The Pets City » Pet Breeds

Rabbit: Lionhead

Andrea — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:08:47 +0000

Origins: The origins of Lionhead rabbits are still under debate. They are believed to have been bred in Belgium in the 1990’s by crossing Swiss Fox and Belgian Dwarf rabbits, and possibly Jersey Woollies or Dwarf Angoras also. However, some experts believe the Lionhead dates back much further than that, and its exact ancestry is not certain.

Size: Small. Weighs about 3 pounds.

Physical Appearance: Cobby, well-rounded body with a well-formed head and muzzle. Ears are short-furred, and stand erect at no more than 3 inches long. The mane is long and distinct, forming a full circle around the head, with a “fringe” between the ears. The rest of the coat should only be of medium length. Eyes may be red or blue.

Characteristics: Good-tempered, friendly, gentle, loves attention and affection.

Colors: Many marking types including self, shaded, agouti, harlequin, pointed white and others, each of which may cover many color variations like black, blue, lilac, Siamese sable, chinchilla, opal, and others.

Special Facts: The gene that expresses itself in the Lionhead’s pronounced mane is the first dominant genetic mutation to be recorded by rabbit breeders in many decades. The last previous documented mutation in fancy rabbits was that for satin fur in 1932.

Rabbit: Lionhead Lop

Andrea — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:29:02 +0000

Origins: Lionhead Lops were bred by crossing Lionhead rabbits with Holland Lops to get a bunny with the pronounced mane of the Lionhead, but with the floppy ears of the Holland Lop. They were introduced at around the same time as the Lionhead, in the late 1990’s. It is still not recognized in most countries as having a consistent breed type.

Size: Small. Usually around 3 pounds.

Physical Appearance: Cobby, well-rounded body with lop ears and a distinct mane. Head well-formed and seems big in proportion to the body. Appearance is not always consistent as the breed is still being improved ad standardized.

Characteristics: Generally affectionate, friendly, love attention.

Colors: Various colors, mainly still being developed by crossing with other breeds.

Special Facts: The Lionhead Lop’s mane can be more prone to matting than that of the Lionhead. And just because a young rabbit has a mane, it does not mean it will keep it for life. Some individuals’ manes may molt and then never grew back.

Dog: Bichon Frise

Andrea — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:04:05 +0000

Origins: This little dog most likely has French origins. It is probably, like the Poodle, descended from the French Water Dog. However, it is also considered as having Mediterranean origins as it was introduced to Tenerife in the Middle Ages and bred there.

Size: Small. Around 23 to 28cm tall at the shoulder.

Physical Appearance: Soft white coat of lone, curling hair. Long ears, close to the head. Tail curved over body. Shiny black nose and black-rimmed eyes.

Characteristics: Friendly, outgoing, lively, loves attention and exercise.

Colors: White. Young dogs may have some cream or apricot markings.

Special Facts about Bichon Frise: This dog’s coat will grow out of shape unless it is regularly trimmed. Professional groomers say that the ideal trimmed shape of a Bichon Frise’s head, viewed from the front is a perfect circle!

Facts About Guinea Pig

Andrea — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:54:35 +0000

Cavies, popularly known as guinea pigs, originate from South America. They make ideal children’s pets as they rarely bite and love companionship. Having said, this little furry bundle of joy also suitable for anyone who drag about exercising with their pet (i.e. walking the dog), spending “obscene” grooming fee or excessive grooming time (i.e. long-haired cat and dog breeds), buying premium pet foods, or cooking homemade meal for those finicky eaters (i.e. cats and small dogs).

Do You Have What It Takes To Be The Best Guinea Pig Caretaker?

Characteristics Of Guinea Pig

Life Span: Guinea pigs have a lifespan of six to eight years, depending on heath and care.
Guinea Pig Breeds: There are short-haired and long-haired varieties. Peruvians, Abyssinians, Shelties, Coronets, Texels, Alpacas and Merinos are some long-haired breeds.
Show and Pet Quality Guinea Pigs: The most obvious difference between a show-quality and pet-quality cavy lies in the facial features. Only a show-quality cavy would have a “Roman” nose, petal-like ears, and a solid body resembling a small teddy bear’s.

Housing Guinea Pig

Housing Maintenance: Change cage linings twice weekly, feed daily, and supply fresh water daily too.
Pairing: Guinea pigs are social animals, it’s best to keep more than one. Do not, however, cage two mature males together as they will fight; quite often one of both get seriously injured.

Diet Requirements For Guinea Pig

Diet: Healthy eating means fresh pellets as the staple diet, lots of hay, and some fruits or vegetables. Vitamin C is essential. Avoid cabbage and lettuce to prevent colic.

Guinea Pig Grooming Needs

Long-haired Cavies: Long-haired cavies require daily or at least thrice weekly grooming, as they need more grooming to prevent tangled hair. They also require twice monthly bath to prevent foul smell. Alternatively, you could trim your long-haired cavy’s coat down to lessen the grooming burden. However, you have to do this trimming once every 6 to 8 weeks.
Short-haired Cavies: If you drag daily grooming routine, you may want to opt for a short-haired breeds as they require very minimum or no grooming at all. Of course, it’s good to give them once monthly bath to keep them smelling fresh and health.

Guinea Pig Behavior

Body Language: They communicate through body language and a range of sounds. (Stay tune for the next article on guinea pig’s behavioral language.)

Dog: French Bulldog

Andrea — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:21:03 +0000

Origins: Bred from different small breeds of bulldog, but it is uncertain if the dog is really French, English, or Spanish in origin.

Size: Small to medium-small. About 12 inches (30cm) tall at the shoulder.

Physical Appearance: With its bat-like ears and flat, creased face, this charming little dog looks most unusual, yet loveable. Short-coated, naturally short-tailed, sturdy and compact. Head is large for its body size.

Characteristics: Affectionate, good-natured, courageous, lively.

Colors: Brindle, black and white, fawn.

Special Facts: The French Bulldog’s face is naturally covered with creases, and these need to be moisturized or they will get sore and cracked. French Bulldog owners should ask a vet or a good pet store about what dog-safe lubricants or edible oils they can use to rub the creases with.

Dog: Basset Hound

Andrea — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:47:36 +0000

Origins: Most likely originated in France—“basset” means “dwarf” in French! Bred as pack hunting dogs.

Size: Medium. Only about 15 inches (38cm) tall at the shoulder, but packs more weight (up to 60lbs or 27kg) than many taller dogs!

Physical Appearance: Doleful, serious expression due to the sad-looking eyes, which show a bit of the lower eyelid. Long, floppy ears, short legs, smooth and short-haired coat.

Characteristics: Affectionate, calm, can be obstinate.

Colors: Usually brown and white, but may be tricolor or lemon and white.

Special Facts: With their extremely short legs, longish bodies, floppy ears, and dropping mouths, Basset Hounds may look clumsy and slow, but they actually have great stamina and are quite athletic.

Cat: Bengal

Andrea — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:55:57 +0000

Origins: Cat lovers who admired the beauty of wild, spotted cats tried to breed a type of domestic cat with a wild-cat coat. In the 1960′s (in North America), the first planned breeding took place between a short-haired domestic cat and an Asian Leopard Cat. The mating was successful and fertile offspring were produced, but it was not until the 1980′s that a concerted breeding program was put in place.

Size: Big. Full-grown male Bengals can weigh up to 20lbs or 9kg.

Physical Appearance: Sleek and muscular. Sports a beautiful spotted or marbled coat. Show-quality Bengals display very clear and distinct spotting or marbling, while pet-quality ones may show more ticking. Coat is rich and smooth in texture, and appears almost to glitter from certain angles. Hindquarters are rather longer than the front half.

Characteristics: Friendly, loving, alert, curious, intelligent, charming. Affectionate and very much enjoy being part of the family, but their athleticism and high activity levels can be challenging to cope with!

Colors: Various colors, most with “leopard-spot” or marbled markings on a background of brown or white.

Special Facts: Despite its wild and exotic looks, the Bengal is very much a domestic cat. It was bred with only the appearance of the Asian Leopard Cat in mind; its personality is all kitty-cat.

Rabbit: Dutch

Andrea — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:09:48 +0000

Origins: One of the oldest known rabbit breeds, believed to have originated in Holland or Belgium. It was developed into the modern-day breed after it reached England in the later half of the 19th century.

Size: Medium. Weighs around 3½ to 5 pounds.

Physical Appearance: This is one “well-dressed” bunny! Its smart appearance comes from its well-defined markings on cheeks, neck, and saddle, with a white blaze, white feet, and chest. The body is compact, stocky, and well-rounded. Ears should be in proportion to the rest of the body, and stand erect on a rounded head. Clear, bright eyes. The medium-short coat is glossy, with a fine undercoat.

Characteristics: Lively, sociable, gentle, energetic, needs quite a lot of space to run about in. Poorly handled Dutch rabbits can be jumpy and wary.

Colors: Up to 16, including black, blue, chocolate, tortoise, steel, brown gray, and yellow.

Special Facts: Never breed from a female Dutch rabbit that is one year old or older, because after that age, her pelvic bones fuse. Gestation and delivery could involve surgery, or worse.

Guinea Pig: Peruvian

Andrea — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:48:34 +0000

Origins: All domestic guinea pigs originated in South America from wild cavies, but were selectively bred to exhibit different coat characteristics and looks. The Peruvian is a well-known breed, and one of the earliest long-haired varieties to be recognized and accepted by the America Rabbit Breeders Association (show-quality guinea pigs and rabbits are judged by the same body, and often appear at the same shows.)

Physical Appearance: Peruvian guinea pigs have long, dense, silky hair that parts in the middle. It reaches to the ground and falls over the face, so much so that if you don’t look carefully, it’s hard to tell which end of the animal is its head and which its rump! When a show-quality Peruvian’s coat is all nicely brushed out, it can form a perfect circle or oval viewed from the top.

Characteristics: Generally calm and friendly.

Colors: Many colors and markings.

Special Facts about Guinea Pig: If you are keeping a Peruvian strictly as a pet, and not for guinea pig shows, it is best to trim its coat to a manageable length so that the poor guinea pig doesn’t have so much trouble eating, drinking, and moving around, or coping with knotting, tangling, and matting. When Peruvians are stressed or upset, they may bite, tear at or eat their own or their cage-mate’s hair, ruining it and hurting the skin. So to keep pet guinea pigs, shorter coat is normally better.

Dog: Poodle

Andrea — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:46:50 +0000

Origins: Originated in Germany as the “Pudel” (Water Dog), where it was bred as a large dog to pull carts.

Size: Standard, Miniature, or Toy. Standard—more than 38cm tall at the shoulder; Miniature—more than 25cm and a maximum of 38cm; Toy—25cm or less.

Physical Appearance: Elegant and long-headed, with a tail carried up, and a very dense and profuse curly coat. Show dogs are usually deliberately clipped in the “lion clip” style that leaves some parts of the dog bare so that the coat puffs out in other parts.

Characteristics: Happy-spirited, intelligent.

Colors: All solid colors. Many poodles are white, apricot, black or cream

Special Facts: Poodles are often stereotyped in movies as bimbo-like, but they are actually very intelligent, good tempered, dignified and highly trainable dogs.

The Pets City » Pet Breeds

Rabbit: Lionhead

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Rabbit: Lionhead Lop

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Dog: Bichon Frise

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Facts About Guinea Pig

Do You Have What It Takes To Be The Best Guinea Pig Caretaker?

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Dog: French Bulldog

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Dog: Basset Hound

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Cat: Bengal

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Rabbit: Dutch

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Guinea Pig: Peruvian

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Dog: Poodle

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