•    Birds should not have bald spots (May be a diseased bird or a feather- plucker)
•    Make sure area around the vent is clean
•    Check the eyes. Are they bright looking?
•    Bird should have all claws and feet should not be swollen

Of course there are more things to check for, but these are some of the important ones. Your veterinarian is your best source for health questions, especially one trained well in the care of birds.

This is probably why they need a safe den to sleep in, and why you should make sure your pet has an area to nap that is safe from prying eyes. A wild animal that snoozes so heavily would surely need to be safe in his den.

One great thing about ferrets is that they can be litter box trained. This is surely necessary if you plan to let your pet have the run of the house!

I’ve heard they make very affectionate pets, and if you live in a state that allows you to legally keep them as pets, you are very lucky indeed.

Once the demands of homework and after school activities take precedent, it’ll be up to the adults to pick up the slack. However, if the kids have gotten in the habit of helping, it’ll be that much easier on you. Just a thought!

When it comes to the real thing, be sure the bone you give your dog to gnaw on is a nice big one. Little bones can splinter or choke your dog, and sometimes can cause a dangerous stoppage in the bowel.

But don’t deny him bones completely- they must be so satisfying to a pooch. Just look how they bury them to savor later!

Guppies were imported to Europe in the first part of the last century. Now they’re considered domestic since so many generations have passed since their original capture. They’re commonly used in the laboratory, partly because they breed so easily in captivity. But they still flourish as much admired pet fish .

Guppies are also wonderful for clearing the area of mosquito larva. They’ve been used for this purpose in several locations. Trouble is, they can also decimate the local fish population by eating their eggs. That’s the trouble when we humans get involved in improving upon nature!

The mail is the fancier one of the two, so it’s pretty easy to pick out a pair. You might want to pick an especially pretty male to increase the chance of having some lovely new babies.

Make sure the tank isn’t too cold- they are tropical fish and aren’t used to cold temperatures. It’s also a good idea to have a lot of hiding places for the babies (fry), so plant some water grass for them. Your pet store workers should be able to steer you in the right direction.

They need to be fed at least once a day, but twice may be better. Just be wary of over-feeding. Overall, guppies are entertaining, and watching the little ones develop their beautiful fins is always interesting.

I advise you to find your vet before an emergency arises, maybe even before you bring your pet home! This is an area it really pays to be prepared in.

It’s always good practice to have a new pet examined just to make sure there are no health issues in the beginning.

The original wild canaries were from the Canary Islands and were a drab green color. But with all the human breeding interference canaries now come in a rainbow of colors, from bright yellow to pink. Some of these don’t have nearly as pretty a voice as the original green ones, though. That’s because they’ve been bred solely for their appearance and not their song.

One of my favorite canaries is the Gloster canary; with a “hairdo” that reminds me of the early Beatles!

When I was a child I collected frog eggs in the spring and watched them hatch and eventually turn into miniature frogs. I let them go then, but I learned more about nature from that experience than any amount of book learning about the changes from tadpole to adult frog.

Depending on where you live, you can learn about the animals in your vicinity then make a little “vacation home” for them. There’s no better way for a child to learn about nature than up close and personal!

They can mate at 3 months old, and the pregnancy only lasts about 3 weeks. When her time to give birth draws near, mom will build a really special nest. Be sure she has a lot of good materials to create it from.

The birthing process takes about an hour, and usually happens in the very wee hours of the morning. If you’re planning to witness this event, you may have to spend some sleepless nights waiting!

Most mama rates are good mothers, removing the amniotic sack, biting the umbilical cord and licking her babies clean. It’s hard to believe, but by the next evening she’s ready to mate again.