You can either use a squirt bottle filled with water, or a can
of pressurized air to squirt your kitten when she starts getting too
rough. To use this technique effectively, you’ll need to have the spray
bottle or can handy at all times—it’s absolutely essential to use the
aversive while the rough behavior is occurring. So either place a spray
bottle in each room, or carry one with you as you move around the
house. In some cases, you may want to apply taste aversives to your
hands. If you have sensitive skin, you can wear gloves and put the
aversive on the gloves. The possible disadvantage to this method is
that your kitten may learn that hands with gloves taste bad and those
without gloves don’t. Remember that aversives will work only if you
offer your kitten acceptable alternatives. Redirect the behavior after
using the aversive. After you startle your kitten with the aversive,
immediately offer her a toy to wrestle with or chase. This will
encourage her to direct her rough play onto a toy instead of a person.
We recommend keeping a stash of toys hidden in each room specifically
for this purpose.
Withdraw attention when your kitten
starts to play too roughly. If the distraction and redirection
techniques don’t seem to be working, the most drastic thing you can do
to discourage your cat from rough play is to withdraw all attention.
She wants to play with you, so if you keep this limit consistent,
she’ll eventually figure out how far she can go. The best way to
withdraw your attention is to walk to another room and close the door
long enough for her to calm down. If you pick her up to put her in
another room, then you’re rewarding her by touching her, so you should
always be the one to leave the room. Please Note: None of these methods
will be very effective unless you also give your kitten acceptable
outlets for her energy—by playing with her regularly using appropriate
toys.
What NOT to Do
Attempts
to tap, flick, or hit your kitten for rough play are almost guaranteed
to backfire. Your kitten could become afraid of your hands, or she
could interpret those flicks as playful moves by you and play even more
roughly as a result. Picking up your kitten to put her into a "timeout"
may reinforce her behavior because she probably enjoys the physical
contact of being picked up. By the time you get her to the timeout room
and close the door, she may have already forgotten what she did to be
put in that situation.
A Note About Aggression
Don’t
encourage your playful kitten to bite or scratch any parts of your
body. Instead, provide appropriate toys for her to bite and scratch. If
she continues to bite or scratch you, call your veterinarian or contact
a cat behavorist for humane suggestions on how to redirect her behavior
to appropriate objects. Also, be sure to thoroughly clean all bites and
scratches and apply an antibiotic ointment. If you receive a bad bite,
you should seek medical attention immediately.
This help sheet was made possible by assistance from www.petsforlife.org
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