Pets

[TNHawke]

Oh! For some reason, I thought Gars were river fish.

I miss my dragonscale betta. I had him and 3 females in my 50 gal tank. I'm down to just one red female now. I haven't decided if I'm going to get another/ more yet. The angels are barbs in that tank are pretty big and I don't want to risk them eating anybody. Tank is 3.5 years old now, and just this past year I lost 3 of the 5 angelfish (including my favorite white one), the male and 2 female bettas, all three of my green tiger barbs, and my blue ram. I'm down to two angels, two tiger barbs, two long fin rosey barbs, and the betta. And my two giant pictus cats, and the 2 albino and 2 peppered cory cats, and 3 oticinclus.
If I wanted to restock that tank, I would have to have another tank going to grow up the tiny babies sold in stores before I could add them to the big tank, and I just don't really have the room for that.

I did just recently set up my 29 gal, going live planted and mollies in there, breeding for feeder fish. We'll see how this goes. It's been up and running for about 2 months, added 3 creamsicle mollies 2 weeks ago, and 3 silvers this week. I've already got babies! I'm probably going to add another set of 3 and call it good. I want something either blue or red, so I might end up going with some platys or swords.

[Pod]

Gars are river fish, yes : ) They are found mostly in rivers, but also some ponds and lakes. They sorta move around.

Right now I'm in the process of looking for Betta imbellis or smaragdina, to set up my 30 gallon tank. I intend to get 2 males, and six females. I'm thinking live plants, but I haven't decided yet. I know I'm going to be adding in albino corydoras, though, since the 30 gallon isn't overstocked with the number of fish im trying to obtain. I might end up having to import them from Thailand, but that's a last resort if I can't find any within nearby states(I'm in the us)

[sammythethief]

Just a quick recommendation.

I bought Cosequin tablets for my German Shepherd, Sora. I noticed him bunny hopping on his back legs when he would run and go up the stairs, and he seemed a little stiff. It didn't slow him down any, but I could tell there was some modicum of discomfort. We are going to take him to the vet once his insurance kicks in, but I started him on those Cosequin tablets right away. I ordered these from Amazon (they're not the maximum strength), but I didn't want to wait until they arrived to start him on them, so I went to Walmart and bought the first ones I linked to.

At 90lbs/ 40kg, he gets three tablets a day: two in the morning and one in the evening. After four-six weeks, he'll be at a maintenance dose of 1-2 tablets a day. He's been on them for about a week and a half, and the other day, we finally started to see a difference. He's been more interested in playing fetch in the house again, and he goes up and down the stairs whenever it strikes his fancy, not just when my husband or I go. Yesterday, I had him on a walk and I picked up the pace to a run, and his back legs moved one in front of the other like they should - no bunny hopping. The same happened today. He's getting his usual energy level back - for a nearly two year old German Shepherd, that's a lot of energy. He's bursting with excitement and jumping for joy when I mention walkies or look at his leash for more than half a second. I'm so relieved that he's feeling better. If he continues to do well this week, we're going to take him back out to the trail by the river, and then maybe for a nice car ride up to PetSmart for a new toy or two.

I really do think it's because of the Cosequin tablets. They're glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, safe for dogs of all sizes and weights. As far as I know, they're good for any dog over six months old and my vet told me that they don't interfere with any medication, so they're safe to take any time, and they can be used long-term (here is the Nutramax website, the manufacturer of the cosequin tablets I buy; they also have cosequin tablets for cats!). Sora thinks they're treats - I ask him if he wants a cookie and he runs straight to the cabinet I keep them in. The glucosamine and chondroitin mix supports cartilage matrix production in the joints, and helps to protect the existing cartilage from breaking down. This means it's excellent for dogs with HD, arthritis, luxating patellas, and other mild to severe joint issues.

Sora will be going to the vet as soon as we're able. We want to get him tested to either rule out or confirm HD. Either way, we have these tablets to thank for his current improving condition. This is an investment I'm happy to make, and he'll be on these supplements for the rest of his life. Any GSD or other dog prone to such joint problems will also be automatically put onto them as soon as I bring them into my life. I wish I had known about them sooner, but I'm glad I found out about them. They've helped my baby more than prescription pain medicine has, and they're available over the counter. I'm very impressed with them, and I wanted to share what I've experienced with them with you guys, and hopefully it'll help you and your babies.

[snowflakeseal1234]

I have some problems with my pet axolotl... She has plenty of food, water and pretty big tank, which is cleaned out every week. She is 14 months old, and completely healthy up until a week ago. She ate very little and moved even less, but she has no signs of parasites or fungi on her. Please help?

[TNHawke]

@ MadameRed That's AWESOME! So glad you found something that seems to be working- and is probably helping the underlying issue, not just a bandaid fix like a pain killer. Keep us updated on Sora's progress, would you?

I have some problems with my pet axolotl... She has plenty of food, water and pretty big tank, which is cleaned out every week. She is 14 months old, and completely healthy up until a week ago. She ate very little and moved even less, but she has no signs of parasites or fungi on her. Please help?

I don't know much of anything about axolotl care, but a few basics...
Do you use tap water, bottled water, or conditioned water?
What's their average lifespan?
Is he warm enough?
Do they need UVB like many reptiles do?
Do they need to brumate/ hibernate?
Do they have a breeding season? Many tropical reptiles are in mid-breeding season, which for my female iguana means a lot less activity, a lot less eating, a lot more laying around. Hopefully she will soon start to dig like a fiend and then lay (non-fertile) eggs. Just wondering if maybe the axols do something similar.

[snowflakeseal1234]

@ MadameRed That's AWESOME! So glad you found something that seems to be working- and is probably helping the underlying issue, not just a bandaid fix like a pain killer. Keep us updated on Sora's progress, would you?

I have some problems with my pet axolotl... She has plenty of food, water and pretty big tank, which is cleaned out every week. She is 14 months old, and completely healthy up until a week ago. She ate very little and moved even less, but she has no signs of parasites or fungi on her. Please help?

I don't know much of anything about axolotl care, but a few basics...
Do you use tap water, bottled water, or conditioned water?
What's their average lifespan?
Is he warm enough?
Do they need UVB like many reptiles do?
Do they need to brumate/ hibernate?
Do they have a breeding season? Many tropical reptiles are in mid-breeding season, which for my female iguana means a lot less activity, a lot less eating, a lot more laying around. Hopefully she will soon start to dig like a fiend and then lay (non-fertile) eggs. Just wondering if maybe the axols do something similar.

I use de-chlorinated water, and she doesn't have a mate >< also, I think their average life span is 25-30 ish years? I might just take it to the vet, but I want to see if there's another solution.

[TNHawke]

Animals don't always need a mate to feel the effects of breeding season. Male igs tend to get extremely territorial and violent. My female is currently full of infertile eggs. She may lay them, or she may reabsorb them. She's never been with a male and lives alone. She's being a cranky pill and not eating much. If I didn't know it was breeding season and this is to be expected, I'd be worried. I AM a bit worried, because if she gets egg bound, it could kill her. I can't find any vets anywhere within 200 miles of me who are willing to spay her. It's frustrating.

[MothballMilkshake]

Ah, egg binding is pretty awful It's happened to maybe two of our female budgies since I can remember having them. As far as I know, it's worse for reptiles, yes? Hopefully she will be fine and sort them out for this season

[TNHawke]

With reptiles, you often don't even know there is a problem until it's far too late. They're even better at hiding symptoms than birds are. And it's especially nerve wracking for me because I've never been through it before, so I don't even know what 'normal' is for Magic when it comes to laying eggs.

[Silenxia]

Aren't some things rather obviously with birds? Like in the wild?