Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Discus Fish Disease Once It Strikes Is Very Hard To Cure

Pet owners need to understand types of discus fish disease in order for them to be able to see the signs and symptoms and get help right away before anything gets worse. Remember that discus fish are expensive pets you would not want your investment to just die. Aside from that, they are highly interactive pets and you can easily get attached to them. As a pet owner, you would want the best care for them.
Prevention is better than cure. Discus fish disease once it strikes is very hard to cure. There is not much research on how humans can help them, which is why owners have to make sure to provide them the best living conditions and prevent them from getting any discus fish disease.
One of the common discus fish diseases is what we call hole in the head. The symptoms involve a small pinhole size development that can be seen on the head near the eyes and the mouth region. It is said to be caused by a protozoan infection and if not treated right away it could cause them to die. Cure it by using a soluble antibiotic that can be found in pet stores. Mix it in the water and make sure the water temperature is at 32 degree Celsius. Keep the water aerated before placing the medicine in order for it to work. Expect 3 days for it to get solved.
Another kind of discus fish disease is the gill flu. This is harder to solve because the disease can destroy the immune system of the fish, which will make it harder to cure the problem because the fish will not respond to treatment right away. The discus fish will have hard time breathing and after that can collapse on the surface of the water disabling them from swimming and the fish can turn into a dark pale color. Suggestions of using formalin and potassium permanganate combined with fluke tabs are seen to be the cure. Use it on interval in the span 4 weeks and make sure that there are no larvae that will remain in the water in order to prevent it from occurring again.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Rabbit Handling Tips

Think about the first time you picked up and carried a baby. It must have been an exciting but also frightening experience. You are not that sure if you are handling the baby right. While it may offend some to compare a rabbit with a baby, rabbit handling should also be done correctly for your pet's safety and for yours, as well. Here are some rabbit handling tips:
Approach by Stroking Its Head
The approach is the first step of raising rabbits. Do you know that your pet rabbit cannot see what is directly in front of its nose? That said, if you stroke its nose, you may get your hand bitten by a badly frightened rabbit. So, you stroke its head, instead. It is sort of like a signal that you are a friend and that you meant it no harm.
Lift from Its Level
Because lifting it suddenly may alarm the poor rabbit, you should lift it while crouching low on the floor. This way, your pet can see just who it is that is about to pick it up. Assure your pet that you are not about to eat it, just about to lift and cuddle it. One rule of rabbit handling is establishing the trust. The rabbit is an herbivore. It has to fend off many a predator higher up in the food chain.
Keep Its Spine Curved
When rabbit handling, remember to keep your pet's back curved. Why is that so important? Well, if your pet suddenly kicks and trashes while it straightens its back, it can actually break its spine. The rabbit is not just soft and cuddly but it is also extremely fragile. It should actually have a "handle with care" sign on it.
Release If It Struggles
If your pet rabbit keeps fighting you off, you should slowly release it. Get down on a crouching position as you have first picked it up, and gently place the rabbit on the ground. If you do not let go of the pet and let it violently kick while being held, it could break its spine. The rabbit may also break its back if it suddenly jumps from a great height. As mentioned earlier, you have with you a very delicate pet.
Upon reading the above guidelines, you now know that rabbit handling entails being extra careful. If you do not want the rabbit to end up crippled, you have to know just how to gently approach, lift, carry and release it.