Friday, May 28, 2010

Freshwater fish care tips


Fish can live for a longer time compared to other pets, if taken care properly. Beginners can have a lot of queries on how to take care of a fish. In this post are mentioned facts and tips for tasks starting from setting up a tank for your fish to the installation of other accessories in your tank.

  • Before buying your fish, research on the type of fish you prefer. Collect all the information you can about the fish you are going to buy.
  • Every breed of fish requires a different environment to live in. Buy the tank considering the size of the fish and how big it can get, as well as preplanned your tank for bringing more fishes into the tank.
  • When buying the fish, make sure that it is healthy one. They should not display any signs or symptoms of being ill such as cloudy eyes or slim looking bodies.
  • Inquire about the water temperature and quality as of the main tank of the pet store. Keep the new freshwater fish in the quarantined water tank for a while. Let them stay there till around two to three weeks before you shift them to a new tank environment.
  • Keep the tank away from the windows, doors or any source that heats up. If this is not done, your tank can have drafts and the water temperature might change and affect your fish.
  • Check the water quality regularly for the ammonia, nitrite and pH levels. Such imbalances could cause sickness in your fish. You can also add an automatic filter in your tank that would balance and clean the tank every ten days. These freshwater fish care kits can be purchased from the pet store from where you bought your fish.
  • Feed your fish with the already prepared fish food available in the market. Store the fish food in a cool and dry place and check for the expiry date on the package.
  • With the help of a net, remove the uneaten food everyday. Also clean your net thoroughly before and after you put it into the water to avoid the spread of a possible infection.
  • Place a canopy or hood over the tank so that nothing can fall into the water and spoil it. This is done also to avoid the jumping fish falling out of the tank.
  • While installing accessories for the freshwater tank, keep in mind that the water conditions should not be made poor by drastic lighting, inside or outside the tank. These lights could lower the resistance of your freshwater fishes to disease.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Basic methods of pet care


It has become a normal trend to have a pet at home. It is the best way to teach your child responsibility and let them take care of the pet. However, pet owners themselves experience problems with their pets due to low pet care awareness. Problems like cut paws, upset stomachs or infections are basic problems a pet may face.

In this post, some basic methods of pet care are described. You should look out for the following symptoms in your pet, so that you can know what steps you are supposed to follow:
  • Your pet should not show signs of pain or irritation easily, that is why you have to be alert to notice the changes in your pet’s behavior.
  • Where dogs are concerned, they are more expressive; they might yelp or hold their paw or even limp. On the other hand, cats are less vocal. They might hide or stick to their place if they are in pain.
  • Look for signs like panting, hunching, refusing to eat, flinch when touched or squinting if an eye is paining or watery.
  • Make sure you do not use any medication unless it is prescribed by the vet, in case you think your pet might have a fracture.
  • Pain relievers for pet make their wound bleed more, so do not give pills as first aid, unless you surely know the problem. Remember that you should never give aspirin to cats.
  • In case a pet needs a pain reliever, take him to the vet, they have a safer and effective medicine for relieving the pet of his pain after the diagnosis.

Mentioned above are the diagnoses of pain in pets and some tips on pet care. Once you know that your pet is suffering from pain because of the various reasons you should know the precautions to be taken while giving medicine to your pet:
  • You can use medicines that contain steroids. These reduce pain and inflammation and works effectively on minor injuries like cuts and scrapes.
  • Products containing Lana-cane or Solarcaine contain anesthetics that numb down the pain of sunburn or sores. These products should not be given to cats or used on cat burns.
  • When you are not sure about a medicine and want to relieve your pet from pain until the vet diagnosis him, you can use ice to numb the pain of any skin injury, sunburn or bruises.