New Critter Land Gadget

Oh my - how in the world did I ever live without this lovely item?  You will recall that a while back we ripped the carpeting out of critter land and put down vinyl.  Woot!!  What a difference!  I had been using Swiffers to mop multiple times a day and then once a week or so I would pull out the big mop and go after the floors.  I just didn't feel like it was getting as clean as I would like.

Bring in this bad boy....

May I introduce to you - the Hoover FloorMate Spin Scrub.  My new favorite thing....  it's like a carpet shampooer for your hard floors!!  I used this on the floor for the first time last night and WOW!  It has three settings - Vacuum - which is okay - not as strong as your regular vacuum but it sucks up stuff in your way well enough.  There is the Wash setting - this turns on the little scrubby brushes and you push the button to dispense the hot water/cleaning fluid mixture.  Last there is the Dry setting - which doesn't really dry the floor but it sucks up all the icky dirty water and makes the floor dry quite quickly.  The floors in critter land are spotless and they feel so clean on your bare feet.  I have used this on the vinyl, hard woods and tile and it works fantastic on all three - quite happy with the purchase!  So happy in fact that I might just purchase another for the hard floors in the rest of the house!

http://hoover.com/products/details/fh40010b/floormate-spinscrub-with-bonus-hard-floor-wipes/

https://www.amazon.com/Hoover-FloorMate-SpinScrub-Upright-FH40010B/dp/B003A2IDMC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1474722196&sr=8-4&keywords=hoover+floormate

Changes...

We are always tweaking things around here - trying new products and methods to streamline the care of 12 critters.

I have two new things we are trying - funny - they are unplanned things but we are trying them none the less. They stem from wanting to have a one stop shop for all things critter.  The pet store has dog, cat/ferret food and litter but no pig food.  The Tractor Supply has pig and dog food - tons of cat food but not what they are currently eating but no pine litter.  I don't wanna have to make two trips and quite frankly - the prices at Tractor Supply for pet food are much better than the pet store.

So - I bought a small bag of new cat food to try...so far all four cats seem to love it but I have been down this path before.  They like it because its different but they don't want it every day forever more.  So we will go slow and see what happens.  I also need to try it out on the ferrets - getting them to try new things is TOUGH.  The good news is - that even if they like the old - I can get that at the grocery and still avoid two trips for pet supplies.  The new food I got is called Taste of the Wild - we shall see if its still popular when we get to the bottom of the bag....

The other new thing is moving from pine litter (pellets) to shaved pine in the litter boxes for the cats and pig.  I am not at all unhappy with the litter - but it gets a bit expensive.  I decided to try shaved pine - the same thing you would use in a barn stall in the litter box to see how it goes.  So far one kitty and one pig have visited and deposited with no angst.... hopefully it will work because before it was 2 bags of pine litter every 10 - 12 days at 9$ a bag.  This is $6 and I filled both cat boxes and only used about 1/3 of the bag....woohoo!  Fingers crossed....

Pet Product Review - Pet Pig Busy Ball

Yes - the Bento Ball is still quite popular with Mr. Piglet - but I am always looking for new things to keep him stimulated and out of trouble.  I ordered him this:

It's a Pet Pig Busy Ball and Winston loves it.  You unscrew the red plug and fill the ball with pig food and then when piggy pushes it around food comes out the holes.  It works great - its a slow process so it takes a long time for him to empty the ball.

There is only one problem with said ball - its about the size of a bowling ball and Winston has bowled several strikes - knocking over all my kitchen chairs playing with his ball.  Needless to say - this is definitely a day time only toy - not something that I can give him and head upstairs to bed.  The downstairs would be wrecked.

I am happy he likes it and it does certainly keep him busy....I give this one two thumbs up...

Pet Product Review - BentoBalls

BentoBall - where have you been all my life.  I do lots of pet product reviews and rarely if ever do I say this.... Stop what you are doing - get in your car - drive to the pet store and buy one of these for every dog (or pig)  you have - right now - immediately!

Starmark makes these toys/treats and today I have a happy pooch and a happy piglet for sure and this equals a happy critter mom!  Winston is in love with his "ball".  He likes the everlasting treat on the top - its tough - he hasn't hardly made a dent in it and pig's have incredibly strong jaws.  In addition I broke up and stuck some piggy cookies in the other side - he loves that the plastic is soft and flexible - he sticks his whole snout in there.  It's tough to get them to come out but every once in awhile a cookie magically appears and he gets quite excited - then he goes after the ball some more.  He has played with that thing for hours today. I am thinking it will be a great diversion for him at night - hopefully it will keep him out of trouble....  :)

Emma likes hers as well - she has been chewing away.  I think she will enjoy hers much more when its not rainy and she is not stressed - but she has been pretty interested in it given the circumstances.

Here is what the packaging says:

• Made with virtually indestructible material 
• Provides hours of challenging play
• Great for dental hygiene
• Dishwasher safe

I have to agree with all of these statements - and I am glad its dishwasher safe - although not sure when I will have a chance to run it through the dishwasher - they literally won't leave it alone....  

This was not designed for a pig - but I am so pleased at how its holding up. Winston can kill a dog toy in about 5 seconds so I am so happy to have found one he can abuse without destroying!  Also the treats that go in the ball are not super high in protein so I feel good feeding it to him.  I bought two packs of additional treats - not thinking I will need them for awhile.  Everlasting is not an exaggeration!

I would give this one 2 paws and 2 hooves up for sure!!

Pet Product Review: IRIS USA, Inc. Airtight Pet Food Container Combo Kit

Remember the treat box fiasco with Winston while we were out of town at the beginning of the month? We took measures to ensure that Mr. Piglet did not have access to food and treats again.  I ordered three sets of these:

Since Winston uses his snout to push things around we opted not to put the wheels on.  They work just great.  We have one with kitty/ferret food and treats, one for Emma's food and MilkBones and one with Winston's food and treats.  The scoops have lines on the inside that show how much food you are dispensing.

Winston is strong enough to push them around but not tall enough to tip them over or open them - although he is tall enough to  move the handle.  I am also liking how fresh and soft this is keeping Emma's food as well.  All in all a great purchase for us.  Would highly recommend - available on Amazon

Pet Product Review - QPets Automatic Feeder

We did a quick overnight trip over the weekend and decided to leave Mr Piglet at home.  He is doing well with his litter box usage so the only thing we needed was a way to feed him and give him his cookies.  When we first got him I had purchased an upright feeder that has a chute and sends food into a bowl at the designated time.  That simply didn't work as the piglet was obsessed with getting to the food  - so much so he ended up scabbing up his nose by putting it up the chute in an effort to get the food.

I ordered the QPets automatic feeder:

I am quite happy with this product.  It's a little quirky to program but we did a test run to make sure it would do what we needed while we were gone.  I had to secure the latches and around the rim with duct tape to keep Winston's snout out but other than that it did great.  There is a sliding door that covers up the first meal until its time and he was not able to break in - not for lack of trying.  He really abused this little feeder and it stood up to him standing on it and trying anything he could think of to get to the food.  I also like that it has a recorder that you can use to leave your pet a message.  This 6 second blurb plays when his meals are delivered.  Winston was fascinated by hearing by voice when he could see that I wasn't talking.  We had the feeder give him his meals morning and night and mid day open up with a surprise of some of his favorite treats.

I velcroed this to the kitchen floor so he couldn't push it around.  That also gave me an opportunity to put a camera on it so I could make sure that he was getting fed.  Lastly - I stuck a small sticker in each one of the six feeder cups - each a different color so I could tell if the feeder was moving for each meal.

All in all I would give this a thumbs up.  We can use it for days when we will be gone for longer periods of time so he can get his meals at the appointed times - believe me he knows the appointed times.....  :)

Pet Product Review - Cat's Meow Toy

So - I was in Walgreens yesterday and I saw this toy in the As Seen on TV section.  I had never seen it on TV but it looked intriguing and I thought that maybe Ollie and Finn would like it so I picked it up.

Its the Cat's Meow toy:

It has a somewhat heavy base and an arm with a red piece of plastic attached.  You stick the arm into a hole on the base and then put the yellow "poncho" over the top.  The arm spins around at random going both directions and moves the fabric.  The arm rubbing on the nylon also makes a noise they seem to like.

I brought this contraption home and filled it up with 3 C batteries.  Oh boy - I was right - Oliver LOVES this!!  He played with it none stop for literally hours.  I mean it folks - he liked it so much that I have already had to change the batteries!!  The other kitties are on the fence - curious but nothing like Oliver.

As for the ferrets - Finn and Violet love it and are quite cute playing with the toy.  Clooney and Maddie are interested but cautious.  Theo stuck his head under the fabric, caught the wand in his mouth and proceeded to head for the stairs.  He was going to hoard the new toy...

I would give this toy high marks - the fact that Oliver is obsessed and that it entertains attention deficit ferrets and keeps them engaged gets it two thumbs up!

The fish and the dog - uninterested...

I will try to capture some photos/videos of them playing.  Meanwhile - here is a YouTube of the commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5hDib9LwR4

Pet Product Review: EHEIM Quick Vac Pro Automatic Gravel Cleaner and Sludge Extractor

Let me start by saying - my new most favorite pet product!!!!  :)

I used to have many aquariums many years ago and one of the worst parts of the maintenance was to drag out the bucket and use the suction vacuum thingy to clean the bottom of the tank - ugh - it was part of the reason I gave up the tanks.

I found this little gem on Amazon:

Its a vacuum, battery powered.  You just stick it in the tank and turn it on and voila - all the ick gets sucked up into that middle section which is the filter and the gravel stays put.  It's like magic!!  Once you are done you just pull out the filter, take off the bottom and give it a rinse.  Super easy to clean up!!  Did I mention - magic???  Even better - SteveIrwin and JackHanna didn't seem too stressed out to have me in there doing my thing.  Cousteau did not love it but he just moved to the other side of the tank once I got close.

Check out this link where you can order it - or at the very least watch the video...

In addition there is a really cool app that you can download:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eheim.aquarium.app

You pop in all your values from when you test your water and it tells you exactly what to do to correct any issues - totally cool!!

Pet Product Review: Pimafix

We got SteveIrwin in late April and after a few days with us he started to go downhill - he was lethargic, not eating, losing his lovely long fins and his bright blue color.  I was not sure what to do so I tried Pimafix which is a broad spectrum antibiotic that treats fungal infections and bacterial infections.  I was not certain that he had either but I couldn't just wait for him to kick the bucket - had to try something....

His tank is only 3 gallons so I adjusted the dose accordingly.  I gave him the meds for 7 days as instructed and then did a 25% water change.  At that point SteveIrwin was on the mend but he was not well so he got a second round of seven days with a 25% water change.  After a couple of days I did a full water change which I do every week.

Since he finished his second round he seems just great - full of energy, engaged, active and he has a great appetite.  I think Pimafix did in fact fix him - so grateful as I have grown quite fond of the little blue dude....

Nature Spa UV Fountain by AVP

I was researching the other day - yes - I research alot - its a sickness.  Ollie has been struggling the last few months with Urinary Tract Infections and I want to take whatever steps I can to ensure he stays as healthy as possible.  One of the suggested things you can try is a UV sterilization fountain.  It keeps the water moving which cuts down on slime and the UV light kills bacteria.

I ordered from Amazon and once the fountain arrived I assembled which was quite easy and turned it on. The kitties were mesmerized.  That doesn't necessarily mean they were drinking from it - but they were certainly watching with great interest.  The ferrets were equally mesmerized...Finn loves it - gets sopping wet every time he gets a drink.  Clooney and Violet seem to like it - I have seen them drinking from it frequently, Theo decided it needed to be disassembled and proceeded to take the water reservoir off of the fountain and pull out the charcoal filter - that was kinda messy as the water reservoir was full at the time - water everywhere.  So - now the fountain has the TP/Kleenex storage cabinet sitting on top of it so that Theo the Great can't make a giant mess.

Ollie has started playing in the stream of water and he likes to dip his paw and then lap up the water from his foot.  I see him drinking from both this fountain and the regular water station.  Not exactly what I envisioned but I am glad that the little critters like it.  I grabbed some snaps of Miss Madison investigating the fountain on the day I set it up:

Vetasyl - Pet Product Review

Awhile back I purchased a bottle of Vetasyl to have on hand in case we should need it.  I came across it in some research I was doing for the probiotics for the ferrets.  I had yet to have a need until yesterday when Theo was having some digestive issues.

He had some not so pretty outputs - and - when I would give him the probiotics it would fix it for one metabolic cycle but then the next would be icky again.  I decided to give Vetasyl a try.

I mixed up 1/3 of a capsule in his Ferretone and he licked it right up.  This stuff worked like a charm!  Since then everything has been back to normal.  I am not sure how the same thing can work for both ends of the digestive issue spectrum - going too much or not going at all but I am not going to question because now I have proof.  Not sure how often I will use this but I do think having it on hand is a good idea.  Very pleased that my Theo is back to normal and feeling great!