From the monthly archives:

April 2009

Koi feeding: Great Tips On How To Hand Feed Your Koi

by Pet Care on April 24, 2009


The Koi lack fear when it comes to humans, and this serves as one of their best features. Once your koi sees you as the one who gives and feeds them food and the one who’s not going to harm them in anyway, they are likely to eat right out of your hand (provided with the proper training). The reality is that nourishing koi can be one of the most entertaining and funniest experiences that you’re going to get into.

These koi are non-aggressive by nature. You don’t have to worry about getting bitten if ever you decide in attempting to feed them with the use of your hand as they have no teeth. This activity of nourishing koi will also attract smaller kids, as they will be delighted and entertained by the gentle nature and beautiful patterns and colors of your koi . Like any wild animal out there, they will initially fear you. Now, their own instincts tell them to fear you, and this is what keeps them alive in the wild. Build up trust with your koi , and this will take a certain amount of patience in your part. Keep in mind that nourishing koi with your hand can’t be achieved over night!

Being an omnivorous species, they eat both meat and plants. This brings versatility in their diets. They’ll eat almost everything that you give them, whether it’s good for them or not. And since they can’t judge what’s good or bad for them, you should be the one to control their diet. Overfeeding is another problem that should be taken care of, as your koi might get overweight from eating non-nutritious food. The healthiest treats for them there is are the natural ones, such as tadpoles and earthworms. Bread, lettuce, veggies and fruit are also great for them. Be careful when feeding them with beans, corn and grapes, because they have outer casings which will be harmful for your koi if not properly digested. Remove the outer casings before feeding them.

Now, the trick here is to start slow in feeding your pet. Don’t make any sudden movements, as this will scare them away. Start hand training your koi right from the moment you get them. You can start by placing few of the snacks or pellets in your hand and then put your hand under the pond’s water. Slowly allow the food to fall from your hand. Now, what you’ll observe is that it may look like your koi may not seem to pay any attention, but they are really aware of your hand (which gives them food). You can do this within two days.This will help you gain the interest of your koi . Then let the koi remove the food from your hand. Now, if your koi will refuse to take food from your hand, don’t feed them on that day. They’ll have the notion that they must get the food from your hand if they want to eat. Doing this on a daily basis will make them comfortable with you.

So once you have the koi feeding out of your hand, you can then start feeding them from your fingers. Also, if they’re not going to feed from your fingers, don’t feed them on that day. Remember that food will be your motivator when it comes to feeding, and no fish will simply stare itself just because it is not sure of the situation. In nourishing koi, once you have successfully made your koi feed from your hand, you can then alternate the routine between the regular and hand feeding. There’s no reason in trying to take the time in hand feeding if you’re in such a hurry. And another important thing is that once you get your Koi to feed from your hand, always be careful in allowing your visitors to feed your pets. Supervise them (both the kids and the adults) in feeding your fish properly; no sudden movements and give your koi the right foods for them.

Koi pond structure: 5 Steps In Making A Perfect Koi pond For Your Koi

by Pet Care on April 24, 2009


Koi pond owners always aim for a perfect koi pond construction, and in order to achieve a perfect one, it should start with the pond itself. The koi pond construction should be made in a way that not only would it be pleasing to the eye, but it should also sustain your koi quite well. Here are the 5 steps you need to take in order to have a perfect koi pool.

Step 1: Setting Up The Best Environment For Your koi pond

The proper size, placement, and type of the koi pond is quite necessary for your koi pond construction. As for the size, bigger is always better. Your koi will quickly grow fast, so what you have to keep in mind are the koi pond size and also the number of koi that you’re going to place into your koi pond.

Hire a professional to build your koi pond (unless you are knowledgeable enough in fish keeping, outdoor landscaping and koi pond construction). You might think that building the koi pond yourself may save you a great deal of cash, but the reality is that this could not be the case. If you haven’t built your koi pond properly right from the start, chances are you’ll be spending a lot of money on solutions to problems that might come up in the near future. You might not also be able to ensure the survival of your koi with an improper koi pond setup.

The professionals will always give you what you really want. They will give you their own input in decision-making, but your decision will be the one that they’re going to do. So, you can’t blame them if your koi pond will fail due to size, location, etc. Watch out for those very cheap quotes, because they may cut corners that could cause potential problems later.

Step 2: Learning About Koi Keeping

When it comes to the topic of Koi Keeping, it’s a great advantage for you if you have a lot of knowledge regarding the matter. Learn as much as you can about this kind of hobby before you start. Learn the important information yourself instead of getting inputs from others, like your pond builder and product dealer ( for they have limited knowledge, and could be bias as they are selling their products too!). These people won’t be available to help you at home when you’re going to experience some problems with your koi.

Step 3: Buying Your koi

Having the perfect environment for your koi, what you’re going to do next is to buy your koi. Never buy too much as they will grow very long (2 to 3 feet long), and they breed almost every year. Overpopulation will cause catastrophic problems for both your koi pond and koi.

Step 4: Preventing Those Common Problems For Your koi pond

In preventing those koi pond problems, get your new koi quarantined before putting them into your current population. Watch out for illnesses like the KHV (Koi herpes virus), as they show little or no symptoms at all. Quarantining will help reduce the risk of exposing your current population to harm. Do a weekly water testing so that you will be able to observe the differences in the test results before your koi pond will show symptoms of stress (saving both your koi and your koi pond).

Step 5: Feeding Your koi

Feeding your koi is one of the pleasing things as you have a perfect koi pond construction. Consult your dealer or local pet store about the amount of food that you should give and feed your koi. Feeding patterns will change as temperature and seasons change. Treats such as veggies, fruit, bread, and others that you can buy from the store are good for them. The good thing about Koi is that it can be trained to feed from their owner’s hand (this, however, might take a certain amount of time and patience). This, coupled with a good and beautiful koi pond construction, is sure to provide quite an entertainment for both you and your visitors.

Build A Blue Bird House to Bring Attractiveness to Your Yard

by Pet Care on April 23, 2009


Blue bird house is made to interest bluebirds to come into backyard or garden. If you consider that you require a bird house to be located in your garden, then you can opt to make the blue bird house. It is really recommended to make your garden become more beautiful.

Birds fly elegantly into a pretty garden, and these creatures put color and sound to the surrounding environment. The bird’s lover would consider that the world with no birds seems to be less cheerful. One of the prettiest of all birds is the bluebird. This beautiful bird is a unusual collection of blues accented by a few other colors including some white. that is why every garden should have blue bird house to interest the prettiness to the garden.

A blue bird house is a nice project for your children. Making this type of bird house is not difficult; hence children should be able to make the bird house with adult guidance. Bluebirds are keen on the nature that they live in, and since of that, this type of bird house should be as natural as possible. Anyone making a blue bird house is going to avoid any equipments that might disturb these pretty birds. This type of bird house should be built with wood that has not been treated with any chemicals or stains. That bird house is going to possibly not interest these creatures if it is made of plastic or glass.

A Blue Bird House is going to Add appeal to a Garden

Blue bird house should be located strategically to interest the bluebirds and hamper the other creatures such as mice and snakes that might be in look for of a place to live. Bluebirds are larger than an ordinary sparrow, thus the bird house should resettle a medium sized bird.

You should place the blue bird house at least four feet above the ground. It should be located strategically on a fence or wall. Too a lot of a lot of people in the garden are going to frighten the bluebird to come. So, put your blue bird house in the retired place.

If you want to see the bluebirds, then you have to make sure that you provide their favorite foods like insects and berries. In order to make these bluebirds feel at home, you should made their house of the natural woods. So, they are going to easily come into your blue bird house.

Thus, does the above-mentioned information still not satisfy your need in knowing about blue bird house? Explore more the suitable information herein!

Koi watch: Preparing Your Koi pool For The Major Storms

by Pet Care on April 20, 2009


In koi watch , there are necessary precautions that you can take when faced with small and large-scale storms.It is a fact that no matter where you live in, it’s inevitable that you’d be bound to come into contact with at least a single extreme weather condition throughout the year. We’ve seen the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, and this have shown us that having an emergency plan is the best way to avoid the results of total destruction for your koi and your koi pool .

The Small-Scale Storms:

The reality is that preparing your koi pond for small-scale storms is quite easier compared to preparing for the larger ones. These steps will guide your koi pond to get through such storms.

Stop feeding your fish with food: Your koi pond has enough natural sources for food for the fish to eat so that they will not starve for a long time. If your filters have not been damaged, giving no food to your fish will reduce the risk of ammonia problems in the days to come.

You should make big water changes for the koi pond: If something goes wrong and you’re not able to take care of the koi pond immediately, your fish will get the freshest water available to them. What you do is you leave out several inches of water to make up for the coming rainfall to have lesser chances of overflowing problems. If you have drainage system, clear it of any debris to make it work properly. If your koi pond is at ground level and you expect that high waters will occur, add some protection by placing sand bags around the area (this will keep your fish confined within the area if flooding happens).

Place a net over your koi pond to protect it from flying debris: You can use the same net that you have used for the fall to keep out the leaves, and secure it down properly.

Remove any object that can blow over, away or fall into the koi pond: Remember that if you can push a thing over, so can the wind as well! The things that can be blown away by the wind should be removed and then placed inside your house for safety.

Large-Scale Storms:

Large-scale storms prevent preventative measures from being effective. In caring for koi, the only way to completely save your koi pond from large storms is by removing your fish completely from the pond. In caring for koi, it’s good to have all the equipment and materials that you need to transport your fish readily. The equipment/materials needed to bag and transport your fish is small and can be stored easily when they’re not used.

You must have the appropriate bags to transport your fish. Never use trash bags or regular plastic bags, as these aren’t designed for the task, and may even damage your fish. Get bags that are big enough to hold your fish. You’re going to need rubber bands for each bag that you purchase. Choose those that have great quality, so as not to let the pressure of the water pop the rubber band out as you are transporting your fish.

Get a net that’s big enough to compete with your fish. Although you won’t need the net to pull the fish out of the pond, you’re going to need it to direct your fish to the place you want them to go. Take the necessary precaution in handling the net, as they can damage your fish, especially the big ones. Also, if you want to give it the best care possible, using a paint bucket is a better way to catch your fish, because these can’t hurt your fish like those nets can. Just make sure that your bucket is big enough to accommodate your fish.

Propagating koi: Controlling The Population Of Your Koi pond

by Pet Care on April 20, 2009


With the majority of the domesticated pets, population control is just an easy thing to do, as it is usually just as simple as removing any possibility of conception until the time in which the opportunity for it has already come to pass. But unlike these domesticated pets, reproducing koi is very different. You see, it doesn’t matter whether you want them or not, they will always lay and spawn eggs, and others will also fertilize them. Now, since contraceptive methods are not available for your koi, you can remove the unwanted baby fish after they’re born. This method might seem harsh, but keep in mind that keeping all the baby koi can damage both your pond and the parent koi too!

So, why are the baby koi harmful? It has something to do with the size that they can potentially grow into. They will grow up to 3 feet, no matter of what kind of habitat they’re placed into. Now, an overpopulation will turn a beautiful koi pool into a wasteful ones! Having too many koi will destroy a smaller koi pond, and the koi themselves will not be comfortable. As you set up your koi pond, you should have a filtration system for a specific number of koi. Remember that adding in extra amounts of koi without adding more system to your koi pond will create harmful chemicals and gases in the process.

There are several ways of getting rid of the baby koi . First, stop feeding your koi the moment you see that spawning has occurred. Never worry about them starving: they will focus more on natural foods if they do not get fed by their owners regularly. Their “natural diet” includes their young. They eat their young when they are still eggs or if they appear like little insects, and will only stop feeding on them until they see their young looking like real koi.You should start this process as soon as you observe spawning in the pond.

You can also choose to give the unwanted baby koi away. Check your local pet store and see if they have programs that will accept unwanted animals and give them shelter. Some may even pay a certain amount of cash for each koi since they’re going to sell them. Also, look for local zoos that have this program too. If you know of any local Koi society, notify them that you have unwanted babies. You can also go to online message board or groups where you can post your notifications there.

The reality is that reproducing koi and keeping them as pets is a fun hobby to have, but just make sure that you take care of them properly by monitoring their population in the koi pond regularly.

The Bed By Louis Dog is affordable Personalized Dog Beds

by Pet Care on April 20, 2009


Dogs are the animals that have to be taken care with utmost attention. People those who already have dogs as pets at their homes might know everything perfectly, but for the people who are unaware to how to take care of these gentle animals, there are guidance centers and one can understand all the details from there. Dog lovers are very happy these days because they can buy several different products for their pets. All the products are stylish and designed to give comforts to the animal. In earlier days dogs were not given much attention and they were considered only as guards of the house. They were tied outside the house or kept in cages so that when it barked the people who stay inside the house come to know that there is something strange outside. But these days’ dogs are not adopted only with the intention of keeping them outside the house as guards, but there are being adopted with the intention that they will be well protected inside the house and all they will be given all the comforts as they are giving their children.

Dogs are not only gentle animals but they are very friends. A study done on dogs says that when a human being is disheartened for any reason or he/she is going through a bad phase of life, at that time a dog proves to be the best friends of that person and he/she is able to come out of the bad situation of life. It is said that dogs always have the potential that they can help their masters to come out of their bad mood and enjoy life. Even if a person is in a bad mood he/she is forced to change his/her mood when he/she sees the dog wagging its tail in pleasure. Dogs reciprocate their love and friendliness towards their masters in all the conditions. Even if they are ignored for few reasons, they do not stop showing their gratitude towards human beings. Why not we do something good in return for these dedicated gentle animals?

I have decided that this vacation I am going to gift my children a lovely puppy. I have already started making preparations for its arrival. I already bought a pet stroller for it and now I am planning to buy a Small Dog Beds for it. After I get it home then I will buy costumes according to the size and comfort. But a pet stroller and a Small dog beds could be bought before its arrival. So after seeing many Unique Dog Beds I liked the Bed By Louis Dog for it. This is a circular puffy bed and the frame of the Bed by Louis Dog is made of 100% cotton fabric. The frame which is adorned with beautiful floral patch work is making the Unique dog beds look more elegant. A comfortable cushion is also included in this bed set and the cushion doubles and acts like a cozy pad for the puppy. This complete set is easy to wash. The cost of this lovely bed is $ 109.95.

Supplies for koi: Getting The Stuff For A Healthier Koi pool And Livelier Fish

by Pet Care on April 20, 2009


Koi is one of the most colorful and beautiful fish that owners can have in their koi pool, but keeping them in good health and great condition will require at the basic knowledge about outdoor koi pool and pets, and a few necessary koi stock as well.

First off, you need to have filtration system that will maintain the water quality of your koi pool. There are two types of filters, the biological and the mechanical ones. The function of the filter is to remove those unwanted pollutants which will decrease illnesses that may affect your fish.

Now, the only way for the filtration system to work in processing the water is when the water will move, that’s why there’s a need for you to install a pump, which is another important factor that will promote the health of your koi pool. Although you can have a waterfall or fountain in the pond to aid water movement, they should not completely replace the pump, as they don’t have the necessary strength to help with the filtration of the koi pool.

The advantage of having a fountain in your koi pool is that it will give you feeling of tranquility, which will drown those unwanted noise, stir the water, and provide oxygen to the koi pool.

Other koi pool supplies, although they’re not needed on a daily basis, should still be kept available when the need for it arises. The dechlorinator is a device used to replenish the water level of your koi pool with tap water (but you need to eliminate and remove the harmful chemicals of the tap water first).

The nitrate and pH levels of the water should be checked weekly with the use of test kits available in local pet stores. Pond salt and baking soda can be added to the water in regulating the nitrate and pH levels of the water when the test will show that the levels of chemicals are off.

Food is perhaps the most important koi supplies. Although they eat a variety of natural foods, it is still necessary for you to keep a basic food source ready at all times. The fish can eat out of their owner’s hand, so treats and snacks can also be offered to your fish.

Also, watch out for those predators. These are the herons, kingfishers, cats, foxes, badgers and raccoons. A good koi pool design can keep them in safety. Pond waters should be deep enough to prevent heron attacks. You can also create overhangs on the side of the pond to prevent these predators from reaching the water.

Another way to do this is by placing the koi pool under a tree, to cover the aerial view of the birds. Nets can also be placed entirely over the koi pool, and this will work two-fold: protection from predators and prevention for debris like leaves from falling into the water (which will really mess up your pond if left to fall).

Remember that your fish will take a little effort on your part in taking care of them when setting up your pond and considering all of the koi supplies that you’ll be needing for it. But rest assured that these are beautiful and magnificent fish that are truly worth your time and effort!

Koi oasis: Preparing Your Pets And Koi pool For The Winter Season

by Pet Care on April 20, 2009


Winter is nearly here, and this will be the first time your koi pond will go through such a cold weather. You see, winter is considered as the down period for your koi pond, because during this time, less events happen compared to other seasons. To make sure that your koi and koi pond survive the weather, here are some special precautions that you need to take in your koi plot before winter comes to your doorstep.

First of all, clean up: Take your time as you go over your koi pond, which can take about a weekend. Remove the unwanted bulk material inside and around it. Inside the koi pond, remove all the materials like leaves and slits from the bottom. Remove those plants and flowers that won’t survive the cold. Around your koi pond, clean up those things that can be blown and pushed into it, as you will not see the debris until the end of the cold weather. This will also prevent harmful parasites and bacteria in the near future.

Second, stop feeding your pets: Remember that your pets needs to stop feeding during the winter. Feed your pets only once daily when the fall starts and temperatures goes at 55 degrees to 60 degrees. Stop the feeding completely once the temperature hits below 50 degrees (even if the temperature goes above this level, refrain from feeding your pets). Most take at least 4 days to digest their food completely when they’re healthy and temperature is above 50 degrees. If you forget this one, you will kill your pets! Never mistake it for hunger when your pets open their mouths to you, because it’s only a learned reflex rather than hunger. Don’t worry about you not feeding, because your pets will feed on something else besides the food that you provide them (especially if your koi pond has a great amount of natural plants). If you’re not feeding them and if ever they get hungry, they will feed on this.

Third, check up your equipments: Do a seasonal check up on your equipments, from your filtration system to your array of medications. The majority of the koi ponds all over the world lie dormant during the winter time, you’d be able to less likely find the stuff that you’re going to need. Ensure that your emergency kit (including the nets, medications, bags, and water testing kits) is always ready and up to date.

Fourth, prepare for the cold times: Prepare for the cold weather by investing in the items that you’ll need for the summer. The pets can withstand constant temperatures as low as 39 degrees for short periods of time (including those slightly lower than 39 degrees).If you purchase a heater, research first on what size you’d be needing in order to heat your koi pond during the winter rightly. Otherwise, ice will still form, causing danger given by the gas content in the water, as it is trapped under the ice. You can put an emergency tank inside of the koi pond in case of extreme events.

Lastly, turn off all of the sources of water: Your heater will be working harder to maintain the kind of water temperature that’s enough to keep your pets alive in colder weather. If your koi pond has those additional koi plot water features such as streams, waterfalls, or those fountains that move constantly, make it a point that you turn them off during the winter time (these will circulate water, constantly bringing new and cold water to your koi pond. Switching these features off will make the standing water in your koi pond the only water that your heater will be responsible for.

Black koi breed: Getting To Know The Koi Better

by Pet Care on April 20, 2009


The Koi come in a wide variety of patterns and colors. The black koi family are distinguished from the other varieties due to their coloring and pattern, and not much else. They can grow up to about 36 inches in length, that is why there’s also a need for them to be kept in large ponds like all of the other koi. It has the same lifespan as the others, around 25 to 35 years of age. They are seen regularly in outdoor ponds anywhere in the globe.

Types Of black koi variant:

There are many types of the black koi variant. The Kumonryu koi is the most popular of the species. It first appeared in the 1980’s. The word “Kumonryu” means “dragon fish” in Japanese. It has been coined as such due to its body is nostalgic of the bodies of dragons drawn in ancient paintings. Others think that these fish look like dragons rising up through the clouds. It can also change its color and pattern.

The Magoi koi is one of the first all black mutation that can grow very long. Seemingly black in color when viewed from above, their actual color is deep bronze. Because of their great possibilities in size, their blood is being reintroduced to other koi so as to hasten and maximize the growth potential of the others.

The Matsukawabake koi has areas or white on its body. They can change color, and because of the environmental effects and their diet, their color changes from a duller or brighter shade of color. The temperature can completely change their color, turning completely white or completely black. It will only return to its original color once there’s a change in temperature. The Karasu koi (meaning “crow” in Japanese) is another of those very old species. This koi is known by its black-colored body and fins. Others can also have an white or orange belly.

The wide array of colors of the black koi variant is one of the factors that makes them an attraction to people. What’s even more exciting is that you have the ability to own a koi that can amazingly change its color in an instant just like some of the species of the black koi variant can!

Koi fish food: The Right Food For Your Pets

by Pet Care on April 20, 2009


To have a healthy pet Koi, you have to feed them with the proper koi fish food that will keep them in great shape. For this, you should know the nature of your pets when it comes to their diet and feeding patterns.

Generally, Koi are omnivorous fish, which means that they eat both plants and meat alike. They are known to have sharp appetites when the water temperature falls on 61 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. The summertime is when they are most active in their appetites, this is why they should be fed with koi food that will give them a good quality diet (those nutritious koi food).

Your fish eat almost anything that comes in their way, ranging from insects, worms, snails, to the foliage of underwater plants (which could sometimes give their owners quite a bit of a headache!). Some of them would also feast on those acorn and grasses which they manage to eat by pulling themselves part of the way out of the water!

Wintertime, however, is when their digestive system slows down, almost to a stop. Now, this is the time when there’s no need for you to feed them with koi food. Why? It’s because they may take the liberty of nibbling on the algae that can be found at the bottom of the pond (or any available natural food there is). But there’s one thing that you must always remember: once the temperature will fall to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, any food that will be left and stored in their stomach will become bad, that it may cause them to fall ill.

So, what are the good and healthy koi food that you can give to your fish? You must always keep in mind that they need to have the right and proper combination of fats, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. To get these, you can feed them with pellet foods, which can be made to float on the top of the water so that they’ll come out of the water’s surface to snatch it.

In addition to this, you can also feed your fish with special treats like watermelons, peas and lettuce. Be careful though in feeding them with koi food such as corn, beans and grapes, as they contain an outer casing, which can’t be properly digested if swallowed by your fish. So make sure that you remove the outer casings before feeding them with it.

Other koi food include prawns (edible crustaceans which has similarities to shrimp, only that they are bigger), bread (which can be broken down, rolled into small balls and thrown into the pond), lettuce (high in essential vitamins and minerals) and fruits (but should only be fed occasionally, as most of them have high amounts of natural sugar).

You should ensure that your fish are in great health and also free from injuries. As they have great appetites, you needn’t put a lot of stress into how and how much they’re being fed. Feeding your fish with koi food is when you can take the pleasure of your pet’s eagerness to interact with you. A healthy diet can give your fish bright colors, making them even more attractive to you and others!