Remember Your First Pet?

Most of us remember growing up with a puppy.

It was always with you.   It was by your side when you woke up.   It greeted you when you came home from school.   You pulled it around in a red wagon outside the house.  The puppy grew; and still it listened to you on your saddest days.    Your special dog even forgave you when you did something wrong.   Many of your happiest moments and days were shared with your friend.   And, most of all, your dog loved you no matter what.

We all cherish those special memories growing up with a favorite pet.   And, if you are like me, you cannot imagine what it would have been like growing up without a dog or other companion pet.

Now it is a new time in your life.   Do you still have a dog?   Do your children have a dog?   If so, great; we are sure you have a special friendship and bond forever growing.   If not, please think about what could be missing in yours or your child’s life.

There are so many dogs and puppies that need forever homes; ones living in shelters, ones being fostered or in rescues and even those from responsible breeders.

Don’t let dog ownership die.   Let’s keep the passion for dogs and all pets alive.

Think about the great times you had growing up with your dog.   Don’t let your children miss out on all the caring, responsibility and love that could exist just around the corner.

It does not have to be a puppy….there are many other great pets that teach love, forgiveness, compassion and caring.   It might even be a cat, fish, reptile or something small and furry.  Let’s do our part to keep pets in the next generation.

Backyard Bird Feeding

Backyard bird feeding has become quite a familiar sight.   Most of us love to see the finches, sparrows and doves dining on a selection of seeds that we put out.   It is relaxing and we are certainly helping out wildlife.

Remember to supply high quality foods when filling your feeders.   Look for ones without a lot of fillers.   Some seed mixes are loaded with red millet and other fillers which are not really treasured by many birds and will end up as waste on the ground for unwanted pests.

Some good brands of seeds will contain as many of four types of oil seeds which the larger song birds prefer.   Some also have slices of almonds and apples for fat, energy and taste.   Just remember to find the perfect blend for the types of birds you are feeding.

Please also ensure that if you have a silo type feeder, that you wash it out often.   Rain water can make the food moldy which can have a sickening effect on the birds.   Seed should stay dry at all times.  Remember also to place your feeders away from shrubs where cats and other predators can hide.  Also make sure they are not near windows where the birds would possibly crash into the glass.

Now that winter is here, make sure that you do not stop filling your feeders.   Some birds will be looking for the food if they have been habitual visitors.   Now is not the time to stop.   The birds will need seed and suet to stay warm and cozy on cold winter nights.

One other thought…it is a cold, snowy, dreary day in February and you look out your window to see a group of birds swarming around your feeder.   They are happy, content, and full….how is your mood now?

Why Water Changes?

Having a pet store with a large amount of fish and fish sales; we get many questions that are repeated over and over again.   One common question is:

What is the importance of partial water changes in my aquarium?

We would like to take a moment to answer this one.

First, even though your tank water looks good, it may not be in good condition.   A lot goes on chemically in an aquarium unseen by your eyes.   If you do not siphon out water and vacuum gravel, excess organic waste and minerals build up, causing water quality to deteriorate.   Your pH levels can get very low, your fish could become diseased and you could have unexplained fish loss.

Instead of just replacing water lost due to evaporation: once a week, use a gravel siphon and siphon out 10% of your water.   (If you do not know how to use a gravel siphon, most pet stores can usually provide instruction.)   Make sure you sift through the gravel to remove fish waste and uneaten food.  If this cannot be done weekly, at least do 20% to 25% every two or three weeks.   When refilling your tank, make sure to alter pH, temper water, use a water conditioner (to de-chlorinate and put a slime coat on fish) and add aquarium salt (to help prevent disease).   These water changes will help maintain a healthy, stable environment for your fish and will allow you to add new inhabitants more easily.

Gone Fishing (Or, how do we get those fish?)

Do you remember the Prince Spaghetti commercials?   Some of you may.   They always mentioned that Wednesday was “Prince Spaghetti Day.”

Well, we at Animal Kingdom have a day almost like it; Tuesday is “Fish Day.”

It is the day we get a new selection of Tropical and Marine fish.   Each and every Tuesday, our very dedicated store manager arises early to make the 75 mile trip to our fish wholesaler.   Once there, he strolls up and down the aisles of massive freshwater tanks.   He looks for the best possible fish, at the best possible price, to bring back to you, our Animal Kingdom clients.   Many times, another associate even volunteers to go with him just to help and to see what there is to offer.   It is very exciting, but also very time consuming.

After making the visual selections, the next step is to go into each and every tank with a net to “hand select” the best of each species.   Our staff searches for the fish with the best looking features!   Nice bright eyes, non-nipped fins, nice bodies, etc.   It is hard work, but we think it is worth it.   We love bringing you the best possible fish for your home aquarium.

We joke at the store and constantly tell people that Tuesday is “the day we go fishing.”

Once all the fish are hand selected, they are given to the staff at the wholesaler to bag up with oxygen.   Each species is placed into its own bag, and some are even more separated than that.   Anything aggressive has to be individually bagged so there is no fighting on the way home!

The bags are inserted into boxes to prevent weather extremes and sealed to keep out light.   This makes it less stressful for the fish during the trip back.

The Marine fish are in a separate location in the building and some of the same procedures take place.  The only difference is that we do not net out the fish.   We “eye” the ones we want, and a marine staff member will either “cup” or carefully net the fish so as not to damage it in any way.   The staff also advises us as to which fish is eating well and will often advise us not to purchase a fish that they do not feel is doing well at the time.   They will even offer to hold the fish until next week to give it more time to acclimate.   These are some strong persuasive reasons that keep us going back to this specific wholesaler!

So, you can see this is a winning combination for you and for us.

Once back at the store the fish are, once again, examined and placed carefully into the tanks.   If anything does not look quite right, we will not sell it until it does.

Tuesday is a very long day for our manager and fish staff.   But, we hope you appreciate the quality and the process that is involved in bringing you each and every fish.  We are dedicated to bringing you the best of all species.

If there is ever any fish you are interested in, that you do not see in the store, please ask our staff.   There might be a week that they walk into the wholesaler and “see” it.   We will definitely try to fill your request.