Keeping Guinea Pigs-Part 1

A mature guinea pig is usually 20-25 cm (8-10 in) long and weighs from 700 to 1200 grams (1.5 to 2.5 lbs). They can, in most cases, either be kept in guinea pig cages , tanks made from glass or plastic, or wooden hutches and also appear to enjoy the security offered by a nesting box. Even when given the opportunity, guinea pigs seldom venture away from their habitat except if scared by something. If they feel safe in a home they will delight in exploring more territory but sooner or later they are going to want to retreat to their home (or any other place considered equally safe). Guinea pigs use pee to mark their home and will typically urinate once they're returned to a recently cleansed cage with new bedding material. Males are known to pee to mark their territory once taken out of their cages.
Don’t place the cage or tank where it will be exposed to drafts, excess humidity or temperatures beyond the recommended range. Guinea pigs do best when the heat level is 18-24 °C (65-75 °F) and the moisture 30-70%. People sometimes think that guinea pigs are tropical animals since they originate from South America, however these small furry creatures are native to high altitudes in which the climate is temperate, not tropical.
Wild guinea pigs are always threatened by potential predators and this has made them, as well as their domesticated relations, easily spooked and weary of virtually all other animals. Housing guinea pigs with more energetic animals, including rats, mice, gerbils and hamsters, is not advised. There are many reports of cats and dogs learning to tolerate or even like guinea pigs, but you can’t depend on it. In lots of situations, cats and dogs will view the guinea pig as either prey or some sort of play item. Even a well meaning dog that merely wants to play may well frighten the life out of a guinea pig so don’t allow them to interact whilst not continuing to keep a close eye on them. Home Pet Shop offers a fine selection of Hamster cages and accessories at their online pet supermarket.

Keeping reptiles

Keeping reptiles, amphibians and other fascinating animals has become more popular than ever in recent times. There is now much more information available in books as well as on the world wide web to help with keeping these pets healthy, and you need to make an effort to discover the needs of any animal you intend to keep.

The requirements of different animals vary somewhat, but there are certain common factors you should consider. Like for example , housing, heating, illumination, décor and providing for.

The housing used must be of a suitable type and size for the creatures you would like to keep. Vivariums are usually glass, plastic, wooden, or mesh-screen type. The sort used will be largely determined by whether the animals require an aquatic, semi-aquatic, moist or a completely dry environment.
In addition, check the actual adult size of the animal you intend to purchase, and ensure that the vivarium you purchase will be large enough. Terrestrial species require lots of floor space, whilst arboreal (tree-dwelling) varieties benefit from taller houses.
Many of these animals tend to be from tropical or sub-tropical environments, and require additional heating to keep their bodies at the appropriate temperature. Reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates are “cold blooded” ( poikilothermic) animals that cannot regulate their own body temperature by way of internal means like mammals. In captivity, they will have to therefore be provided with a suitable heat supply to allow them to thermoregulate. This could mean a heat mat, basking bulb or traditional aquarium heater in the case of marine turtles.
Certain reptiles (significantly a number of lizards and tortoises and turtles) require exposure to daylight to continue to be in good health. Therefore, when situated indoors they need full-spectrum lighting with a high UV (ultraviolet) content, which is important to activate the synthesis of vitamin D3 in the skin, required for calcium metabolism.
Suitable décor should be provided, including the substrate/base covering, hides, etc. Some reptiles may ingest substrate as they feed, so it must be of an appropriate safe type, such as calci-sand. Other animals may call for appropriate-sized wood chippings. Animals needing humid conditions may benefit from moss substrate, which keeps moisture well.
Providing the right diet program is essential to sustaining good health. This may include vegetables, dry foods, frozen foods, live foods and supplements. Make certain you recognize the kind of food plan that you will need to provide for the animal before purchasing.

Many of the aforementioned products can be purchased from the online pet supermarket of Home Pet Shop.

Reptile Tank Heat Mat

A great range of heat mats are now available to buy on line from Home Pet Shop’ online pet supermarket. The mats, by Algarde,  are for use with both terrariums and vivariums and are designed to heat up thesubstrate (gravel or sand) at the base of the tank without any overheating as the temperature is localised.

The heat mats are all 28cm (11in) wide and are available in a variety of sizes from 15cm (6in) to 89cm (35in) with heat ranges from 7 watts to 42 watts. Further instructions are on the website at Home Pet Shop.

All are available at a special introductory offer price until 31^st March.