Cloud Rats Are Gentle And Lovely

Cloud rats are gentle and lovely rodents found only in the Philippine. Six species of cloud rats in habitat the Philippine. These are the Northern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat (Phloeomys pallidus), Southern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingi), giant bushy-tailed cloud rat (Crateromys schadenbergi), Ilin Island cloud rat (Crateromys paulus), Dinagat Island cloud rat (Crateromys australis) and Panay Island bushy-tailed cloud rat (Crateromys heaneyi). The Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat and the Ilin-hairy tailed cloud rat are extremely endangered while the Ilin hairy-tailed cloud rat found only in the Ilin Island south of Mindoro is on the verge of extinction. Others claim it is already extinct. The smallest is the Crateromys paulus.

The Phloeomys cumingi and Phloeomys pallidus are still off the endangered list because there is still a healthy population of these species in the wild. Unlike their parasite and disease carrying cousin rats in urban places, cloud rats are forest dwellers. They are slow moving creatures but are excellent tree climbers. Cloud rats are nocturnal creatures spending most of the day sleeping in the hole of large trees. Their diet is simple consisting mostly of tender young leaves, bananas, guavas, and young corns (Novak, 1999). Survival of cloud rats is threatened by hunting and wide scale deforestation. Cloud rats are usually hunted for their meat, which is a favorite finger food or pulutan during drinking session in rural areas. Others keep them as pets. Cloud rats are among the wildlife species protected by the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources a member of the World Conservation Union with linkages with a number of conservation groups nationally and internationally.

Basic studies on the biology and health aspects of cloud rats should be encouraged to complement variouson-going conservation measures. In the Philippines, Maala and Arreola (1996) described the hair cuticles of the cloud rat from those of flying lemur and Philippine monkey by means of scanning electron microscopy. Based on the result of their study the three species could be differentiated from each other through the cuticular patterns of their hair. A study on the anatomy of the cloud rat is presently undertaken at the Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Banos.

Introducing Your Puppy To His Crate

Your puppy will most likely not have spent much time in a crate before he comes to live with you (except perhaps during travel, or if his breeder started him on housebreaking) so crate training will be new to him.

The main reason why crate training a puppy is so effective is that it taps into your pup's natural desire to keep his 'den' clean.
In the wild, puppies would toddle out of their den to eliminate - even if it's only two tiny puppy-sized steps outside! This is instinctive behavior and is hard-wired into their little brains.
Now, your little guy has never seen a real 'den', but being in his crate will trigger that deep-seated instinct and he'll naturally do his very best not to pee or poop until you let him out.
Although crate training a puppy will help make housebreaking much easier for you both, your puppy is a baby and has other natural instincts to deal with too. One of them is that he instinctively wants to be right next to his pack - and that pack is now YOU.
He feels anxious and worried if he's away from you (because in the wild a puppy who gets separated is vulnerable and in great danger). This is why he will cry and complain and fuss and whine at first.... not because he hates his crate!
Of course, he's perfectly safe... he just doesn't know it yet. And as he's a domesticated dog and not a lone wolf, he needs to get used to being separated from you from short periods, so it's okay to ignore the fussingclick here for more on this
When you're crate training a puppy, it makes the whole process a bit easier if you let him get used to his new crate, and feel comfortable around it, before he has to spend much time actually inside it.
Something worth mentioning here is that you should never use the crate as punishment. Fido needs to think of his crate as a safe, happy place where he gets the chance to chew on his very favorite toys! Putting him in his crate as a punishment or when you're angry with him will undo all the hard work you invested in the first place.
Here are some basic rules of crate training and a few ideas for ways in which you can help Fido get accustomed to his new crate and learn that it's a fun place to spend time -
Open access
When you begin crate training a puppy, leave the crate door open and throw some really tasty treats inside, all the way to the back. Puppy curiosity will get the better of your little fur ball sooner or later and he'll venture inside to claim them.
Feed him inside
Give Fido his meals inside the crate (with the door open). This way he learns to associate one of his favorite things (food!) with his crate. If he seems scared at first try feeding him right outside the crate door a couple of times then try it inside again.
Play Hide & Seek
Make crate training a puppy fun by playing this game. Put a tasty treat or special toy inside his crate and then encourage Fido to 'find' it. Using a happy, friendly voice say something along the lines of"where's your goodie? Let's find it?".
Follow the search with praise, such as "Oh, there it is. It's in your crate (or bed, house whatever you want to call it). What a good boy, you found it!"

How To Housebreak A Dog?

Teaching a dog to ask you to go out can be easy or difficult, depending on the method you choose. Before you get the dog home, you must prepare everything in order for the process to develop the right way.

1. Buy a small basket (one for each puppy) with a small door that closes. That is where you will keep it.
2. Buy a small package of biscuits, that can be broken in small pieces, and put them in a small basket in a plastic bag.
3. You must have plenty of urine cleaning solution. In pet shops you can also find substances which contain active enzyme (bacteria)
4. Hang a small bell on the entrance door’s knob.
5. Make sure you lave a long leash so you can hold the puppy.
6. Get a walkman so you won't get bored waiting for your dog to do its stuff. Also get warm clothes, gloves and an umbrella if the case.
7. Decide on a verbal command for the dog, like “go use the pot”, and the praise after.

Next method works on almost all the puppies (five to seven weeks old) and they will learn how to go out in three or four days. However, you will need a lot of persistence if you want the method to be successful. If you follow the steps a few hours a day, and then skip a day or two, you will mess up the whole training. The age and the race may alter the learning time length. Do not try to use the paper under the dog method because that will disorientate the dog completely when you will take it outside to eliminate. You will have to start training the dog to take his needs outside, the moment the dog arrives at your house.
If you have, more than one exit doors choose only one that the dog will use to get out, a way you will know when the dog shows sings that it wants to exit. Choosing a door that is far from the place where the family spends most of the time will not do the job. You must hear the noise that the dog makes by touching the door, or the noise of the bell attached to the knob. Place the basket somewhere warm, where the dog cannot see you when it is sleep time. You can also put a towel or a small pillow inside the basket. Normally dogs dot get the sleeping place dirty, but accidents can happen a rubber toy could be the best choice for inside the basket.
After you bring the dog home put on his collar and the leash and takes it to the place where it must do the “needs”. Do not ever carry the dog to the spot, when the dog reaches the place, use the command and nothing else, no other words. Then you must wait until the elimination process happens. That may take a while. As soon as you see it happening, bend and praise the dog and reward it with a biscuit. Then wait until it repeats the process and praise the dog again. Give the dog one reward for one action and only praise.

Exercise With Your Pooch

Exercise is more fun when you have a companion along — like your dog. Join a live web chat on how to exercise with your pet on Monday, April 25, at 11 a.m. Pacific time (1 p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Eastern). Our chat guest is Jackie Epping, a public health scientist in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epping, who has five dogs and a cat, presented her paper “An Exercise Machine with Hair? How Dogs Can Increase Physical Activity” at the American College of Sports Medicine’s recent meeting.

We asked her if dogs can engage in some of the same endurance sports that humans do, such as running.

“It really depends on the breed and the fitness level of the dog,” Epping says. “I know people who run several miles a day with their dog, and their dog does just fine. Some breeds, such as dogs in the working group, tend to need more exercise generally. But the key is to know your particular dog’s limitations.

“As with people, it’s better to start slowly and work up to longer distances. You need to pay attention to how the dog is responding. Pay attention to signs such as the dog starting to lag behind or otherwise showing any distress or discomfort, or if you see any kind of limp.

“If you want to exercise with your dog, research the breeds,” she adds. “And don’t forget, as many as 30% of dogs in animal shelters are purebreds, so consider adopting a dog from a shelter. If you get a dog that’s a mix, your vet can probably tell you what breeds are in the dog, and then you can make a decision about exercise and duration.”

What's Platypus?

platypus

The platypus, with its duck bill and webbed feet, is a unique Australian animal. It and the echidna are the only monotremes or egg-laying mammals to be found on earth. The marsupials (mammals with pouches, e.g. kangaroos) and eutherians (placental mammals that give birth to well developed young, e.g. humans) both give birth to live young. The monotremes have lower body temperatures than other mammals and have legs which extend out, then vertically below them. These features together with their egg-laying are more like that of a lizard than a mammal.
Platypus are readily identified by their streamlinedbody, webbed feet, broad tail and characteristic muzzle or bill which is soft and pliable. An adult platypus is from 45 cm to 60 cm in length and may weigh up to 2.7 kg, with females generally smaller than males. Its usual colouration is deep brown on the back and sides of the head, body and upper surfaces of the limbs. The underside is a golden colour although silky grey is not uncommon.
They have two layers of fur a dense waterproof outercoat and a grey woolly underfur to provide much needed insulation. The fur on the broad flat tail is course and bristly. They have a smooth swimming action together with a low body profile and no visible ears, making them easily recognisable in the water. It could only be mistaken for a water rat, but these have a long thin tail with a white tip.The webbed fore-paw is used for swimming, and on land, the skin, which extends beyond the long claws, is folded back to enable the animal to walk or burrow.The webbing on the hind foot does not extend beyond the bases of the claws and this foot is used mainly for steering and to tread water. The tail acts as a powerfulrudder when swimming and also aids the animal when diving.
The male has a spur on the inner side of each hind limb, which is connected by means of a hollow groove to a poison gland. This spur is used to inflict wounds on natural enemies and other males, and may possibly play some part in mating. The poison is capable of inflicting a very painful injury to humans. Suprisingly, platypus are capable of many vocalisations including a soft growling sound when disturbed.
The male has a spur on the inner side of each hind limb, which is connected by means of a hollow groove to a poison gland. This spur is used to inflict wounds on natural enemies and other males, and may possibly play some part in mating. The poison is capable of inflicting a very painful injury to humans. Suprisingly, platypus are capable of many vocalisations including a soft growling sound when disturbed. Although platypus are strong swimmers they are not fast and prefer slow flowing streams. Platypus live in burrows that they dig on the banks of fresh water rivers, lakes or streams. Burrows are usually 4.5 to 9m in length, oval shaped and are constructed just above the water line, often obscured by vegetation.
Breeding
Platypus Breeding occurs during spring but is generally earlier in the north of Australia than in the south. Mating takes place in the water and after 12 to 14 days, between 1 and 3 eggs are laid in a nesting burrow constructed by the female. This burrow is up to 20 m long and has a nesting chamber at the end which is lined with damp plant material. The eggs are incubated between the belly and the tail of the female and hatch after 10 to 12 days. Like the echidna, the platypus lacks nipples and milk from the mammary glands oozes out through ducts at two areas on the abdomen. It is believed that the hair around these areas acts as teats that allows the young to suck the milk. By six weeks the young are furred, have their eyes open and may leave the burrow for short intervals and even enter the water. When four to five months old theyoung are weaned.
Conservation status
The platypus is wholly protected throughout Australia. Although common, it requires monitoring due to the continuing degradation of suitable water bodies caused by daming, drainage and pollution. The illegal netting of fish also causes many platypus deaths. Should the fox become established in Tasmania, the platyus could become threatened.