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danday1986
I've loved pets ever since I was a youngin' in the rural community of Jeffersonville, Georgia. Naturally, I'm a dog lover but I tend to give other animals an opportunity to prove themselves to me. I've kept many different pets during my life including snakes, lizards, turtles, dogs, cats, mice, ferrets, hamsters, birds, goats, sheep, pigs, and horses.
I've always loved animals and respect their unconditional support and love they provide their care takers. Only if humanity could treat each other the way animals treat humans, we could be a better world after all.
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. <br><br>That was a comical statement for the most part, but the Husky I had did chew some things up. After a few disciplinary procedures (lock-up), I think he got the hint. <br><br>Huskies are natural explorers and great service dogs. If you live on a farm and have the patience to teach them how to herd, they can become very good at moving cattle. <br><br>In the cold, their thick fur helps keep them warm but be mindful of this in the summer because Huskies don't shed as fast as they should (naturally) and a routine trimming is required. <br><br>For diet, my husky liked most off the shelf brands of dog food, just not the cheapest of the cheap stuff (dollar store brands). They require a lot of water so at least a gallon of water a day somewhere they can get to is adequate. <br><br>Obedience training and house breaking takes a little patience. DO NOT FORCE their nose in their poop. I've always been against this and Huskies will defend themselves if you force them into something they don't want. Mine didn't but a friend of mine lost some meat on his forearm for doing this. The best way to house break a husky is to 'guilt-trip' the dog until they understand. I broke Siba by walking him to the accident, having him sit down, and talk to him like 'oh this isn't good', 'we made a mistake here', and 'where did that come from?' in a rhetorical tone. <br><br>Huskies are VERY intelligent and they know when they've done something bad. If you can provide a doggy door - great! If not, then the best way is to walk them from the accident, have them sit at the door with it closed, and use their paw to scratch at the door. There are scratch resistant covers made for this and cost three or four dollars. <br><br>Huskies are naturally good with children as long as they are with the children as a pup. Children have to be taught how to properly treat a dog and you can't expect that a husky will allow a child to climb on it or sit on it. They don't like this kind of treatment. <br><br>GREAT guard dogs. These are very territorial and protective animals and have been known to fight to the death to protect their family. Very good travelers too and they have great memory for finding their way home if they get lost. I've heard stories of a husky traveling hundreds of miles home after the owner took him off. <br><br>For the most part, these are great pets for a small family or single person. Like the German Shephard, no one will get past this breed of dogs without you knowing. <br><br>Unfortunately these dogs aren't immune to Rattle Snakes and that is what got the best of Siba.){kind=link}
 and typically came home when she was done exploring. She would climb up the vinyl siding by my window and meow until I let her in, then climb onto the bed and curl up above my head to sleep. <br><br>Hair was a major problem and any where I went I'd have to lint brush my clothes to get the hair off. She shed a lot and it was long, soft, fine hairs too. <br><br>I lived with this cat until just before I joined the Military and though she was not old, she was beginning to age. When she did not stay near me or eat or explore she'd lay out on the ironing table in the laundry room. There was a patch in the wall where we were fixing it and one day she hopped down and her collar got caught on a piece of wood sticking out. She died from asphyxiation. I was heartbroken.<br><br>I loved this cat very much and she kept me company. She didn't demand a lot of attention but when she needed it, I'd give it to her. She loved the top of her head, whiskers, and top of her spine (at the tail) scratched (what cat doesn't like that?). <br><br>Litter box training was fairly simple and after two or three times she got it down pact. She never had kittens and was not spayed - I would have liked to have a heir to her bloodline. This was the only cat I've ever owned and would not own another one unless they were much like her.){kind=link}
 body. The snake couldn't have been more than a year old, but had an appetite of a lion. Field mice are common in middle Georgia (farm lands) and this snake had found one on his journey to my home. <br><br>I read about the snake prior to handling him and though everything I read said the snake was non-venomous, I was still reluctant to handle him (at first). The snake struck at me three or four times until I finally grabbed a good hold of it. <br><br>While holding, the snake seemed to calm down and within three or four hours was climbing around my body. I built an environment for the snake that included a heating stone (essential for food digestion), water source (I used a bowl from the kitchen), a concealment (snakes love to hide - that's what they do), and a long branch I found in the forest that I broke down for him to climb on. I added a heating lamp later (to act as the sun) though his environment was kept near a window with ample sunlight. <br><br>Keeping a snake, regardless of what kind, requires some attention. It is imperative to know when they require feeding and when they don't. If the snake is not hungry and does not go after the food source within 10 or fifteen minutes, it's probably a good indicator that the snake is not hungry. Snakes do not eat a meal every day. I fed mine once every three to five days and only after the digestion of the last meal was released (the bone ball). I also used tap water straight from the faucet (a veterinarian recommended this) and changed the water bowl each week. <br><br>The heating stone is probably the most (aside from basic needs ie. water, food) important asset when keeping a snake. Snakes are coldblooded and when temperature lowers the snakes use the heat source to maintain blood flow. The heat stone also mimics sunlight by warming the snake to digest the food using natural enzymes within their systems. <br><br>A heat lamp is not required, but I added one so that the snake would not just stay on the rock. <br><br>The snake 'needle' warmed up to me after a while and was able to handle quite easily. It struck at me a few times and though it doesn't hurt it does complicate things. <br><br>King Snakes can eat many animals including mice, birds, rats, and even other snakes. Often enough in the wild, a Florida Kingsnake will eat Rattle Snakes as they are immune to the venom. <br><br>I enjoyed my time with 'needle' but ended up having to give him up when I moved. The guy who adopted him had many snakes and knew much about them so I know he's still alive and I've visited him a few times, though he still strikes at me when I first get him out to hold. Snakes typically don't like being held and handling requires a bit of patience and temperament. <br><br>Though this is not my snake in the image, it is a striking resemblance.){kind=link}