exotics

Mouse Care

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Mouse Care

 

Welcome to March, CHS Supporters!

March is one of our favorite months at Calgary Humane Society because everything starts to turn green, our summer camp program starts to take shape and we start to plan our flower beds for the summer season.

This year we have an interesting influx of little critters at the shelter and we are spending the month of March celebrating these little furry residents. Currently we have several small animals including mice and guinea pigs, looking for great homes. Today on the blog, we’re looking at the real truth behind pet mice!

The domestic fancy mouse has been bred for many years, producing a wide variety of coat patterns and colours. Domestic mice are typically small in size and have bright eyes, dainty paws, large ears and a constantly twitching nose that make them the picture of cuteness. Their small size makes them appealing to many families with limited space. For the right family, domestic mice can be engaging and enjoyable pets, but their low cost unfortunately leads to many mice falling victim to impulse pet purchases each year. At Calgary Humane Society, we love all of our resident critters and so today we are bringing you all the information you need to care for a pet mouse! (more…)

Exotic Explorations: Hamsters

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Exotic Explorations Hamster

Welcome back, CHS Supporters! Welcome once again to another exciting entry for exotics month here on the blog!

We hope you have been enjoying our exotic explorations so far and today we are bringing you a look at one of the most popular exotic pets out there… the noble hamster!

They’re tiny, they’re cute and you can call them hammy hams. What’s not to love? The hamster has established itself as a major player in the domestic pet population.

How have these endearing little rodents rocketed themselves to becoming a recognizable fixture in the world of household pets? Could a hamster be a good pet for you? Read on to find out more! (more…)

Can Pets Sweat?

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do pets sweat
Good morning Calgary Humane Society supporters!

We hope you had a great summer full of sun, heat and all the other great things that summer brings!

Today we bring you an interesting question that we hear from time to time at Calgary Humane Society: Can our pets sweat? If not, how do they beat the heat?

(more…)

Exotic Explorations: Corn Snake Edition

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corn snake edition

Hello once again, CHS Supporters!

We hope you are enjoying our extension on exotics month at Calgary Humane Society! All September long we have reduced adoption fees on some of the more… unusual animals that call Calgary Humane Society home.

Today we bring you another exotic exploration of an often misunderstood species… the humble corn snake!

Ahh the corn snake. What’s not to love about this small, sleek and brightly coloured little snake? Well, unfortunately for the corn snake the number one thing that keeps adopters away is a general stigma towards snakes and snake ownership. As an exotic animal, snakes do require some special husbandry but much of the stigma faced by snakes is a result of myths. In reality, a corn snake can be a great pet for the right family. So let’s spend some time busting myths and looking at the reality of corn snakes as pets! (more…)

How Rabbits Hear: the long and short of bunny ears

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bunny ears

Goooooood morning CHS supporters!

We hope you are all having a very safe and happy beginning to the fall season. If you are a wildlife fan you may be celebrating fall by watching for the prairie hares to start changing colour (let us know on Facebook if you’d like to see a blog entry on that phenomenon). The rest of us? Well, we’re still firmly in denial about the upcoming winter season… so today on the blog we’re looking at one of the coolest features bunnies have… some pretty awesome ears!

So, aside from being incredibly difficult to fit for earmuffs, what makes rabbit ears so special? (more…)

So you wanna adopt a rabbit?

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So you wanna adopt a rabbit

 

So let’s just clear the air. Half of you reading this post are thinking: “What? Calgary Humane Society has rabbits? I had no idea!” Don’t worry – we get it all the time. But it’s the truth – Calgary Humane Society gets rabbits and LOTS of them!

There’s tons of myths around rabbits including they are a caged pet (uh, definitely not!), they are messy (they can be litter trained!) and that they are the perfect pet for young children to have (we think rabbits need to be a family pet, not just the kids pet. Just like a cat or dog!). In truth, rabbits are great pets and we think you should give them a second look!

Calgary Humane Society has lots of rabbits: brown ones, white ones, tiny ones, big ones, independent ones and social ones. You name it we’ve got it!

Here is the process to make one of our adorable buns yours! (more…)

Exotic vet for your exotic pet

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exotic vet for exotic pet

Good morning, CHS Supporters! We hope you are loving our look at all things exotic and wonderful on the blog this month. Today we’re bringing you a short article on exactly what an exotic vet is and why your exotic animal needs one!

Like all animals, exotic pets require regular vet care to ensure they are happy and healthy. Just like a cat or a dog, exotic pets will have different health challenges over their lifespan and yearly vet visits will give you the opportunity to catch the early signs of aging and take the appropriate steps to ensure your pet has the best possible life. (more…)

Exotic Complexities: Climate Edition!

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Exotic complexities climate-300

 

Hello again, CHS Supporters! We hope you are enjoying exotics month here on the blog. For the entire month of August we will be tackling all things related to exotic pets, so if you have a question or topic that you would like to see covered, let us know on our Facebook page!

This month we are going to be wading in to some murky but important waters: the complexity of keeping exotic animals.

Now, to get the conversation off to a good start, it’s important to note there is no way one blog entry could cover all the complexities of exotic pets. Every exotic animal will have a different set of requirements and there is even debate within the veterinary field when it comes to the ‘best’ way to keep certain species.

One of the number one issues surrounding the keeping of exotic pets in captivity is housing, so we’re going to kick off this series with an in-depth look at an important element to any home: climate! (more…)

Turtle or tortoise? What’s the difference?  

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Turtle or tortoise - w

Happy Exotics Month, CHS Supporters! We hope you are loving the August weather and also enjoying our celebration of the lesser known critters here at Calgary Humane Society.

This week on the blog we bring you an answer to one of our most popular questions: What is the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? (more…)

What is an exotic pet?

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Exotics

Today, in honour of exotics month here on the blog, we wanted to tackle the important question… What the heck is an “exotic” pet anyways?

If you have found yourself wondering this you are not alone! In fact, we found several different definitions while looking for the answer! (more…)