Betta Care: Points to Remember

Once you have chosen the living space for your betta fish, then you are almost ready to add your fish to their new environment but there are some important points that you should take into account for optimum betta care to keep your fish free from danger and disease and to keep them healthy.

When decorating your bettas home you should:

1. Take care to avoid jagged rocks and decorations because the betta fish could tear their fins on these. Stick to smooth surfaces when thinking about optimum betta care.

2. Make sure that you avoid any hard plastic plants as they can damage the bettas fins because they can be quite rough. If you are not sure about the roughness of the plants, then why not try the pantyhose test. Rub the plastic plant over a pair of pantyhose and if they snag or rip them then this means that the plants might damage the bettas fins. To be safe, by silk plants to increase betta care and happiness.

3. You dont have to use live plants but they can be a great addition to the betta fish tanks. Bettas enjoy hiding in the leaves to sleep and they can be much prettier than silk plants- and gentler on the bettas fins.

Another important point to consider when it comes to betta care is the water preparation. You should always use a water conditioner for any fish when putting tap water into a tank, and it is important to note that chlorine in the water can be harmful to betta fish. You can also let the water stand for a few days to remove the chlorine, but it is still very important to use a conditioner to remove chloramines.

When you fill your tank, you should fill it to about 80% of its capacity if it is an open top tank because when motivated, betta fish can jump over 3 inches! And you dont want your fish to leap out all over the place. you can use a mesh cloth which sits over the top of the tank so that the fish are not encouraged to jump and your can add extra water which will make the betta fish happier and can access the surface air easier. Before you add the fish to the tank, be sure to test the temperature of the water, it must be maintained at 78-82 degrees so a small heater will make this easier to do because the water temperature is often cooler than room temperature. You are now ready to add your betta fish to the tank!

Cat Carriers for Fun or Fashion

Cat carriers are an essential supply for any pet owner.
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Wether it's simple trips to the vet or traveling, you want to make sure you get a carrier that is safe, easy to use and functional. We'll point you in the right direction whether you want a basic kennel cab, or a designer carry bag that is functional and looks great!
Make sure you purchase a cat carrier that is comfortable for your cat. It should be about 1 ½ times the size of the cat and he should be able to lie flat and turn around inside the carrier. If you are traveling on a plane with your cat, you'll want to check with the airline to make sure your carrier is accepted. Generally, most hard sided carriers are OK for pet travel.
Having tried to shove our cats into front loading kennel cabs many a time, we recommend a top loading carrier like the soft sided Cozy Carrier.
The top loading carriers are much easier, you just scoop up your cat and plop him in before he knows what's happened!
Soft sided carriers can be more comfortable and are accepted by some airlines for traveling with pets under the seat in the passenger cabin. Some soft sided carriers have optional travel tray and travel kits while others have wheels like the Sherpa-On-Wheels. And don't forget a front carrier for taking your pet anywhere and still having your hands free.
You can have your cat carriers and look great too! Check out these designer carriers - how about this great faux animal skin tote or this 1940's style bag, or my favorite, this zebra lined tote that looks like a pair of jeans on the front! Or slip your friend into the faux mink or faux crocodile carrier.

Care Tips For Your Seasonal Pests

Ahhhhh, finally the warmer weather seems to have arrived. And, for most of us that means more time spent outdoors; which of course, means taking extra precautions to protect ourselves and our skin. But, what about our pets? It’s likely they’ll want to enjoy the longer days and the sun as well, and its up to us to protect them form season pests. Still, some suggest that it’s equally as important to protect them from harmful ingredients and chemicals found in many ointments and treatments. Here are some natural alternatives.

· Top of the line topical treatments: According to experts spraying on pest control is the most traditional approach to protecting our pups from outdoor seasonal pests. And, while they begin to work ASAP, dogs tend to get down and dirty when outside and the means that the natural treatments will rub off making more application a must.

They suggest mixing 50 percent apple cider vinegar and 50 percent warm water for a natural unapasteurized treatment that you can spay on your pet daily with special attention to the base of the tail and behind the ears.

The apple cider vinegar can also be administered orally, but use caution when it comes to pets with yeast allergy, since this method should be avoided with them. Vets that prefer a natural approach suggest adding unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to your pet’s food or drinking water, using one teaspoon for cats and small dogs (up to 14 pounds), two teaspoons for medium-size dogs (15 to 34 pounds) and one tablespoon for large dogs (35 to 84 pounds) They note that in addition to acting as a flea-repellent, apple cider vinegar can also improve digestion and relieve arthritis.

Another alternative to keeping cats flea-less is to thinly slice a lemon, including the peel and add it to a pint of water and bringing it to a boil. Allow the mix to sit overnight and apply to kitty’s fur in the morning. This treatment is safely administered once a month.

· Holistic Collars: This is for pups only. Experts suggest adding eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, rose geranium, or citronella essential oil to a sturdy and solid woven nylon collar, a bandanna, or a rope collar and placing it on your pet. They recommend using an eyedropper to put one drop of 100 percent pure essential oil to your pooch’s collar each week. And, if your pup is okay with the scent you can increase the “dosage” to two drops per week. This “remedy” will repel both ticks and fleas and should be replenished weekly. However, it is NOT recommended for cats, since the essential oils are toxic and lethal to them. Experts add that pregnant women should also avoid contact with undiluted essential oils.

· More all-natural strategies: Experts recommend brewer’s yeast and garlic for dogs. In fact, they note that you can safely give you dog up to two cloves of garlic daily. Also, little dogs are allowed one teaspoon of brewer’s yeast daily, while larger dogs, 50-pounds, plus, can consume one tablespoon each day. Experts suggest keeping these “delicacies” out of the reach of your pup. However, be prepared for an “unflattering” smell, since once the mixture is ingested it will be emitted from your pooch’s skin acting as a repellent for warm weather pests such as ticks and fleas. DO NOT give garlic to cats, it is toxic to them.