Know Your Pets

Five hours before my rat had babies, I removed her cagemates and placed them in a separate cage. Seven days before my tarantula moulted her exoskeleton, I increased the humidity in her tank by 15%. When our guinea pigs squealed at my husband in the kitchen, I told him they wanted a piece of grapefruit. He brought them apple, which they ignored. He went back for grapefruit, which they immediately started eating. My husband thinks I'm an animal psychic, but really, I just know my pets. Spending time with a pet is the most important thing you can do for it.

Not only is it good for both you, psychologically and emotionally, but it pays to understand your pet's moods and habits. Many pet owners have gotten a feeling that "something isn't right" before any symptoms of a disease start showing. They may not be able to pinpoint what is wrong -- maybe Fluffy wasn't as interested in usual in being petted, or Rex didn't seem as hungry for his dinner -- but they know something is different.

For most pets, a change in behaviour is your first warning that something is wrong, or that a significant event, such as giving birth or shedding a skin, is imminent. Most illnesses cause our pets to change their daily habits in slight ways. Your pet may feel sick, but not yet have a runny nose, hair loss, or other symptom. He may instead show his feelings by wanting to sleep when he would usually play, or by turning up his nose at a favourite treat. By recognizing that your pet is acting differently, you are getting a jump on treatment.

Some of our pets aren't far removed from their ancestry in the wild. Birds and lizards, in particular, instinctually hide their symptoms from observers, since otherwise, in the wild, they could be targeted by predators as easier prey. Often, by the time a bird or lizard shows a symptom, the illness has progressed dangerously far and the animal is just too weak to hide it any longer. The illness will now be much harder to treat successfully.

By spending time with your pets, and getting to know their routines, moods, and history, you have an invaluable jump start on their care.

I knew my rat would give birth that day because I knew how approximately how long she had been pregnant, and she and her cagemates started showing interes