Frogs Swallows

Frogs are amphibians, animals that spend part of their lives under water and the remainder on land. They have long, powerful jumping legs and a very short backbone. Most Frogs have teeth (in the upper jaws only) but toads do not have any teeth.

Adult Frogs are characterised by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits, protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Most Frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, but move easily on land by jumping or climbing. They typically lay their eggs in puddles, ponds or lakes, and their larvae, called tadpoles, have gills and develop in water. Adult Frogs follow a carnivorous diet, mostly of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs are most noticeable by their call, which can be widely heard during the night or day, mainly in their mating season.

Life cycle: Like all amphibians, Frogs spend their lives near water because they must return to the water to lay their eggs. Frogs eggs are laid in the water. When they hatch into tadpoles, they breathe with gills and swim using a tail. As they mature, they lose their tail, and they develop lungs for breathing air. In harsh climates, Frogs bury themselves in sand and mud and hibernate (sleep very deeply) through the cold winter.

Diet: Frogs eat insects, catching them with their long, sticky tongue. They also eat small fish and worms.

Classification and Evolution: Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Chordata, Class Amphibia (amphibians), Order Anura (Frogs and toads). The first true Frogs evolved during the early Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago (during the time of the dinosaurs).

The distribution of Frogs ranges from tropic to subarctic regions, but most species are found in tropical rainforests. Consisting of more than 5,000 species described, they are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates. However, populations of certain Frogs species are significantly declining.

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Tips For Housebreaking Your Pit Bull Terrier Puppy Dog

House-breaking your Pit Bull puppy requires a lot of time, effort, and patience on the part of the owner. There is no set time-frame on when your puppy will be able to do this, or how long it will take, you just have to start a routine and stick with it until it is finished. Many owners lose patience with their dogs due to problems that often arise during the house breaking process. It is important to just work through them as they come, and to remember not to punish your puppy, but work through this process together.

Many things can be done along the way that will help make housebreaking faster and easier for you and your puppy. As with any type of training, you have to be consistent with the routine. Take your dog out at the same time everyday, or if you aren’t able to, make sure that someone else can. The puppy will soon learn when it is time to go, and eventually will know what is expected of him. You should have everyone else in the household alerted to the routine, and willing to help when needed. Sometimes it is helpful to keep a journal of your dog’s habits, so that if they turn into a problem later, it will be easier to correct them.

You should also try to go outside with your puppy so that you can be sure he is going to the bathroom while he is outside, which will help avoid accidents while inside. If you are unable to go out with your puppy, he should be confined to one area such as a crate, or fenced in backyard, so that he can learn this is his space to go.

One thing that can interrupt the housebreaking process is irregular feedings. It is important that you feed your puppy the same amount at the same time everyday, and try to avoid giving him extra snacks and treats until he is successfully housebroken.

The most important thing when housebreaking your puppy is to be patient and understanding. He is going to learn overnight, and there will be messes along the way. You have to understand that this takes time, and try to maintain reasonable expectations of your puppy. It is important not to punish your puppy when that happens, rather just clean it up and accept it for what it is, part of the process. You will have a much better relationship with your puppy if you are patient with him as he grows.

Ridding Your House of Fleas

Chances are if you have pet's you have had to deal with the almost inevitable flea infestation. All pet owners know that once a flea infestation has gripped your living space it can be the start of a long battle.

In order to properly rid you home and pets of fleas you will treat the infestation as a whole. The fleas do not only live on your pet. Some research indicated that fleas spend less than 15% of their time on you pet. The rest of the time they are comfortably tucked away in a variety of warm places. Your carpet, your couches and even in your garden.

Summer and warmer weather will also bring out these evil little critters. This is because the warmth speeds up their life cycles. Depending on where you live you could face a flea problem all year around.

RECOGNIZING INFESTATION

Chances are you will know all about a budding flea problem. Fleas leave itchy bites on the ankles and beyond and make life for everyone in the area a misery. Fleas also leave telltale black or dark brown droppings.

One way to gauge the severity of the infestation is to comb your dogs coat over a white paper. The number of dark crumb-like bits that fall onto the paper will indicate the seriousness of your infestation.

If the fleas are leaving a lot of bites on the people in your home you will know the infestation is bad. Calamine lotion will provide some relief if the itching is bad. You can also experiment with one of the many natural repellents. Various substances rubbed on ankles or exposed skin will help keep the fleas from biting the humans; so you can concentrate on killing all the fleas.

THE DANGERS OF CHEMICALS

Many experts agree that the current chemical warfare on fleas is doing little to lesson the problem. Not only are these chemical treatments ineffective; they are also dangerous.

The dangers of these chemicals being ingested by dogs or even your children are high.

And there’s the fear that repeated, prolonged use of these chemicals is creating a new "super flea'. Eventually fleas will become completely resistant to our treatments. This evolution of fleas will create a need for stronger and stronger chemicals. Who knows what kinds of super chemicals we'll need 50 years from now.

Those in favor of natural flea remedies claim that natural treatments work better than the chemical ones. In order to treat the problem effectively you will need to adopt a holistic action plan.

Top Training Neglected Dog Tips

Training neglected dogs is about the hardest dog training you can ever do. These dogs have behaviors that develop without any guidance, and often the dog will have personality disorders (barking for no reason, whining, chewing, etc). Most neglected dogs do show an ability to be trained, and the only difference is they need to be truly loved and shown affection more than a dog that has experience normal social interaction. Neglected dogs should be trained with exactly like all dogs - with positive reinforcement by an owner who understands how to be a firm and loving leader. You will be able to use treats, play time, and petting to get a dog to do what you want (but no slaps on the top of head! Dogs hate it!) rather than correcting your dog for doing something wrong. Get in the habit of teaching your dog what you want, stop correcting what you DON'T want. If Rover is barking at the window, ask yourself: "What should be happening instead?" and go about teaching him how to do that.

It is important for every dog for you to use clear visual and acoustic signals in a quiet peaceful environment, and to gently ask your dog to respond to your signals during mounting levels of distraction. Use positive reinforcement each time the dog does it correctly, and be sure you have something your dog really wants at that exact moment in time. (Just like you, your dog may love to be petted or massaged, but not every moment of the day. Use toys or treats when your dog is excited and not in a cuddly mood.)

Positive reinforcement develops good behavior for any dog, but is especially important for dogs who have learned they could get hurt if they do something wrong. Be patient with neglected dogs, and maintain a quiet calm voice (yelling is a no-no) and let them know marvelous things happen if they acquire the "tricks" you teach them. Most rescued dogs will eventually learn to trust you, if you are consistently kind and gentle. Be kind, but do not try to make up years of abuse by spoiling a neglected dog, though. That can end up making the dog even more insecure, because what she wants is a benevolent leader, not someone she cannot trust.

To summarize: the keys to working with an neglected dog are patience, consistent clear signals, using positive reinforcement and not punishment. And finally, you should be comfortable as a loving leader.

Kitten-Proofing Your Home

Pick a place for the litter box away from the food bowls. Most people use the laundry room, basement, or bathroom for the litter box. Remember that cats are very particular about where they go to the bathroom, and they do not like to use a litter box that is near anything noisy or disruptive. So do not put it right next to the washer or dryer, for example, or by the furnace or beneath a frequently used staircase.

Select a quiet spot where your kitten can go in peace. Litter boxes come in several types: flat trays, deep dish, covered, and potty seats for the toilet. The best is the uncovered tray, at least two inches deep. Your kitten can easily hop into such a box, and he kicks minimal litter out on the floor. There are three basic types of litter on the market: some clay litter comes with deodorizers, while some does not; some clay litter brands are dust free. Clumping litters are so named because they clump with moisture so that you can scoop out the soiled litter but leave the rest.

Basically, all the litter has to do is able to absorb moisture from the urine and stool and give the kitten something to scratch in. Additional properties that litter can feature include deodorizers, fresh scents, dust free formulas, and environmentally friendly litter.

Do not use litters heavy in deodorants-some cats are allergic to them. The same goes for dusty litter you use. It makes many kittens sneeze.

Kittens are naturally curious and tend to seek high places. You might find your kitten on top of cabinets, refrigerators, wood piles, rafters, or curtain rods. Because is nearly impossible to keep them away from these spots, make sure your windows are screened or closed.It is common for cats and kittens to fall out of unscreened windows in urban apartments. In fact, the injuries that occur from such falls are called "High Rise Syndrome".

If you have more than one cat in your household, you might need two litter boxes. Some cats are so fastidious that they will not use a box if another cat(especially a new kitten) has soiled it. Many of my clients have told me, "Once I got the new kitten, my other cat would not use the box and is going on the floor next to it!".

Aquarium Plants And Lighting Mini-guide

Aquarium plants are as important to aquariums as water is to fish. Aquarium plants add more life to aquarium and make it to look beautiful while completing the aquarium community structure.

The most important thing to bear in mind with plants is to form an attractive background, leaving ample space so the fish can swim undisturbed and be seen. The tall, grassy type is best planted at intervals in rows, while the feathery ones look better when they are bunched into small clumps, which makes them to appear like branching bushes.

When planting rooted plants, hold the tips of the bunch of roots between the thumb and second finger and rest them on the sand. Now with the first finger push the upper part of the roots (where they join the stem) about 2cm into the sand. Without moving this finger scrape with the thumb and second finger some sand over any uncovered portion of the root.

When putting in rootless plants in bunches, the method explained above is repeated, but this time the lower ends of the stems are placed together and treated exactly as if they were roots.

It is important that the water surface should be right up to the lower edge of the top angle iron of the tank, so that looking from the front the water surface can not be seen and the viewer gets the impression that there is no water in the aquarium. If the level is allowed to fall below the top angle iron the tank looks like a container holding water.

Aquarium Lighting is also important for aquarium plants

This depends greatly on whether you intend to successfully grow plants or not. Lack of light causes colorful fish to fade and clanch-reds to pink, green to white. The two main methods of lighting aquarium are by the INCADESCENT and FLOURESCENT.

The total amount of light required is a matter of trial and error. Too much light will turn the water green; too little will stunt plant growth.

The lighting can be natural or artificial or a combination of both. The best position is near a north facing window. This should provide the ideal amount of indirect lights which an be supplemented by artificial light.

The lighting should be housed in wood constructed stylishly with the furniture and placed above the tank. if there is no natural day light, the lights should be left on for approximately eight hours per day.

If the water turns green, you cut down on the light.

The best light for showing off an aquarium comes from behind.

3 Equine Vices

Horses may develop vices for a number of reasons, but many learn them out of boredom. An Equine vice is a bad habit a horse has developed. Some vices are serious and can affect the horse’s health while most are relatively harmless. Most vices can go ignored, you might not even notice them, while others should be treated and stopped. Depending on how severe the vice, there may be little that you can do other than try to make life more comfortable for the horse.

Here are the three common equine vices that you might encounter.

Weaving
This is where the horse moves from side to side on their front legs in a swaying motion. They may do this any time because they have nothing better to do or because they are required stand still. You most commonly see this weaving when the horse is standing in its stall or is tethered. Many experts believe that this action releases endorphins that cause a “high” of sorts.

The best way to prevent weaving is to keep the horse busy – either eating hay or out running around in the pasture. This keeps the horse occupied and stops it having to sway to keep itself busy.

Cribbing and Wind Sucking
In most stables you will find a cribber. These horses bite onto just about anything they can get their teeth around, such as stall door or fence post and then suck in and swallow air. This air can then enter the digestive system where it can create air pockets. Many of these horses will develop severe gas colic because the horse is unable to release the gas. The air can also interfere with correct digestion. It is thought that these horses do this action because they get an endorphin that brings pleasure. Most horses can be treated with the fitting of an external cribbing collar that prevents the sucking action. There is also surgery and special drugs available for extreme cases.

Door and Wall Kicking
This is a behavior that occurs most frequently at feeding time. Horses can become very jealous and will kick at the walls of their neighbor’s stall. They may also kick the walls from boredom or just for fun. Some horses may kick hard enough that they break the bones in their ankles. These horses are also at a high risk for lameness and unsoundness issues. Prevent boredom by giving them toys to play with or letting them out in the paddock for regular runs.

Happy Horsing

Jo Thompson