Pet in the Pocket

Teaching Tricks to Your Pet Mouse

You can train your mouse to stand up and beg

If you have a pet mouse, or other small rodent, have you ever considered teaching it tricks? Dogs are not the only animals that can learn how to do tricks. With a little bit of patience and a lot of treats, you can teach your mouse, rat or hamster to do tricks as well.

If you are interested in teaching your mouse tricks, you need to be patient and consistent. You will need to work with your mouse daily, for about 30 minutes. Mice are small animals, and they have a small attention span. Longer than 30 minutes, your mouse is going to quit paying attention. Read more about Teaching Tricks to Your Pet Mouse

Button Quail: Pets and Miniature Egg Production

If you are looking for a new pet that is a little different from your run of the mill hamsters, parakeets and other small pets, consider the button quail. Button quail are the smallest variety of quail, measuring about four inches tall when fully grown. They require very little space and make really delightful sounds. Read more about Button Quail: Pets and Miniature Egg Production

Facts About Guinea Pigs

A good, healthy guinea pig should give you years of enjoyment

I always wanted a guinea pig when I was younger. They seemed much more cuddly than the mouse-like gerbils and hamsters that my brothers had. I never got one though. I’m not really sure why. I still look at them every time we’re at the pet store. Maybe one day I’ll come home with one. My cats and dog would love that, I’m sure.

There are three common types of guinea pigs: American, Abyssinian and Peruvian. The American guinea pig has short hair and a smooth coat. The Abyssinian guinea pig also has short hair, but the hair swirls in what is known as rosettes. The Peruvian guinea pig, or long-haired guinea pig, is my favorite. All three types come in a variety of colors and color combinations.

Adult guinea pigs are approximately 10 inches long and weigh 2 to 3 pounds. They have no visible tail. Guinea pigs generally live 5 to 7 years, so having a guinea pig, like any pet, is a commitment. Read more about Facts About Guinea Pigs

Do You Cook for Your Pet?

Admittedly, people do some crazy things for (or to) their pets, such as dressing them in a different designer outfit every day, making them wear ridiculous hairstyles, and even put makeup on them. For the more pragmatic of us, those actions seem pretty far out there, but at their core, they are simply different ways of displaying the love people have for their pets. Cooking, though much more reasonable to most people’s sensibilities, is another way of displaying love for a pet. Read more about Do You Cook for Your Pet?

Herbie, the Well-Traveled Gerbil

When I was a teenager, I had a pet gerbil named Herbie. Herbie was an adorable little black gerbil who loved to run around on the floor. We had one of those little balls they can run around in, but he preferred – not unreasonably – to be free to roam. Read more about Herbie, the Well-Traveled Gerbil

Christmas Gifts for Pocket Pets

This year, my daughter is getting a pocket pet for Christmas—a new hamster. We already have the supplies purchased, and after she opens the present, we’ll take her to select her new friend the following week—giving her yet something else to look forward to.

But if you already have a pocket pet, you might want to think about getting him or her some holiday goodies this year. This is especially fun if you have a child who wants to make or buy something for his or her friend. But what do you get a hamster, rabbit, or other pocket pet? Read more about Christmas Gifts for Pocket Pets

Zebra Finches

Zebra finches are popular pet birds

I enjoy bird watching, but I’m not a person who generally wants a bird as a pet. We had parakeets, or at least my older brother did, when I was growing up. They are nasty, dirty creatures. So, getting a bird of my own was never one of my desires. Lately though, I’ve been heading toward the bird cages at the pet store every time we go; just like Whitley with the ferrets (see my previous post). I keep mooning over the zebra finches. Maybe it’s because they remind me of my mother, as my dad got her a couple of zebra finches when she was around the age I am now.

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My Dog Wants a Ferret

He is totally entranced with them

My dog loves ferrets. Every time we go to the pet store, my husband takes Whitley to the ferret cage and holds him up so he can watch the ferrets. He won’t bark or whine at them like he does the snakes, mice and other creatures. Whitley, that is; not my husband. I don’t blame him for barking at the snakes. Really. I’d bark too, if people wouldn’t think I was crazy.

Would You Get a Purse to Carry Your Dog?

I just don’t get it. I’ve had dogs you could consider to be “pocket pets”, and I even once sprung for a dog carrier/backpack thing, but it was for a practical reason – the dog couldn’t ride our ATV without help. Never, in all my years of owning dogs and other small animals, have I been tempted to buy a purse to carry my dog in. Read more about Would You Get a Purse to Carry Your Dog?

Sulcata Tortoises

These exotic reptiles can live 75 years or more

What I know about turtles and tortoises you could put in a nut shell, or a turtle shell - a small turtle shell. My older brother had those little turtles that live in aquariums when I was about 3 or 4, so he had to be around 16 or 17, but that's really been my only experience with turtles. I know there are different species of turtles and tortoises. I've seen lots of turtles and tortoises. I know they get hit by cars a lot when trying to cross the road. But, that's about all I know about them. I am definitely not a turtle connoisseur. So, when I saw a local ad for Sulcata turtles, I was curious.

Read more about Sulcata Tortoises