Huntington Beach, California, United States
petlover2
I have had several different breeds of dogs, cats, parrot, cockatiel, parakeets, hamsters, guinea pigs, geckos, red ear slider turtles, tarantula, tortoise, aquariums, betta fish, and mice. I am so happy to find a place where we can match ourselves to the perfect pet and also have ready access to solutions for the myriad of challenges life throws our way in relation to our "babies"
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![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2invertebraterating-photo-40-1_7-6-2018-148.jpeg&media=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2invertebraterating-photo-40-1_7-6-2018-148.jpeg&description=I have really enjoyed our tarantula, Rosie. She is very easy to care for and has taught us so much about her species. We got her as a gift for my youngest daughter and when she was almost 5 years old I took her to my kindergarten classroom on year as our class "mascot." Rose-hairs are exceptionally gentle. Her habitat consists of a 10 gallon aquarium with a wire mesh lid to prevent escape. Periodically when I am overhauling and cleaning her habitat, she visits family members and or a smaller holder. Take note that when you are holding a tarantula they instinctively emit teeny tiny hairs that will cause some slight skin irritation and a small rash. Over time some people get used to it and it doesn't bother them, my kiddos always wore gloves or long sleeves. I have used bark and sand but in the end, crushed walnuts are my favorite type of bedding. Along with some small hiding spots including cave-like rock formations or hollowed our small wood cylinders purchased in pet stores or online. We feed our tarantula live crickets. For a time when we had many geckos and a bearded dragon we raised our own crickets, but when we gave that up, crickets were easily purchased at the pet supply. In the winter in California, Rosie did really well without an extra heat source, but we did use a peel and stick heat pad under her aquarium periodically if we noticed that her appetite was down or feared the cold environment would cause illness. Basically, little Rosie has been one of the most friendly, interesting and easy to care for pets we have ever had! ){kind=link}
![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2-birdrating-photo-368-1_6-6-2018-929.jpeg&media=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2-birdrating-photo-368-1_6-6-2018-929.jpeg&description=So we got Amigo as a hatchling from a breeder in Laguna Beach, California. He was hand-fed and we participated in every aspect of his care with the breeder prior to his arrival in our home. What a character! From the moment he met our dog, Leonard, it was his mission to tease and annoy him! When he started talking we were so surprised that is was TO the dog! He literally jingled the bell at the top of his cage and called the dog!! "Leonard, come on, come on, let's go for a ride!" And that silly dog fell for it time and time again...partly because he either didn't realize it was the bird or because he figured the bell sounded just the like keys my sister jingled to call the dog for his favorite trip in the car! He would come tearing down the stairs and skid to a halt, sliding the floor mat up against the front door and then look at us, wagging, as if to say, "Ok! Here I am. Ready for adventure." The few times he realized we were going nowhere, he would look up at the cage in disgust, almost perceptibly muttering, "stupid bird" under his breath! We had so much fun with Amigo for the 18 years he lived. He would hang upside down from the perch and squawk loudly and ask, "How do I look? How do I look?" Hilarious. My sister taught him to sing a little Sesame Street song: "It ain't easy bein' green." But then he would add weird stuff on his own like, " A bow bow....oh, Frankie!!!" We never knew where he picked up half of his vocabulary but he put it all together and would talk for hours. For many years after he passed we would watch the videos we made of him and his numerous antics...he is forever missed. ){kind=link}
![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2-dograting-photo-1970-1_29-5-2018-4.jpeg&media=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2-dograting-photo-1970-1_29-5-2018-4.jpeg&description=This dog has been the perfect fit for our family from the minute I found her little "runt of the litter" self at the pet store. I have had Westies for many years and knew right away that this little mix was going to have trouble finding a home because of her tiny stature and silly, curly hair. She looked like a little rat! She was clearly the runt of the litter, but what a character, even as a puppy! Her antics made us laugh daily. She was so good with our little family, my three daughters adored her. Our older westie, Oreo, gave up the Alpha Wolf position almost immediately. Bonnie will be ten years old in June and still acts like a puppy every night, wrestling her older (12 years) brother and running around with her "baby," a squeackie toy. Some things to note about Westie/poo mixes. Like their Westie cousins, they have have notoriously dry skin. No grain diets and avoiding shampooing too often and outside allergens cut down on excessive itching. Westies have an undercoat that needs daily "plucking" in order for their coat to come in thick and strong, but with the mixed poodle, her hair stayed semi-curly and unruly and thin her whole life. I expect her life span to exceed 16 years because of her healthy lifestyle. Annual veterinarian visits, daily walks, weekly teeth brushing, daily brushing, varieties of mental stimulation and providing teething and chewing bones have prolonged and improved the quality of life for our dogs. I do believe the constant attention of small children for many years had a positive effect as well. My college aged children still video call with this dog and when she responds they are thrilled! All in all, a hearty, intelligent addition to any family.){kind=link}
![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2fishrating-photo-14-1_11-5-2018-638.jpeg&media=https://cdn.rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/petlover2fishrating-photo-14-1_11-5-2018-638.jpeg&description=Bettas are like potato chips. Most people get more than one at some point in their lives. My adventures with the Betta, or "Siamese fighting fish" as they are commonly known, began in 1982 with a big, red beauty names Maynard. I found him in a tiny cup with air holes poked into the lid and he looked at me. I was horrified that he was in such a tiny container. The manager assured me that this was how they were shipped and that Bettas could literally survive in a small bowl of water, IF the water was treated properly and changed periodically. I was sold! After the first year, I decided to study up and breed Maynard and that was the beginning of a two year enterprise! The breeding process is fascinating and these fish are so beautiful that I often consider starting again. Once I started a family of my own, bettas became the first or "starter" pet for each of my daughters. When I began teaching Kindergarten, we kept them in bowls and/or the random aquarium as class pets and were used daily as a teaching tool for various units involving personal responsibility and citizenship. Bettas thrive with proper feeding and adequate temperature controls and can live for more than a year. Maynard was two and half when he passed! For vivid color and to showcase their beauty, feed live tubafex worms at least once a week (found at your local pet store or aquarium and kept in the refrigerator) and place a small mirror (or another live betta in a bowl) up close to the glass and this will provide hours of fighting stance display. The betta actually "puffs up" and extends his fins and gills to make himself larger and to intimidate his "opponent" and it is in that posturing that the betta is the most beautiful.
Males and females have significantly different sizes to their dorsal fins and coloring. The photo here is one of the most beautiful females I have ever seen. Typically they are brownish grey in color and have unremarkable fins. When breeding it is important to know that the female should be moved to a recovery tank as soon as all of her eggs have been expelled by the breeding process so that she might adequately recover. The ritual itself can be quite violent, so if you are considering breeding, I recommend studying one of the many books written about the subject prior to taking on this project. Overall it is a wonderful experience and I am so glad that I pursued it! These days, I am able to care for my three males that I keep in their respective vases except for three of four times a week when I slide them toward each other and watch the "tournament" unfold when they spy each other. Let the games begin!! ){kind=link}