The lovely thing about South Africa is that our winters aren’t as cold as those of some countries – like in Europe. In general, most of our winters are mild compared to theirs, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have cold days. And, just like some people feel the cold more than others, some animals
Have you also found your dog eating soil at one time or another? There are several possible reasons for him to do this. It can be due to a deficiency of a mineral substance in his diet. Any diet that is labelled as a complete dog food should contain all the nutrients required by a
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To survive in the wild, many animals have different camouflage techniques, called camouflaging. They use this to mainly to ‘hide’ from predators by blending into the background. Mimicry is one technique where an animal resembles another animal, like the harmless king snakes who look like venomous coral snakes. Background matching is where an animal resembles
We recently had the question: Besides brushing my dog’s teeth as regularly as possible, do I have to floss his teeth as well? The answer is flossing a dog’s teeth is not usually possible (as they do not tolerate it or will not sit still), and it may damage the gums, so brushing is still
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Q: How do I prevent my rabbit from having problems with hairballs? A: Diet can help. Hairballs can occur in rabbits who are fed an inadequate amount of dietary roughage. Unlike cats, rabbits are unable to vomit, so the hair they lick from their coats can collect in their stomachs. Rabbits suffering from hairballs should
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Having pets and children, or perhaps children first and then pets for them, seems to be part of the natural order of life. We understand the benefits for children who grow up with cats and dogs, but as adults, we don’t always understand the role we play as parents and responsible pet owners when it
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The best time to housetrain a puppy is as soon as you acquire the puppy! Eight weeks is the earliest puppy leaves his mother and siblings. If the puppy is from a reputable and experienced breeder, they would already have started the process for you at around three weeks. Puppies develop a substrate preference for
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Have you ever wondered which animals are the strongest? Here are some interesting facts for you to think about. It all depends how you look at it. If we’re talking about the toughest animal, the honey badger is at the top of the list. This creature is so tough that his high level of immunity
We often get the question: Can I give my cats and dogs extra treats on special days? Is there anything healthy with low kilojoules that I can give them? Humans like to have a treat (whether it be chocolate, sweets or a cookie) now and again and this usually will not cause weight gain or
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Q: My three-year-old pet gerbil recently started to become ‘wobbly’. She also shakes at times and seems unwell. What could the reason be? A: I’m afraid to say that sadly it does sound as if your gerbil is nearing the end of his life – they really don’t live much longer than two to three
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There are many benefits for both you and your dog to go on walk every day. Here are the top six reasons why this should be a daily activity: You get to spend quality time with your dog. Both you and your dog get some exercise and fresh air. How many kilojoules you burn will
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Watching monkeys can be so entertaining, especially when they get up to their crazy monkey business. Here are some interesting facts to celebrate them: There are more than 260 different types of monkeys in the world. There are New World and Old World monkeys. The New World monkeys live in the Americas while the Old
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