The Litter Box

Matt S.

01:03

ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/exotic-pets/slater-text

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Ceiling Cat

02:07

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Q: What is the basic proper care needed for a coatimundi?

Found this question and thought it was interesting. When asked how they planned on caring for it they said: I have a 1 [acre] enclosed yard, I don't plan to cage it if at all possible but I do have one, just in case. I plan on feeding it fresh fruit and chicken once it can eat solid food, but...

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Q: Is it legal to own a coatimundi in Pennsylvania?

Related to this question: What is the basic proper care needed for a coatimundi? This was the original question posted. They were wondering if it was legal to own a coati in Pennsylvania, or are there laws prohibiting it?

pet-selection exotic-pets legal

Zaralynda

oh dear coati

I knew someone in college who did exotic rescue. Coati are like having a 3 year old live in your house for 10-15 years

Matt S.

yeah, if I did that down here all I'd get would be iguanas.

And turtles.

Zaralynda

snakes

her personal pets were skunks and dogs, the skunks were really interesting

Matt S.

People who keep snakes down here are actually pretty well versed. Illinois has some pretty strict laws against snakes though.

Zaralynda

well that's good

I've been watching too much animal planet, I'm not used to having cable. They show the worst people

Matt S.

02:17

So there's more effort in education about snakes to get those laws removed.

Zaralynda

apparently people are terrible about letting their boa constrictors into the everglades

Matt S.

I think the majority of snake owners are good because there's so much scrutiny about snakes. Except for the few crazies who don't know how to deal with the ones that get over 6 feet, and the people who can hoard them with R.U.B.s

Zaralynda

RUBs?

Matt S.

@Zaralynda That's been going on for decades.

Really Useful Boxes. Basically plastic totes as cheaper versions of terrariums.

Zaralynda

oh yeah I've seen that on animal planet

Matt S.

02:19

You can't see the snake inside, but if it's a snake you can handle that might not matter.

Zaralynda

like a whole bedroom filled with boxes of snakes, I don't get it

my parents have neighbors who keep their dogs penned in the backyard and don't interact with them. Why have a pet that you don't interact with?

I miss my cats so much that I'm having weird dreams about them, and it's only been about 10 days

I got my coworkers to go through their phones and show me all of their cat pictures today at work (it didn't take much convincing)

Matt S.

When I get a house established I want to set up a jungle room full of reptiles.

And a fish room full of fish.

user15026

@Zaralynda When my family goes camping for a week every summer, after about day 3, we are all showing each other cat pictures because we miss our respective cats (I have one, my sister has one, and my mom has 4)

Matt S.

A lot of reptiles are about the same as fish really, in that they get stressed out when handled and then get sick from the stress.

user15026

I miss having fish.

Matt S.

02:33

I do agree though, that if you have a pet like a cat or a dog that requires interaction, then it's rather useless to have it if you don't interact with it.

Zaralynda

@MattS. so why do you have them if you can't interact with them?

dogtime.com/… wow

Matt S.

@Zaralynda I think reptiles are cool, and I like watching them as much as I like watching fish. It also fulfills my old desire to become a biologist. And I enjoy making the terrariums. I try to make them as close to their original habitats as I can get them, provided I can get the plants from the country.

They're also really new to the pet industry, so they can't be handled because they're not as tame. So I plan on taking some of the more uncommon ones and getting some captive bred strains started, that way the next couple of generations can be handled.

Zaralynda

02:50

@MattS. that makes sense I guess

Matt S.

It's also documentation and conservation as well. A lot of animal behaviour is studied with captive animals first, then checked to see if wild animals display the same behaviour. Take that with reptiles where if you can see them in the wild, it's because they're basking in the sun. It's near impossible to study them in the wild.

A lot of the exotic pets boost wild populations as well. There's the not so good, where Australia made bearded dragons a protected species to keep the pet industry from exporting so many of them (although they're still protected so it's sort of a win). But there's also the Crested Gecko which was thought to be extinct, until a small population was discovered on people started keeping them as pets and breeding them, giving the babies back to be reintroduced to the wild.

Part of the captive breeding too, the more that can be offered that have been captive bred, means the people catching them in the wild go out of business.

PsychO PhobiA

...

Matt S.

The same can really be said for any animal besides cats and dogs really. There's fish that are extremely endangered in the wild but flourish in captivity.

Zaralynda

I guess at some point I don't think of that as really owning pets but as small scale conservation work

Matt S.

Cardinals are almost extinct in the wild, but they're one of the most common fish at pet store because they breed so easily in captivity. Unfortunately they've been captive bred for so long, it's probably too late to reintroduce them to the wild.

@Zaralynda To an extent, I'm also probably exposed more to those types of people because I try not to hang out with crazy people and children.

PsychO PhobiA

03:04

@All I have bad news

Matt S.

There's definitely people who hoard snakes. But there's also people who hoard cats. I had a lady when I worked in a grocery store that would by cartloads of cat food every week she had so many cats.

Zaralynda

@MattS. well I think you can't hang out with rescue folks w/o being exposed to a bit of crazy, just because you end up interacting with the folks who are dumping their pets

PsychO PhobiA

@MattS. What?

Matt S.

@Zaralynda Yeah, but no more than when I worked at a pet store. I assume it's just the same type of people.

Zaralynda

@MattS. from what I can tell, folks who hoard cats don't really interact with all of their cats either. blah

Matt S.

03:09

I think there's a certain group of people that just want pets for the sake of having a pet, not really for the interaction or experience that comes with having a pet.

Zaralynda

@MattS. I can understand to some extent viewing your animals as a tool, having barn cats to kill mice or hunting/tracking dogs to do those jobs

but then you aren't thinking "I have a pet" you're thinking "I have a tool"

Matt S.

I'm talking about as an accessory. So having the dog in the yard and not interacting with it is because they don't care about the dog, just that they have a dog.

You have a house with a yard, and people with houses and yards have dogs.

Zaralynda

@MattS. ya I don't get that

be back in a bit, need to do something for dinner

Matt S.

I'd have to turn people away quite often because I refused to sell animals without a place being prepared in advance. Most often people didn't think about it and appreciate being told the truth, but every so often there's that one person who doesn't care.

I dunno, I seem to have ranted a bit.

@AshleyNunn Are you getting fish? I assumed from your latest questions you were getting a tank set up.

Back on invasive species, red-eared sliders are actually one of the most invasive pet species. They're supposed to be native only along the Mississippi river, but they get "set free" everywhere and people think they're native so nothing gets done about them.

user15026

03:25

@matt I have a five gallon tank that I really want to set up properly again, ideally with some sort of tetras in, hence my asking about them specifically.

user15026

I am going to wait a couple paychecks then clean the tank out and clean the gravel (or get new?) and get some tetras. What do I feed tetras? Fish flakes?

Matt S.

Yeah, just tropical fish flakes.

Gravel, sand, dirt. Substrates doesn't matter in my opinion, as long as it's not metal or anything that might seep chemicals in the tank.

I buy gravel from Lowes cause it's cheaper. It messes with the Ph a bit, but balanced with Driftwood it evens out in the end.

(gravel made for fish tanks is coated to keep the rocks from hardening the water)

The only thing I'd say with tetras, is I think everything about them is anecdotal. I've heard people say they're impossible to keep, or super sensitive to water parameters. But other people, including me haven't had any trouble with them.

Zaralynda

I will probably regret these onion rings sometime in the middle of the night

user15026

Yeah my mom and dad had some for years with no problems. But I was young then so I don't know a lot about their care.

user15026

@zaralynda I love onion rings.

Zaralynda

03:40

@AshleyNunn they are soooo good

Matt S.

Rams do well in pairs too. And if colors are what you're looking for they come in bright blue and/or gold.

No more than two though, two could be considered overstocking.

Pristella tetras ^ There was a guy that liked them so much, he'd come in to get some every week until he had a big school of them in his giant tank. I mean, they're kind of neat with the yellow and red fins, but I don't know if I share the enthusiasm over them.

If you like weird looking fish, and have the patience for brackish water, there's bumblebee gobies.

@AshleyNunn ooh, I just remembered. Endlers are really cool fish. You might not be able to find them because they're not popular in stores (no idea why), but they're super colorful, and they can recognize when people walk by the tank and beg for food.

They're closely related to guppies, so with plants in the tank expect babies.

Pretty sure that one's a black bear, there's one that's referred to as a red flame that has a red back. Those two are my favorite types.

Only other fish I've seen beg for food so much are cichlids.

Ceiling Cat

04:33

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Q: How do you make sure that you're adopting to a good home?

I came across a thread about avoiding giving pets to questionable people, not necessarily people who will mistreat the animals but turn them around and re-sell them. If you have a pet that you need to put up for adoption for any reason, and don't want to put them in a shelter, how do you make su...

adoption

0

Q: Is there any way to reduce a cat's shedding?

My long-haired cat sheds a lot, so I was wondering if there was any way to reduce how much he sheds. I brush him almost daily, and that seems to help keep the shed hair from getting everywhere, but is there any way to slow the shedding process in the first place?

cats shedding

Ceiling Cat

05:22

1

Q: How to stop cat from going to a risky area

A year ago, my cat had broken her leg (two compound fractures) after she fell off the balcony (7 stories). Miraculously she survived and lived two months with a bandage. We were thrilled. We found out that most likely she fell off the balcony because of crow birds who always try to tease her and ...

cats behavior

user15026

12:47

@MattS. Those look super neat!

Ceiling Cat

1

Q: How do I know how much exercise my puppy needs? How much is too much?

Our puppy (8 months old, Husky Shepherd Mix) is getting to be good enough on the leash that I can take him for a nice run. I live near a park with a 5K loop road, which I used to run regularly. When I first started taking him out around the loop road, he'd jump at me and bite and try to get me ...

dogs training exercise

Matt S.

14:51

1

A: How do you make sure that you're adopting to a good home?

A quick google search turned up this quiz: http://dogtime.com/quiz/am-i-ready-for-a-dog I think the quiz is appropriate list of questions to ask your prospective adopters. Some other things that come to mind: For pre-screening the people: Do the adopters have prior experience with dogs (perha...

It's funny that the first question in the quiz is if you're planning on having kids.

Just last night my wife was complaining to me because someone was trying to get rid of a puppy because it was a lab/shepherd mix, and she didn't have time to care for it since she was pregnant and about to give birth.

The puppy was only a few months old, and assuming she got it right at the 8 week mark, she was two months pregnant when she got the puppy.

The lack of foresight some people have is astounding.

user15026

15:19

@MattS. O.o

user15026

Man, I am just thinking about getting fish and I am researching and planning. Like I know I am going away for a week this summer, so I am trying to figure out what I would do then.

user15026

I am not sure if I can get someone in to feed them every day or not,which is where I am slightly concerned

user15026

I don't want to kill them!

Matt S.

amazon.com/Automatic-Fish-Feeder-AquaChef-Batteries/dp/…

user15026

@MattS. WHAT

user15026

15:23

OMG

user15026

That is amazing

Matt S.

There's also weekend feeders, where it's just a brick of food, and it falls apart slowly over time, feeding the fish for you.

You can also get light timers at Walmart for about $10.

So you can keep the day/night cycle going while you're away.

I keep them on mine because I'm lazy.

user15026

@MattS. Oh, I didn't think of that either! That is also a useful thing.

user15026

See? This is why Pets.SE is amazing.

Matt S.

15:42

Now, if you could automate the refilling of the automatic feeder, you could have a self-sustaining fish tank.

user15026

Haha I think that is more science than I am currently capable of :P

Matt S.

15:54

Maybe once Amazon's delivery drones "take off" they'll refill it for you.

user15026

that just might work :D

Matt S.

huh, my adoption question has a link to the puppy mill question. It's not marked as a duplicate though.

Is that a new feature on SE?

user15026

@MattS. No idea.

Matt S.

I don't think I've seen that before.

user15026

16:30

Me neither

user15026

So I posted that feeder thing to facebook, being like "Pets.SE saves my life yay" and my sister was like "you could just leave the tetras for a week they would be fine"....that strikes me as really bad advice.

Matt S.

A week is kind of pushing it, but not feeding them for a day or so isn't the worst thing in the world.

Zaralynda

16:57

@MattS. it was flagged as a dup, but one of the other mods must have dismissed it already

Matt S.

@Zaralynda It was? Shouldn't I have been notified so I could have fixed it?

Zaralynda

and the person who flagged it deleted the comment posted by the system

you'd have to ask someone more familiar with the platform, I'm just looking at the history

Matt S.

That makes sense I guess.

I just didn't see anything that suggested anyone had voted to close it. But I guess flags don't show up.

Zaralynda

dunno

have to go to work, see ya'll later

Matt S.

later

John Cavan

17:21

@MattS. Flags can be disputed and cleared without mod intervention

Ceiling Cat

18:20

1

Q: Can I give my dog an ice cube from time to time?

I see a lot of conflicting advice online, so I'm looking for facts and stats (e.g. based on veterinarians' reports), not more hearsay. My dog is a 2-year-old, 66 lb. boxer-ridgeback (probably, we're not sure), that, at some point was given an ice cube and loved it. Whenever I make a smoothie, sh...

dogs safety eating

John Cavan

19:45

@MattS. Figured it out... it was flagged for closure as a duplicate, which puts it in the close review queue, but doesn't register a close vote. Probably because the user that raised the flag has insufficient rep.

ClickRick

I do hope you've not spent the better part of the last two hours figuring that out, John!

Matt S.

@JohnCavan Ah that makes sense kind of. I'm still not sure why I don't get a little ping that my question was voted to close.

I suppose they don't want new users panicking that people are voting to close their questions. But it doesn't help anyone clean their questions if they don't notice anything wrong.

user15026

@MattS. I can see reasoning either way for that :P

John Cavan

@MattS. It wasn't a vote. You won't get pinged for a flag.

user15026

@JohnCavan You don't get pinged for votes either.

ClickRick

19:49

@MattS. Nor does a downvote without a comment, sadly

John Cavan

@AshleyNunn True, you do for comments though

user15026

@JohnCavan yeah.

John Cavan

Which the vote would have created

user15026

@ClickRick Well, you can see the rep change.

Matt S.

I'm guessing it was deleted instantly, cause I didn't see a ping for a comment.

John Cavan

19:49

@ClickRick - Nah, I just spotted it in the review queue and pieced it together.

user15026

I mean it doesn't explain it, but it at least tells you something is up

user15026

(mind you the whole "omg explain downvotes" is a whole other thing)

John Cavan

I recall a moderator newsletter that said that the flags to close would go to the review queue rather than direct to moderators.

ClickRick

@AshleyNunn yeah, I wasn't going to go there!

user15026

@ClickRick lol smart man

Matt S.

19:51

omg explain downvotes

ClickRick

<fx: sets an army of snakes upon Matt>

John Cavan

it's what happens when the down arrow is pushed

user15026

@MattS. No.

user15026

;)

Matt S.

@JohnCavan ohhhh. That makes so much sense now.

John Cavan

19:52

I think I may use that next somebody asks why... I think it's because somebody clicked on the little circled down arrow beside your question/answer.

2

Matt S.

And here I was just pushing buttons for the colors.

ClickRick

I LIKE COLOURS

GIMMETEHCODEZ

user15026

@JohnCavan Haha yes :D

John Cavan

I may need to preface it with I could be wrong, but

ClickRick

and watch as sar-chasm takes its toll

Matt S.

20:14

amazon.com/review/R2FHBMIYSLAK1R/…

Perfect

JoshDM

20:31

So... I don't see what the difference is between asking whether it's safe to give ice cubes to a dog and whether it's safe to feed hot dogs to a dog, warranting closure on one and not the other.

Matt S.

20:41

One's hot and one's cold

Matt S.

20:53

I dunno. I never understood why it was closed to begin with.

JoshDM

21:04

If I posted it on any other day, it would never have been closed.

And it's asked "straight" at this point.

ClickRick

curiously, this just popped up on my FB feed: wendtworthcorgis.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/…

luckily, this did too: snopes.com/critters/crusader/icewater.asp

John Cavan

21:22

@JoshDM I reopened it...

Ceiling Cat

1

Q: Why is my cat getting so cozy with me?

When I get in bed, my cat will do anything she can to sleep with me. I don't just mean on the bed, I mean on my chest, my back, the backs of my legs, my side, or across my arms. A few times she's even gone to sleep with her forehead pressed against mine with her paws laying on my face. I don't mi...

cats

Matt S.

@CeilingCat Those darn cats. With their cuteness and stuff.

ClickRick

the fun would be if I had cause to post a similar question...

Matt S.

usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/18/…

I guess I didn't think fishing spiders was that surprising, because they're everywhere in Iowa and especially Minnesota.

JoshDM

22:09

locked by John Cavan♦ Jun 6 at 17:07

This question exists because it has historical significance, but it is not considered a good, on-topic question for this site, so please do not use it as evidence that you can ask similar questions here. This question and its answers are frozen and cannot be changed. More info: help center.

@MattS. This is only interesting if the bird is carrying a smaller bird on his back.

Ceiling Cat

1

Q: What is the difference between Rainwater Albino, Tremper Albino and Bell Albino leopard geckos?

Are there huge differences? Is there anything key we need to look out for to quickly determine the differences? I know albino is a recessive trait but is there anything at all that can give a hint of albino in say a Normal HET Bell?

leopard-geckos

Matt S.

@CeilingCat Colors

ClickRick

@MattS. Colours. HTH.

Matt S.

22:25

Coulors

ClickRick

Couleurs

Matt S.

coleurs?

user15026

augh the spelling

Matt S.

I win!

ClickRick

Spooling

Matt S.

22:28

Also, mine didn't have a definition.

ClickRick

you can be such a child sometimes :PpPpPpPpPp

Matt S.

Coulors is a town in France, and Couleurs are ribbons worn on the head.

Actually not France, a French owned city off of Brazil.

Weird..

ClickRick

I believe all parts of the planet which are "French" are technically part of France, which means that France spans more time zones than any other country

user15026

@ClickRick I don't think so

user15026

But I might be wrong

ClickRick

22:33

List of time zones by country

This is a list representing time zones by country. Countries are ranked by total number of time zones on their territory. Time zones of a country include that of dependent territories (except Antarctic claims). France has the most time zones with 12. On March 28, 2010, Russia eliminated two time zones, going from 11 to 9, but still has the most contiguous time zones. Many countries have daylight saving time, one added hour during the local summer, but this list does not include that information. The UTC offset in the list is not valid in practice during daylight saving time. {| class="wi...

user15026

@ClickRick huh, neat.

user15026

(information like this fascinates the crap out of me)

ClickRick

me too, hence I watch QI

user15026

QI is amazing

ClickRick

I keep promising myself that I'll go and watch it being recorded again next series

it's recorded at the studio in London that's only a half hour train ride from where I work, and is done in an evening, so it's really convenient

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